Corel Text Question

[Steve Clarkson]

I've been trying to get thick/fat editable letters and can't seem to figure it out. I've tried all different fonts, converting to curves, picking my nose.....but nothing seems to get me to a letter that I can manipulate it's thickness. I checked the manual, searched the Creek, asked my 12 year old.........can't find it anywhere. I know it's simple, but........

[Jim Good]

Which finger are you using!?! :p

If you go to the outline tool, you can change the thickness of the font. It's along the left side and it looks like a fountain pen. Click the lower right corner and expand the options and you'll see the line thicknesses.

Give that a try.

Jim

[Steve Clarkson]

Nope.....it changes the thickness of the outline......but the letter isn't getting fatter. Unless I'm still not getting it...

And that would be my left.....I'm holding my pen in my right.....

[Steve Clarkson]

Got it....EXTRUDE tool. I knew it was something simple. Sometimes it just helps to talk out loud.

[Mike Null]

Steve

Jim gave you the right answer. Try several thicknesses. Also open the outline tool on the left of your screen and notice all the options.

[Stephen Beckham]

Steve - one other tool I use to 'fatten' up the letters is the Contour tool.

By the way - changing the grey scale of the contours, you can get a 3-D effect in some cases.

[Steve Clarkson]

My bad! I knew I shouldn't question the experts!

I had tried the outline tool and when I changed it from a hairline to like 24pts last night....the outline went inward......but this morning, when I changed it to over 100pts, it got so big that it DID go outward and get fatter. Sorry for questioning you Jim!

Steve, I'll try the contour tool next....thanks for the suggestion.

[Jim Good]

Sometimes the outline tool doesn't work Sundays! :D My second thought was that your Corel Draw is broken!

You're doing things right. You have to get in there and try things and when they don't work, get on this forum and ask how to do it. You'll soon start asking questions I won't be able to answer!

Jim

P.S. Thanks Mike for watching my back!!! Congrats on the fine Ohio State victory this past weekend, too. My Tennesee Vols are the best 4-7 team in the country!!! :(

[Mike Null]

Jim, Yeah but word is you're going to steal my UC coach. He is a hot commodity.

Steve,
check the options available in the outline flyout. Notice the difference when you switch from "behind the fill".

[Steve Clarkson]

Ya know....changing the outline made it look exactly like what I wanted......but since my laser recognizes hairlines as the vector cut lines....now it won't cut the piece out. Any suggestions?

[Phil Garcia]

Now do a create boundary and make sure it's a hairline and your good to go.

[Steve Clarkson]

Nope....it's not working. The boundary takes the shape of the letters without the increased outline width.

I'm attaching a file trying to show what I'm trying to do. It's just the letters A,B, and C with like an 8 point outline (to make it look fatter) and it has been welded together. I then added the boundary, but like I said, it took the shape of the letters without the thick outline.

If anyone could figure this out for me, I would greatly appreciate it!

[Mike Null]

Steve

When you post a file save it first as a version 9 or 11 so most of us can open it.

Convert it to curves then do the boundary.

[Ruben Salcedo]

Just go to Arrange>Convert Outline to object then reapply you hairline outline for cutting... and that's it.

Edit: To mention that the outline needs to be applied to the converted outline object and that you may need to delete some nodes/outlines that are created in some intersections


Ruben

[Phil Garcia]

I tried to open the file but it was empty, no letters.

[Steve Clarkson]

Sorry...I knew that about posting the lower versions.

Anyway....I got it!

I went under Arrange|Convert Outline to Object


Thanks everyone!