How do I make text thicker for cutting?

[Guest YHC]

OK, I'm having trouble with my font getting 2 passes when cutting. I believe its because I'm adding stroke to make it thicker in Illi. The font is thin in some places which makes it hard to weed.

So, is there a trick to make the stroke one path so that my machine doesn't think its two objects?

[midwaste 4]

First, turn your text into outlines (right click>create outlines).  Select the text, go to Object>Path>Outline stroke.  Ungroup all the elements, letters and stroked path.  Then, select it all and click Unite in the Pathfinder toolbar (first button on the top row of the toolbar).

[Guest YHC]

Thanks for the reply,

I'll give that a shot when I get home tonight. I had to go the long way around and make a gif. out of it and then retrace and clean the image to get this job done. Learn something new everyday lol.

[MecH 0]

Why are you converting it to a GIF? Thats just making your job more difficult, plus you will get a much lower quality vector.

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Just type out your text in illustrator..select your font...then click Type/Create Outlines

Then click Object/Path/Offset Path.....In the box that pops up check PREVIEW then adjust the number in the top box up or down to get the right offset...When you get it like you want, click OK.

Now the double cuts that you are having is because when you do a stroke or offset, it creates a new path outside of the original. If you click View/Outlines you can see every line that will be cut.

You fix this by selecting the text and the offset or stroke together and open your `pathfinder` box. In that box you need the `UNITE` button (in CS4 it is the first button in the box) click it..and then go back to View/Outlines and look at your lines now..it should be just the outside line.

Always check your outline view b4 you send it to your cutting software...every line that you see will be cut.