Comments on: Creating Double Outlines Around Text

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:49:09 +0000

See also my new post on how to make triple strokes that DO maintain a vector edge!

By: Misha

Misha — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:29:32 +0000

David, this works on plain text, no need for outlines. Of course when the clients makes changes -as always- you have to edit both text-blocks or delete and recreate the effect.

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:38:17 +0000

Misha, you are right that this is simple to do if you convert the text to outlines. However, that breaks my Rule #1: Always keep your options open because someone will ask you to change it!

Anne-Marie, I can’t help myself. I see InDesign challenges wherever I go!

By: Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:17:42 +0000

I am very impressed that while zooming along in one of those high-tech subways on the other side of the world in a 1500 year-old country that you would be pondering how to create double text borders in InDesign without converting the characters to outlines first.

By: Eugene Tyson

Eugene Tyson — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:16:19 +0000

I like David’s way. I’ve been doing this for a while for quick effects in InDesign, also in CS2 the way Dave explains it.

What I like about this way is that the text remains searchable. Very important when exporting the files for different applications or uses, i.e., outputting for web or RTF.

I find it odd that you can’t use the strokes for text though. You could have a double, triple, quadruple outline, dotted, dashed, etc., stroke for text. Maybe in the next Edition of CS it will. Sigh.

By: Chris Grayson

Chris Grayson — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:52:36 +0000

Misha has the technique I’ve used in the past.

By: Misha

Misha — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:19:25 +0000

or you do… make text with outline / copy / paste in place / double the point size of the outline / send backward under original text. It’s vector and you don’t need AI.

By: Dave Saunders

Dave Saunders — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:52:31 +0000

In CS2, you can come close to this by using a drop-shadow set to an opacity of 100, offsets of 0, blur of 0p1 and a spread of 100%.

I’m not sure about the quality of the resolution flattener in CS2 though.

By: Jonas

Jonas — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:35:57 +0000

Awesome tip. I do a lot of designing in japanese, so this will come in handy.

By: Gerald Singelmann

Gerald Singelmann — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:33:32 +0000

A very nice technique, especially since you can save the settings in an object style.
The resolution it seems is tripled in CS3, i.e. you’ll get a 900ppi image when you use the [High Resolution] flattener and 450ppi for [Medium]

This is also true when you export to PDF 1.4 or higher.