Brother Pe Design 7 Manual

							245
Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Scaling patterns
1.Move the pointer over one of the handles of a 
selected pattern or group of patterns.
→The shape of the pointer changes to 
,  ,   or  , depending on 
the handle that the pointer is over.
2.Drag the handle to adjust the selected 
pattern(s) to the desired size.
Deleting patterns
1.Select the pattern to be deleted.
2.Press the   key, or click Edit, then 
Delete.
Cutting out patterns
Selected pattern(s) can be removed from the screen 
while saving a copy in the Clipboard.
Toolbar button: 
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click  , or click Edit, then Cut.
→The selected patterns are removed from 
the work area.
c“Copying patterns”  on this page, “Pasting 
a cut or copied pattern”  on this page and 
“Deleting patterns”  on this page
Copying patterns
Selected pattern(s) can be saved on the Clipboard 
without being removed from the work area.
Toolbar button: 
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click  , or click Edit, then Copy.
→The selected patterns are copied onto the 
Clipboard and are ready to be pasted.
c“Cutting out patterns”  on this page, 
“Duplicating patterns”  on this page and 
“Pasting a cut or copied pattern”  on this 
page
Duplicating patterns
A copy of the selected pattern(s) can be added to 
the work area.
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click Edit, then Duplicate.
→A copy of the pattern(s) are added to the 
work area.
c“Copying patterns”  on this page and 
“Pasting a cut or copied pattern”  on this 
page 
Pasting a cut or copied 
pattern
The patterns on the Clipboard can be pasted into 
the work area.
Toolbar button: 
bMemo:
  is for scaling the width.
  is for scaling the height.
  and   are for scaling both 
dimensions at the same time. 
(The height-
to-width proportion is maintained.)
 If the   key is held down while a 
handle is dragged, the pattern is enlarged 
or reduced from the center of the pattern.Shift
Delete
bMemo:
Since the removed patterns are saved on the 
Clipboard, you can paste them back using the 
menu command 
Edit – Paste. 
						

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Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
1.Click  , or click Edit, then Paste.
→The patterns saved on the Clipboard 
(using the Cut or Copy command) are 
pasted into the work area.
c“Cutting out patterns” on page 245, 
“Copying patterns” on page 245 and 
“Duplicating patterns” on page 245
Flipping patterns 
horizontally
You can flip the selected pattern(s) horizontally (left/
right).
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click Edit, then Mirror, then Horizontal.
→The selected pattern(s) are replaced by 
their horizontal mirror image (top and 
bottom inverted).
c“Flipping patterns vertically”  on this page 
and “Rotating patterns”  on this page
Flipping patterns 
vertically
You can flip the selected pattern(s) vertically (up/
down).
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click Edit, then Mirror, then Vertical.
→The selected pattern(s) are replaced by 
their vertical mirror image (left and right 
inverted).
c“Flipping patterns horizontally”  on this 
page and “Rotating patterns”  on this page
Rotating patterns
You can manually rotate the selected pattern(s) by 
an arbitrary angle.
1.Select one or more patterns.
2.Click Edit, then Rotate. 
→The handles around the selected pattern 
are replaced by empty squares at the four 
corners of the selected pattern.
3.Move the pointer over one of the four rotation 
handles.
→When the pointer is moved over a rotation 
handle, the shape of the pointer changes 
to .
bMemo:
To restore the image to its original orientation, 
select the menu command 
Edit – Mirror – 
Horizontal again.
bMemo:
To restore the image to its original orientation, 
select the menu command 
Edit – Mirror – 
Vertical again. 
						

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Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
4.Drag the rotation handle clockwise or 
counterclockwise to rotate the pattern to the 
desired angle.
bMemo:
 Simply dragging the pointer rotates the 
pattern in 1° increments.
 To rotate the pattern in 15° increments, hold 
down the   key while dragging the 
rotation handle.
Shift 
						

							248
Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Editing the Points of a Font Character 
Pattern
The points that you move or insert are positioned at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines of the 
grid. Regardless of where you drag a point to or insert a point on the line, it will automatically be positioned at 
the nearest intersection.
Moving points
1.Click   on the Tool Box. 
→The shape of the pointer changes to  .
2.Click the pattern that you want to edit. 
→The points in the pattern appear as small 
empty squares.
3.Click the point that you want to move. 
→The selected point appears as a small 
black square.
4.Drag the point to the new location. 
→All of the selected points move in the 
same direction.
Inserting points
1.Click   on the Tool Box. 
→The shape of the pointer changes to  .
2.Click the pattern that you want to edit. 
→The points in the pattern appear as small 
empty squares.
3.Click the line to add a new point.
→A new point appears selected (as a small 
black square).
bMemo:
You can only select one pattern at a time.
bMemo:
 To select additional points, hold down the 
 key and click each point, or drag the 
pointer over the points that you want to 
select.
 To select the previous (or next) point in the 
line, hold down the   key and press 
the 
→ (or ←) key.
aNote:
If you click the line of the pattern instead of a 
point, a new point is inserted.
Ctrl
Ctrl
bMemo:
 To move the point horizontally or vertically, 
hold down the   key while dragging it.
 Pressing the arrow keys moves the 
selected point one grid mark in the direction 
of the arrow on the key. If the grid is not 
displayed, the point moves a distance 
smaller than the smallest grid interval in the 
direction of the arrow on the key.
 Holding down the arrow key for the desired 
direction continues moving the outline in 
that direction.
bMemo:
You can only select one pattern at a time.
bMemo:
If a point is inserted in a straight block-type 
punching pattern, curved block-type punching 
pattern or semi-automatically created block-
type punching pattern, a point is also 
automatically inserted in the connecting line 
along the sewing direction. In addition, in this 
case, a point cannot be inserted in the line 
parallel to the sewing direction.
Shift 
						

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Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Deleting points
1.Click   on the Tool Box. 
→When the pointer is moved over the work 
area, the shape of the pointer changes to 
.
2.Click the pattern that you want to edit.
→The points in the pattern appear as small 
empty squares.
3.Click the point that you want to delete.
→The selected point appears as a small 
black square.
4.Click Edit, then Delete, or press the   
key to remove the point.
Editing points
The lines connected to a point can be changed to 
either straight lines or curves. In addition, the lines 
at a point can be smoothed out or straightened.
1.Click   on the Tool Box.→When the pointer is moved over the work 
area, the shape of the pointer changes to 
.
2.Click the pattern that you want to edit.
→The points in the pattern appear as small 
empty squares.
3.Click the point that you want to transform.
→The selected point appears as a small 
black square.
4.Click Edit, then Point.
→A submenu appears.
5.Click the desired command.
Click To Straight to transform the lines at the 
selected point to straight lines.
Click To Curve to transform the lines at the 
selected point to curves.
Click To Smooth to smooth out the lines at the 
selected point on a curve.
Click To Symmetry to symmetrically transform 
the lines at the selected point on a curve.
Click To Cusp to straighten the selected curve.
bMemo:
You can only select one pattern at a time.
bMemo:
To select additional points, hold down the 
 key and click each point, or drag the 
pointer over the points that you want to select.
bMemo:
 If a line is composed of two points and you 
delete one of them, the entire line is 
deleted.
 If a point inserted into a straight block-type 
punching pattern, curved block-type 
punching pattern or semi-automatically 
created block-type punching pattern is 
deleted, the point and line automatically 
inserted along the sewing direction are also 
deleted.
Ctrl
Delete
bMemo:
You can only select one pattern at a time.
bMemo:
To select additional points, hold down the 
 key and click each point, or drag the 
pointer over the points that you want to select.
Ctrl 
						

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Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Checking the Created Font Patterns
The sewing order and preview of the font character patterns and the list of created characters can be checked.
Checking and editing the 
sewing order
The sewing order for the font character pattern can 
be viewed and modified.
Toolbar button: 
1.Click  , or click Sew, then Sewing Order.
→A Sewing Order dialog box similar to the 
one shown below appears.
To enlarge each pattern to fill its frame, click 
 .

Selecting pattern
1.
Select a pattern in the Sewing Order dialog 
box.
→The selected pattern has a pink line 
around it, and marching lines appear 
around the corresponding pattern in the 
Design Page.

Editing the sewing order
The sewing order can be changed by selecting the 
frame containing the pattern that you want to move, 
then dragging the frame to the new location. A 
vertical red line appears, indicating the position 
where the frame is being moved.
An alternative method for moving the frames is by 
clicking the buttons at the bottom of the dialog box.
To move the selected pattern to the beginning of 
the sewing order, click  .
To move the selected pattern ahead one position 
in the sewing order, click  .
To move the selected pattern back one position 
in the sewing order, click  .
To move the selected pattern to the end of the 
sewing order, click  .
To change the sewing order, click OK.
Previewing the embroidery 
pattern
A realistic preview of the Font pattern can be viewed 
in the Preview window.
Toolbar button: 
1.Click  , or click Display, then Preview 
Window.
bMemo:
The dialog box can be made longer so that all 
parts of the pattern can be viewed.
bMemo:
To select multiple patterns, hold down the 
 or  key while clicking the 
frames for the desired patterns. In addition, 
multiple frames can be selected by dragging 
the pointer over them.ShiftCtrl 
						

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Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
→The Preview window appears.

Changing the size of the Preview 
window
1.
Move the pointer over a corner of the Preview 
window.
→The shape of the pointer changes to   
or  , depending on the corner that the 
pointer is over.
2.Drag the corner to adjust the Preview window 
to the desired size.
Checking the list of created 
characters
A list of characters included in the font file currently 
being edited can be viewed.
Toolbar button: 
1.Click  , or click Display, then Browse 
Window.
→The Browse window appears.

Selecting characters
A different character can be displayed in the Design 
Page by selecting a character in the Browse 
window.
1.Click  , or click Display, then Browse 
Window.
→The Browse window appears.
2.Click a character, and then click Select.
→The Browse window is closed, and the 
selected character appears in the Design 
Page.

Changing the size of the Browse 
window
1.
Move the pointer over a corner of the Browse 
window.
→The shape of the pointer changes to   
or  , depending on the corner that the 
pointer is over.
2.Drag the corner to adjust the Browse window 
to the desired size.
bMemo:
The character displayed in the Design Page 
can also be changed by double-clicking a 
character in the 
Browse window. 
						

							252
Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Zooming
You can zoom in to work on details of the font character pattern or you can zoom out to work on any part of 
the pattern that cannot be viewed in the work area.
Zooming in
1.Click   on the Tool Box.
→Four buttons appear:  .
2.Click .
→The shape of the pointer changes to  .
3.Click the area that you want to view enlarged.
Zooming out
1.Click   on the Tool Box.
→Four buttons appear:  .
2.Click .
→The shape of the pointer changes to  .
3.Click the area that you want to view reduced.
Displaying selected 
patterns to fill the window
1.Select the patterns that you want to zoom on.
2.Click   on the Tool Box.
→Four buttons appear:  .
3.Click .
→The Design Page is zoomed to display 
only the selected patterns.
Zooming Design Page to 
window
1.Click   on the Tool Box.
→Four buttons appear:  .
2.Click .
→The entire Design Page is displayed to fit 
within the window.
bMemo:
To zoom in on a specific area, move the 
pointer near the desired area, and then drag 
the pointer diagonally over the desired area. 
						

							253
Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Saving Font Character Patterns
Overwriting
The font character pattern being edited is overwritten 
when saving any changes that have been made.
Toolbar button: 
1.Click  , or click File, then Save.
→If the pattern has already been saved at 
least once, the file is saved immediately.
→If no file name has been specified or if the 
file cannot be found, the Save As dialog 
box appears.
c“Saving with a new name”  on this page 
Saving with a new name
The current file can be saved with a different file 
name in order to keep the original unchanged or to 
keep various versions of the same font character 
pattern.
The font character patterns are saved as .pef files.
1.Click File, then Save As.
→A Save As dialog box similar to the one 
shown below appears.
2.Select the drive and the folder, and then type 
in the file name.
3.Click Save to save the font character patterns.
c“Overwriting”  on this page
aNote:
If any part of the character pattern extends 
off the Design Page, a message appears. 
Edit the character pattern so that no part 
extends off the Design Page, and then save 
it again.
aNote:
 Save the font created in the location 
below. The font will not be usable in the 
Layout & Editing if it’s stored in a different 
folder.
(Drive where PE-DESIGN was installed) 
\Program Files\Brother\PE-DESIGN 
Ver7\My font
 If Layout & Editing has already started up 
when a new character is saved in Font 
Creator, that character will not appear in 
the Font selector list in Layout & Editing. In 
this case, exit Layout & Editing, and then 
start it up again.
bMemo:
The correct extension is automatically 
selected.
bMemo:
 To quit the operation, click Cancel.
 If a file already exists with the name 
specified in the 
Save As dialog box, the 
following message appears.
 To overwrite the file, click 
Yes.
 If you do not want to overwrite the 
existing file, click 
No. You can then 
enter a different file name.
aNote:
If any part of the character pattern extends 
off the Design Page, a message appears. 
Edit the character pattern so that no part 
extends off the Design Page, and then save 
it again. 
						

							254
Creating Custom Fonts (Font Creator)
Changing the Settings
Changing the drawing 
mode
There are two drawing modes in Font Creator.
Fill mode
Blocks appear filled in. In this mode, the 
overlapping positions of patterns can be viewed 
better.
Outline mode (Fill mode Off)
Blocks do not appear filled in. In this mode, 
points can be edited more easily.
Perform the operation described below to switch 
between these modes.
Toolbar button: 
1.Click  , or click Display, then Fill Mode. 
→The mode switches between the fill mode 
and the outline mode.
Changing the display of the 
background image

Changing the density of the 
background image
The template image that remains in the work area 
can be displayed or hidden, or a faded copy of the 
image can be displayed.
1.Click Display, then Display Template, and 
then select the desired setting.
To display the template image, click On (100%).
To display a faded copy of the image, click the 
desired density (75%, 50% or 25%).
To hide the template image, click Off.
c“Opening an image in the background” on 
page 238

Scaling the background image
1.
Click Display, then Modify Template.
→The background image is selected.
2.Move the pointer over one of the handles of a 
selected background image.
→The shape of the pointer changes to 
,  ,   or  , depending on 
the handle that the pointer is over.
bMemo:
To return to the previous mode, click  , or 
click 
Display, then Fill Mode.
bMemo:
 This function is not available if no template 
image has been imported into the work area.
 Press the shortcut key ( ) to switch 
between displaying the image (
On (100%)) 
to displaying it faded at each density (
75%, 50% and 25%) to hiding the image (Off).
bMemo:
  is for scaling the width.
  is for scaling the height.
  and   are for scaling both 
dimensions at the same time. 
(The height-
to-width proportion is maintained.)
 If the   key is held down while a 
handle is dragged, the pattern is enlarged 
or reduced from the center of the pattern.
F6
Shift