Font similar to mechanical engineering handwriting

March 31, 2016 1:44 PM

Not Graphite. I am creating a visual presentation about engineers and am trying to find a font that mirrors what would be written on a blue-print or design. My father was a mechanical engineer and I would love to replicate how he would write. It is very similar to Graphite but the horizontal strokes must be horizontal and not going up to the right. I've googled font descriptions but am having no luck, so I thought I would try the hive mind. It seems very specific to engineers and not architects.
posted by turtlefu to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

How about Flux Architect? The horizontal strokes are horizontal.
posted by zsazsa at 1:53 PM on March 31, 2016

Seconding Flux Architect, or Draftsman.
posted by themissy at 1:55 PM on March 31, 2016

Neither of those look like technical lettering.
posted by cardboard at 2:06 PM on March 31, 2016 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Apparently ASME.Y14.5, the technical standard for dimensioning and tolerancing, has an official font. It's pretty close to what I did when hand-lettering.
posted by cardboard at 2:11 PM on March 31, 2016 [2 favorites]

While it's not handwriting, Exhibition by Frank Lloyd Wright was designed to be drawn with just a tee-square and a triangle.
posted by Marky at 2:13 PM on March 31, 2016

Response by poster: Cardboard is correct in that the font is very precise, much more so than Flux architect, but it also doesn't look like typeset.
posted by turtlefu at 2:14 PM on March 31, 2016

There's the IS0 3098 font that architects use in the EU, here's a free implementation of it: https://github.com/hikikomori82/osifont / https://hikikomori82.github.io/
posted by Gazs at 2:34 PM on March 31, 2016

I don't think there's much call for fonts that look hand-drawn but not TOO hand-drawn. You can use a vector font creator (a random one I found - I can't vouch for it's ease of use or quality) and the guide on technical lettering to make your own.
posted by muddgirl at 2:37 PM on March 31, 2016

(And as an engineer who does CAD drafting, I would use Century Gothic or RomanS depending on the project - neither of those really fit your requirements.)
posted by muddgirl at 2:40 PM on March 31, 2016

Do you have samples of your father's writing? I make fonts, sometimes. It's not too hard. That's what I'd do. I might be talked into doing it for you, to be honest.
posted by BrunoLatourFanclub at 9:29 PM on March 31, 2016 [1 favorite]

Something like this, perhaps?

My father in law did a lot of drafting work from the '60's to the '80's, and all his paperwork is filled with super neat pencilwork.
posted by jgreco at 6:12 AM on April 1, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm going to have to go with the ASME standard for now.
posted by turtlefu at 10:32 AM on April 1, 2016