Dearfont

Turn your child's handwriting into a font (a keepsake you can type with)

Handwriting changes fast. Here's how to capture this year's version of your child's letters as a font you can use for cards, labels and keepsakes.

Updated · 5 min read

A child's handwriting is one of those things you don't realise you'll miss until it's gone. Turning it into a font preserves it in a form you can actually use: type a birthday card in their handwriting, print labels for their room, or make a photo book that looks like they wrote the captions themselves.

Before you start

  • Pick a good moment. Ten calm minutes after school works better than squeezing it in before bed.
  • Use a felt-tip pen or a dark marker. Thin pencil lines are hard to scan cleanly.
  • Make it a game. Ask them to write their best letters — it's their very own font.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Print the template

    Download the free handwriting template and print it at 100% scale on A4 or US Letter paper.

  2. 2

    Let your child fill in the boxes

    One letter per box, resting on the printed line. It's fine if the letters wobble — that's the charm. If a letter goes badly wrong, print a fresh page for that one.

  3. 3

    Take a photo

    Photograph the page from directly above in good light, with all four black corner markers visible. Dearfont straightens tilted photos automatically.

  4. 4

    Create the font

    Upload the photo in the font maker. Every letter is cleaned up and traced into a smooth vector outline. Preview a sentence, touch up anything you like, and download the font.

Ideas for using the font

  • Birthday and holiday cards “written” by your child.
  • Labels for toy boxes, school supplies and their bedroom door.
  • Captions in a yearly photo book — and a new font every year to see how their writing grows.
  • Gifts for grandparents: mugs, tote bags, cushions and prints (craft machines like Cricut can cut text in any installed font).

Frequently asked questions

What age can a child make a font?

Any age at which they can write letters inside a box — typically from around five or six. Younger children can do just their name's letters for a fun first version.

Can I make a font from old letters or cards?

The scanner reads the printed template, so it can't pick letters out of an existing letter or card. You can still use old writing as a reference and redraw each letter on screen.

Is the font private?

Yes. Fonts are private to your account unless you choose to publish them to the public gallery.

Calligraphr, FontCraft, FontCrafter, YourFonts, iFontMaker, Fontself, FontForge, Cricut, Canva, Procreate and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Dearfont is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Prices and features were checked on each product's website on the date shown and may change.

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