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View Full Version : Font Selection for Vinyl Lettering.



NikGrey
20-12-2013, 02:36 PM
I have spent a while now trying to work out a good collection of fonts to include in my shiney new 'Lettering Tool' (yet to be opened to the public).

I dont want to include too many fonts, just the ones that are well suited to Vinyl Signage - My fonts will start at 30mm (as small than that will be a beast to weed) and go up to 500mm probably.

Quite often I have seen people say that 'Serif' fonts are a nightmare as the serifs are the first part to peel so may want to avoid those.

I have a tool which allows the user to input the desired text, select colour - reverse cut - size (and italic, bold, bold italic)

Well, heres a screenshot so you can get the idea:

http://nikgrey.com/DSF/lettering-tool-dsf.png


Does anybody have a list of fonts that would lend themselves to this type of thing ?

I know a lot of you have been in the business for a long time so may be able to save me a lot of time with this.

Skye
21-12-2013, 01:41 PM
Hi Nik,

I have only cut lettering to the customer's specification, so I haven't thought about it from this viewpoint.

A word of caution, though. Like images, fonts are copyrighted. The fonts offered need to be either free for commercial use or ones you have bought the commercial license for.

Karen

NikGrey
21-12-2013, 01:45 PM
This is what is worrying me, I could have a huge list of fonts and be a sitting duck for anyone who is after people using fonts for commercial use they are not supposed to. Like all of us I have thousands of fonts.. lol, I suppose fonts will be a nightmare.

It's not like I can even ask a competitor.. to be honest if someone asked me I would be helpful though.

Skye
21-12-2013, 03:48 PM
Check the fonts with fontsquirrel.com
All the fonts here are labelled as 100% free for commercial use. Still be worth checking the license attached to the fonts you pick.

There are plenty of fonts to choose from there & the search has good classifications. To start with I think I'd pick one from each classification on the "less is more" principle. Customers like choice - but more options doesn't always convert to more sales.

Have fun choosing the fonts.......................

NikGrey
21-12-2013, 06:46 PM
Thanks a great find, thanks very much - I can find everything I need there :)

NikGrey
05-01-2014, 01:46 AM
It's been at least Three months since I decided to start this business - the 'Easy' part was my website.

I engaged a 'Developer' to make this simple tool (An Indian One) and it has been a 'Roller Coaster' to be polite..

The 'Tool' (Not the 'Developer') was almost ready a couple of weeks ago when I noticed the '£' symbol didn't work.. I thought this would be an easy fix but alas, NO (as far as the Tool is concerned - no, I meant the 'Developer').

Ere (http://test-store.greyprint.co.uk/index.php?_a=letter) it is.

I have another chap making another tool for me (FANTASTIC FELLA) and in passing I mentioned the problem I am having with the 'Tool' (I'm sure you get the Gist by now) - anyway, about ten minutes later I get a reply from the chap saying "I had a look, and fixed it" - I was OVER THE BLOODY MOON...

It was not his job but he managed to fix something that the Tool Man had been spending weeks on.

I learned a valuable lesson here, Don't try and use the wrong Tool for a job.

FutureProject
05-01-2014, 09:23 AM
Buy cheap, buy twice isn't just for hardware. As a web developer I've lost lots of potential clients to cheaper overseas developers and I've also gained many who have been left with inflexible, inappropriate or unusable websites/software built by the cheaper guys.

As for fonts more is not always better, give your customers too many decisions and they often won't make them (I had a sticker site with over 10,000 designs to choose from, people would spend hours looking and then dissapear, presumably they thought I'll come back later or I'll have a think, I reduced it to about 1,000 and got a much better conversion)

Think of the font groups and have no more than 2 from each, include horrendous fonts such as comic sans and jokerman, they are fonts non designers love and that unfortunately is your target market.

Paul
05-01-2014, 11:11 AM
Nick, I tried your tool and is working like a dream! but... what is this for? i added to cart but this didnt appeared on a mug or something. so what this is or? sorry if this is stupid question :redface:

arko
05-01-2014, 02:06 PM
As I understand it Paul, its for working out the cost for a customer that wishes to purchase vinyl cut lettering of their choice with a certain font, size and colour.... so for example the wording.. Hello DSF in white, 30mm high (auto length) and the font Trebuchet would cost £2.25.

Paul
05-01-2014, 02:11 PM
right! cool thing :)

NikGrey
05-01-2014, 02:15 PM
Arko got it. the 'Image Uploader' for my Mugs etc is also on that server for testing.

So frustrating waiting for these to be working properly so I can open, the Lettering tools is meant to simplify things and make the message traffic between me and someone wanting a simple sign a lot less - another thing, if there is any dispute I have what the ordered here in black and white.

It will be the same for the images for Mugs etc as they will crop etc before ordering - these all belong to me and are hosted on my site, and I have full control.

NikGrey
14-01-2014, 10:15 PM
OK, I am at the stage of entering my fonts (its been a rollercoaster of a ride).

I can find 'Free for Commercial Use' fonts of fontsquirrel - no problem but the nature of my tool means I need: Regular, Bold, Bold Italic and italic as there are switches for the style when selecting the font - I can have a single font there if I like and the switches dont work but I want to do this properly.

Where can I find the full font packs legally ?

Here's (http://www.greyprint.co.uk/index.php?_a=letter) my Tool if you haven't seen it yet.

Still lots of work to do before I can open this site, but the groundwork is almost complete.

Ali P
15-01-2014, 01:46 AM
To add to the minefield, some "free to use commercially" available fonts exclude being used to embed in a website tool so have a double check . There are those you can print, those you can "write" within the body of your website design but can't use as a pick your own type tool

arko
15-01-2014, 07:07 AM
Fonts do usually come in all the desired attributes as you wanted Nik, but Ali is correct, some that are available on a free for private and commercial license do not always allow you to manipulate i.e. change colour, height size etc, or share as part of a commercial project which you would be technically doing by placing that font on your mugs.

NikGrey
16-01-2014, 12:16 AM
This is just it, I am trying to do everything now so that I don't have to worry about 'Come Backs' in future - anybody that knows me from my younger years will not recognise me these days in my ethics but I am at 'That Age' and don't want the hassle.

I saw a site earlier, he was saying he could use most of the fonts he has in MS Word - I guess he is getting around what has been said about various conditions.. nobody can see what he is doing by simply visiting his website unlike mine :( another valuable/expensive lesson learned.]

Saying all that I have - I will admit to trying to use the fonts on my Mac, they are in a 'Font Book' which uses 'Suitcase Files' and I cant extract them to use in my tool.. I was only 'Testing'.

Maybe I am being 'Too Careful' - lol, until I posted that :(

Sometimes, when you try to do the right thing so many things are in your way. There is something else business wise I am going out of my way to 'DO the right thing' but keep finding Brick Walls :( FFFFrustrating.

arko
16-01-2014, 11:31 AM
I would like the Suitcase app for my PC. Its a Mac app but I dont think they do it yet for PC or do they?

edit:... I should have said Extensis Suitcase.... for Mac. They havent got a PC version.

dazzul
02-02-2014, 07:31 AM
Love the concept of the tool. Brilliant idea, are you planning on keeping it for yourself or will it be for sale also?
I have a idea hahaha.

NikGrey
02-02-2014, 02:46 PM
I am open to selling it to a select few, I need to get it tweaked first and encoded so I can control where it goes and who uses it. I am having some problems with it at the moment which I need to get resolved - one thing I never got my head around is Coding !

dazzul
02-02-2014, 07:23 PM
Ok will keep a eye on this thread.

Benn81
02-02-2014, 11:00 PM
This looks like a similiar tool

http://www.vinyllettering.co.uk/lettering-tool.php

I was quoted near 1K to build this tool for an Actinic/Sellerdeck site, I fell off my seat.

dazzul
03-02-2014, 03:47 AM
Does look very very similar.

NikGrey
03-02-2014, 06:39 PM
'Similar' - that's the exact One I had copied.

I had various quotes, most were silly so I ended up going to India to have it done (not physically) - I am having a few problems which I am having fixed.. today I have spent on this Lettering Tool Repair again. I wouldn't recommend finding the cheapest option to make things like this. fortunately I have found a very good developer here in the UK who knows his stuff so I am ok (or will be).

I'm just waiting for the owner of that tool to check their visitor stats and find a link from us - it's all above board though.

This was not a cheap thing to have made though.

dazzul
26-02-2014, 01:44 AM
How you getting on with this now?