Find out what kind of lettering you have
SVG live text can depend on font setup. Fonts may be local, embedded or downloaded.
Sources for this point: W3C SVG text guide.
| Kind | What to check |
|---|---|
| Live text | You can edit the words through text controls. |
| Outlined letters | You select shapes rather than a normal text field. |
| Pixel picture of letters | You select a picture, not separate editable text. |
Check a trusted copy in your editor. Selecting something that looks like a letter does not tell you what it is. Read the object label. If the file holds a picture, see the SVG contents check before asking for outlines.
Understand why a supplier may want outlines
Outlines keep the letter shapes as artwork. They are useful when the recipient needs those shapes rather than a font based text object. LogoTidy path exports use this approach. That does not check spelling, color setup or rights to use a font.
Ask the supplier what it needs before converting. If the next task is to change the name, the editable text source may matter more than an outlined delivery copy.
Keep a source for wording changes
- Save the editable original with a clear source label.
- Keep its font information and any usage records you already have.
- Make a separate delivery copy for outlining.
- Confirm the exact name, tagline and spacing before conversion.
Do not depend on guessing the original font from a picture later. Keep the file that can answer that question now. An outlined delivery copy should not replace your only editable source.
Convert a copy with the documented command
The next steps apply to live text in the named editor. They do not trace letters from a screenshot. If the text already consists of shapes, ask what further change the supplier needs.
Illustrator on web Beta
Adobe documents this sequence: select the text, choose the Type icon, then Outline Text. The outlined result loses ordinary text controls.
Sources for this point: Adobe text outline guide.
Use that command only in a separate copy. If it is unavailable in your editor, follow that editor's own current instructions. Menu names can differ between versions.
- Compare the converted copy with the editable source.
- Check the wording, letter shape, spaces and small marks.
- Restore the source copy if a detail changed.
- Save the checked delivery with a distinct filename.
A separate lettering file may still be outlines
LogoTidy sample files include lettering applications.
Sources for this point: LogoTidy sample file kit.
A lettering only SVG may still contain paths. Its separate filename does not turn it into editable words. Some logos do not have separate components at all. Check the actual delivered files instead of assuming a lettering source is included.
Ask for the file that matches the next task
| Next task | Useful file or action |
|---|---|
| Same approved artwork at a new size | Use an accepted copy that keeps its proportions. |
| Change the actual wording | Ask for the editable source or a defined new lettering task. |
| Letters are only a pixel picture | Ask for the original or a confirmed tracing task. |
| Deliver fixed letter shapes | Confirm the outlined copy with the recipient. |
Keep both source and delivery names in the handoff note. Your conversion is complete when the outlined copy matches the confirmed words and shapes, and the editable original is still safe.
Sources
These sources support the points linked above. Each date shows when we checked that source.
- W3C SVG text guide
Live SVG text uses fonts and shaped letter forms Checked . - Adobe text outline guide
Illustrator on web Beta documents conversion of selected text to outlines Checked . - LogoTidy sample file kit
LogoTidy displays example logo files and layouts Checked .