Choosing a Pen Style
FontCraft has three pen styles available from the left toolbar. Each gives a different feel to your strokes, and your choice will affect the overall character of your font.
Biro
A thin, consistent ballpoint feel. The line stays the same width regardless of how hard you press. Good for:
- Clean, everyday handwriting fonts
- Fonts that should look like they were written with a regular pen
- Situations where you want fine, uniform strokes
Felt-tip
A medium-width pen with slightly soft edges. Slightly more expressive than Biro, with a warmer feel. Good for:
- Casual, friendly lettering
- Fonts with a bit more personality than a standard handwriting style
- Situations where you want visible but not dramatic stroke variation
Fountain Pen
A variable-width, pressure-sensitive style. Press harder and the line gets thicker; press lighter and it gets thinner. This only responds to actual pressure on iPad with Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus. With a mouse, the width variation is simulated. Good for:
- Calligraphy-style fonts
- Script and cursive lettering
- Any font where natural stroke weight variation is part of the look
Thickness and Smoothness
Both sliders appear in the left toolbar when a pen is selected.
- Thickness sets the base width of the stroke. Increase it for a heavier feel, decrease it for a finer line.
- Smoothness rounds out jagged strokes. If your letters look shaky or mechanical, increasing smoothness can give them a more flowing, natural feel. Don't push it too high or you'll lose fine details.
Which Should I Use?
There's no wrong answer. The best approach is to draw the same letter two or three times with different pens and see which feels most like your natural handwriting. Stick with the same pen style for the entire character set, as switching mid-alphabet will make letters look inconsistent.
Once you've chosen a style, avoid changing it until you've finished all your characters.