Understanding Font Measurements in the Advanced Letter Model

The Advanced Letter model uses font measurements to calculate the real-world dimensions of a sign. The values you set for your font measurements are the base for every sign that uses that font. The system scales each sign from them.

You set two measurement values:

• Minimum Height of Smallest Letter

• Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter

They set the minimum physical height of the shortest character in the text that uses that font.

The two fields use the measurement unit of your Store: centimetres or inches. If your Store uses inches, enter the values in inches. To change the unit, go to Store Settings → Admin Settings → Measurement Unit. The examples in this article use centimetres.

The examples below use assumed figures to show the rule. They assume that the descender g and the ascender l each extend 2 cm beyond the base letters. In a real font, ascenders and descenders have different sizes, so the height of a real sign depends on the font. The diagrams use the same assumed figures.

How Does Minimum Height of Smallest Letter Work

This value is the minimum height of the shortest character in the text you type. The system scales the sign so that the shortest character in that text has this height.

This means:

• A single lowercase character typed on its own scales to the minimum height.

• When you combine letters, taller characters raise the total sign height in proportion to the smallest letter.

Example: Understanding Lowercase Scaling

Take the word google as an example. Set Minimum Height of Smallest Letter to 5 cm.

The word google contains the following:

• Base letters o, e

• Descenders: g

• Ascenders: l

Scenario 1: Single Character

Text entered:

o

Result:

• Height is 5 cm (≈2 inches)

• Width scales proportionally

Explanation:

There is only one character, so it scales to the minimum height of the smallest letter.

Scenario 2: Adding a Descender

Text entered:

go

Result:

• Total sign height is 7 cm (about 2.8 inches) with the assumed figures

• Width scales proportionally

Explanation:

The o is the base lowercase height of 5 cm (≈ 2 inches). Assume that the g extends below the baseline by 2 cm (about 0.8 inches).

With these assumed figures, the go sign is 7 cm (about 2.8 inches) high: 5 cm + 2 cm.

Scenario 3: Adding an Ascender

Text entered:

google

Result:

• Total sign height is 9 cm (about 3.5 inches) with the assumed figures

• Width scales proportionally

Explanation:

The o is the base lowercase height of 5 cm (≈ 2 inches). In addition, assume the following:

• The g extends below the baseline by 2 cm (about 0.8 inches).

• The l extends above the top of the base letters by 2 cm (about 0.8 inches).

Together, these raise the overall sign height to 9 cm (about 3.5 inches): 5 cm + 2 cm + 2 cm.

With these assumed figures, the google sign is 9 cm high.

How Does Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter Work

The Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter applies only when the whole text is uppercase.

Continue with the word google, but now in uppercase. Set Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter to 10 cm.

Example:

Text entered:

GOOGLE

Result:

• Height is about 10 cm (about 3.9 inches)

• Width scales proportionally

Explanation:

All characters are uppercase, so the system uses the uppercase height of 10 cm as the scaling reference. The shortest uppercase letter has this height. In some fonts, round letters such as O and G are a little taller than flat letters such as E. The total sign height can then be a little more than 10 cm.

Mixed Uppercase and Lowercase Text

When the text mixes uppercase and lowercase letters, the system uses the value in Minimum Height of Smallest Letter.

Example:

Text entered:

Google

Result:

• Height is 9 cm (about 3.5 inches) with the assumed figures

• Width scales proportionally

Explanation:

The text has both uppercase and lowercase letters. The system uses only the value in Minimum Height of Smallest Letter to set the scale.

The system does NOT use Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter for mixed-case text.

What Your Customers See

In the customer customiser, the measurement lines next to the sign show the height and width that the system calculates from these values. The lines show by default. To hide them, or to show only the width or only the height, use Show/hide Measurements in Settings → General Settings.

In the picture, the Comic font gives the word GOOGLE a height of 10.21 cm (4.02 inches) and a width of 55.84 cm (21.98 inches).

Important Considerations When Setting Uppercase Heights

Do not set the uppercase height too small.

The system scales an all-uppercase sign from the uppercase height. If this value is too small, uppercase signs are smaller than you expect. A smaller sign has less material length. For Letter Material Cost pricing, the system multiplies the material length by the material price. A smaller sign therefore gives a lower price.

Recommended Starting Point

When you first set up font measurements:

• Set Size Scale Multiplier on your smallest size to 1.00. Find it in Core Setup → Sizes. For more detail, see Sizing - Advanced model.

• Start with realistic lowercase and uppercase measurements.

• Test several text combinations before you publish.

• Test every font thoroughly.

• Compare generated SVGs with your production software. See the steps below.

• Check the measurements with your manufacturer if necessary.

Generate a test SVG

The font form has a test panel for Advanced Letter customisers. Upload a font file before you select Generate SVG. Until then, the panel says “Must upload font to create SVGs for testing.” Use the panel to compare the font with your design software.

1. Open the font in Core Setup → Fonts.

2. Scroll to Test the accuracy of your font using Adobe Illustrator.

3. Type your text in Enter your sample text.

4. Select Generate SVG.

5. Open the file in your design software.

6. Compare the height with the value you expect.

Some customisers also show Generate EPS and Generate AI. These buttons show when EPS Image or AI Image is set to Yes in Settings → General Settings for that customiser. For more help, see Test Sign Measurement Accuracy.

Font Measurements for Dropshippers

If you are a dropshipper, your manufacturer can best give you the values for each font:

• Minimum Height of Smallest Letter

• Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter

Troubleshooting

When specifying the height of the smallest letter, shall we exclude symbols and characters, e.g. symbols like _ (underline) or . (period)?

Yes. Exclude symbols and similar characters.

Should uppercase and lowercase letters both be considered when finding the smallest letter?

Yes, if you can.

The system uses Minimum Height of Uppercase Letter only when every letter in the text is uppercase. For all other text, it uses Minimum Height of Smallest Letter.

When it says “smallest”, does it mean shortest, narrowest, or takes the least amount of space as a whole?

”Smallest” refers to the shortest character by height.