How to Convert Text to Curves and Why It Really Pays Off

You prepare a design for print, everything looks perfect, and then it turns out that at the print shop the text "shifted around" - the font changed, letters jumped to different places, and your beautiful headline looks nothing like it did on screen. Sound familiar? The solution is simpler than you think and it is called "converting text to curves". In this guide we explain in plain language what it is, why it pays off and how to do it.

What "converting text to curves" actually means

When you type text in a graphics program, the computer does not remember the shape of each letter. It remembers something like "here is the word Invitation, set in font X". It reads the actual look of the letters on the fly from the font file installed on your computer.

And that is where the problem begins. If the computer at the print shop does not have the same font, it substitutes another one - the closest match it can find. The result varies, from a slight change in letter thickness to a completely different style and shifted lines.

Converting to curves solves this once and for all. The program takes each letter and turns it from "text" into an ordinary shape - the same as a drawn circle or star. The letters stop being text and become a drawing. From that moment they look identical everywhere, no matter which fonts are installed on the other computer.

In different programs the same operation is named slightly differently: "convert to curves", "convert to outlines" or "create outlines". All of these are exactly the same action.

Why it really pays off

The main reason is simple and very practical: you can be sure the design will print exactly as you see it on screen. But there are more benefits.

• The print shop sees your lettering. Even an exclusive, rare or personally purchased font will display correctly, because it has already been turned into shapes.
• You do not have to attach font files. Fewer files to send, less confusion, no questions about font licences.
• No risk of a font swap. No program will "fix" your letters into different ones, because there is nothing left to swap - it is a plain drawing.
• No more "broken" layout. Spacing, sizes and positions of the text stay exactly where you set them.

Converting to curves is like taking a photo of your text - from that moment nobody can change it, but neither can you edit it.

How to do it - step by step

Converting to curves works in vector graphics programs. Those are the ones designed with print in mind - Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW or the free Inkscape. The principle is similar everywhere.

• Save a copy of the project. This is the most important step - more on it in a moment.
• Select all the text that is going to print. The easiest way is to select the whole project.
• Choose the convert to curves option. Look in the menu for an entry with "curves", "outlines" or "outline" in its name. It is usually in the text or object menu.
• Check the result. The letters look the same, but once clicked they behave like shapes, not like text you can type into.

You do not need to know the exact version of the program or remember the keyboard shortcut. Just look for the word "curves" or "outline" in the menu - the makers of these programs have kept this option in similar places for years.

Watch out for the traps

Converting to curves is a powerful tool, but it has one important trait to keep in mind: in practice it cannot be undone. Once letters become shapes, you can no longer type them from the keyboard.

That means you will not fix a typo, change a name or add a date. You would have to delete the old text and create a new one from scratch. So stick to two rules.

• Check the text beforehand. Read everything calmly, ideally ask someone for a second pair of eyes. Typos are easiest to catch before conversion, not after.
• Keep an editable copy. Save a separate file with "normal" text, before the conversion. If something needs fixing, you go back to the copy, make the change and only then convert to curves again.

Do not want to convert to curves? There is an alternative

Converting to curves is not the only way. If you prefer the text to stay text - for instance you are planning small edits - you can instead export the project to a PDF file with embedded fonts.

"Embedded fonts" means that the PDF file carries copies of the fonts you used inside it. The print shop opens such a file and sees your letters correctly, because the font travels along with the design. Most programs do this automatically when saving to PDF, and it is often even the default setting.

Both methods lead to the same goal - your text looks in print exactly as you planned. Curves give full certainty and simplicity, a PDF with embedded fonts leaves more flexibility. Choose whatever suits your way of working better.

Summary

Converting text to curves is a simple habit that saves plenty of trouble in print. It turns letters into shapes, so the print shop sees exactly the same lettering as you, with no fonts to attach and no risk that something will "break". Just remember two things: check the text before conversion and always keep an editable copy.

If you want to get your file just right, take a look at our file preparation guide - you will find practical step-by-step tips there. And if anything is unclear, we have gathered answers to common questions in our FAQ. Send the finished file as a PDF - we accept PDF, TIFF and JPG. If you want our designer to look at it before printing, tick the file check option in the product calculator.