Trouble cutting text from background

[Milomolly]

Hi everyone, i'm trying to cut text 'word' out of the white ring in this design.

Ive converted the text to outlines, made sure the text is above the white ring and yet I still cant get it to work 😞

It works if i try and 'minus front' the text from a circle, but if i try and do it on this white ring, it doesnt work - it just results in the blue outlines around the letters o, r and d disapearing (see second pic below) and nothing being deducted from the white ring.

I suspect it is something to do with the ring having originally been created by using live paint to fill the space between two different sized circular paths, but ive no idea how to fix.

Please help!

[Monika Gause]

So I assume the ring is also outlined and not a stroke anymore

Select the ring and the letters and then make a compound path.

You might need to check the fill rule in the attributes panel and set it to even-odd

[Jacob Bugge]

Molly,

The most convenient way(s) depend(s) on what you wish/need.

It is unclear whether you wish to cut out the whole letters or only the strokes of the letters (in the former case, the letters may just as well just have the (original) fill).

Whichever the structure you can use an Opacity Mask, and you can keep the WORD as Live (editable) Type.

Keep/make the WORD black, or have the stroke black and the fill white if you only wish to cut out the former (to have the WORD white as the rest of the ring, only surrounded/shown/enhanced by the background colour corresponding to the stroke), then also select the white ring (whichever path(s) cmaking it), then in the Transparency palette click Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask unticked (you can use white Type, then tick Invert Mask).

[Milomolly]

Hi Jacob

thanks. 

I havent had any luck - it's cutting the white background of the ring 😞

Any idea?

[Monika Gause]

Uncheck the "Clip" option.

And please read the documentation: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/transparency-blending-modes.html

[Jacob Bugge]

Molly,

As Monika said, and as the (un)ticking part of my suggestion said:

"in the Transparency palette click Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask unticked (you can use white Type, then tick Invert Mask)."