The RIGHT Way to Curve Text in Silhouette Studio

Have you ever tried to curve text around a shape in Silhouette Studio, only to have it snap back to straight when you delete the guide line?

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It's one of the most common mistakes people make with text to path aka curving text in Silhouette Studio.

In this tutorial I'll show you exactly how to curve your text the correct way so it stays curved.

What is Text to Path in Silhouette Studio?

Text to path in Silhouette Studio is the ability to curve text around any shape - the shape being the path. The text follows the curve of that shape perfectly...but it will only stay in that shape if you take one very important steps.

Step 1: Create your text

First, create your text using the text tool. Type whatever you want - it could be a name, year, location, etc.

Pick your font. I'm using a sports font for this example, but this technique works with ANY font.

Step 2: Attach text to your curved path

Now comes the text to path part. Make sure you have a shape or guide shape in the same work area.

Double-click on your text to select it.

You'll see a little icon appear. Use this icon to drag your text down onto the curved line or shape you want it to follow.

This can be a little tricky! Sometimes the text tries to attach to the wrong element.

Just keep trying until it snaps to the correct line or curve.

Here's where it can all get messed up. If you delete the guide shape now, the text will snap back to a straight line of text.

To avoid that, there's ONE critical step you need to do first.

Convert to Path to Freeze Text

Before you delete the guide line, you must convert the text to a path. remember a path is a shape so that means you're converting the text to a shape (and it will not longer hold it's text features).

Right-click on the curved text and select "Convert to Path."

This will freeze the text into the curved shape. Once you convert to path, the text will stay curved even after you delete the guide line.

Make Edits and Adjustments Before Converting

Because the text will convert to a path / shape, you want to make all of your edits before you convert to path. This includes the distance between characters, text size, and font style. All of these option can be done through the Text Style panel.

Once you've got everything exactly how you want it, then right-click and convert to path.

After you've converted to path, you can move the curved shape wherever you want it and/or delete the guide shape.

Your text will stay perfectly curved exactly where you positioned it!

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