You can apply inks to two areas of vector objects and text:
Pen ink | Ink used for the strokes of objects and text characters. | |
Fill ink | Ink used for the interior of objects and text characters. |
Objects can have different inks for a fill ink and a pen ink; e.g., a gradient fill and a pattern pen ink. In addition, you can apply inks to the backgrounds, outlines, and frame of text objects.
If an object has neither a pen ink nor a fill ink, the object is not visible.
Remember that you don’t apply inks to paint objects. Instead, use painting tools to paint in a paint object and give it color. (See Painting and Image Editing.)
In the pop-up ink palette, you can use the Lock icon to avoid undue searching. Select the Lock icon to remain on your last open ink type, regardless of your last selected ink. For example, if you have the Presets palette open to the Gradient inks, and you enable the Lock icon, you will see the Gradient inks the next time you open the Preset palette — even if your selected ink is still a texture.
Whether a vector object path is open or closed affects the appearance of its fill ink. In a closed path, the ink completely fills the object’s interior; in an open path, the ink fills inside the path as if the path were closed by a straight segment between its endpoints.
This object has a pen ink and a fill ink; both are basic color inks. | |
This object has a pen ink but no fill ink, so the rectangle in back is visible through it. | |
This path has a pen ink and no fill ink. | |
This path has a pen ink and a fill ink. |
To quickly change the ink fill of an unselected object, drag a color tile from the Presets palette to the object. To change the ink outline of an unselected object, press the Shift key and drag a color tile from the Presets palette to the object.
The default inks are the inks that Canvas X Draw applies to new vector objects you draw. The pen ink and fill ink icons in the Toolbox display the default inks. When you apply inks to existing objects, the current default inks do not change.