[gailevans]

I am trying to set up a design to cut in Illustrator CS2. The problem is with some script lettering. When I set the fill to none, and the outline to .25, there are overlapping lines. Is there an easy way to get rid of the overlap so these won't cut?

 

[gailevans]

They are overlapping each other. If you can imagine an "a" and an "n", the right side of the "a" overlaps the left stroke of the "n". It happens on several letter combinations in the text. I tried to delete and move points, but it really didn't look very good. If my description isn't clear, I will post the ai file when I get back to my shop.

 

[gailevans]

If you don't want to mess with the spacing between the letters, then you can: convert to outlines, ungroup the text, go to Effects>Pathfinder>Add, then Object>Expand Appearance. This makes it all one object with no overlapping lines.

Unfortunately, that didn't do anything to it. Thanks anyway!

 

[gailevans]

I did ungroup it as far as it would ungroup, and when I did the Effects>Pathfinder>Add, I got this message: "Pathfinder effects should usually be applied to groups, layers or type objects. This may not have any effect on the current selection."

So I went back in and grouped it, and IT WORKED!! The overlaps are gone.

Thanks for the help though! I NEVER would have even known where to begin.

What book(s) do I need to learn this stuff? I think sometimes if I knew the terminology to use in the search function of the help menu, I might be able to find instructions for what I need to do.