I've recently upgraded to Corel Draw Graphics Suite 2019 and I have a question re outlines on text. I want to put an outline around some text, but I want the outline behind the text fill. When I pull up the "properties" of the text, there are 2 boxes that can be checked . . . one of them says "overprint outline" and the other says "overprint fill," but when I check them, nothing happens.
I've used Corel Draw Version 8 for many years, and doing this was a very simple process. Can anyone tell me how to do this in Corel Draw 2019??
I think you are looking for "Behind fill", which is in the Outline Pen dialog.
If you happen to be in the Properties docker, there is a shortcut to that dialog there:
Many users would access the Outline Pen dialog through this on the Status Bar:
Hello Eskimo,
Thanks a million for pointing that out . . . I was ready to tear my hair out.
Fritz D
The outline pen effect, IMHO, is kind of a kludge when it comes to applying effects to lettering. Too many things can (and do) go wrong with it. One problem is the effect is a live effect. If you apply a live outline effect to an object that has any chance of being scaled to a different size then you have to be sure to check the "scale with object" option.The bigger problem I have with these "outline pen" effects is when they're converted into actual, editable vector objects you end up with a bunch of extraneous paths to delete and even clean up. I work in the sign industry so any effects I create with lettering I try to make "vinyl cutter ready." I don't need any paths in the artwork where they don't need to be, such as extra paths hidden within the insides of letters as well as outside the letters. A vinyl plotter blade or routing table bit will cut where ever a path is present.With that said, the more reliable effect is the Contour tool. The Contour tool will not make a double outline both inside and outside the letter contour like the Outline Pen will do. The Contour tool has pretty much all the same capabilities as the outline pen tool, plus additional features, like being able to apply multiple outline steps. The Contour tool is also greatly improved from earlier versions of CorelDRAW. I still remember those old versions where the contour tool would create an outline just loaded with tons and tons of anchor points. Now it's more on par with the Path Offset tool in Adobe Illustrator.
Fritz D said:one of them says "overprint outline" and the other says "overprint fill," but when I check them, nothing happens.
These two affect how colors are printed, either on top of each other (on) or “knocked out” (off).With digital printers there is normally no need for overprinting unless you are creating specific color effects.In offset printing and other techniques where colors are printed one at a time, overprinting is often used to reduce color misalignment.IMO, overprint can/should be left unchecked at all time unless you have a specific need for it.The result with Overprint on or off can be previewed in Draw (View > Simulate Overprints).
Hello Bobby,
Thanks for the reply. The reply given above (by Eskimo) has solved my problem, but I will also look into using the Contour tool.