The Font Thing and Windows 7 64 bit

I just switched from XP to Windows 7 64 bit, and discovered that my usual method of opening uninstalled fonts to use in Inkscape doesn’t work with Win7.  When I tried to install The Font Thing I got an error message and it wouldn’t install.  What is a font addict to do?  I found this solution and it works!  Go to The Font Thing website  here and then click on the Download tab.  Download the second link on the download page.  You want the one without the installer since you aren’t going to install the program.  Once you have the files downloaded, unzip them, then for ease of use I pinned the TFT.exe to the taskbar.  Just click on the pinned file to run the program.

When you click on the Browse tab, you might just get a question mark.  If you click on the refresh button it will change to your C drive and you can navigate to where  you have your uninstalled fonts stored.  Then you can preview or temporarily load your uninstalled fonts.    If you want to use TFT to install fonts, you will have to set it to run as an administrator before you open the program.

Inkscape Path operations explained – Part 2

This is the second half of the Inkscape Path operations.   I will discuss #1-6 in the image below.  See this post for the other Path operations.  Objects don’t need to be converted to Path before Inset, Outset, or Offset operations, but will automatically be converted during Inset and Outset (but not Offset).

1. Inset.  This will inset or make thinner the selected objects.  This will be done at a fixed amount.  Repeat as needed for the desired look.
   
2. Outset.  This will outset or make larger the selected objects.  This one will also be done at a fixed amount, but can be repeated for the desired look.
   
3. Dynamic Offset.  This is similar to inset and outset, except the amount is controlled by how much the handle is moved.  Also, the handle  can be moved in or out for an inset or outset.  This tends to round corners more than Outset.  You must convert this to Path for cutting.  See this tutorial at Cutting Time for more information on Dynamic Offset.
   
4. Linked Offset.  This is like Dynamic Offset, except it creates a duplicate of the original Object.  The original object is not changed and a new object is created.  Very useful for creating mats behind words or multi-piece artwork since you can edit the original artwork and the Linked Offset will change with it.  Changing the original object with an active Linked Offset can be a little more demanding on your computer’s resources if you are using an older computer.  The Linked Offset needs to be converted to Path for cutting.   If the original was unconverted text, that will also need to be converted to Path for cutting.  I changed the color of the linked offset in the image below for visibility.
   
5. Simplify.  This will reduce the amount of nodes in a vector.  It tends to distort corners, so use with caution.  If you are creating artwork from separate pieces that form corners, helps to combine the pieces, simplify, then Path/Union.  Each time simplification (Control L) is repeated within 0.5 seconds, the simplification gets more aggressive.  Also, the more nodes present, the more aggressive the simplification will be.  The severity of simplification can be adjusted using the Inkscape Preferences (from the File menu).
   
6. Reverse.  This reverses the direction of the Path.  Useful for Text on Path or Pattern on Path to change the direction of the text or pattern.

Inkscape Path operations explained – Part 1

One question that gets asked a lot about Inkscape  is “What is the difference between Path/Union and Path/Combined?”  So I will try to explain the different Path operations.  This is Part 1 of 2 and I will cover #1-11 in the image below.

It is very important that all objects for the Path operations not have Group applied.  Path operations will not work if any of the objects are Grouped.  If this is the case you will see a message in the Ink message bar that says “one of the objects is not a Path.”

1. Object to Path.  This is used to convert text and shapes to vectors.
2. Stroke to Path.  Converts the outline of a vector, shape, or text to a vector.  Useful for changing a line into a closed shape for cutting in SCAL.
3. Trace Bitmap.  Use this to create a vector from an image (bmp, jpg, png, gif, others).  I have a post here with more information on tracing in Inkscape.
4. Union.  Use this when you want to weld two or more vectors, shapes, or text items together (I will call these Objects for the rest of this tutorial).  This will remove any nodes or cut-lines that are inside the filled area.  It is also dependent on the fill rule.  If the fill rule is set to evenodd, the non-filled areas will not be made solid after Union.  If you want a solid shape, change the fill setting to Nonzero before using Union.
   
   Union can only be undone by using Edit/Undo or the Undo History.  Once a file is closed the weld cannot be removed.
   
5. Difference.  This is a good way to remove part of an object.  You need exactly two paths for this and object order is important.  Think of the top object as a mask or cookie cutter.   The area where the upper and lower objects overlap is removed from the bottom object, and the top object disappears.
   
6. Intersection.  Results in only the area where the objects overlap.  You can use this on two or more objects.
   
7. Exclusion.  Opposite of Intersection.  Any areas where the objects overlap are removed.  You can only use this on exactly two Paths.
   
8. Division.  This is another one where you need exactly two paths and object order is important.  Think of the top object as a mask or cookie cutter.   The object on the bottom is cut into two paths by the top object, and the top object disappears.  Both of the new paths are closed shapes.
   
9. Cut Path.  This one is just like Division, except that it results in two open paths.  I can’t think of when I have actually used this one.
10. Combine.  This puts separate vectors together without removing any nodes or cut-lines.  It is useful for putting inner pieces together before using Exclusion with an outer piece.  Combine can be undone at any point since no information is lost.
    
11. Break Apart.  This will make each line or shape into a separate path.

Quick note on Inkscape 0.47

I realized today when I was working with Ink47 that what works with the bezier tool doesn’t necessarily work with vectors created other ways (shapes, text).  Also, what is sufficient one time may not be enough another time.   I thought that any of the Path operations in the section with Path/Union would work to create a vector for use in SCAL, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case.  So if you have a file that you are working on in Ink47 and it doesn’t import correctly into SCAL, try using Path/Union.  That usually works and if it doesn’t, try copying your artwork and paste it into a new file.

Another thing to remember is that when you use Path/Object to path, Ink47 automatically puts the converted text into a group and it must be ungrouped in order to use any of the Path operations on it.