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How to Use Callicraft

Create custom calligraphy practice worksheets in just a few clicks.

1

Choose your script

Start by selecting a calligraphy script. Each preset comes with recommended proportions, slant angle, and pen type.

Copperplate

Pointed nib, 55° slant, ratio 3:2:3

Italic

Broad-edge nib, 45° pen angle, 5° slant

Gothic

Broad-edge nib, 40° pen angle, vertical

Tip: Each script automatically sets the correct x-height, ascender, descender proportions and slant angle. You can adjust them manually in the Size tab.
2

Set up your page

In the Size tab, configure the paper format and line proportions:

Paper size — A4, Letter, or A5

Orientation — Portrait or landscape

x-height — Height of lowercase letters (e.g. a, o, x)

Ascender — Extension above x-height (e.g. b, d, h)

Descender — Extension below baseline (e.g. g, p, y)

Line gap — Spacing between practice lines

Margins — Top, bottom, left, right margins in mm

3

Configure guidelines

The Guides tab controls slant reference lines:

Slant guides — Toggle diagonal angle reference lines on/off

Angle — Set the slant angle (55° for Copperplate, 5° for Italic)

Guide spacing — Distance between slant lines in mm

Tip: Use the “Reset to defaults” button to restore the recommended settings for your selected script.
4

Choose practice content

In the Content tab, select what appears on your practice sheet:

Practice Mode

Blank

Empty guidelines only — for free practice

a

Reference

One or two example letters at the start of each line

a a a a

Traced

Letters repeated across the full line at low opacity for tracing

Content Type

Lowercase a-z — All 26 lowercase letters, one per line

Uppercase A-Z — All 26 uppercase letters, one per line

Basic strokes — Fundamental stroke patterns (upstroke, downstroke, overturn, etc.)

Pangrams — Full sentences using every letter of the alphabet

Custom text — Type your own words or phrases to practice

Exemplar Source

For Copperplate, you can choose between a system font or our handwritten exemplars — hand-drawn letterforms created with Apple Pencil in our companion tool, Exemplar Studio.

5

Customize style

The Style tab lets you fine-tune the visual appearance:

Guideline color — Choose from warm, cool, or neutral tones

Exemplar opacity — Adjust how faint the traced letters appear (5–50%)

6

Download your PDF

Once you're happy with the preview, click the Download PDF button. Your custom practice worksheet will be generated and downloaded instantly — no account or sign-up required.

Tip: For letter sets (a-z, A-Z), Callicraft automatically generates multiple pages to fit all characters. The page count is shown at the bottom of the preview.

~About Basic Strokes

Basic strokes are the fundamental building blocks of calligraphy letters. Before practicing full letters, it's recommended to master these individual strokes. Each stroke trains a specific hand movement:

/UpstrokeLight, thin upward line
\DownstrokeFirm, thick downward line
∩OverturnArch from thick to thin
∪UnderturnArch from thin to thick
∿CompoundS-curve combining both
○OvalCounter-clockwise oval
ℓAsc. loopAscending loop stroke
ʒDesc. loopDescending loop stroke

*Practice Tips

  • 1.Start with basic strokes — master upstrokes, downstrokes, and overturns before attempting full letters.
  • 2.Use traced mode first — trace over the faint exemplars to build muscle memory, then switch to reference mode.
  • 3.Watch your proportions — the ascender and descender zones should feel balanced. Copperplate uses a 3:2:3 ratio.
  • 4.Maintain consistent slant — use the slant guides as a reference for letter angle.
  • 5.Print and practice daily — even 10 minutes of focused drills will improve your letterforms significantly.

Questions or Feedback?

Have suggestions, found a bug, or want to share your practice sheets? I'd love to hear from you!

@lucas.writes.ink

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