Getting Started with the Celtic Knot Font for PC

Getting Started With the Celtic Knot Font

If you have already installed the Celtic Knot Font, click here to skip ahead.

Downloading your fonts

OK, so you placed your order and you have received the email telling you where to download your new Celtic Knots(s), what now? First we need to get the files and save them onto your computer. Open the email that you received confirming your order. Near the bottom of the email you will see a link (blue clickable web page address) that begins with:

DownLink: http://payloadz.com/....

Make sure that your internet connection is on, and click on the DownLink in the email. Remember where you are saving the files on your computer, as you will need to be able to find them again. By default, your computer may put them wherever you last saved a downloaded file.

(The following instructions are for Mac users. PC users please click here.)
Before you can open the file, you will need to uncompress it. You need a program like StuffIt (that's the one that I like). If you don't have one, you can get the StuffIt Expander for free from Aladdin Systems at:

http://www.aladdinsys.com

Just follow the instructions from Aladdin to install StuffIt.

To unstuff the files, just double-click on the Fonts folder (on your desktop or wherever you saved it to when you downloaded it) and StuffIt will do the rest.

Installing the Celtic Knot Font: Now that you have unstuffed the files you need to install the Fonts in your Fonts directory before they will work. Open the hard drive folder. Locate the Font file on your desktop, or wherever you unstuffed it to. Drag the Font file onto the System Folder and let the System place the Font into the Fonts Folder. Your Font is now installed. The Font name will appear in the font menu of every application that has a font menu.

Opening the Manual, Sample files, and Reference files (and Pattern Packs if you got those too): We like to open these documents in a basic word processor like SimpleText. SimpleText is like Word, but does not do any fancy formatting or spell checking. Those sort of functions will change pieces in your knotwork. If I want to use it in some other program, I copy and paste the knots from SimpleText.

Now let's open up the Manual that came with the Font. Open your word processor (like SimpleText) and browse to where you put your Celtic Knot Font files when you unstuffed them. Select the file named Manual to open it. The actual name will be a little different depending on which Font style(s) you purchased. It will be Manual_Outline, or Manual_Filled or Manual_Inverse. The Manual will tell you what you need to know about using the Font. If you follow along with the examples of building basic knots, you will learn where the most commonly used keys are. The following are a few more documents that come with the Font which you will find useful. You will need to have the Font installed first to view most of them properly.

keyboard.jpg: This is one of the most important files that comes with your Font. It shows you where to find all of the knot bits that are on your keyboard! You can view it with any web browser or with any graphics program. Print it out and keep it handy when you are creating knotwork. Email us if you need the UK keyboard version.

Character_Reference_Chart: This document lists EVERY knotwork piece that is contained in the Font - many more than are on the keyboard! If you need a weird piece and you can't find it on the keyboard then look here. You can highlight a piece in this document and copy it so that you can paste it into the knotwork that you are working on in another document. This document also explains how to access special pieces that are not on the standard keyboard (the extended character set), such as with the application “ICFont”. It is included in the Utilities Folder or you can download it from: http://www.clanbadge.com/dl.htm

Character_Groups: This document has all of the characters grouped into clusters of similar pieces. For instance, all of the parts that are the same but just turned different ways. These are useful as starting points of designs. When I am creating new knotwork I try to limit designs to just a few different types of pieces. It gives the knotwork a clean look. If you try to use every piece in a design it will wind up looking like a jumbled mess!

Sample_Knots: This contains all of the knots from the Manual and more. There are over 70 ready made knots in the sample files for you to experiment with. You can work with them like any text: highlight, copy, and paste them into other documents, change the font size, etc. You can delete characters (knot pieces) from them and add your own, as a starting place for experimentation, if you like. Many folks have written to ask what is the "formula" for the knot on page # whatever, but you don't need a formula. The knot IS the formula! Just highlight any of the knots and change the font to any "normal" font (text) and you will see what letters make the knot. But you don't even need to know what letters make the knot; you can just highlight the knot, hit Edit, then Copy (or do it the easy way hold down the Control Key and hit c to copy). Then go to the document or application where you are making your knotwork and click on Edit, then Paste (or Control v to paste). You can copy all of the knotwork that you want without knowing the "formula" for any of it. (If you're a computer "newbie" and would like a further explanation of how to copy text, click here.)

The Sample Knots document is also a great learning tool. Try copying parts of the examples into your document and adding your own variations to them. I use this method a lot. Rather than looking up each individual piece that I need, I just paste a knot that contains most of the parts that I want to use and then type in pieces, or copy and paste individual parts or strings of parts into the new knot. Try combining the corners from one design onto the body of another knot. Or make two copies of a knot and then delete the lines between them and experiment with different ways of linking the parts. Convert a large knot or link together several small ones into a border to add flair to your publications. Once you find a pattern that you like you can customize and modify it to best suit your needs.

The Pattern Packs work similarly to the Sample files. Each one has over 100 designs that you can use as is or edit - just like the Sample knots. You'll want to be sure to open the readme file that comes with the Pattern Packs - it has more detailed information about them.

One of the best ways to create new designs is to experiment. You will soon find that as you put pieces together, new designs will appear that you hadn't even envisioned. The most important thing to remember is that experimentation will almost always result in delightful new Celtic knot designs. Even when the knot doesn't turn out like what you expected, often the new design will be better than what you were originally imagining. Some of the best knots that I have created happened by accident when I didn’t get the piece that I intended. Have fun!

Also, don't forget to check the Knotwork Network page of our website for more knot designs you can use, contributed by other Celtic Knot Font users! If you would like folks to see what you've created with the Font, we will be happy to display your computer graphics in the Gallery. We also welcome artists and craftspeople to submit photos of their works designed with the Font. We will post them on the Arts and Crafts page with a link to your website or email address, if desired. A big "Thank You!" to all of our wonderful customers who make these webpages possible! Be sure to check back often as they are continuously updated.

Now that you have the basics down, visit our Tips and Tutorials page to learn more!