"fingerspelling font download" American Sign Language (ASL)

The Gallaudet TrueType font allows you to use your keyboard to type messages that appear as fingerspelling on your computer screen and that you can print out. Note: If you want to send fingerspelled messages to your friend then your friend has to have the Gallaudet font installed on their machine too in order for the message to show up as fingerspelling. The font may be used for learning sign language, correspondence using sign language, or whatever purpose you dream up. [The Gallaudet font comes to you from Insect Bytes. The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. If you like and/or use this font, please make a substantial contribution to the charity of your choice.]

For Windows PC compatible users, here are instructions for how to install the font once you have downloaded it:

To manually install or re-install a font:

1.	Click Start, and then click Run.
2.	Type %windir%\fonts, and then click OK.
3.	On the File menu, click Install New Font.
4.	In the Drives box, click the drive that has the floppy or CD-ROM that contains the fonts you want to add. If you are installing fonts from a floppy disk, this is typically drive A or drive B. If you are installing the fonts from a compact disc, your CD-ROM drive is typically drive D. Double-click the folder that contains the fonts.
5.	Click the font you want to add. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each font.
6.	Click to select the Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder check box. The Windows\Fonts folder is where the fonts that are included with Windows are stored.
7.	Click OK.

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314960

Note: If you do not see the "install new font" option...check to see if you are logged on with "administrative privileges."

In a message dated 6/8/2003 4:45:13 PM Central Daylight Time, _____@tstar.net writes:
Bill,
I was trying to download this file but instead of download directions, I was shown the file itself. How can I download it?
Richard

In a message dated 1/15/2003 8:05:36 PM Central Standard Time, a student writes:
"Ok.... I tried to download the fonts and I couldn't get it to open once I downloaded it. Any suggestions?"

Try downloading the file again, and this time make a note of the location it is downloading to. The file you downloaded then needs to be put into your operating system's FONTS folder. You can do a search for that folder using your computer's search function. Or go to your run line and type the word "fonts" and click okay. Open up your FONTS folder. Make sure you have placed the gallaudet file into the folder and can see it. Then click on the "FILE" menu and look for an "Install New Font..." menu choice. Click on that and then navigate to the font file you want to install. Then double click that file.
Sometimes you get a message stating that the file has "already been installed." That's okay, go through the whole install process anyway to make sure the file gets registered in your operating system the right way.

Student says: When I start the following "Start", Settings, Control Panel and then double click on fonts, The Install new font doesn't come up. I'll keep trying though.

Dr. Bill's response: You are almost there.
Open/Click "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel". Then double click fonts. THEN, from the menu selections at the top of the window, click File, Install New Font.
The "Add Fonts" dialog box appears. You'll need to navigate to and select the gallaudet file.
Then go to your word processing program and select the gallaudet font. You may need to shut down and restart before it shows up as a font choice in your word processing program's list of fonts.

In a message dated 8/3/2003 5:09:09 PM Central Daylight Time, kcdrummond@_____.com writes:

Dear Bill:
I recently cruised your site and found mention of the gallaudet font. I downloaded that font to my font folders and all works well inside of my "MS Works" word processor. However, when I select this text to copy to emails it automatically changes to an English font. Is there anyway I can keep that gallaudet font to send in e mails?
Thanks
Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,
This has to do with the settings in your email program. Most email programs have a default setting that determines what font is displayed. After installing the fingerspelling font, you can go to your emails preferences or settings menu and select "gallaudet." I'm sending this reply in gallaudet type font. I'm using AOL and in my email program it looks like handshapes. I did have to set the font from within the email program itself. I also had to enlarge the size to make it big enough to read. So you might want to check to see if your email program has a way to choose the font. Whomever receives your message will only see the fingerspelling if they too have downloaded the font. They may also have to adjust their emails preferences to display messages using that font.
Bill
[Note: The above text was changed back to "Times New Roman" for this web page.]

In a message dated 9/5/2003 7:44:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Vicki writes:
<<I still have some trouble getting ASL fingerspelling fonts set up in my e-mail or word processing so I could write my own homework for my class or to the loved one. >>

Vicki,
About the emailing of ASL fonts: It won't work unless the other person has that same font installed on their system. If you have it installed it will look right on your screen when you click the send button, but not show up in the receivers email because THEIR system doesn't have the font installed and selected as a default font for incoming email messages--it will be converted to their normal font).

Also, some people who are using "Windows ME" can't find their font folder that should be in their C:\windows\ file. Or if it is, they don't see an "Install New Font" choice under the "File" menu. If that is your situation and you are using a Microsoft Windows operating system, click the "START" button. Then click "RUN." In the RUN dialog box, type: Attrib +S C:\Windows\Fonts and then click OK. You might need to restart your computer then check to see if the Fonts folder or Install New Font option appears.

An other option for additional help on installing the ASL font is to take advantage of your computer's help menus. Look for a "Help" or "Help and Support" button in your "Start" menu.

Instructions for installing this font to Macs:
Kyle Richtig sent me the following instructions for installing the Gallaudet truetype font to Apple computers:

1. Download the font by using the Mac Version of right click. (Hold down ctrl and click so the menu comes up).
2. Choose Download Link to Disk.
3. Drag this file (GALLAUDET.ttf) from the saved location to the Fonts Folder (Home>Library>Fonts).
4. If this did not install the font, you may have to double click the file once it is in your Font Folder. This will automatically install it in your Font Book.

In a message dated 6/23/2005 3:09:19 AM Pacific Daylight Time, a Jalemon writes:

The Gallaudet font for the Mac ...does not appear to be a valid font file. If you have a corrected file, that would be greatly appreciated.
-----------
Since Macs can handle TrueType fonts, I next tried installing the TrueType font at
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/general/gallaudet/GALLAUDET.ttf. However, Apple's Font Book program reports a serious problem with the "Font Name Table" and says not to use the font. If you can contact the
creator about correcting this, that would be greatly appreciated. -- Jalemon

Jalemon,
It has been many years since I've had a Mac.

Later, when I'm over at the college I can try downloading it and mess around with it on a mac to see what might be the issue. I suspect the file is a zipped file and simply needs to be expanded and renamed with the extension of whatever Macs use for font files.

Perhaps you might try using a Mac-based decompression utility on it and or click and hold to download the file and rename it to whatever the right extension would be.

--Bill

Update: Okay...I've uploaded a better version of the file (to http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/fingerspelling/gallaudet/gallaudet.sit) and changed the address a bit. Jalemon downloaded the new version to his Mac and it worked just fine. (whew). The ".sit" extension on the file denotes a "stuffit" extension which means that the file is indeed "compressed" and needs to be decompressed with an "expander"-type program. Often (especially on newer systems) decompression takes place automatically.
--Bill

Fingerspelling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

ASL Font

(Gallaudet True Text Fingerspelling Font)