Can someone explain this? From what I read you wind up basically "tracing" the letters? Where do you get the "template" so to speak?

TIA

I believe that you can print out something on the computer and then use a toothpick to poke through the paper and give you a good outline for the letters. Not sure, though. Someone else can probably help you more.

I think with this method you can use any font therefore like Ishi said, you can print out something on the computer and then transfer it on the cake via the pin prick method

I like that Idea. I am always in a struggle with that. It is either a good writing day or a bad one. I would love a back up like this on the bad days. I was trying to come up with something, can't believe this didn't come to mind b.c that way you can do whatever a size and font you want. Also you can shape it to fit where you need it.
Thanks for the ideas everyone!!

print out what you want to say...exactly as you want to say it...on cardstock....take that cardstock and place on a piece of styrofoam...take a corsage pin and poke tiny holes ....tracing the letters....this will leave you with a raised pattern on the back...sort of like braille.....take the cardstock, rub it over your crusted icing and it will leave an imprint of whatever it is....and you just go over the little dots with your frosting.

The way I did it was to print out from the computer and poke with a pin. Then press it onto the cake and you will see a faint line to follow. Works pretty well, but be careful becasue you can mess up your icing with the paper (You can see what I mean on my spartan bday cake, I dented the icing.) I only did this method 3 times (chocolate bday cake, tractor cake, and the spartan cake) Then I decided I like the royal icing letters better.

Thanks for all of the replies - I definitely need help in the writing department. My handwriting is horrible

Mine is terrible, too! And I don't think that anything makes a cake look more unprofessional than bad writing. I could make and decorate a beautiful cake and just ruin it by writing on it! I'm looking into getting a stand for my Projecta Scope image projector to help me with this. But until then the pin prick method will do.