Hi

I am trying to create designs in Inkscape which need to have paths/cutlines around them so they can be profile cut. I have done a lot of reading up but nothing seems to work or the links have expired.

I have tried clicking lots of differnt options but nothing seems to work!

Could somebody please explain in techno-numpty terms how to do this or point me in the right direction.

thanks in advance.

I am really new to this and have no business offering guidance, but I have found alot of useful info and tips through the You Tube videos... it's a place to start...

Well, there's no need to fear.

Let's take a look at some useful links. HeathenX has a number of tutorials.

http://screencasters.heathenx.org/

Each tutorial is designed to produce an end result. At first it might seem like making a licence plate or any other of the end goals is not what you're looking for. But don't be fooled. These tutorials deal with many tools within each video.

Now, if you're in a rush for one specific thing and don't have time for a general course, then would you kindly include some kind of a print screen as to what you're after. I have an idea what you mean, but from the scanty information you gave I can only guess.

So, I'm going to take it that "trying to create designs in Inkscape which need to have paths/cutlines around them so they can be profile cut" means you want a line that's broken up into something dotted, a dotted line along which someone can cut a piece of printed paper with a pair of scissors, is this correct?

If this is correct, then draw a line using either the besier tool or the free hand tool.
Then open the Fill & Stroke dialogue box (Ctrl+Shift+F).
Select the third tab to the right entitled Stroke style.
Here the line's width is adjustable along with changing it into dashes (what we expect when it comes to cutting up printer paper with scissors) as well as other features I'll let you explore.

But do take a look at HeathenX's videos. Highly recommended.

Perhaps, this is might be what you are looking for?



Those are two shapes where red shape w/ blue outline was at first duplicated and turned in to thin black outline without fill. After that, Dynamic Offset was applied on it. You can see few other alternatives, hope that would bring you back on track ,))

Am sorry I didn't make myself clearer ...

I have produced a web address to go in my back car window which I want to be cutout ie. just the letters and not a rectangle with the letters on.



I did not save it but exported it as a Bitmap and sent it to the person who does the graphics. He replied that if the sticker is being profile cut the artwork will need to include a path (Ie a cut line). I tried tracing round a letter using the Bezier Tool but when I exported it it just turned into a red line and was no use.

I am going to be using this program to design graphics to go on the front of t shirts whick will need to be cut out as well so it is important that I learn how to do this. I will also go and look through the tutorials as well.

Thanks in advance.

By the way, welcome to the Inkscape forum, Lemonie! Usually brynn's the one who does the welcome parties. But I figured I should say "hi" as well.

Yes, welcome, Lemonie!


It sounds like you're going to use a vinyl cutter or laser cutter or something? I recently came across what looks like a really nice forum for using Inkscape with cutters: http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/index.php Not that I'm trying to get rid of you, at all. But this is what they deal with only, while our forum deals with everything about Inkscape. So for example, I can see and understand what you want to do, and can give you instructions. (Many of us could.) But it will take me a little while to write out the steps. They probably already have them written out. In fact, I see that they already have a whole page full of beginner tutorials, only for cutting projects!

That said, it's too bad you didn't save your first try (that you exported to PNG). If you can draw it again, and save as Inkscape SVG, that's pretty close to what the....whoever it was you sent it to, wanted. He needs a path, and he probably needs a particular file format. So your next step should be to contact him and ask him what file formats he accepts.

Next I need to ask a couple of questions. Looking at your example, I see that the text is not purely text. There is a shadow on the text, and there is a black border. Is that shadow and border included with a particular font that you use? Or will we have to add it later? Or is the shadow not needed for your project? And the green circles for the "dot", is that part of the font too (if you type a "." does it create the green (or white) dot)?

Leaving aside the shadow for a moment, here's the general idea:
1 - Type the text using the Text tool
2 - Adjust the text size (and color if necessary) (on tool control bar)
3 - Select the text and do Path menu > Object to path (this makes it a path)

Depending on your answers to my questions, there might be some more steps. And we're here to help you with that if you like. We live (here on our forum) to help others! (really, we do!) But I only ask if you decide to ask for help in the other forum I mentioned, that you let us know. The reason for this, is so that people don't keep posting replies for you here, and also so that our replies don't conflict with theirs, and confuse you even more. So in other words, stick with the same forum for a particular issue. We won't be offended if you find the perfect tutorial at Inkscape Cutting Design, and decide to stick with them. And if you do find one there, it would be with our blessings! But at least for this project, we're already well on the way

PS -- Oops, I just noticed that the green circles are actually tiny little tennis balls! You must already have those drawn?

more info sorry ...

1) I added the text (Blippo)
2) Filters > ABC's > Diffuse Light = text shading
3) Filters > ABC's > Black outline = added to help the text stand out.

If I add a path to the text it applies it around the white area only which is inside the black outline. I can't seem to make/pad the 'path' to include the outline?

Thanks very much for the link to the other site.

Oh, filters....
I'm still not sure if I understand. The guy that's going to cut it out said he needs a path. Does he need the path to follow the lettering?

I assume that the letters aren't going to be cut out individually. So that means there will be some...I'm gonna call it plasic (vinyl?), because I don't know what it really is. So there will be some clear plasic in between the letters. Does he need the profile cutting line to closely follow the letters, but still have some clear vinyl in between? Or could he say cut out the whole thing as a rectangle?

Again assuming that he could cut out the rectangle without you drawing it for him, he must be asking for a cutting line that closely follows the letters, but without actually separating the letters? If that's correct, then here's the story.

Since it sounds like you've deleted (you said you didn't save it) the original, so you'll have to draw a new path. I'll do it in steps:

1 - Open Inkscape and import the PNG that you sent the cutter guy.
2 - Recreate the original text. Just the text, not the filters.
3 - Make it red, just for good contrast. Make it the same size, and move it directly over the imported PNG. You could make it partially transparent to help get it sized and lined up well, if necessary. (Normally, when you're first making the image, you would duplicate your original text, and not have to have the headache trying to get it lined up and sized properly. Because duplicating will automatically have it identical in size and space.)
4 - Do Path menu > Object to path.
5 - Object menu > Ungroup (or control bar button).
6 - If you did make it partially transparent, make it fully opaque again.
8 - Move it below the PNG. It will disappear, of course, so now you can make the PNG partially transparent.
9 - Using Alt + click, click you can select the new red text/path from below the PNG.
10 - Path menu > Outset. This will "grow" the new red text/path to where it closely follows the original text. And this will be the profile cutting line that you need. You may need to perform the Outset 2 or more times until the red letters start to touch each other.
11 - Once all the letters are touching each other, do Path menu > Union. This will change it from a bunch of balloon-like letters to a single path that closely follows the letters, but leaving them still connected.
12 - Make sure that the red letters are larger than the original at every place. If there are any places where the red letters aren't large enough, you can use the Node tool to drag a few nodes here and there.

I'm still not sure if the tennis ball dots are part of the font, or if you've drawn them in yourself. If they are part of the text, then you're done. Make the PNG opaque again, and save the file as SVG. Did you find out what file format the cutter guy needs? If he accepts SVG, you're golden! If not, we may still need to deal with a file conversion of some sort.

If the tennis ball dots are separately drawn, I'm thinking that you may need to do the process I described for each section of text (4 times). Then select all 4 and do Path menu > Union again. Judging by the screenshot you gave us, you probably won't need to do anything more. But if after this last Union, the red path does not enclose the tennis ball dots, you''ll have to do a very little node editing. Then again, make the PNG opaque again, and save as SVG.

Be sure to save regularly as you work, not just at the end

So that's how I would approach this. Other's might have (and I wouldn't be surprised) more clever ways to do this. But let us know if this works