Types of Strokes

Canvas X Draw has five basic types of pen strokes, as well as arrows and dashes, which you can use to create unlimited variations.

Pen Strokes

The following types of strokes appear on Pen tab of the Presets palette.

	Standard: Strokes made of a single line. You can specify the width, type of line joins, and shape of end caps.
	Calligraphic: Strokes that have a weight, width, and angle.
	Neon: Strokes shaded like glowing tubes. You can specify width, colors, tube shape, line joins, and end caps.
	Parallel: Strokes made of two or more lines. You can specify width, dashes, colors, and spacing.
	Symbol: Strokes made of symbols.

Arrows and Dashes

Arrows and dashes can be applied to strokes for additional effects. Click on the Dash tab or Arrow tab in the Presets palette to apply these to a stroke.

How Inks Affect Strokes

You define the colors that apply to strokes separately from the pen stroke settings. The pen ink (specified in the Presets palette) and the pen stroke settings together produce the appearance of an object’s outline. The pen ink is the color (or pattern) that “paints” the object’s stroke. Therefore, the object must have a visible pen ink for the stroke to be visible. Conversely, the object must have a stroke for the pen ink to be visible.

Some inks can make strokes invisible. If the pen ink is set to “no ink,” the stroke won’t be visible. Also, if the pen ink is set to white or a color that matches the background, the stroke could disappear against the background.

Current Stroke

The Strokes icon in the Toolbox shows a sample of the current stroke, the stroke that Canvas X Draw applies to new vector objects you create. For example, if the current pen stroke is 3 points wide, new objects you draw will have a 3-pt pen stroke. Canvas X Draw does not apply the current stroke to text. (See Applying Strokes to Text.)

To Change the Current Stroke:

1. Make sure no objects are selected in the document.
2. Click the Stroke icon in the Toolbox.
3. Select a stroke.

To Change the Stroke for a Selected Object:

1. Select an object.
2. Click the Stroke icon in the Toolbox.
3. Select a stroke.

When you first install Canvas X Draw, the current stroke defaults to a 1-pt pen stroke without dashes or arrowheads.

Applying Strokes to Text

You can apply strokes to text the same as to vector objects, in most cases. For information about selecting text objects and text characters, see Formatting Text and Formatting Text with the Properties Bar.

When you first type or import text into a document, Canvas X Draw applies a black 1-point pen stroke to the text, but does not assign a fill ink. You can apply pen, parallel, and neon strokes to text. You can also apply dashes to text that has a pen or neon stroke. If you select a text object, Canvas X Draw applies a stroke to all the text it contains. If you select specific characters within a text object, Canvas X Draw applies the stroke to those characters only.

The appearance of a parallel stroke applied to text might not appear as you expect, especially on characters with hollow centers (such as “O” and “P”) and characters with tight corners or paths that meet or cross (including “G” and “X”).

Removing a neon or parallel stroke from text (by choosing “no stroke”) does not remove the stroke entirely. Instead, the stroke reverts to a black 1-pt pen stroke.

See Also:

• Applying Text Formats