A computer-implemented method for converting an outline character to a stylized stroke character, SSF, wherein the stylized stroke character is stored in a memory of a computer, and wherein a SSF stroke body is defined by a centreline and a profile, the profile being a curve defining the perpendicular distance from the stroke centerline to both edges of the stroke, the method comprising the steps of: identifying regions of the outline character, wherein each region is closed and disjoint; determining, for each region, candidate locations for stroke bodies and terminals; initializing the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character, wherein the stylized stroke character is initialized using the corresponding character from a uniform width stroke; organizing the stroke bodies into a hierarchical tree structure; determining the stroke bodies that corresponds to each region of the outline character; iteratively modifying the stroke bodies in an order of the hierarchical tree structure to produce modified stroke bodies, wherein at first centerlines of all stroke bodies contained in a root node are modified and then, when the change between successive iterations is small, each leaf node of the root node is modified independently, and wherein the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character is modified so that the centerline of the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character approaches the centerline of their corresponding implied stroke in the outline character; iteratively modifying the shape of the SSF centerline, the length of the SSF body, and the shape of the SSF profile so that the shape of the SSF body matches the shape of the body of its corresponding implied stroke in the outline character; adjusting end positions of the modified stroke bodies so that adjusted stroke bodies match the outline character; and selecting the terminals for the adjusted stroke bodies. identifying regions of the outline character, wherein each region is closed and disjoint; determining, for each region, candidate locations for stroke bodies and terminals; initializing the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character, wherein the stylized stroke character is initialized using the corresponding character from a uniform width stroke; organizing the stroke bodies into a hierarchical tree structure; determining the stroke bodies that corresponds to each region of the outline character; iteratively modifying the stroke bodies in an order of the hierarchical tree structure to produce modified stroke bodies, wherein at first centerlines of all stroke bodies contained in a root node are modified and then, when the change between successive iterations is small, each leaf node of the root node is modified independently, and wherein the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character is modified so that the centerline of the stroke bodies of the stylized stroke character approaches the centerline of their corresponding implied stroke in the outline character; iteratively modifying the shape of the SSF centerline, the length of the SSF body, and the shape of the SSF profile so that the shape of the SSF body matches the shape of the body of its corresponding implied stroke in the outline character; adjusting end positions of the modified stroke bodies so that adjusted stroke bodies match the outline character; and selecting the terminals for the adjusted stroke bodies.