Batch processing with hershey fonts

[Dan]

Hello!

I’m looking for a method to process a large number of svg files produced from a mail merge in Inkscape with Axidraw’s Hershey font tool. I’ve attempted to call inkscape with a file name and –verb org.evilmad.text.hershey-axi –fontface <stuff> and other options without luck. I have also tried to call hershey.py with options and pipe it into Inkscape. A few other permutations as well, as it goes :D

Before I chase my tail too long, is there a preferred method or best path to accomplish converting standard fonts to stroke fonts?

This is a really cool set of tools, I’m excited to get my project started!!

Thank you,
Dan

[Windell Oskay]

If you’re an AxiDraw owner, we have AxiDraw Merge, which doesn’t quite work with the process you’re describing, but has different workflows that are more optimized for rendering text with stroke fonts and then plotting. There is also the Hershey Advanced CLI and Hershey Advanced python library, which do not perform mail merge nor operate the plotter, but can be used for batch processing in various ways.

As for the question about converting “standard fonts” into stroke fonts, there isn’t any straightforward way to do that. Outline fonts do not contain any data that represents the “visual centerline” of the font, so there generally has to be some degree of human-generated artistic effort to draw the apparent centerline when creating the stroke font.

[Dan]

Hey Windell!

Thanks for a quick and thoughtful response. I’m testing my workflow before becoming an Axidraw owner – if there is a method to bulk process through Hershey Advanced CLI or anything readily available I’ll be an owner immediately!!

Regarding the mail merge operation, it’s working great with the Inkscape plugin NextGeneration (I’ll take a better/integrated option of course). It doesn’t take the arguments described in the python source via Inkscape’s CLI either but it will process the entire batch from a single csv. Good enough to be great for now!

Can you point me in the direction of the Hershey Advanced CLI or some docs if I need to purchase first?

Thank you,
Dan

[Dan]

Heh, or am I being obtuse and you’re telling me you have the answer. I just need to buy the unit?

[Windell Oskay]

You can read a little bit about them in the AxiDraw user guide. And yes, they are available to AxiDraw owners.

[Dan]

Most excellent. I’ll be placing an order momentarily, you have some fantastic solutions!

[Author]

Posts