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veronica311750232j24
Participant
August 19, 2023
Answered

How offset a text and subtract that offset

  • August 19, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 3585 views

Hello everyone. Im pretty new to illustrator and have always used my silhouette studio for cutting and cropping. Can someone please explain to me how I offset text and then take that offset and subtract it from another text to create an inlay? I have found a way after hours of trying to figure it out (don't ask how I did it cause I honestly don't remember). 

I want to make it look exactly how it is in the photo. Any help would be amazing. Thanks!

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Correct answer thejanebradbury

Hello Veronica, I've used Silhouette Studio, and it is a little bit different to Illustrator, although the basic functions are the same. Welding didn't make your text into a vector - Silhouette Studio is already a vector program when it comes to text - welding is the same as Illustrator's Pathfinder Merge (to join shapes).

 

With your design take the stethoscope and pediatric and make a copy - always a good idea to keep originals in case (like me) it all goes terribly wrong. 

 

If this bit of the design in black isn't already all shapes, then use Text>Create Outlines on the letters and if you've used a stroke for the heartbeat line use Object>Path>Outline Stroke.

 

Now all the parts in black should be shapes, select them all and use Pathfinder>Merge to make one joined shape. Then Object>Compound Path>Make.  

 

With the single shape selected go to Object>Path>Offset Path and enter the number that gives you the desired width gap or cutout. Change the colour to white if you want to see it. 

 

The word nurse will also need to be converted to outlines and Pathfinder>Merge used to make one shape of the letters, followed by Object>Compound Path>Make. This will give one solid shape of the letters, yes all the same colour, colour will be done later.

 

Make sure your offset shape of pediatric is at the front of nurse with Object>Arrange>Bring To Front. Select both shapes and use Pathfinder>Minus Front to cut out the shape from the word nurse. 

 

Select the word nurse and go to Object>Ungroup, then select all the shapes that make one letter at a time and colour as desired. Group each letter shapes then group the whole word together if you want to. 

 

Hope that helps - I know it looks complicated but once you get the hang of it you'll be fine!

 

1 reply

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Community Expert
Bobby HendersonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 19, 2023

In the example you posted the white outline around the "pediatric" element can be created using the Offset Path command. It's a live effect. For cutting purposes that effect would have to be expanded to generate actual editable paths to cut. That will consume the original object. So make a copy of the original object to the clipboard or to another layer. That way you'll have the original object and the offset version of it too. Pathfinder commands can be used to make that offset path cut through the letters going behind it.

V
veronica311750232j24Author
Participant
August 19, 2023

Ohhhhhhhhh okay! There is no white outline though, in my other program, I just offsetted the text "pediatric" large enough to create a space between the two texts and then took the offset and large text and subtracted it. And bam, works perfect in my other program. I just like illustrator better for the asset export, its so handy. I guess i just need to figure out the main things in illustor and the terminology used. For example, to make text into a vector (I think that's the term) in my other program, I click weld and create compound path and its done. But in illustrator it just doesnt seem that easy.

V
veronica311750232j24Author
Participant
August 21, 2023

Hello Veronica, I've used Silhouette Studio, and it is a little bit different to Illustrator, although the basic functions are the same. Welding didn't make your text into a vector - Silhouette Studio is already a vector program when it comes to text - welding is the same as Illustrator's Pathfinder Merge (to join shapes).

 

With your design take the stethoscope and pediatric and make a copy - always a good idea to keep originals in case (like me) it all goes terribly wrong. 

 

If this bit of the design in black isn't already all shapes, then use Text>Create Outlines on the letters and if you've used a stroke for the heartbeat line use Object>Path>Outline Stroke.

 

Now all the parts in black should be shapes, select them all and use Pathfinder>Merge to make one joined shape. Then Object>Compound Path>Make.  

 

With the single shape selected go to Object>Path>Offset Path and enter the number that gives you the desired width gap or cutout. Change the colour to white if you want to see it. 

 

The word nurse will also need to be converted to outlines and Pathfinder>Merge used to make one shape of the letters, followed by Object>Compound Path>Make. This will give one solid shape of the letters, yes all the same colour, colour will be done later.

 

Make sure your offset shape of pediatric is at the front of nurse with Object>Arrange>Bring To Front. Select both shapes and use Pathfinder>Minus Front to cut out the shape from the word nurse. 

 

Select the word nurse and go to Object>Ungroup, then select all the shapes that make one letter at a time and colour as desired. Group each letter shapes then group the whole word together if you want to. 

 

Hope that helps - I know it looks complicated but once you get the hang of it you'll be fine!

 


Thank you so much!

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