Stacking in Illy. I'm going mad!

[bsworks75 2]

Hi Illustrator users. I'm trying to do a 2 color phone number. The client wants a full color phone number then a stroke behind it in a different color. In Illustrator I made my top color number then copy and pasted and put a stroke on that bottom layer then I removed the top layer, merged in the pathfinder, saved and cut. I'm now at a loss of ho to get the top color printed.

I need the top number to be perfectly contoured by the bottom layer but I might of goofed merging that black layer in the pathfinder because it did not cut out the outline part it cut out the sold part... this is hard to explain... it was the same as the top image but with a stroke on it, when I merged it's like to took the stroke away so now, after I've cut the bottom layer I need to find someway of making hte top layer perfectly fit on top. Can't seem to mess with the letters as a whole for some are way of where others are right on. Ugh... how SHOULD I of gone about doing this? any help is GREATLY appreciated. thanks!

[roxanneupnorth 106]

- Type out text and resize to required size....

- Convert to outlines.....

- Copy and paste behind and lock........

- Select front copy and add offset path.....

- Ungroup and manually delete inside path....When you view in outline mode you will see 2 paths.....

- Now unlock 1st copy and you should have 2 paths.....

- Cut small path as inside colour....

- Cut large path as outside colour....

- I go right from Illustrator to Great Cut....Your work flow might be a little different....

Also, you may have to do some work in pathfinder depending on your font choice....Sorry if this tutorial is a little confusing....Far easier to do than explain....Good luck....

[BannerJohn 1,324]

what cutting software are you using?

[bsworks75 2]

I export as .eps to my husbands PC and that runs Sign Blazer...

[BannerJohn 1,324]

I export as .eps to my husbands PC and that runs Sign Blazer...

Outline is a simple,easy process in Signblazer. For simple text like that,no need for Illy. That's doing in the hard way.

[jeremySI 18]

why not just do it like this, very easy dunno why everyone is doing some lengthy process

1. type out phone number

2. convert text to outlines

3. apply offset path

4. ungroup the phone number

5. select the inner part and change color

and you are done