Scanahand 1.

0
2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Scanahand Manual
2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the written permission of the publisher. Scanahand is a trademark of High-Logic. Microsoft, Windows and OpenType are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, the Apple Logo and Macintosh are registered trademarks and TrueType is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the United States and other countries. Adobe and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. The Unicode Character Database is provided as is by Unicode, Inc. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this document or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document. April 2008

Contents

Table of Contents
Part I Getting Started
1 Welcome to Scanahand 1.0 ................................................................................................................................... 2 2 Technical Support ................................................................................................................................... 2 3 Registration ................................................................................................................................... 2 4 Credits ................................................................................................................................... 3

Part II Quick Start Tutorial

1 Your First Font ................................................................................................................................... 5

Part III The User Interface

1 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 11 2 Scan Setup ................................................................................................................................... 11 3 Font Setup ................................................................................................................................... 12 4 Customizing................................................................................................................................... 13 Scanahand
Keyboard Shortcuts .......................................................................................................................................................... Options .......................................................................................................................................................... General ......................................................................................................................................................... Template ......................................................................................................................................................... Warnings......................................................................................................................................................... 13 13 13 14 15

Index

17

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Part

Getting Started

1
1.1

Getting Started
Welcome to Scanahand 1.0 Introduction
Scanahand allows you to generate a font without the need to know all of the technical details involved. All you need is a printer, a scanner, and a black marker or felt-tipped pen. It is also possible to use Scanahand without using a printer and scanner, but then you'll have to draw characters through image processing software. Make sure you have the latest version of Scanahand: http://www.high-logic.com/

1.2

Technical Support Online User Manual

The user manual is also available online: http://www.high-logic.com/scanahand/manual/index.html

Forum
The forum is available to you for support and information about managing and designing fonts. This forum has become a place where all users of Scanahand can share their knowledge. Membership of the forum is free. There's a good chance other people have asked the same questions as you, so you may be able to find the answers you need. Feedback and suggestions are also welcome in the forum. http://forum.high-logic.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

View the most frequently asked questions (and answers) about Scanahand here: http://www.high-logic.com/scanahand/faq.html

1.3

Registration Evaluation
During the trial period, Scanahand runs in reduced functionality mode. After using Scanahand for a 30-day trial period, you must register and pay for it, or remove it from your system. Registering unlocks all functionality for the specific edition and makes your copy legal. It also helps support our efforts to develop innovative products to best serve your

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Scanahand Help

needs. Thank you for your support of Scanahand!

Why Register?
When you buy a license of Scanahand 1.0 it entitles you to the following benefits: For 12 months free updates of all versions of Scanahand. All future versions of Scanahand 1.x. Direct e-mail support from the developers.

To Register
The quickest and most convenient way to register is online via credit card. Other supported payment methods like checks and cash are also supported. For more details take a look at our registration page: http://www.high-logic.com/register.html

1.4

Credits
Scanahand contains several unmodified libraries that are available under MPL. Graphics32 from http://sourceforge.net/projects/graphics32; JCL and JVCL from http://www.delphi-jedi.org/; VirtualShellUtilities from http://www.mustangpeak.net/; FastMM from http://fastmm.sourceforge.net/

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Part

II

Scanahand Help

2
2.1

Quick Start Tutorial

Your First Font
Scanahand is software that generates a font out of your handwriting. To be more precise, it allows you to print out a template (a grid). After you've filled out the template, you scan it back into Scanahand, which will then convert all characters into a font that can be used on Windows and Mac OS X. This short introduction explains how to generate a font with Scanahand. Besides a computer running Microsoft Windows you will need a printer, a scanner, and a black marker or felt-tipped pen.

Step 1 - Print and fill out the empty template

To print the empty template, just click the Print button as shown below. A Print Setup dialog is shown. Most likely the correct printer is already selected, so just press the Ok button.

Take the printed template from the printer, and fill it out. Use a suitable pen (e.g. a black permanent marker of fine or medium thickness) to draw the characters the way that you

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Quick Start Tutorial

normally write. The output of ballpoint pens will be too thin to give a satisfactory result. Make sure you draw your characters into the designated cells and ensure you don't touch the grid lines while drawing the characters. Note: The six "- ? -" cells, located on the left side of the Signature cell, are not assigned yet. So you can leave them empty. All cells (except the signature cell) contain horizontal guidelines (actually four little marks on both left and right side of each cell) that should help you write the characters in the right dimensions, and in the best possible position in each cell. These guidelines, represent the cap height (C), x-height (x), the baseline (b), and the descender (d). The image below illustrates how to get the best results.

In the first row the characters are drawn with the recommended size and position. As you can see, most characters are placed on the baseline. The small letter "g" goes below the baseline. Capital letters and digits have the same size. Try not to draw your characters as shown in the second row. The capital letter "A" is positioned on the descender, the small letter "a" is too large, the small letter "e" has exaggerated connecting strokes, the small letter "f" is too small, the small letter "g" goes outside the cell, small letter "s" is drawn with a large-tip marker, and digit "8" is too small.

Step 2 - Scan in the completed template

When you've drawn all characters, put the template as straight as possible on the scanner bed. Click on the "Completed Template" icon on the left, and then press the Scan button. A Scan Setup dialog is shown. Ensure the correct scanner is selected. A 300 dpi scan resolution is recommended, but if your characters contain little details (e.g. thin strokes) you should use a higher resolution. Press the Ok button to start the scan process. Click on the "Rotate 180 Degrees" toolbar button if you accidentally placed the filled-in template into the scanner, upside-down.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Scanahand Help

Step 3 - Generate and install the font

Click on the "Font" icon on the left, and then press the Generate button. On the Font Setup dialog, fill in the Name and Copyright fields. The Name field is very important, as that name will appear as the font name in all applications. Don't change the conversion settings, as those are set to recommended values (Auto and Smooth). Press the Ok button.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Quick Start Tutorial

During the font generation process, Scanahand detects the template, and places the characters into your font. Upon completion, you instantly get to preview your finished font.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Scanahand Help

Finally click the Install button to make the font available to all applications (Microsoft Word, etc.) on your computer. If you are running Windows Vista (or higher) it will prompt you for permission to allow the installation. Be sure that you allow the installation to continue.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

Part

III

11

Scanahand Help

3
3.1

The User Interface

Overview
The default layout of Scanahand will look like the image below.

3.2

Scan Setup
Select the scanner and a scan resolution between 300 and 600 dpi. A 300 dpi scan resolution is recommended, but if your characters contain little details (e.g. thin strokes) you should use a higher resolution. If you prefer to make advanced settings through the scanner driver, enable the checkbox.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

The User Interface

12

3.3

Font Setup
Fill in the Name and Copyright fields. The Name field is very important, as that name will appear as the font name in all applications.

Scanahand needs to find out what pixels belong to the characters. The threshold value is used to make that decision. Usually the Auto value gives best results, but you can also choose between Low, Medium, and High. The Low threshold removes all light colored pixels, while the High threshold includes all light colored pixels. When you use the High threshold you get slightly fatter characters, but you risk inclusion of unwanted pixels. Based on the filter value, Scanahand will add or remove additional pixels to improve the generated contours. Both the Smooth and Super filter polish the outlines. This usually this results in more rounded contours. Recommended values for the conversion settings are Auto threshold, and Smooth filter.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

13

Scanahand Help

3.4
3.4.1

Customizing Scanahand
Keyboard Shortcuts
You can quickly accomplish tasks you perform frequently by using these keyboard shortcut keys.

Press F1 F5 F6 F7

To Help Go to Empty Template Go to Completed Template Go to Font

3.4.2
3.4.2.1

Options
General

You can customize Scanahand through the Options window (Select Options from the Tools menu).

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

The User Interface

14

On Start... Measurement units

Shows the Welcome dialog when Scanahand is started. Allows you to set the measurement units used for the template margins.

3.4.2.2

Template

To change font related settings, select Options from the Tools menu and then click the Fonts tab.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

15

Scanahand Help

Guide Lines Colors Margins

The empty template will contain colored guide lines, if you enable these settings. Sets the printing area of the empty template. The printer will only print within these margins.

3.4.2.3

Warnings

To show, enable or disable specific warning messages, select Options from the Tools menu and then click the Warnings tab.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

The User Interface

16

<not assigned> Update Reminder

We recommend enabled warnings for novice users. This setting ensures you get a reminder that tells you to check for updates.

2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.

17

Scanahand Help

Index
-DDecimal 13

-WWarnings 15

-FFeatures 2 Folders 13 Fonts 14

-HHandwriting 5 Hexadecimal 13

-MMailing List 2 Manual PDF 2

-RRegister 2

-SScanahand buying 2 getting help 2 manual 2 user interface 11 Shortcut 13 Smart font operations 14 Support 2 System tray 13

-TToolbar icons 13
2007 - 2008 by High-Logic, all rights reserved.