Handwriting synthesis

Abstract

In this thesis, we discuss the subject of handwriting synthesis'the pro- cess of using computer algorithms to generate visualizations resembling human handwriting. Specifically, we focus on personal handwriting syn- thesis: writing arbitrary text in a style that resembles a specific person's handwriting.

We performed a literature survey of existing methods which qualify for our criteria to be considered personal handwriting synthesis methods: the ability to write full sentences in a handwriting style based on an existing style. We selected seven methods meeting these criteria for in- depth discussion, comparison and analysis.

We will propose a framework based on user testing which can be used to benchmark the quality of handwriting synthesis methods: the better a method is at generating output which is indistinguishable from human handwriting, the higher we define its quality. Our framework is designed to cover two scenarios: first, evaluating real and synthetic handwriting samples from unknown writers, and second, evaluating real and synthetic samples of one's own handwriting.

Using our framework, we have performed an experiment in which we compare two handwriting synthesis methods found in the literature. With our framework, it becomes possible to create a ranking of handwrit- ing synthesis methods based on their quality.