Font Fight: Webletterer BB vs. Digital Strip

by Tim Demeter - 01/02/2006 - 17:39

I've been using good ole' WildandCrazy from Comicraft since the dawn of time. It must have been awhile ago, because when I bought fonts from these guys they were $35, included balloons and effects and came on a floppy disk.

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by LGraf - 01/02/2006 - 17:59

[quote:22ff800128="timdemeter"]I've been using good ole' WildandCrazy from Comicraft since the dawn of time. It must have been awhile ago, because when I bought fonts from these guys they were $35, included balloons and effects and came on a floppy disk.

ComiCraft runs a special every ComiCon International: San Diego (old name, San Diego Comic Con), and it's that font on a disk for a low price.

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by bobweiner - 01/02/2006 - 18:03

I prefer Webletterer to Digital Strip, but I've used both so it's all good.

-Krishna

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by rabbitpie - 01/02/2006 - 20:21

Yeah, after fiddling with them for the last two hours, I found Webletterer slightly better, and much better to read at 72dpi.

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by Fabricari - 01/02/2006 - 20:26

I've been using Anime Ace. It looks good for both print and teh webs. The web friendly fonts seem too wide for print, and I don't want to reletter when I go to print. But if I had to choose, Webletterer it is.

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by J-Sun - 01/02/2006 - 22:16

Digital Strip
I'm totally biased though...
I use Digital Strip quite a lot...
never used Webletterer :shock:
I should give it a go.;)

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by Tyler Martin - 01/02/2006 - 23:00

I played with several fonts including Digital Strips and Webletterrer and in the end went with Webletterrer. It just reads fluidly and in the smaller sizes as mentioned, and I felt went with the artwork for the strip.

I think you should pick the most readable font that most compliments the artwork it is accompanying.

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by Greg Carter - 01/03/2006 - 00:12

I use Webletterer for general dialogue on No Frailty with only a tiny bit of tuning in Photoshop. I make the print version of a page first and then resize for web display without having to adjust the font again. There are a lot of good fonts available, but Webletterer fit the look of the comic better.

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by Fenris - 01/03/2006 - 05:24

I've been using Digital Strip for a few years now. It has contributed greatly to my sexual endurance.

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by Uncle Ghastly - 01/03/2006 - 05:29

I use a font I created from my own handwriting for my webcomic, unless I'm doing some sort of filler strip like the Ascii Animals or something.

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by spargs - 01/03/2006 - 08:43

I'd lean toward webletterer.

Of course, both of these fonts pale in comparision to the sheer magnificence that is Comic Sans MS.

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by Tim Demeter - 01/03/2006 - 10:30

[quote:716828d18b="Ghastly"]I use a font I created from my own handwriting for my webcomic, unless I'm doing some sort of filler strip like the Ascii Animals or something.

Is there an easy way to do this, software/programming-wise Ghastly?

I researched this once and came up with nadda.

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by EricMillikin - 01/03/2006 - 17:52

[quote:8805476409="timdemeter"][quote:8805476409="Ghastly"]I use a font I created from my own handwriting for my webcomic, unless I'm doing some sort of filler strip like the Ascii Animals or something.

Is there an easy way to do this, software/programming-wise Ghastly?

I researched this once and came up with nadda.

Lies spread by my jealous competitors claim that I made multiple fonts based on my own handwriting in fontographer so that I could switch between them in order to avoid that "all your Es look exactly the same" look and that creating these fonts was a total pain in my ass.

But really I letter by completely by hand. Really, I do.

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by rabbitpie - 01/03/2006 - 21:09

[quote:aed78fe2bf="spargs"]Of course, both of these fonts pale in comparision to the sheer magnificence that is Comic Sans MS.

I have found that, no matter how much a designer / artist / whatnot disagree with me on various asthetic things, we all agree that Comic Sans MS is the devil and should not exist.

Of course, Papyrus is the new, heading version of Comic Sans MS.

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by Kiba - 01/03/2006 - 22:16

[quote:aa38160bb7="rabbitpie"][quote:aa38160bb7="spargs"]Of course, both of these fonts pale in comparision to the sheer magnificence that is Comic Sans MS.

I have found that, no matter how much a designer / artist / whatnot disagree with me on various asthetic things, we all agree that Comic Sans MS is the devil and should not exist.

Of course, Papyrus is the new, heading version of Comic Sans MS.

Cool! More M$ bashing!

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by LineItemVito - 01/04/2006 - 10:37

OK, serious for a moment... is the problem with Comic Sans MS that it's from Micro$oft or that it doesn't look good? Cuz I think it looks OK. And it's free. I think.

Eddie

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by Tim Demeter - 01/04/2006 - 10:47

In graphic design circles, at least, it's the mark of a RANK amateur.

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by spargs - 01/04/2006 - 11:14

It's probably less the font itself than its association with animated gifs of balloons floating and clowns dancing.

But hell, it was good enough for most penniless webcomickers in the days before Blambot (including myself).

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by LineItemVito - 01/04/2006 - 12:16

[quote:14273c8898="timdemeter"]In graphic design circles, at least, it's the mark of a RANK amateur.OK, but why?

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by rabbitpie - 01/04/2006 - 13:02

[quote:d933da4c4c="LineItemVito"][quote:d933da4c4c="timdemeter"]In graphic design circles, at least, it's the mark of a RANK amateur.OK, but why?

As spargs said, it's really less the font and how it's used. Essentially, lots of people need some form of title font for flyers and such, and they all chose Comic Sans MS because it's the most "fun" looking font on their computers. And then they use the same font for everything above 14 pts. It's there and people just use it without thinking.

It's cool if you are actually, you know, doing a *comic* with it, but it's just a bit annoying when every single tiny thing you see is done with Comic Sans MS. Which takes me to my other comment: people are doing the same thing with Papyrus now.

It's like, you know, wakisashis aren't evil. But pirates think so because they fight ninjas and ninjas use 'em a lot. But samurai use them too, and they too fight ninjas. So yeah. I'm making no sense.

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by J-Sun - 01/04/2006 - 13:11

[quote:de3faa94a5="rabbitpie"]I have found that, no matter how much a designer / artist / whatnot disagree with me on various asthetic things, we all agree that Comic Sans MS is the devil and should not exist.

Hear! Hear!
:D

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by Tim Demeter - 01/04/2006 - 13:21

[quote:ee6542541f="rabbitpie"]It's like, you know, wakisashis aren't evil. But pirates think so because they fight ninjas and ninjas use 'em a lot. But samurai use them too, and they too fight ninjas.

That was beautiful.

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by DC - 01/04/2006 - 14:57

I use DS and have considered switching to WL, but I think I'll go with Comic Sans MS and use it for EVERYTHING.

Because that would be awesome and not annoying at all.

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by LineItemVito - 01/04/2006 - 16:36

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by Tim Demeter - 01/04/2006 - 17:26

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by Tim Demeter - 01/04/2006 - 23:14

Glad to hear it.

More shenanigans to come.

FOREVER.

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by Fenris - 01/05/2006 - 07:18

[quote:cdd8a8de23="rabbitpie"]
It's like, you know, wakisashis aren't evil. But pirates think so because they fight ninjas and ninjas use 'em a lot. But samurai use them too, and they too fight ninjas. So yeah. I'm making no sense.

Actually, ninja tended to use cheap, rather disposable weapons, as their equipment would often have to be abandoned. But we get your point... I think.

I abhor Comic Sans because, well, it's just damn ugly.

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