there must be an easier way? - interlocking text /font /scrypt

[Johan de Waal]

Hi there,

need some help please, I am currently using Laserwork /RDcam for majority of my work together with a 2D Cad package , however I just received a job for cutting Names in script type font, for a wedding, to be used as seating indicators out of MDF to be painted. I received the lists of the names of the quests in a word document (120 odd guests) and the requirement is then to cut each name out of MDF. In order to do so I want to use a script time font that interlocks to form one flowing piece for each name instead of loose letters.

SO I have downloaded a lot of script fonts to try but all have Capital letters not connected to the rest of the word when typed in MS word , so I need to find a way to connect the capitals to the small letters. Futher more , in word the letters are interconnected, but when using the same TTF font in RDCam /lazerwoks the letters are disconnected. So I 've ended up typing the name in word in the right font, then saving it as a JPG, then using a raster to vector tool to trace the outlines of the word to a dxf, and then importing the dxf into RDCAM to cut.

Massive time consuming process. is there an easier way (considering I don't have access to Corel - I know it will make it much easier) ? Is there a way to get RDcam /laserworks to interconnect the letters for cutting?

any advice help would be greatly appreciated. Don't want to run the above process 120 times...

thanks

Johan

[Julian Ashcroft]

Use Inkscape, possible to paste the text from word directly into it. Change the font and then move the spacing so,each letter is touching, change to object and then weld the letters together, save as a dxf and import into laser works.

322967

[David Somers]

Johan,

Julian's got it. I just wanted to add that Inkscape is free.

Dave

[Kev Williams]

First-- paste your names OUT of Word INTO plain old Notepad, change the font, then copy/paste from there. The only way I can get Word (the newer versions) to paste anywhere is to paste into notepad first anyway, and THEN copy/paste
(the only reason I use word is because my customers email text in ALL CAPS that won't be all caps, and I use the 'sentence case' option to change it all in one lump)

That said--- you still have the problem of disconnected CAPS to the lower case... your RDcam should have a weld function, since the text will need to be welded too...
What you need to do is draw a simple rectangle between the first two letters:

http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/test1.jpg


--then weld them in along with the rest of the text:

http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/test2.jpg



You say you're painting the MDF, so just avoid painting the connector, or paint it close to whatever the background will be, and they won't be very noticeable at all...

http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/test3.jpg


By the way, this font is Lucida Handwriting, very thick, easy to laser cut without a bunch of thin segments to break! I'm not sure how all the letters connect, but just hand-draw your own connectors if you need!
You can also draw in curved connectors that would look good for curvey-er caps. Make up a couple and set them aside, and just copy & paste in which ones work the best. Everyone will love them! :)

[John Bion]

One further note about painting these: if you do a “kiss-cut” line along the edge of the text where the ‘joiners’ between letters are, it will help you to paint the letters without spreading paint to the ‘joiners’. Hope that explanation makes sense? It also adds a ‘visual’ boundary edge between the letter and joiner.
Regards, John (ex: Natal/Zim :))

[John Bion]

That looks great Julian, trust all well for you on the Mild Island. Regards, John


Use Inkscape, possible to paste the text from word directly into it. Change the font and then move the spacing so,each letter is touching, change to object and then weld the letters together, save as a dxf and import into laser works.

322967

[Johan de Waal]

Thanks for all the advice guys, downloaded inscape, installed it and spent some time figuring out how its works and how to "weld" the letters together and completed the job this afternoon in a lot less time than I thought it would take. Thanks for the great advice and repsone. Now have a new way of workflow for requests like these.