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Issue with Stroke Width Change After Outlining Text in InDesign

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
April 11, 2024
4 replies
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Hello!

I'm facing an issue with the stroke width of text in InDesign. When I add a 0.1pt stroke to the text within a text frame, the stroke width changes to 0.05pt after outlining the text.

I've searched through various resources, including Adobe's official documentation and forums, but haven't found a satisfactory solution yet.

Could anyone please provide insights or workarounds for this issue? Is this a known bug, or am I missing something?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Best regards,

Bug

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Robert at ID-Tasker

I need to outline text but I don't know the risks.
Is there any other way I can use to create outlines in the PDF I export?

By @PTLPP035C36

If you really need "outlined" PDF for printing - you have two options:

1) as already mentioned - use Acrobat,

2) change your printing place...

The risks converting to outlines in InDesign - some formatting can get lost and you'll have to double-check each "letter" if it has been outlined correctly.

brian_p_dts

Brainiac

My hunch is that your default graphic frame stroke preferences are .5, not 1. So when you convert text to graphic it's taking that preference.

P

PTLPP035C36Author

Known Participant

I'm not sure where this preference is that you're talking about, but whether it's 0.1 or 1 or 10 it shrinks it by half after creating the outline.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Brainiac

I'm not sure where this preference is that you're talking about, but whether it's 0.1 or 1 or 10 it shrinks it by half after creating the outline.

By @PTLPP035C36

What is before and after Stroke Alignment?

Scott Falkner

Brainiac

Aside from your current issue with stroke weight changing you should be aware of a bug in InDesign when applying a stroke to compound shapes. A compound shape is any object that uses more than one path to define its fill, where any overlap becomes transparent. A lowercase i is a compound shape because the two paths of the shape have only one fill. A lowercase o is a compound shape because where the paths overlap the result is transparent.

If you set Align Stroke to outside or inside the path InDesign will put the stoke on the inner parts of a compound shape on the wrong side of the path. In the example below, “Text” is text and the stroke on the lowercase e is correct. “Paths” has been converted to paths and the stroke on the P and a are wrong.

This bug has existed for years. You can vote on it here.

P

PTLPP035C36Author

Known Participant

Thanks for the reminder I could avoid this mistake.

Willi Adelberger

Inspiring

Never outline text in InDesign. Why should anyone do so?

P

PTLPP035C36Author

Known Participant

I need to outline text but I don't know the risks.
Is there any other way I can use to create outlines in the PDF I export?

Robert at ID-TaskerCorrect answer

Brainiac

I need to outline text but I don't know the risks.
Is there any other way I can use to create outlines in the PDF I export?

By @PTLPP035C36

If you really need "outlined" PDF for printing - you have two options:

1) as already mentioned - use Acrobat,

2) change your printing place...

The risks converting to outlines in InDesign - some formatting can get lost and you'll have to double-check each "letter" if it has been outlined correctly.

E

Eugene Tyson

Brainiac

First of all - I wouldn't outline text in InDesign to start with - there are needs to do it - but typically you can do this in a PDF after exporting - using Acrobats preflight there's an option to convert text to outline there - which is far superior to InDesigns approach.

And secondly - I can't replciate this - I tried with font sizes from 0.1pt to 10pt to 40 pt
And set the stroke to .1pt - and it stays .1pt when converting to outline.

Can you let us know:
Version of InDesgin
Version of your OS

What font size you're starting at and the exact stroke width on the character

And what font you're using.

Thanks

P

PTLPP035C36Author

Known Participant

The Indesign version I am using is 18.5.2, and the computer version is MacOS 10.15.7
Look at my screenshot. When I select this stroke function, the situation I mentioned will appear.