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3DWriter

Use your 3D Printer with a pen to write letters, birthday cards etc

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I couldn't find any small programs that i could use to write letters using my 3D Printer as a plotter so i wrote one. After mucking about with different fonts i found a font set called the Hershey fonts. These are the only fonts used in this application since they are primarily stroke based fonts rather than outline fonts that every other program i tried had.

Video demo over on youtube https://youtu.be/yK_YGwMRR40

Wiki doc https://github.com/boy1dr/3DWriter

This is a GCode generator for reprap i3 style 3d printers that turns them in to a perfect handwriting machine, cursive or print.

I don't have the best hand writing and especially when it comes to writing birthday cards so i figured i should do something about that.

Not a lot of options out there in the software world for programs like this

12/01/2017 v1.1 released
Added real line height to status bar.

Zip Archive - 803.38 kB - 01/10/2017 at 06:13

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Zip Archive - 2.53 MB - 01/10/2017 at 06:12

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  • 1 × BIC 4 Colour Medium Retractable Ballpoint Pen

  • Added laser support to 3DWriter

    Chris Mitchell04/30/2017 at 11:15 0 comments

    Added laser support to 3DWriter.

    I changed my printer's firmware to repetier because it has laser support, Marlin can still be used but you need to connect the laser to an existing output such as the part cooling fan.

    Download the latest version from github https://github.com/boy1dr/3DWriter

    For more information see my youtube video

    Since i have a laser enabled 3D Printer i decided to make a fidget spinner and laser engrave a graphic in to it


    Turns out that using a laser on PLA 3D Printed parts is awesome!


    More to come.

  • ​V1.3 released

    Chris Mitchell01/24/2017 at 21:54 0 comments

    Fixed GCode offset issue with Y axis.
    Fixed incorrect index of character array causing erroneous moves.
    Added version checking.
    Changed ui font scale to font size in mm.

    Small improvements to the font editor, still a work in progress.

  • New version 1.2 released

    Chris Mitchell01/21/2017 at 04:22 0 comments

    I have updated the code to use the systems directory separator rather than the hard coded ones for Windows. This should make it more compatible with Linux.

    Also, work has begun on the font editor. I am attempting to make a graphical editor which is a little harder than i anticipated since C# does not have a lineshape class like visual basic.

    If anyone knows how to create a line with click event at runtime in C# i would be glad to hear it :)

  • Making the fonts better

    Chris Mitchell01/18/2017 at 23:02 0 comments

    There are a few cursive characters that aren't being positioned correctly and break the continuous line, research in to the Hershey fonts so far hasn't turned up any reason for the gaps so i think i might need to regenerate the font sets in an easy to consume format and build an editor for them to correct any small issues.

    I may be overlooking some width data in those font files, i should know more in a few days once i get a chance to pull the font files apart with greater scrutiny.

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Christ Becker wrote 10/04/2022 at 20:32 point

If you have a 3D printer, it’s easy to create custom letterhead or other forms of stationery. The process isn’t particularly difficult and it can be done in minutes. This is especially true if you have access to an online service that will print the letterhead or stationary for you. You can also save money by printing your own forms on the same machine that prints your plastic models.If you want to make your own birthday cards or other invitations, you can use a 3D printer as well as stamps and inkjet printers. Well, I would also like to get services where student can get essays for money and in order to do that I will find Where Can You Write Student Essays for Money?

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Keith Olson wrote 01/18/2017 at 19:47 point

If you would like an alternative method of producing handwriting, may I suggest this project: http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~graves/handwriting.cgi

(Be warned!  This rabbit hole is *deep.*  Don't expect to see the light of day again for a *long* time.)

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Chris Mitchell wrote 01/18/2017 at 22:54 point

Thanks, That project was intriguing and way over my head so i think i'll let it be. If they had a free database of handwriting prepared for use it might come in handy.

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