creating text in inkscape to convert to scal

[moosenoops]

Please Help Me!! OK, I am new to both of these programs and am having a lot of trouble with inkscape. What I'm trying to do is create wording that says "The Smith Family" I have the font that I want to use but the size needs to be 24 inches in length by 4.5 inches in height. I want to save this file so I can change the name for future projects. I'm trying to get the document in the correct size, then type the info, then break it up to convert to scal (because I have the personal cricut so I can only cut a max of 12" length - so it needs to be 2 or 3 files). I don't even know where to start.

What I tried was typing it in inkscape but then I cannot select each word separately. Please HELP - believe it or not I program computers for a living but can't figure this out

If you could give me any help or point me to a good text tutorial it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[HeatherM]

You don't need 3 files. Type your text, Object to path, resize. Use Dan99's tut to divide it into three. http://dan99.blogspot.com/2008/12/video ... f-svg.html Though for some reason when I tried it, it didn't divide cleanly. Move your words apart. Save as an svg. Import into SCAL, using the properties box, resize by height with proportions locked. After that you use your keyboard arrows to move the file where you need it to cut it. You could also copy and paste the words into separate file, but if you use a font with up or down swoops sizing it is a little more complicated since the words might be different heights. I've attached a file showing this, and also with the words spaced out.

The attachment name.jpg is no longer available

[HeatherM]

You might want to watch this tut, it tells how to change your default page size and units of measurement. http://dan99.blogspot.com/2009/01/video ... capes.html

[moosenoops]

Thanks for your help, but I still have more questions. Once I send it to scal and move the section I want to cut onto the cutting mat, how does scal know just to cut that section. For example, if I move "Smith" to the cutting mat area - scal still tries to cut "Family" even thought there is no paper to cut. Sorry to be a pain but this is all new to me.

Thanks again for all your help.

[HeatherM]

SCAL won't cut anything outside of the dotted line on your virtual mat. So you have to put enough space between the words and then move them on the mat so that only what you want to cut at one time is on the mat. See how "the" is red and the S from smith is gray?

name.jpg (83.48 KiB) Viewed 3207 times

[moosenoops]

You have all been such a great help, and I've gotten what I want from inkscape and imported it into scal. The big problem I have now is that scal doesn't see it (I think). When I try to cut it says cutting is complete when it didn't cut anything. I noticed that when I preview it, the text it is supposed to cut is not highlighted red - it's all grey.

I'm getting there, it's a slow process but I'm getting closer. Thanks for all your help so far!