Text with Shape

[Mark23018952gqpk]

I would love help figuring out how to "glue" text with a shape. I have tried merging them when they are on 1 layer, as images on that layer. The merging button is grayed out. Then I add a new layer, and put the shape on that layer, and merge them, and nothing happens. I still move the text and the shape doesn't follow, they are not glued together. 

The shape is basically an outline with a transparent background. I need the text to stick to the shape outline so that when I move it around I am able to place them on the layout for printing onto metal. I have looked up on google, and this forum, and youtube and can't find an answer. I am able to link layers on photoshop, but for some reason I can't figure out how to get these to stay together! Thank you for your help!

[jane-e]

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@Mark23018952gqpk wrote:

I would love help figuring out how to "glue" text with a shape.

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Does it work to multiple select the two objects with the Shift key and group them (Object > Group or Cmd/Ctrl+G)?

Jane

[Mark23018952gqpk]

Thank you!! I've been agonizing over this. Thank you so much!

[jane-e]

@Mark23018952gqpk 

You're welcome, Mark. Grouping objects in Illustrator is closest to the way linking layers works in Photoshop. Over time Photoshop added Groups in addition to linking multiple layers, as Photoshop often copies from Illustrator.

If you want the the text and rectangle to become one (compound) path in the future, follow the other directions in this thread.

Jane

[Warren Heaton]

For how you intend to use it, you probably want to reduce the Rectangle object and the Text object to a Compound Path.

Select the Rectangle, Expand the Stroke, ungroup and keep only the resulting Compound Path; Create Outlines for the text; select the Compound Path from the Rectangle and the Outlines from the Text and then use the Merge option in the Pathfinder panel; Ungroup again and keep only the resulting Compound Path.  Of course, do this to duplicates fo the orignal, fully editable Rectangle object and Text object.

Rectangle object and the Text object duplicated and then reduced to a Compound Path

[Jacob Bugge]

Mark,

The general purpose simple/reversible/nondestructive/editabilitypreserving way of gluing is the Grouping as described by Jane.

In many cases you get better results with live Type and stroked paths, in some cases other (kinds of) objects are better/required.

Apart from everything else, you might (re)consider the exact vertical alignment (as part of crossing the t's).

[Mike_Gondek]

You can make this all one shape. The fill for the type is at character level