Guide · From old letters
Make a font from a loved one's handwriting
Love you always, Mum x
Handwriting is one of the most personal things a person leaves behind. The way your grandmother wrote "with love" on a birthday card, or your dad's notes in the margin of a recipe, are recognisable at a glance. A handwriting font lets you keep writing in their hand: a line on a memorial card, a family recipe book, a framed quote, or a note to your own children.
You do not need them to fill anything in. Handyfont's From old letters builds a font from photos of writing that already exists.
What you need
- Some of their handwriting. Letters, postcards, birthday cards, recipe cards, a diary, notes in a book. Up to 10 photos per font.
- A phone camera. No scanner needed, though a scan works too.
- About 20 to 40 minutes to mark the characters, depending on how many you want.
How it works
- Photograph the writing. Lay the page flat in daylight, hold the phone straight above it and fill the frame with the writing. Avoid shadows from your hand or phone.
- Mark each character once. Pick a letter from the list and drag a box around one good example of it in the photo. Then set the line the writing sits on, so every letter lines up when you type.
- Build and type. We cut each character out, clean it up and turn it into a font. You type anything you like in it on the page, and go back to swap a letter for a better example.
- Download. When you are happy, pay once and download OTF, TTF and WOFF2 files that install on Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Choosing the best examples
Each letter in the font comes from the one example you mark, so it is worth picking well:
- Pick the most typical version of each letter, not the fanciest. The font repeats it every time, so an unusual flourish soon starts to stand out.
- Take letters from the same pen and the same period where you can. Writing changes over the years, and a letter from 1975 next to one from 2015 can look like two people.
- Prefer letters that stand alone. In joined-up writing, take letters at the start or end of a word, or ones where the pen lifted.
- Lowercase first. Most of what you type is lowercase. Capitals and digits matter less, and you can leave some out.
Old letters on lined or yellowed paper are fine. We separate the ink from the paper. Very faint pencil or writing that shows through from the other side is harder, so choose the clearest pages.
Ideas for using the font
- Memorial and funeral cards, order-of-service booklets and thank-you notes.
- A family recipe book with each recipe typed in the hand of the person who wrote it.
- Framed quotes and prints of a favourite saying.
- Gifts for the family: mugs, tea towels, cushions or a calendar with a line in their writing.
- Wedding details, such as a line from a grandparent on the invitations or a sign at the reception.
- A tattoo design for a phrase they never wrote down.
The font is yours to use in personal and commercial work, on any number of your own devices. Families often share it: anyone who uses it can install it on their own computers.
A note on rights and signatures
Only use handwriting that is yours to use, such as letters from your own family that you are entitled to keep. We do not accept signatures, and a Handyfont font may not be used to imitate a signature or forge a document. Your photos are used only to make your font and are deleted after 30 days.
Questions
Can I make a font from the handwriting of someone who has died?
Yes. From old letters works from photos of writing that already exists, such as letters, cards, recipe cards or notebooks. Only upload handwriting you have the right to use, for example family letters you are entitled to keep.
How much writing do I need?
One clear example of each character you want. Lowercase letters matter most. A two-page letter usually has almost all of the lowercase alphabet; capitals and digits often need a second letter, a card or a recipe card.
What if a letter never appears in the writing?
Characters you do not mark are left out of the font. Rare letters such as q, x and z are the usual gaps, so look through a few more pages or cards for them.
Does it work with cursive?
Separate, print-style letters work best. In joined-up cursive each letter runs into the next, so the strokes that join letters come along with them. Many people write a mix, and those letters often work well.
Can I use the font for a memorial tattoo?
You can type any phrase in the font and give it to your tattoo artist. If the exact words exist in the original handwriting, a photo of the original is usually even better, and the font is useful for words the person never wrote.
Can I see the font before I pay?
Yes. You mark the characters, we build the font, and you type in it on the page. You only pay when you want the files.
Photograph the letters you have, mark each character once, and type in the font before you pay. One payment of $39, no subscription.
Make a font from old lettersOr fill in a template sheet