"Handwriting" Printer?

December 16, 2005 6:56 AM

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.
posted by wisdom-seeker to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

What is it you're trying to print? Whenever I want that authentic handwriting look, I use a piece of paper and a pen and then scan it in.
posted by andrewzipp at 7:10 AM on December 16, 2005

A Wacom tablet & a regular laser printer might do the trick. It may not stand up to close scrutiny but it will definitely be better than handwriting TT fonts.

I have a trusty Wacom Graphire 2 and I don't know whether it counts as a plotter but it works great. Couple it with a trial of Alias Sketchbook Pro and you have a really good combination for capturing handwriting.

Incidentally, Microsoft also has a Tablet PC powertoy that converts anyone's regular handwriting into a good old TTF font.
posted by erikig at 8:01 AM on December 16, 2005

Are you just looking to slap a signature (or some fixed message) on a whole bunch of pages, or are you trying to generate arbitrary text?

For the former, I second scanning real handwriting at super hi-res, and then I would try to print it on a color laser, not a regular laser. A B/W laser will flatten out a lot of the tonal gradations that give the inklines their "natural" feel, whereas a color laser will retain a bit more of the irregularities of the line. hopefully.

For the latter, I dunno.

Or check out the Signature Machine
posted by misterbrandt at 10:23 AM on December 16, 2005

Response by poster: Yeah, I guess I should have been more specific. I would like the output to look like someone hand wrote the letter using a standard ballpoint pen. This is why laser and injet won't quite do the trick ( I think). I will try your suggestion b1tr0t to see if it is effective.

This would be an entire page of writing, not just a signature.
posted by wisdom-seeker at 1:04 PM on December 16, 2005

Hire a bunch of highschool/college students...
posted by phrontist at 3:19 PM on December 16, 2005

Ouch. That's not going to be easy. When something's handwritten with a ballpoint you can feel the depression in the paper made by the pen. I don't think any printer in existence is going to replicate that, and plotters use felt tip pens (and would not even come close to looking the same since it would be a constant-width line.)

I think you're just going to have to just print them with a laser printer or write them by hand, unless you want to spend megabucks on some kind of robot that actually holds a ballpoint pen and repeats a recorded set of directions. How many christmas cards are we talking about here?
posted by Rhomboid at 4:07 PM on December 16, 2005

A print shop will often offer stamped text, especially for things like business cards that people want to look good, (it's also used for foil stamping effects - if you want gold text on a black card, most places can't do that any other way). The main cost is getting the plate made, but it leaves an indent in the paper like a ballpen. It should be cheaper than a plotter.

Do you need to print many identical pages, or many pages with each of them different, (or just one page that you want written in a nicer hand, or don't want handwriting-traceable to you? :-)
posted by -harlequin- at 4:59 PM on December 16, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for all the feedback. I think I am just going to use a color laser printer and my handwriting "fontified".
posted by wisdom-seeker at 11:09 AM on December 19, 2005