vLetter Online Support - SigSoft Handwriter for Windows
The following instructions address issues related to the
SigSoft Handwriter for Windows.
When do I use the SigSoft Handwriter?
- when converting text into handwriting or insert your signature into documents other than Word documents (you can use it for Word, but the Toolbar is much easier)
- when converting comma or tab-delimited files into handwriting before inserting them back into a database for mail merging
The SigSoft Handwriter isn't in my Start menu. How do I start it?
Go to Start > Programs > vLetter group. If the SigSoft Handwriter isn't listed, double click on My Computer, then go to the C:\ drive, then to Program Files, then to vLetter. The file is named "Sigwrite.exe." Make a shortcut to it and place this on your desktop (or in your Start Menu if you know how).
How do I convert text into handwriting in a document with the SigSoft Handwriter?
- Have your document open and the SigSoft Handwriter open. Then do these steps:
1. Type in your document in a plain font, like Times New Roman. Do a spell check if needed.
2. Highlight the text.
3. Go to the SigSoft handwriter, and choose the handwriting font and font size.
4. Set your document as the Source.
5. Click the W button to write the highlighted text into the handwriting font.
I got the message "There are no Signature Software handwriting fonts installed" when I opened the SigSoft Handwriter.
- See the next item below.
My handwriting style's name doesn't appear in the SigSoft Handwriter's Font list.
There can be several reasons for this:
* There may be too many fonts in the Windows Fonts folder (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Fonts). We recommend having no more than 350 fonts in the Fonts folder (you can move unnecessary fonts to a new folder named "extra fonts" or something similar).
* If your vLetter Pro or Sig is an upgrade, your original handwriting may still be installed with the same name as your new handwriting. The new handwriting won't overwrite the original handwriting, so you have to remove the old one. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Fonts. Delete any "TT" file which has your handwriting's name. Then re-install your upgraded or modified vLetter Pro or Sig software.
* The system may not have registered your font during installation. To fix this:
1. Close all applications and open the Windows Fonts folder (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Fonts).
2. Find your latest font file in Fonts folder and double-click it. It should display in a window ("The quick brown fox...") at several point sizes. If so, click "Done".
3. Re-open the SigSoft Handwriter and click on the Font list. Your handwriting style should now be listed.
The handwriting or signature that appears is not mine.
- You may be using one of the bonus fonts included with the software, "LiteUS" and "LiteEuro". To choose the correct handwriting style in the SigSoft Handwriter, choose your handwriting in the Font list.
I get gibberish (strange symbols) after I click the "W" button.
- In most word-processing, database, and spreadsheet applications, just re-highlight the gibberish and choose your handwriting style from the application's Font menu.
- In graphics applications (like Adobe software), select or double-click the text box, re-highlight the gibberish, and choose your handwriting style from the application's Font menu.
I tried your remedies to get rid of the gibberish, but it still remains.
Some applications may not understand high-ASCII characters. In this case, you may need to create a graphic with the vLetterWriter and import it into your document.
I get "Message 132" when I click the "W" or "U" buttons.
1. Make sure the text you want converted is highlighted.
2. Make sure your document's application is chosen in the Source list.
3. Make sure you have not chosen too much text to convert at one time. The limit is about 5 pages (8000 characters).
4. Make sure the SigSoft Handwriter is not in "Manual Copy/Paste" mode. Turn it off in the SigSoft Handwriter's Handwrite menu.
5. Make sure there are not multiple copies of your application open. If there are, the wrong one may be chosen as the Source. If you open documents by double-clicking them, some applications will do this.
6. There may not be enough system memory to copy the text into the clipboard. Close other programs that are running other than the source application and the SigSoft Handwriter.
I still get "Message 132", even after I made sure my text was highlighted, the Source was chosen, and I had selected less than 3 or 4 pages of text.
- You may need to use the SigSoft Handwriter in the "Manual Copy/Paste" mode.
1. Go to the Handwrite menu in the SigSoft Handwriter.
2. Check "Manual Copy/Paste."
3. Copy the highlighted text in your document (Edit > Copy).
4. Click the "W" button in the SigSoft Handwriter. The message "Text is ready to Paste" will appear.
5. In the document, choose Edit > Paste. Your handwriting should replace the highlighted text.
My handwriting shows up as boxes, even though I double-clicked the TrueType font in the Windows Fonts folder and it displayed correctly.
- The Font Registry may be corrupt:
1. Go to Start > Run. Type in "regedit.exe".
2. Go to Hkey_Local_Machine > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Fonts.
3. Select your handwriting's name.
4. Delete the entry.
5. Close Regedit.
6. Reinstall your handwriting software.
What is the difference between the "LiteUS" and "LiteEuro" bonus handwriting styles?
- LiteUS is a U.S. English handwriting style has the full U.S. keyboard character set plus 2 sets of capital letters. Most people write the 2nd set of caps as block letters, making them especially useful for acronyms (FBI, USA, MGM, etc.).
- The LiteEuro handwriting style has the full U.S. keyboard character set plus additional accented characters, punctuation, and symbols needed for many Western European languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, etc.). See the Western European characters section in the vLetter Read Me file.
How do I put my signature into a document?
1. Place the cursor where you want your signature pasted.
2. Open the SigSoft Handwriter (Start > Programs > vLetter > SigSoft Handwriter).
3. Make sure the Source box shows the application in which you have placed your cursor.
4. Click the Sig button to paste your signature in the cursor's location.
- You may change the default size from 36 to any size you prefer by choosing the Signature Size item in the Handwrite menu.
- Learn more in the Read Me file (Start > Programs > vLetter > vLetter Read Me.pdf).
How can I use my signature in WordPerfect 2000 (version 9) and later?
- Although WordPerfect 9 is not entirely compatible with vLetter Pro or Sig (they are still compatible with WP 7 and 8), you can still use the vLetter software to create a bitmap graphic of your signature to insert into WordPerfect documents (and other programs).
1. Open Microsoft Paint (usually on the Accessories menu at Start > Programs).
2. Create a text box, then insert your signature using the SigSoft Handwriter.
3. Make the signature the size you want (make the amount of white space around the signature as small as possible).
4. Save it as a 24-bit color bitmap image named "Mysig" or similar; put the image on your desktop (or a convenient place); drag it into your WordPerfect documents when needed.
How do I use just part of my signature?
- Go to the SigSoft Handwriter's Handwrite > Signature menu and choose the parts you want to use, in the order of which you want them to appear in your document. Each part is automatically inserted when you select it from the menu.
- You can also insert the whole signature, then use the backspace or delete key to remove the parts you don't want to print.
What are the 3 buttons in the SigSoft Handwriter?
- The "W" Write button converts highlighted text into handwriting.
- The "U" UnWrite button changes highlighted handwriting back into a regular font such as Arial.
- The Sig button inserts your signature into a document at the point where you left the cursor.
What is the Source in the SigSoft Handwriter?
- The Source is the application or document in which you want to convert text or paste your signature. Choose it from the choices available in the Source list of the SigSoft Handwriter.
What are all the little menu options in the SigSoft Handwriter?
- The three menus in the SigSoft Handwriter (File, Handwrite, Help) contain more options for using your handwriting in a document. Click on them and find out what these options are. You can't hurt your computer by exploring the menus.
My Handwriting is too large or too small after I click the "W" button.
- Select another handwriting size in the Size list of the SigSoft Handwriter.
My Signature is too large or too small after I click the "Sig" button.
- Go to the Handwrite > Signature Size menu and select another signature size.
My signature pasted at the wrong size, even though I have chosen the size I want in the Handwrite > Signature Size menu item.
- Some applications will do this. Just highlight the small signature and choose the size you want in the application's Font > Size menu.
It's not my handwriting that appears after I click the "W" button.
- You probably have LiteUS or LiteEuro selected instead. Select your handwriting style in the Font list.
Why does my old pre-version 4 handwriting and signature show when I open the SigSoft Handwriter from the desktop shortcut or from the Signature Software program group in the Start menu?
- You are probably opening the old version of the SigSoft Handwriter. Open the NEW SigSoft Handwriter from the vLetter Program group (Start > Programs > vLetter > SigSoft Handwriter). You can delete the Signature Software group from the Start Menu to avoid confusion.
Some of the letters are replaced with symbols (such as (TM) or ...) after I click the "W" button.
- Turn off the "Replace text as you type" function in the Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect menu item before you make the conversion to handwriting with the SigSoft Handwriter.
The original text is still in the document after I click the "W" button. The handwritten text has just been added to it. How do I keep this from happening?
- In your application's menus, go to Tools > Options > Edit, or the equivalent, and check "Typing replaces selection" or similar.
The Word Wrap function doesn't work correctly in WordPad.
- In Windows 97 and 2000, the WordPad application is not 100% compatible with the custom handwriting styles. Use another application, or put the cursor in front of the "broken" words and hit the space key once. This will move the first part of the word down one space and reconnect it with the rest of the word.
My highlighted text in MS Word is replaced by a page break when I click the Write button.
- Turn off "Word Perfect Help" and "Navigation for Word Perfect Users" in Tools > Options > General or in Help > WordPerfect Help > Options.
The SigSoft Handwriter is not visible on the desktop when I maximize it from the Task Bar.
- Throw away the Sigfonts.ini file and restart the SigSoft Handwriter. Do Not close the SigSoft Handwriter from the task bar.
or
- Open .ini file and edit 'Top' and 'Left' values to 0 x 0 up to 200 x 200. Save. Do Not close the SigSoft Handwriter from the task bar.
My handwriting displays correctly onscreen, but prints as Courier.
- Re-install the printer driver or update the printer driver from the manufacturer's website.
- Another test to try: Test the handwritten text in some other application (i.e. WordPad), and test the text at a variety of point sizes.
Can I get "Randomness" (random word placement on the baseline) with the SigSoft Handwriter in printed documents?
- Only in documents printed from the vLetterWriter. The SigSoft Handwriter and the vLetter Toolbar have no way of controlling the formatting functions of your other applications. See the next item on line spacing to achieve a more natural look for your font.
There is too much space between the lines of my handwriting or around the signature.
Normal line spacing (Single) is 120% of the chosen font size (example, if the font size 10 pt, the line spacing is 12 pt). vLetter handwriting fonts are sometimes spaced even large than that, depending on how you write. You can change this with the following steps in Microsoft Word:
1. Highlight the lines of text you want to space differently. Then go to Format > Paragraph.
2. On the Indents and Spacing tab, under the "Spacing" section, set Line Spacing to Exactly and enter a point size in the text box to the right. If your font size is 20 point, try a line spacing of 24 point. The closer the line spacing is to the font size, the closer the lines will be together, and will start to overlap. If you set the line spacing to smaller than the font size, the lines will overlap significantly. Experiment with different line spacing settings to see which you like best.
3. This may cause the tails on some letters to appear cut off onscreen, but they print out just fine.
When I try to edit "handwritten" text in a document, the stuff I add isn't connected. How do I edit text once it has been "handwritten" with the SigSoft Handwriter?
- Highlight the text to be edited and "Unwrite" it using the Unwrite button in the SigSoft Handwriter, or just choose Edit > Undo (Ctrl-Z) one or more times until the original plain text appears. Edit the text, then highlight it and click the Write button again.
My handwriting doesn't show up when I open documents created in a previous version of my word processor.
- You need to open the documents in the previous version and "UnWrite" them with the version of the SigSoft Handwriter that you used to use to convert text. Save the UnWritten document and then open it in the new version of your word processor. Now, convert the text into handwriting with your new SigSoft Handwriter (Start > Programs > vLetter > SigSoft Handwriter).
I tried everything from these FAQ's, but I can't my handwriting to show up on my computer.
- In some applications, you will not be able to see your handwriting on the screen, but it may print correctly. Try printing the document.
Can I Spell-check handwritten text?
- No. You need to "UnWrite" it first by highlighting the text you want to spell-check; then click the UnWrite button or do as many Ctrl-Z's (Edit > Undo) as it takes to get the text back to the original regular text.