FontGrabber Manual

FontGrabber is an easy to use font coloring, exporting and text image creation tool useful to 3 groups of computer users:

• Casual users: These users use their computer for creating documents and personal web sites. They would use the Text Sampler feature to create interesting looking text headings and rollovers for use in their documents and web sites.
• Multimedia developers and enthusiasts: Users who are using free or commercial products for creating multimedia presentations, cd-roms, casual or indie games and interactive web sites. These users are likely to use the Text Sampler feature to save images that can then be imported into their authoring tools.
• Professional developers: Users that develop their own products, games and web sites. These developers either use the libraries provided by FontGrabber Pro or create their own to render text within their applications and games. They may also make use of the convenient Text Sampler to create heading images for use in their work.

To get a quick understanding of what exactly FontGrabber does, why not head over to the Sample Images page and see for yourself. The following is one example from there:

FontGrabber provides several options for coloring fonts. This enables you to create an unlimited number of different graphical styles. Coloring options include:

• Filling the font using various gradient effects,
• Edging the font in different sizes with various gradient effects,
• Adding a drop shadow or outline with several customizable options.

In addition to exporting fonts into XML & PNG (or TGA) format for use in your own projects, it provides a Text Sampler feature. This feature enables you to export text strings using your customized font, directly into image files. These files can then be used in your multimedia projects, games and even in web sites. This enables even non-programmers to benefit from using FontGrabber and impress their clients and friends.

FontGrabber now also supports exporting fonts with combinations of fixed width and/or height characters. This makes it easy to use FontGrabber exports with no or little coding. Fixed size fonts (see example) are often used in game development.

For developers who wish to use the exported fonts in their own projects, FontGrabber includes both a GDI+ and XNA compatible .net library (Libraries only available in the Pro edition of FontGrabber). The GDI+ library is intended for use in standard windows forms applications, while the XNA library enables you to easily render text inside your XNA applications. The XNA library is compatible with XNA development for PC and the Xbox 360 console.

Even though FontGrabber libraries are intended for use with .net and the XNA framework, there is nothing stopping you from using the exported files in other development environments and with languages other than C#. The data format is easy to understand, completely open and fully described in the documentation.

• Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later / Windows Vista.
• For Windows XP, the Microsoft .net Framework V2 or later is required. This item, if not already on your PC, will be downloaded and installed by the FontGrabber installer.
• Adobe Reader is required for viewing the user manual (a PDF file). If you don't already have it installed, please visit the Adobe web site to download your free copy of this industry leading product. You can do this now by clicking on the link below: