Calligraphy Z: A Fabricatable Pen Plotter for Handwritten Strokes with Z-Axis Pen Pressure

In the current age, the use of desktop publishing software and printing presses makes it possible to produce various expressions. On the other hand, it is difficult to perfectly replicate the ink grazing and subtle pressure fluctuations that occur when using a writing implement to output characters on a printer. In this study, we reproduce such incidental brushstrokes by using a writing implement to output text layout created on software. To replicate slight variations in strokes, we developed Calligraphy Z, a system that consists of a writing device and an application. The writing device controls the vertical position of the writing tool in addition to the writing position, thus producing handwritten-like character output, and an application that generates G-code for the device operation from user input. With the application, users can select their favorite fonts, input words, and adjust the layout to operate the writing device using several types of extended font data with writing pressure data prepared in advance. After developing our system, we compared the strokes of several writing implements to select the most suitable one for Calligraphy Z. We also conducted evaluations of the identification of characters output by Calligraphy Z and those output by a printing machine. We found participants in the evaluation experiment perceive the features of handwritten characters, such as ink blotting and fine blurring of strokes, in the characters by our system.