Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with handwriting

How to write ampersands by hand

dicetumbler — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:56:17 -0800

What's the proper way to write ampersands ("&") by hand? Kind of trivial question, but was wondering: what's the proper way to write ampersands, from the bottom-up or top-to-bottom? I know this used to be taught in schools along with the alphabet; what would they have said? Or was there no real consensus?

How do I physically write faster?

ajp — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:38:57 -0800

How do I physically write faster? Does anyone have any tips for how to physically write faster? So far I've been advised to try using soft pencils on good paper, but I'd be interested in other suggestions. I'd also like to reduce my chances of developing tendon irritation from all the repetitive movement of writing. I sit exams regularly, and need to write continuously and legibly for between 1 and 2 hours. This is currently killing my thumb.

I've trawled the net of course, but all my search terms seem to hit pages more targetted at approaches to creative writing.

* Are there any guidelines for how to write clearly and avoid strain injury?

* What is the perfect writing implement, given the requirements of speed and pain-avoidance? Oh, and relatively low cost :-)

* Hand-writing guides. Is there an optimum style? I suspect that "cursive" or "Nelson" handwriting is best. Are there any figures to back this up? I'm willing to put in the time required to adapt my writing style if it will pay off.

Things I am not concerned about:

* Creativity, style, etc. This is about the physical aspects of writing, not the cerebral.

* Being more concise in my essay responses. Good advice, but already taken. I'm aiming for maximum output with minimal physical effort.

* Shorthand. The writing has to be easily and clearly comprehensible by any English speaker.

Other salient points:

* I'm considering asking for extra time in the exams so I can minimise the pain.

* Exams have to be written in ink, and anything that smudges easily is likely to be out. I'd like to try a fountain pen, since I believe the nib would morph with age to complement my writing style; but I think the smudge factor rules them out.

* Anecdote is great, evidence is better!

Much obliged.

Help With Old Handwriting

marxchivist — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:19:58 -0800

Help with old / smudged handwriting on the back of a Civil War photo. Some folks at work and myself are trying to identify a Civil War soldier. Anyone want to take a stab at this guy's last name? Image here.

Pretty sure that last name starts with an M, first name Asa. Other writing is 4th NC Volunteers 1862. I've been through the rosters of the 4th and the 14th (which the first org of the 4th became) and could find no Asa. Maybe some new sets of eyes will help. This is the highest resolution of the image we have.

Picture of the guy himself here, wouldn't want to meet him on a battlefield.

Thanks!

Here's to never buying a fabricated greeting card again!

Asherah — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:08:22 -0800

Where can I begin to learn or practice calligraphy in Southern California? I've always been fascinated by certain forms of script/cursive writing and would like to begin lessons or a class to learn calligraphy of a certain sort. What would be my first step towards pursuing this? Recommendations for courses or instructors welcome (located in Southern California).

What the font?

jacob — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:52:39 -0800

I'm looking for a website that had users draw each letter of the alphabet with their mouse and then overlaid each drawing of a given letter on one another to create an "average" typeface that looked remarkably crisp and professional. What was the site? I'm pretty sure the site in question was put together as part of a student's research project, and I think it was featured either on Metafilter or Coudal, but I haven't been able to find it via Google.

Does anyone else recall this remarkable website?

Tablets for handwriting (not art)

lullabyofbirdland — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 06:27:31 -0800

Thinking of getting a graphics tablet to replace my keyboard as much as possible. Do I need to spring for something high-end, or are the cheaper / smaller tablets good enough to write with? I need to find ways to type less, hence the tablet idea. I won't need it for drawing, which is what most reviews I've found focus on. I just need the cheapest tablet that can give a decently comfortable writing experience for a fairly heavy workload.

Do I need anything larger than this for example? Is there any reason to go for a more expensive model like the Intuos?

Bonus points for any personal experience with handwriting recognition on unix.

WTF, gel pen?

knave — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:43:10 -0800

Gel pens: Help me learn to make them perform consistently. I have a problem writing with gel pens (and fountain pens, I think) where they appear to be working just fine, but then a couple letters don't come out at all. It frustrates the hell out of me, and I think it must be a problem with me, because I've seen other people write just fine with them. When a letter doesn't come out, I can retrace it over and over with nothing appearing on the page. But if I move an inch away, the pen will resume producing ink just fine. Then I can go back and that letter will come out normally (or, often, a little heavier than it should have come out).

How are you supposed to hold one? When I hold a pen naturally, it's at about a 15 degree angle off of vertical. Should it be more vertical, or more angled? Am I pressing too hard? Something else I haven't thought of?

I can write just fine with a ball-point pen or a pencil, it's just these "nice" pens that fail me. The non-performing strokes occur once every 5 to 10 words. Writing surface doesn't seem to matter, most recently it's a brand new, high quality notebook.

How can I learn handwriting from scratch?

comwiz — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 21:43:47 -0800

My handwriting is so bad, I should probably start completely over and re-learn how to write. How can I do this? I somehow missed learning how to write properly in elementary school, and now as a college-bound high school senior, I realize that I need to be able to write something that doesn't make me look like a 3rd grader. My handwriting is atrocious, and often receives negative comments from just about everyone who sees it. It's very inconsistent, but even at its best, most juniors highers could do much better. I haven't even learned how to hold a pen correctly, which is probably part of the problem.

How can I learn to write, mostly from scratch? I need everything: grips, strokes, styles, punctuation, etc.

What web resources and personal tips can you MeFites offer me?

Ever have your handwriting professionally analyzed?

stupidsexyFlanders — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:21:27 -0800

Did you ever have your handwriting analyzed by a professional graphologist? What did you learn about yourself? What does it cost? Was it worth it?

Only farmacists can read.

lorbus — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:41:41 -0800

Why do most doctors have sloppy handwriting? I've lived in three different continents, and doctors illegibly scribbling away has been a constant...

Is it something they are taught in med school?
Is there an unwritten rule about this?

Addressing wedding invitations...

tastybrains — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:10:21 -0800

How rude is it really to use a printer and a nice calligraphy or script font to print addresses on wedding invitation envelopes? I know that traditional etiquette says that you should always hand-write the addresses.

However, after writing out about half of the addresses by hand, I can't help but think that they look like absolute crap. I don't have terrible handwriting, but it looks really goofy and uneven on the envelopes.

As an experiment, I printed out a couple of sample envelopes using an elegant script font, and they look gorgeous. I want to marry the frigging envelopes, they look that good.

Also, people send their invitations to calligraphers all the time. So is printing out the addresses from my computer really that much more impersonal?

I'm not trying to be impersonal or lazy. I just want them to look good! Am I going to go to etiquette hell if I redo the envelopes from my computer? Do normal people even care?

Examples of block lettering for work and play.

lorrer — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 09:22:30 -0800

Where can I find examples of nice looking "fonts" for writing by hand, in block letters? Script? Motivated by this question.

I want better handwriting for myself, but am lacking in ideas (which is why I suck at writing in the first place). Please help by linking to any examples of highly legible, neat/tidy, and hopefully cool writing. I'm looking specifically for block lettering, but script/cursif is welcome too, just for kicks. Something that would work well on the job / for keeping records of meetings and conversations and writing letters would be great. Preferably online and printable, but a book full would be great too. Thanks, askmefi!

Better handwriting

hugo — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 05:29:31 -0800

How do I improve my handwriting? I want to improve my handwriting, specifically its consistency. I have done some research, and most sites recommend something like this: writing out a series of slashes and circles to gain confidence and control. I wonder if anyone else has experience with improving their handwriting (I'm 25), and any suggestions about techniques, workbooks, etc..

אַ סך שריפֿטן איך בעט אײַך

Gnatcho — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 13:38:45 -0800

(Free) Unicode-compatible Hebrew modern handwriting fonts That is, a font with characters like this (those in the script column). I'd be using it for Yiddish actually, but that's irrelevant. I'm on OS X 10.4.

"Handwriting" Printer?

wisdom-seeker — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 06:56:06 -0800

Computer Peripheral Filter: I am looking for a device (other than a plotter) which I can hook up to a computer which can then generate text that looks hand written. I know you can get handwriting TT fonts , but the documents produced do not really look hand written. Getting a plotter is a last resort. I'm pretty sure I have heard of a device that will do what I need, but I can't seem to google it. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Why do they bother to teach us cursive in school?

afroblanca — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 10:44:37 -0800

Why do they bother to teach us cursive in school? When I was in elementry school, they spent a whole lot of time teaching us cursive handwriting. Why? What made them think that cursive was an essential life skill? Wouldn't that time have been better spent teaching us math or reading?

Italic pens for lovely handwriting

terceiro — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 11:02:57 -0800

PenFilter: I'm looking for a semi-cheap and absolutely reliable italic-nib pen for everyday (medium-to-heavy) use. Any ideas? I really love my smooth Parker Sonnet, but wish it had an italic nib. My Rotring ArtPens are too leaky (and long!) for pockets. Does anyone know of a worthy replacement? I'm hoping to order a stock pen (as opposed to a custom ground one) but I'm willing to do that if necessary.

The finer the point, the better, and I'm trying to avoid the scratchy my-first-calligraphy-set pens. Unless you've used them successfully for daily writing, in which case I'd like to hear about it.

In a worst-case scenario, I'd be willing to grind my own nibs into italics. Have you tried it? Was it successful? Was it difficult?

Question number 10100

limitedpie — Sat, 11 Sep 2004 14:45:11 -0800

I need to find a font that has "1st grade letters." In other words, block letters (small, not caps) that are the shape / kind that we all learned to hand print in 1st grade. All the simple, clean, fonts that I have found type the "a" with the curled line above the circle. I need a font that shows the "a" as a circle with a straight line descending down at a slight angle. Another example: the "q"-- I need the font (or fonts, if this will take a few) to show the "q" with a curled tail-- the way one would teach a 6 year old to write it. Also, I need the font to be super clean and not "handwritten." I have found a comic sort of font that has the right letter shapes, but it is too frilly / ornate. Imagine a primary school reader... those are the letters I want! I tried to go to a font site, but with 20,000 fonts I felt like I was looking for the (cliche warning:) needle in a haystack. Any font gurus out there know exactly what I should get and where to get it? Last: free beats expensive, but I am willing to pay if the font site is selling it.

Question number 8985

mecran01 — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:59:27 -0800

Is it possible for someone to improve their handwriting later in life, say at the age of 40? Do you have any tales of inspiration or warning?

I mostly print, and would like to teach myself to print more neatly, something like the font Comic Sans.

I suppose the broader question I'm asking is if its possible to acquire any number of skills (playing piano, drawing) later in life. Not sure why this appeals to me, perhaps it's a midlife crisis avoidance ritual or something.

Question number 5811

gottabefunky — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 17:26:44 -0800

I'd like to learn shorthand, to help take notes quicker and more efficiently. (Ideally, teach myself.) Any suggestions?