Easy Steps To Text Conversion

Sometimes we need a refresher on the basics. That’s why today’s Feature Friday is a simple how-to on converting text to outlines based on an article in the May issue of PCT‘s sister publication Promotional Consultant digital magazine.

When submitting art to your supplier, you will often be asked to convert all text to outlines or paths. There’s a simple reason for this: It’s an easy way to ensure your text will print as it was intended. If your supplier doesn’t have the exact font you used when creating your artwork, it will have to substitute another font. This will cause your text to reflow and will surely look different than what you’ve created.

You can’t simply give the font you used to your printer. It’s against the law. While this might be common practice, it’s not right. So avoid any legal issues by complying with the request. It’s easy to do—here’s how.

In Illustrator: Simply select your text with the Selection Tool, go to Text in the menu bar, and scroll down to Create Outlines. If your document has multiple text boxes, you can go to Select > All and then Text > Create Outlines. This helps prevent missed text boxes, which could lead to problems later when you send your file to the printer. As you can see from the examples below, when you still have your copy as Text, you can see a baseline at the bottom of the text as well as a box with “handles” around the entire copy block. This is how text will look in Preview Mode. In Outline Mode, any color or outlines that were applied to the type will disappear, and the letters will be filled in with black. However, when you convert the text to outlines, in Preview Mode the baseline and box will disappear and each letter will have an outline around its edges with points positioned around these paths. If you view the converted text in Outline mode, all that is visible is a Wireframe view of the text with no color filled in.

For tips on converting text in CorelDraw, read Dane Clement’s article in the May issue of Promotional Consultant digital magazine, delivered monthly to your e-mail inbox.

Source: Dane Clement is well-known for his expertise in computer graphics and color separations. He is the president of Great Dane Graphics, vice president of GroupeSTAHL Creative and has authored T-Shirt Artwork Simplified books for Adobe and Corel users.