Using MSWord to generate circular text for cutting

I have been getting a lot of questions about how to make circular text since I posted the video on moving the letters with mesh. While circular/curved text can be done in Inkscape, (see this video) the best tool out there is probably already on your computer, its the WordArt widget that’s been in Microsoft Word for years. It is an incredibly powerful and flexible feature with a friendly user interface (did I really just say that about a Microsoft product?) and the best part is that it generates vector output. So here’s how to use it for your cutting projects.

Step 1: Generate your circular/curved text in a blank MSWord document. If you don’t know how to do that, see this video. Edited to add Important: Windows users need to right click on the WordArt object, select Format WordArt, click on the Colors and Lines tab and under Fill> Color choose black and under Line> Color: select No Line. Text will show up solid black in Word and Inkscape instead of as shown in the Mac screen shots below.

Step 2: Print to PDF. If you have a Mac, do as shown in the screen shot. If you have Windows, keep reading.

Step 3: Import the PDF file you generated in Step 2 (default settings, click OK). Click to select the circular text object and then click the Ungroup button repeatedly until you see the word “Path” instead of the word “Group” indicated in the tip bar. (In my example it took 4 clicks). If you don’t see the Ungroup button widen your window, or select Ungroup from the Object menu.

Step 4: Save and name your file in Inkscape’s default format (SVG). Open a new document in Sure-Cuts-A-Lot and import your SVG.

If you have Windows and have installed a PDF print driver like Cute PDF, you can also use the above technique, but here’s an even better one:

Download and install SVG Factory. Create your WordArt as in Step 1. Select and copy it (to the clipboard). Open SVG Factory and paste. SVG Factory will convert the WordArt to an SVG and let you save it to the location of your choice. Import the SVG into Sure-Cuts-A-Lot, if you like, and it will look like the screen shot directly above. That’s right, you can generate curved text for cutting without Inkscape. Is that cool or what?!

Re-update: Added an extra step to fix issues with Windows version

Another update: A reader reminded me that the Microsoft’s WordArt feature is also included in Publisher. I should also mention it’s in Excel and Powerpoint, too, as well as MS Works versions earlier than 8.5. Might be worth picking an a bargain bin or ebay copy of Works or Publisher just for this feature.

Another update: SVGFactory.com seems to be defunct. If you don’t already have SVGFactory then stick with the PDF version.

New Technique for Making Piecing Patterns in Inkscape

Did you know you can use the Paint Bucket tool in Inkscape to trace a bitmap piece by piece? Well, you can and it’s a fun and easy technique you’ll want to add to your arsenal. Click for part 1 of the video tutorial which covers how to convert a black and white (line art) coloring book page  into vector form for paper piecing patterns you can cut with your Cricut.

Instant font slideshow in Mac OSX (Leopard)

Compared to the PC side, there is a dearth of font viewing software for Macs. In particular, none of the freebies and few of the for-pay font utilities I have found allow you to view uninstalled fonts. However, you can view the character sets for your fonts, whether installed or uninstalled with this Mac OSX Leopard  trick.

Open a finder window and select the fonts you want to view. Here I have filtered my downloaded fonts folder by searching for “ttf” to eliminate most of the folders and read me files. It doesn’t matter what view you are in. I am showing this in the cover flow view, because some of you may not know you can use it for fonts.

Next just tap the space bar (or the QuickView icon which looks like an eye) and your font slide show window will appear. Use the arrow keys to navigate or click on the triangle on the screen to play the slideshow automatically.

The contact sheet button works, too, though it acted a little quirky for me .

This is really a lot of fun to play with. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

A new font from old shapes

As promised, allow me to introduce PunchDings, a dingbat font I created on YourFonts.com by gluing shapes from my (much bigger than I realized) collection of craft punches onto the font template.

Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Download the TrueType font here. If you’d like to share this font, please help me publicize my blog by sharing a link to this page instead of just the font file. The sharing button in the right hand column makes that easy. Thanks!

Create your own font online for free

Update: yourfonts is no longer free

One of my favorite web apps of late is called YourFonts and it lets you create a personal font online. All you need is a printer and a scanner. The process is very simple, first you download and print their grid page, write in your letters and then scan the page. Alternately, you can download a bitmap version of the grid and paste in your own art or input with a graphics tablet. You could also cut and paste letters from a handwriting sample for a more natural look. Once your grid is filled in to your satisfaction, upload it to YourFonts and within minutes you can download your brand new TrueType font, ready to install. Amazingly, this service is free. You don’t even have to register.

The applications for this are enormous. Scrapbookers can type in their own handwriting, parents can preserve their children’s handwriting, companies can put their logos in easy reach, the list goes on. And I’m sure you SCAL users are already dreaming up ways you can use this to create cuttable outlines for your Cricut machine. Watch for my next post when I’ll show you my newest font creation, made at YourFonts.com.

Idea Shopping Tip

There are ideas all around you, but how to remember them all. I used to see something in a store I liked, then pull out a pen and a scrap of paper and start sketching. Well, now I’ve got a camera phone and it is great for capturing products, color schemes (results with a camera phone vary on this), phrases, etc. for borrowing design inspiration later. Ideas often pop up in unexpected places, while some stores are guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing.

Here are a few of my shots as examples:

These were taken at a Hallmark store, Penney’s, Big Lots and Steinmart. As you can see, quality isn’t important in capturing the essence of these items.

A word art idea

from Elegant WordArt 2: Jump

This is a sample of the word art at Bethany’s site (though this image is not her usual fare) and you can download the .png version there. I’m linking it here because this idea is perfect for adapting to Cricut cutting. Just create a simple background in any program you like by repeating the word at a small size and in a variety of fonts, then print it onto the paper or card stock of your choice. Load your custom background sheet on the Cricut mat and then cut the same word out in bold letters. It is ready to go on a scrapbook page, card or other craft.

Numerous variations come to mind. You could list adjectives on the background paper, then cut out a person’s name, for instance. The only design consideration is that the background text be small enough so that it can be read on the the size letters you cut.

For detailed instructions on making the background paper, look at the instructions for making custom wrapping paper in The Color Printer Idea Book. Click “search inside this book,” type in gift wrap, press go and then click on the link to page 45 in the results window.

Cool Word Art site

I love fonts and typography. With the ability to do vinyl wall sayings and tiles, I began to renew my interest in word art. Turns out the digital scrapbookers are pretty into word art, too, so there are some great resources out there.

Now, many of these designs are not suitable for cutting, but they do give you some great ideas about phrases to use, positioning the words in a phrase, etc. One word art site I really like is Elegant Word Art by Bethany. She is very generous with her talent… just look at the long list of freebies in the right hand column. What I really like is that she usually lists the names of the fonts she uses in each design, which makes it easy to recreate the look in Inkscape or SCAL.

Valentine Freebies

I figure the best way to kick off a new blog is to hand out free stuff. You can think of it as a Grand Opening handout. These are a few high resolution seamless pattern tiles you can use in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, PSP and others. You can even use them in Inkscape. If you use these, I’d love to see the results.