How to condense spacing between letters so they overlap

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Claymore

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Hi,
I am just having a look at a scroll saw book called "Big book of Scroll Saw woodworking" and there's an article on doing lettering on a stool......... It says "use CopperBlk font in outline mode at 220 points and also condense the spacing between the letters so they overlap slightly".
Well for starters I couldn't any font called CopperBlk but I did find one identical called CopperBlk outline on Microsoft Word (It might have been a printing mistake in the book?)
Anyway I have typed in my text in the font but cannot find out where you condense it on Word? does anyone know how to do this or do you scrollers use different software? I also have CorelDraw and Adobe etc.
I'm not making a stool but the lettering looks ideal for another project i have planned.
Cheers
Brian :)
 
i have a cooper black on Word.

Mine is for mac, so I am half guessing, but I press "apple 1", so control 1 probably does it, then advanced, and the spacing options. I thought that there was a quicker way too, but I don't recall. Not something that I use often.

hope that helps a little.
 
marcros":28623law said:
i have a cooper black on Word.

Mine is for mac, so I am half guessing, but I press "apple 1", so control 1 probably does it, then advanced, and the spacing options. I thought that there was a quicker way too, but I don't recall. Not something that I use often.

hope that helps a little.


Cheers! :)
Right I have found where you do it with Microsoft Word :)
Open a new blank page ....... select your text font and type your text...... then go to the drop down at the base of the "Font" box and set the "Spacing" to condensed...... I did it by 12pt and it overlaps nicely and should be ideal for scrolling.
Thanks again for your help and easy once you know how and hope it will help others on here to make their own scroll lettering patterns.
Cheers
Brian
 
To do the same thing with CoralDraw do this.
1: select new blank page and text/font/size of text and type your lettering and keep the text highlighted.
2: At the top of the screen click on "Text" then "Format Text" then in "Character" go to "range kerning" and select -50% of space and click ok that will make your lettering overlap.
Cheers
Brian
 
Hi Brian. I use word for most of my name signs. I also use a Mac but I will assume it will be the same on a PC. I use word art. You can type a word and there are several options for spacing etc but my favourite way of making a name sign is to bring the letters individually on a blank page through word art. You can then make each letter exactly the size you want and overlap them as much as you want. Hold down the alt key and then use the arrows to get it exactly where you want it. You can then further tweak the letters and holding down the command key use the mouse to move parts of the letter or enlarge them. On some of the things I make the word has to be an exact size, like going across an open heart.
 
Many thanks for that tip guys. I have been using Word for many years and didn't know that facility existed - doah!!

When using Word (or any other package if it comes to that), can I assume that you also save ink by changing the solid font to an outline font:-
> Click on Font Box
> Select 'Text Effects'
> Click on 'Text Fill' and choose 'No Fill'
> Click on 'Text Outline' and choose 'solid line' as choose Black.

You'll then only have the outline of the word and save a fortune on black ink ;-)

Barry
 
Hi Barry. When I use word for a name sign I always use word are and when I click on the word art icon I have a whole range of word art styles come up and I choose one that just shows the outline of the letters thus saving on ink and over the years I must have saved a small fortune on ink doing it this way.
 
Cheers Geoff, I will check out Word Art on my desk PC as I haven't installed it on the laptop yet.
Brian
ps Thanks Barry forgot to mention outline :cool:
 
I am now using affinity designer on my mac and find it the best software I have used for scrollsaw design.
Once I have typed in my text I just 'convert to curves' and then I can do whatever I want with it as each letter is a separate object and can be overlapped, recoloured etc simply.
Takes a fraction of the time I used to spend using 'office' products.
 

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