When preparing designs for professional printing or sharing with collaborators who may not have the same font library, converting text objects into curves is a crucial step. This process transforms editable text into vector shapes, guaranteeing that the appearance of your lettering remains consistent across different systems and software. CorelDRAW offers robust tools to facilitate this conversion, and specialized plugins can further streamline the workflow, especially for complex documents. This article delves into the intricacies of converting text to curves in CorelDRAW, exploring its importance, methods, and advanced functionalities.
The Imperative of Converting Text to Curves
The fundamental reason for converting text to curves lies in font compatibility. When you use a specific font in your design, its appearance is dependent on that font being installed on the viewing or printing device. If the recipient of your file does not have the same font installed, the software will substitute it with a default font, potentially altering the design's layout, spacing, and overall aesthetic. This is particularly problematic in professional printing, where precise reproduction is paramount.
Conversion to curves effectively "bakes" the font's appearance into the artwork. The text is no longer recognized as editable characters but as a series of vector paths and nodes. This means that regardless of the recipient's installed fonts, the text will render exactly as intended. This is almost always done at the prepress stage of the printing process, serving as a final safeguard against font-related issues.
CorelDRAW's Built-in Text-to-Curve Functionality
CorelDRAW provides a straightforward method for converting text to curves. For individual text objects, whether they are artistic text (typically used for headlines and short phrases) or paragraph text (used for larger blocks of text), the process is initiated by selecting the text object and then applying a simple keyboard shortcut.
The primary method involves selecting the desired text object(s) and pressing Ctrl+Q on your keyboard. This command instantly converts the selected text into editable curves. This shortcut is efficient and can be applied to multiple text objects simultaneously. If you have several text elements within your design that require conversion, you can select them all at once and then press Ctrl+Q to convert them in a single operation.
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It's important to understand that once text is converted to curves, it is no longer editable as text. You cannot change the wording, reapply formatting, or adjust character spacing using text editing tools. The text effectively becomes a graphic element, composed of vector shapes. This irreversibility is a key aspect of the conversion process and underscores the importance of performing this step only when the text is finalized.
Advanced Workflow: Streamlining Conversion with Plugins
While CorelDRAW's native Ctrl+Q command is highly effective for individual or small groups of text objects, managing this process in large, complex documents can become time-consuming. This is where specialized plugins come into play, offering automated and more comprehensive solutions.
One such plugin allows users to quickly and effectively create outlines for all text objects in an entire document in one click. This capability extends to handling multi-level groups and nested clip objects, ensuring that no text element is overlooked. The plugin supports two distinct work scenarios to cater to different user needs and workflows.
Scenario 1: Direct Conversion in the Active Document
The first scenario, often referred to as the "basic" mode, involves converting text objects directly within the currently active CorelDRAW document. This process is designed for efficiency and thoroughness. The plugin performs a detailed search for text within a specified area - this can be limited to the current page, encompass all pages of the document, or focus only on selected objects.
Before initiating the conversion, the plugin includes a critical check for overflow text frames within the document. Overflow text frames occur when text exceeds the boundaries of its designated frame, leading to missing or improperly displayed content. If any overflow text frames are detected, the plugin displays a warning in its interface. This proactive measure helps prevent the creation of an incorrect or corrupted file of curves, ensuring that the final output accurately represents the intended design.
Scenario 2: Preserving the Original and Creating an Outlined Copy
Often, designers wish to retain the original document with its editable text for future modifications, while simultaneously creating a separate version where all text is converted to curves. This is precisely the purpose of the plugin's second work scenario. By enabling the "save a separate file" option, users can generate a duplicate of the document with all text converted to outlines, leaving the original file untouched.
When this option is activated, the plugin allows for the specification of the CorelDRAW version to which the duplicate file will be exported. This is useful for ensuring compatibility with older versions of the software if required by a third-party or a specific printing workflow. By default, the duplicate file is saved in the same folder as the working document. However, if the original document has not yet been saved, the user will need to manually specify the destination folder for the outlined copy.
Furthermore, the plugin offers the flexibility to add custom text to the saved file name. This can be invaluable for clearly identifying the outlined version of a document, especially when dealing with numerous project iterations or similar file names.
Enhancing Export and Folder Management
Beyond the core text-to-curve conversion, advanced plugins often incorporate features for optimizing image export parameters and managing saving locations. These settings are typically found in dedicated tabs within the plugin's preferences.
Preset Saving Options and Confirmation Methods
In the first tab of the plugin settings, users can configure file saving options with preset parameters. This allows for the creation of custom export profiles tailored to specific project requirements or client specifications. The method by which these presets are applied is determined by the confirmation method selected.
If an "alternative choice" is selected, the saving option will be added to a list, where only one option can be active at any given time. All folders associated with this option are consolidated into a single list, which includes the document's original folder. Only one of these options can be chosen to execute the operation.
Two other options provide further control by allowing the creation of entries for "fixed folders." These fixed folders operate in conjunction with the main selected option, acting as a sort of "background" operations list. This list, if suitable settings are configured, can be displayed on the right-hand side of the plugin's main window, providing quick access to pre-defined saving locations and parameters.
Maintaining Subfolder Structure During Export
Many designers maintain a meticulously organized system for saving their created documents, often involving complex internal structures of subfolders for individual clients, specific orders, or project types. When exporting from these "root" design folders to another location, it's often desirable to preserve this internal hierarchy.
By default, for all newly created fixed folder entries, the option to maintain the internal subfolder structure is active. This ensures that when you export an outlined document, the corresponding subfolder structure from the original location is replicated in the destination folder.
If this option is disabled, the export will be performed directly to the specified folder without creating subpaths. In such cases, files with the same name in the destination folder will be overwritten, which can be useful for batch processing or when a flattened directory structure is preferred.
The list of folders that the plugin recognizes as "root folders" can be precisely defined in the second tab of the settings. This allows users to designate specific directories as the starting points for maintaining or flattening subfolder structures during export.
Within the saving options, users can also set specific file parameters that will be used for saving the converted document. This might include settings related to file format, resolution, color profiles, and other export-specific attributes, ensuring that the generated curves file meets all necessary technical requirements.
Understanding the "Why" and "How" for Third-Party Sharing
When you create a design using text, the text is considered "live." This means its appearance can change depending on the computer it is being viewed on. This is because you have certain fonts installed on your computer, while others may not have those particular fonts. To prevent this from happening, when you are finished with your artwork, convert your text to curves. The text then becomes vector art. It is no longer text, so you will not be able to edit it like you would text.
If you need to send your artwork to a third party who does not have the same fonts installed, converting text to curves is essential. The question then becomes: what kind of art file are you sending them, and what applications will they be using to open it?
If the intended output is a PDF, you have the option to embed font data into the PDF. This can allow the recipient to view the text correctly even without the original fonts installed. However, for maximum assurance, especially if the recipient plans to further edit or manipulate the artwork, converting to curves is the safest bet.
If the person is placing the file into Adobe Illustrator, for instance, the fonts can remain intact if embedded. Adobe Illustrator has a clever function within its Flatten Transparency dialog box where any embedded fonts in a placed PDF can be converted to outlines. This offers another layer of control and ensures fidelity.
Ultimately, converting text to curves in CorelDRAW is a simple yet powerful technique. Your text will no longer be editable as text, but since it is no longer text, you don't have to worry about the appearance changing from computer to computer. This guarantees that your design's typography will be preserved, making it ideal for professional printing, collaboration, and archiving. The availability of advanced plugins further enhances this process, providing automation, greater control, and workflow efficiencies for even the most demanding projects.