Hi Gayle -
My first suggestion would be to contact Bob Trogman at rtrogman@dc.rr.com. You would get a good start from him if he has the time to help you set some perimeters for yourself when doing set ups. He might also have some samples he could fax you.
I have an art background, so many times that saves me from "overdoing" the layout with too many curlicues or other "stuff". I have seen some horrendous setups from new engravers and from plaques that come in for repairs from other shops. Too large of type, mixing too many fonts on one plate, shouting in caps, too much, too little - it is a fine balance. Time & experience, making notes when you see something at a show that you like, taking photos at shows to take back with you, all this will help you learn what looks good and what looks bad.
I find a suggestion of Bob's, which I've been using for years, but when he wrote this in an article I said to myself - yes, that's exactly right - is to pick a font that matches the purpose or occasion of what you are engraving for. For example, a plaque for a wedding would have a font that "went" with a wedding theme. I would probably use something scripty. But you wouldn't want to use a script font for a plaque for a man. I use a lot of true type fonts for engraving because they let me match themes better, and to be honest, I am just tired of seeing the same engraving fonts over and over after 18 years.
I've seen some of the sample pages, like in the ARA book that has the supplier & retail listing for the year, and although they are OK, they are kind of boring to my eye.
Burnishing on brass or aluminum will give you a better look also.
A rule that I've lived by that I learned early on in my engraving life is that the largest font should not exceed a .3. There are exceptions of course, but this rule has held good over the years.
Good luck and let me know if I can help further.
Cindy |