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FontStruct lets you build a font by drawing each character from geometric bricks on a grid. You can preview the result, adjust spacing, and download a TrueType font. It works well for blocky, geometric, and pixel-inspired lettering; it does not turn a scan of your handwriting into a font.
How FontStruct works
FontStruct is a free online font-building tool. In its FontStructor editor, you construct glyphs—individual characters—on a grid, choosing from geometric bricks and drawing tools. The service generates a scalable vector font, which you can download as a TrueType file. FontStruct says the standard TrueType output can be installed on most computers and edited in desktop font editors.
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The grid-based method is especially suited to designs built from consistent shapes, including pixel-style lettering. It gives you control over each character, but you draw the glyphs in the editor rather than importing finished artwork.
Make your first FontStruction
- Open FontStructor and start a new FontStruction. The first active character is the Latin letter A. Use the character or glyph selector to choose another character or character set.
- Choose a brick. The default is a simple square; other geometric bricks are available.
- Draw the glyph on the grid. The pen tool is selected by default. Click cells on the canvas to build the character. The horizontal blue line marks the baseline; the vertical blue line marks the glyph’s left side.
- Repeat for the characters you need. You do not have to begin with a complete character set: make the glyphs your intended use requires, then check how they work together.
- Preview and save as you go. Use Preview to type with the characters you have drawn and check their appearance in sequence. FontStruct’s quick-start guidance says to “Always remember to save your work regularily, using the "Save" button at the top of the edit screen.”
- Download the font. The Download button provides a ZIP containing the TrueType font and licensing information. Extract the ZIP before installing the font.
FontStruct’s help index also covers editing letters, rotating and flipping shapes, filters, spacing, kerning, and Expert Mode if you want to refine the design beyond the basic drawing workflow.
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Choose a workflow that suits the lettering
Geometric or pixel-inspired lettering
For a pixel-font design, FontStruct’s guidance is to use only the default square brick, inspect the Pixel Preview, and consult the read-me file in the downloaded ZIP for optimal sizing information. The editor also produces scalable vector outlines, so a grid-built design is not limited to a single raster size.
A font based on your handwriting
You can draw handwriting-inspired glyphs by constructing them in FontStructor, but you cannot upload a handwriting scan for automatic conversion. FontStruct’s FAQ points users who specifically want to convert a scan toward Fontself. That is a different workflow: drawing characters in FontStruct versus using a scan-conversion route.
Adjust spacing before adding kerning
FontStruct supplies automatic spacing and a space character. By default, a glyph’s width includes one extra grid square beyond the drawn character; the default global spacing is zero. These are editor defaults, not fixed rules for every font.
- Change an individual glyph’s width when one character needs more or less room.
- Adjust global spacing to change spacing across the font; negative global spacing is possible.
- Choose monospacing when every character should occupy the same width.
Kerning adjusts the spacing of particular letter pairs. FontStruct makes it available in Expert Mode, but advises trying glyph widths and global spacing first; many designs do not need pair-by-pair kerning.
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Download, install, and edit the result
Unzip the download to access the TrueType font along with its license and read-me documents. FontStruct’s FAQ does not give universal installation steps because the process varies by operating system and software and can change over time. Follow the current instructions for your operating system, then select the installed font in an application that supports custom fonts.
If you want to continue editing in a dedicated font-design application, FontStruct provides an Export > Glyphs option. It creates a .glyphs file for Glyphs.app on Mac and includes the individual bricks for further editing there. FontStruct’s documentation describes this export route but does not establish the application’s current price or partner-program terms.
Decide what to share and check the license
New FontStructions are private by default. Only shared designs appear elsewhere on FontStruct or can be viewed and downloaded by other users. FontStruct states: “FontStruction designs belong to their designers. Simple as that. They do not belong to FontStruct.”
Sharing involves choosing a license. Consider the terms before publishing: FontStruct says a creator can change the license for future sharing, but a prior download cannot be relicensed retroactively.
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If you use a font made by another designer, read the license on its FontStruct homepage and in the ZIP. FontStruct says many licenses permit commercial use, while all licenses currently in use require credit to the original designer. If the terms are unclear, contact the designer rather than assuming the font is free to use for your project.
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