Here's Your Sign...

[DKS]

No matter how large of a picture you can get and how well you can crop it.. You'll loose crispness in the printing process.. Once scaled back down it just won't look right..

What I'm suggesting will come out crisp and clear..

Since I trace over the origional, you retain most of the imperfect
handpainted effect..

But it's just an option..

~Ian

There are other ways to do this. Start with the largest clear image possible. Correct squareness in a bitmap editor. Import into a vector drawing program that converts bitmaps to vector drawings. Adjust the degree of "faithfulness" of the conversion to compensate for softness/aliasing. By this time it's ready for a little hand-tweaking, then it can be enlarged or reduced to any size with no loss in sharpness. The process isn't simple or straightforward, but it is possible. I've done this many times for @Chris333 but I've also started with existing fonts that are "close enough" to make it from scratch. All depends on how anal you want to get with it. In most cases by the time it's model size, it's hard to tell how "correct" it is.

[learmoia]

Agreed...

Same concept as what I'm doing.. but I've never had a large enough clean image to start with to go straight from image editor to vector file.. successfully
Or I'm doing it wrong..
Or I'm using sub-par programs..

The Autocad step for me allows taking a rough file and get a clean image for a higher quality import to vector..  (and almost no editing on the vector side)

I can also take some liberties in the drawing that corrects initial image quality that would be harder to do on an image-vector transfer.
-working with logos on irregular brick surfaces.
-warped/skewed/damaged photos

I guess I'm doing the tedious cleanup before the final step.

I have also used the process to break down letter by letter to create custom fonts for your own signs..

It would be interesting for @DKS and I to compare methods on the same image..

[wm3798]

I'm in the camp that says you can spend all the time in the world cleaning up the original or building your own font, and in the end, you'll print out a tiny N scale sign that will be tight enough to be passable with or without the work.
You might have a small advantage of a tidy image when you take close up photos, but in person there won't be a substantial enough difference for me to make the effort...

That said, bear in mind that I'm cheap and lazy.

Lee

[Mark W]

I did a quick google and found a few more options. 


https://i.imgur.com/lfVKCZ8.jpg


This one is the font Candara.  Not perfect, but once it's N scale...


https://i.imgur.com/3UFxIUf.jpg

[johnb]

That said, bear in mind that I'm cheap and lazy.

Lee

so is my ex-wife! 

[johnb]

I did a quick google and found a few more options. 


https://i.imgur.com/lfVKCZ8.jpg


This one is the font Candara.  Not perfect, but once it's N scale...


https://i.imgur.com/3UFxIUf.jpg

those are looking good Mark, thanks

[RRRover]

Most/all of those signs were handpainted and each sign painter may have had his/her own variation. I have an original ATSF/UP ticket sign from the Devore, CA depot (gone by 1950) and it's totally handpainted and the fonts are not consistent from word to word (or even within words), but viewing at 20'+ you can't tell.

At 3' tall in N Scale the Photoshop perspective modification should work fine.

[diezmon]

...

This one is the font Candara.  Not perfect, but once it's N scale...


https://i.imgur.com/3UFxIUf.jpg

Ha, here i was trying to tweak the original.  Then I saw Mark's..      So, i just threw on a border.   

[C855B]

...This one is the font Candara.  Not perfect, ...

Yes, close. Probably close enough for John's project. 'R' is wrong, which is one of the biggest "tells" in distinguishing fonts, the curved leg being especially a characteristic of modern fonts. Candara is a modern Microsoft face.

Did you find it on Matcherator? My oft-repeated problem with Matcherator (and the couple of equivalents) is they primarily exist to market computer-made "kitchen table" fonts somewhat like Shapeways' business model. Frankly, the "font matchers" usually skip legacy. Might it be that most of that legacy is owned by Adobe?

I have a couple of old-fashioned foundry catalogs in front of me, and always look there first for old stuff. But that said, @RRRover reemphasized my original point, that these signs, like all signs from that era, were hand-painted and consequently interpreted by each artist. A reduced photo, whenever possible, is always going to be your best source.

[DKS]

When letters on a model sign are only 1/8" or so tall, who is going to notice the R is wrong??

[johnb]

When letters on a model sign are only 1/8" or so tall, who is going to notice the R is wrong??

the same people who noticed that the MTL SW1500 was 0.0375 inches too wide

[johnb]

Ha, here i was trying to tweak the original.  Then I saw Mark's..      So, i just threw on a border.   

that top one looks just about right, thanks

[learmoia]

Personally, I cringe at these examples...

 But if you remove the prototype photos and me not knowing the prototype.. If I were looking at the layout.. I'd never notice.. and think the signs look Great!

If it were something on my layout it's one of those things where it bugs me because I know its wrong..

When everyone else may never know the difference..

If you have the skill to make an exact duplicate then I'd tend to lean that direction for the sake of accomplishment and self satisfaction.

~Ian

[CRL]

The correct font for the sign: bobthesignpainter

[learmoia]

The correct font for the sign: bobthesignpainter

Lol