Introduction
Imagine a time before emails and instant messaging, when sending a letter across the country was a journey in itself. In the early days of the American postal system, long-distance communication was not only costly but also a test of patience and resourcefulness. It wasn’t as simple as picking up a pen and paper from the nearest store; every sheet of paper was precious, and every word, meticulously considered. To save on paper and reduce coset of sending letters the ingenious practice of ‘crossed letters’ was born. People would write their messages across a page, then turn the paper 90 degrees to continue writing over what they had already penned. This method, a clever blend of thrift and creativity, allowed for complex ideas to be conveyed in limited space.
As a lover of both history and technology, I found myself captivated by this quaint practice. However, replicating crossed letters in modern text editors proved to be a cumbersome task, fraught with errors and frustrations. This sparked an idea in me: What if we could transform a standard text document into a digital crossed letter, effectively turning words into a form of art? Where you have a combination of art, creativity, and an increase ease of reading. This blog post is my journey into breathing digital life into an age-old practice, merging the charm of the past with the possibilities of the present.
History of Crossed letters
For the generation born in the 2000’s its harder to believe that we use to communicate through letters that traversed the slow and uncertain paths of horseback and sailing ships, crossed letters emerged as a clever solution to a practical problem. The practice, dating back to at least the early 17th century, was born out of necessity. Paper and postage were expensive, and the cost of sending a letter was often determined by the number of pages and distance it traveled.
The crossed letter allowed writers to squeeze more words onto a single sheet. After filling a page with writing, the sender would turn the paper ninety degrees and continue writing over the lines they had just written. This technique doubled the available writing space without adding to the cost of postage.
Multiple styles of crossed letters were developed changing the angle at which you turn the paper, size of your letters, thickness of your letters. In some instances, as noted in Heather Moll’s [4] exploration of Regency crossed letters, correspondents would use different colored inks – often black and red – to aid in differentiating the crossed text. This simple yet effective method lessened the visual confusion and made these densely written messages more decipherable.
This historical practice of using different colored inks to enhance readability directly inspired my project. In digitizing the concept of crossed letters, I adopted a similar approach. By employing distinct colors – in a modern twist, using red, blue purple where the colors overlapped – I aimed to recreate the clarity that early correspondents sought through their use of different ink colors. This not only pays homage to the past but also leverages color to untangle the visual complexity of digital crossed letters, transforming an old technique into a new form of artistic expression.
Technology Meets History
Building on this historical concept of crossed letters, I was inspired to challenge myself with a modern reinterpretation using my Python programming skills. My goal was to make a program where it can be accessible and engaging for everyone in today’s digital world. Imagine being able to transform your own text documents into visually striking images that echo the crossed letters of the past.
Central to my project was the idea of making these crossed letters easily decipherable. Drawing inspiration from the way historical correspondents sometimes used different ink colors for clarity, I envisioned a digital equivalent. I experimented with a blend of cross letters and a pseudo-3D effect, using shades of blue and red to create a layered visual that can be easily read in either color. This approach makes it possible to ‘decipher’ the crossed text with a simple shift in perspective.
Moreover, I focused on developing a user-friendly program that could output these creations in a universally accessible format. Opting for image files was a deliberate choice, given their ease of manipulation and wide compatibility. This way, anyone with a computer can explore and appreciate the beauty of crossed letters, reimagined through the lens of modern technology.
The Technical Challenge
The process might seem intricate at first glance, but it’s built on a series of logical steps that transform ordinary text into a beautiful, multicolored crossed letter design. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Document Identification and Format Check: The program starts by identifying the text document to be converted, ensuring it’s in a compatible format.
Text Extraction: It then extracts the text, carefully preserving the content while preparing it for transformation.
Text Analysis: The program measures the length of the text, counting characters and lines, to understand how it will fit into the final image.
Text Rearrangement: This step involves rearranging the text to fit within the dimensions of a chosen image, making sure words aren’t awkwardly split or disrupted.
Color Coding: Before rotating the text, the program sorts lines into two groups – one for each color (blue and red) to be used. This is crucial for the later visual effect.
Overlay and Merging: The text is printed onto the image in the two colors. The program then identifies where the text overlaps and creates a new layer of purple at these intersections, enhancing readability.
Final Image Creation: The overlapping layer is merged with the original text layers, resulting in a cohesive, tri-colored image that embodies the spirit of crossed letters with a modern twist.
The development process leveraged Python’s powerful libraries, such as those for text extraction and image editing. A notable challenge was the blending of text and image layers – ensuring that the overlapping texts were distinct and the background didn’t obscure the message. This required careful tracking of overlapping points and sophisticated image manipulation techniques.
Currently, the program is designed with specific parameters for image size and text layout. However, looking ahead, I plan to enhance its flexibility, allowing for adjustments based on the length and size of the input text. This would enable the creation of custom-sized images, tailored to the content of each unique document.
In essence, this program isn’t just about converting text into images; it’s about reinventing a historical practice through the lens of contemporary technology, making it both an artistic and a technical endeavor.
The Product
After rigorous iterations and enhancements, my program has taken a leap forward. With the assistance of AI, which spun a detailed narrative of 5000 characters, we’ve successfully crafted a digital crossed letter. The interplay of red and blue text weaves a complex story that remains legible despite its design. Interestingly, the current state of AI technology cannot yet decode this colorful tapestry once it’s been transformed, suggesting a novel, albeit temporary, method for shielding information from automated deciphering. It’s a curious thought: a program born of modern code could offer a haven from the ever-watchful eyes of its kin.
Reflection on use of this program
As I stand at the intersection of technology and tradition, I reflect on the journey of this project. While the immediate practical applications of this program may not be readily apparent, the potential it holds is vast and exciting. It beckons artists to explore a new medium, writers to weave narratives in innovative formats, and perhaps even the birth of a novel method of cryptography.
This venture was as much about honoring the past as it was about charting new territories in programming. The challenge lay not only in the coding itself but in capturing the essence of a time-honored practice with the digital brush of the present. The meticulous process of crafting code that breathes life into text as art has been an intricate puzzle that I pieced together with both respect for the craft and a vision for the future.
I hope this creative odyssey has sparked a flame of curiosity and inspiration in you, as it did in me. For those who wish to dabble in this synthesis of history and technology, the program awaits. It’s more than code; it’s a bridge between the bygone days of ink and paper and the pixelated present, and it’s available on Github [2] for you to experiment with, expand upon, or simply enjoy. May it serve as a canvas for your creativity or a cryptic labyrinth for your intellect to traverse.
References:
[1] “A crossed letter.” Accessed: Dec. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.earsathome.com/webgil/xltr.html
[2] Amlis-Sanches, “Amlis-Sanches/Crossed_Letters.” Dec. 08, 2023. Accessed: Dec. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://github.com/Amlis-Sanches/Crossed_Letters
[3] K. Haas, “Cross Writing and Cross Reading,” The Rosenbach. Accessed: Dec. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://rosenbach.org/blog/cross-writing-and-cross-reading/
[4] H. Moll, “Neatness Counts in Crossed Letters,” Heather Moll Author. Accessed: Dec. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.heathermollauthor.com/post/regency-crossed-letters