How do you make you own font?

Font creation utilities take user designs and turn them into True Type Fonts that can be installed onto a computer. One such utility, FontStruct, is sponsored by digital type retailer FontShop and is available for free.

1. Register for a free FontStruct account

   FontStruct offers a simple account sign up. Once the account is created and activated, sign in on the website.

2. Start the font creation process

   On the main page, click Start Now. This opens the user account page. Click Create New FontStruction. Enter a name for the font, then click Start FontStructing.

3. Create each character in the font

   The font construction interface opens in the browser. Select a brick type from the left hand column and click on the grid to form the letter. Use various brick types to create the desired look for the font. Create each character, which includes capital and lowercase forms of all letters, numbers and various symbols. Click on a filled square to cycle among all the brick types that have been used so far. Use the eraser to clear squares. Select squares with the selection tool and press C on the keyboard to copy them, then press V to paste them. This can be useful when trying to make similar-looking letters, such as turning E into F.

4. Save and download the font

   In the font construction interface, click Save. After the font is saved, click Download. Save the file to the computer. FontStruct sends the file in a compressed archive, in ZIP format.

5. Install the font

   Open the ZIP file and locate the TTF file within. This is a True Type Font file, used to install the font in the computer's operating system. Open the TTF file and choose to install it to access the font in all programs that use system fonts.