How to Create Custom Calligraphy Fonts
Transform your hand lettering into a professional digital font. Whether for personal projects, client work, or selling online, this guide will walk you through the complete process of creating custom calligraphy fonts from start to finish.
19 min readAdvanced LevelExpert Reviewed
Why Create Your Own Font?
Personal Benefits
- Use your unique style digitally
- Work faster on design projects
- Maintain consistency across projects
- Create personalized gifts
Professional Benefits
- Sell fonts on marketplaces ($100-$500+)
- Offer custom fonts to clients
- Create brand-specific typography
- Build passive income stream
The 5-Step Font Creation Process
1
Plan & Design Your Font
Define Your Style
- • Choose font category: Script, serif, sans-serif, display, decorative
- • Decide on weight: Light, regular, medium, bold, extra bold
- • Determine slant angle for scripts (typically 55-75 degrees)
- • Establish consistent stroke weight and contrast
Minimum Character Set
- • Uppercase: A-Z (26 letters)
- • Lowercase: a-z (26 letters)
- • Numbers: 0-9 (10 digits)
- • Basic Punctuation: . , ! ? ' " : ; - ( ) /
- • Total: ~70-80 characters for basic font
Advanced Characters (Optional)
- • Ligatures: ff, fi, fl, th, st (connected pairs)
- • Alternates: Different versions of a, g, y, etc.
- • Swashes: Decorative start/end flourishes
- • Extended Latin: Accented characters (é, ñ, ü)
- • Symbols: @, #, $, %, &, *, +, =
2
Create Your Letters by Hand
Materials & Setup
- • Paper: Smooth white paper (Rhodia, Bristol)
- • Ink: Black ink only (for clean scanning)
- • Pens: Consistent tool (same nib/brush throughout)
- • Guidelines: Keep proportions consistent
Pro Tips for Drawing
- • Draw each character 3-5 times, pick the best version
- • Maintain consistent baseline and x-height
- • Keep spacing in mind (not too wide or narrow)
- • Leave white space around each character
- • Use a template or grid for consistency
- • Take breaks to maintain quality
Alternative: Digital Creation
You can also create letters digitally:
- • iPad + Procreate: Draw with Apple Pencil, export SVG
- • Graphics Tablet: Draw directly in Illustrator/Inkscape
- • Hybrid: Sketch on paper, refine digitally
3
Scan & Digitize
Scanning Settings
- • Resolution: 600 DPI minimum (1200 DPI preferred)
- • Mode: Grayscale or black & white
- • Format: TIFF or high-quality PNG
- • Contrast: Increase if needed for clean edges
Vectorization Methods
Option 1: Adobe Illustrator (Easiest)
- 1. Place scanned image in Illustrator
- 2. Select image, go to Object → Image Trace → Make
- 3. Adjust threshold for clean conversion
- 4. Object → Expand to convert to vector paths
- 5. Clean up with Direct Selection tool
Option 2: Inkscape (Free)
- 1. Import image into Inkscape
- 2. Path → Trace Bitmap
- 3. Adjust threshold and preview
- 4. Click OK, then delete original image
- 5. Refine paths with Node tool
Option 3: Calligraphr (Web-based)
- • Use their template system
- • Automatic character detection
- • Vectorization included in workflow
4
Font Software & Assembly
Choose Your Font Software
Calligraphr (Best for Beginners)
- • Price: Free basic (75 chars) or $8/month Pro
- • Platform: Web-based, works anywhere
- • Learning curve: Easy, guided workflow
- • Best for: First-time font creators
Glyphs (Mac Only)
- • Price: $299 (mini version) or $499 (full)
- • Platform: macOS only
- • Learning curve: Moderate
- • Best for: Serious designers, professional fonts
- • Price: $499
- • Platform: Windows & Mac
- • Learning curve: Steep, powerful features
- • Best for: Professional type designers
FontForge (Free & Open Source)
- • Price: Free
- • Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
- • Learning curve: Very steep, dated interface
- • Best for: Budget-conscious, patient learners
Core Font Creation Tasks
- 1. Import vectors: Load your digitized letters
- 2. Assign glyphs: Map each character to keyboard key
- 3. Set metrics: Adjust sidebearings (spacing)
- 4. Baseline alignment: Ensure consistent vertical positioning
- 5. Kerning: Fine-tune spacing between letter pairs
- 6. Add features: Ligatures, alternates, swashes
5
Refine, Test & Export
Critical Testing Steps
- • Test at multiple sizes (12pt, 24pt, 72pt, 144pt)
- • Try in different applications (Word, Photoshop, InDesign)
- • Check all letter combinations for spacing issues
- • Test with real sentences and paragraphs
- • Verify ligatures and OpenType features work
- • Test on both Windows and Mac if possible
Common Test Phrases
• The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (all letters)
• Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow (all letters, shorter)
• Handgloves (tests letter spacing)
• AVATA AWAY (tests kerning)
• Test numbers: 1234567890
Export Settings
- • Format: OTF (OpenType Font) recommended
- • Hinting: Auto-hint for better rendering
- • Unicode: Include proper Unicode mapping
- • Font Info: Add name, copyright, version
- • License: Specify usage terms
Selling Your Custom Font
Monetization Options
Where to Sell
- • Creative Market: Popular, 40-60% commission
- • Etsy: Easy setup, large audience
- • MyFonts: Professional marketplace
- • Your website: Keep 100% profits
- • Design Bundles: Bundle with graphics
- • Font Bunny / DaFont: Free exposure
Pricing Strategy
- • Simple fonts: $12-$25
- • Script fonts with ligatures: $25-$50
- • Font families (multiple weights): $50-$100+
- • Extended license: 2-3x personal license
- • Bundle deals: Encourage multiple purchases
💡 Pro Tip:
Creating a font family (light, regular, bold) or offering alternates and ligatures significantly increases perceived value and justifies higher pricing. Consider creating promotional graphics showing your font in action to boost sales.
Realistic Timeline & Tips
Expected Time Investment
- Planning & sketching:2-4 hours
- Drawing all characters:6-12 hours
- Scanning & vectorizing:4-8 hours
- Font software setup:3-6 hours
- Spacing & kerning:4-8 hours
- Testing & refinement:2-4 hours
- Total (basic font):20-40 hours
Success Tips
- Start with a simple font for your first project
- Create multiple versions of tricky letters
- Join font design communities for feedback
- Study successful fonts in your category
- Test extensively before releasing
- Create preview images that sell the lifestyle
Your Font, Your Legacy
Creating a custom font is challenging but incredibly rewarding. Your unique lettering style can reach thousands of people worldwide. Whether for personal use, client projects, or passive income, font creation is a valuable skill that combines artistry with technology.
Start with Calligraphr's free tier today!