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I'm not entirely sure how to word this, but I'll do my best here.

I found a really good font for my logo and edited it in Adobe Fireworks to get it to look a certain way. I then used Inkscape to Trace the logo text as a path.

So now I have a text based logo made up of letters that are all sepperate, but I'd like to place the text on an semi-circle to give it an arched effect.

I've tried copying the logo, drawing an oval, and then used Pattern Along Path to try and acheive this, as suggested by Billy, but it's now showing upside down and in the wring position:

enter image description here

Any way that I can move the text around the shape once it's attached?

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Text on a path in Inkscape is only available for text items made using the Text tool, not drawn or traced outlines.

Since you have done that, then you'd need to move them and rotate each individually into position, perhaps even skewing them a little, which could be quite troublesome.

However, if you have the font available, why not type it in Inkscape using the Text tool. Then you can put the text on a path. Simply select both the Text and the path, and click Text > Put on Path.

example of text on a path

If you then want to modify the letter forms, you could convert them to outlines using Path > Object to path.

If you need more help, there are lots of tutorials available which show how to use the text on a path feature. Just search for "Inkscape text on a path"

If you have text outlines, one possibility is that you could ungroup them, and unify them as a single shape using Path > Union, copy it, and apply it as a pattern along a path. When drawing the path with the Bezier tool, select the option Shape: From Clipboard. Then you can call up the Path Effect editor, and change it to "Single"

Example of pattern along a path

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  • Thanks Billy. Truth is I'm happy with the way they have been edited and my logo makes good use of the text being flat/level, however for something I'm trying I wanted to arc the text up, and also down in another design, so I might have to rotate and skew, which I was hoping to avoid. But, I guess that if I use the same font and place that on a path, I should be able to place the non-font letters over the top to get them looking something like what they're supposed to.
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 9:13
  • Sorry, I added some more info regarding another method, which came to me later. check it out.
    – Billy Kerr
    Apr 8, 2017 at 9:16
  • That actually does work quite well, however my skills at the Bezier are pretty rubbish. Also, it kind of stretches the text as opposed to tilting and positioning it, so as the edges of my text are jagged, it makes it look a little strange. Is there any way to apply this to a circle or semi-circle so I can test that out?
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 9:47
  • Yes. Draw a circle,, then add a "Pattern along path" effect in the Path Effect editor, choose the copy board as the source, set pattern to "single". With the circle tool selected, move the start and endpoints of the arc segments as required.
    – Billy Kerr
    Apr 8, 2017 at 10:10
  • That's actually much better. But, how can I reposition the text to a different position? What I did was draw an oval shape and run the paste along the path, and it's showing it upside down, at the very right hand side of the shape. I obviously need it the right way up and repositioned to a more central location, if possible.
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 14:36
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Try the Bend Live Path Effect.

Group your text letters together so that they're one object. Make sure your text is selected (just click it once) then go to Path menu / Path Effects (it's down at the bottom).

You should get an options window opening for the path effects like below. (On my PC it opens at the right hand side among the other option windows like Fill Colours or Align etc.)

Inkscape path effects window

Click the + sign near the bottom of the Path Effects options window. Select Bend from the menu that appears.

Click the 'Edit on Canvas' button (looks like the Node tool) from the options window and you'll see a green line in your text. Move that green line to create the effect you want.

Click Edit on Canvas button to interact with the Bend path

Dragging the green line with the Edit on Canvas button creates the Bend effect

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  • Brilliant!!! Any way of selecting the exact mid point though? Just so the arch is perfectly even/symetrical?
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 16:10
  • Once you're at the Edit on Canvas stage, select the two nodes at each end of the green line (either click each individually, or just drag the mouse over everything & they'll both be highlighted). Then, look for the 'Insert new node' button on the main taskbar. If you add a new node, it'll automatically place it in the middle between the existing two. You can change the node type to smooth nodes etc. too.
    – z3z
    Apr 8, 2017 at 16:59
  • Thanks z3z. To be honest doing that makes the curve a bit too pointed ( The arc is less curved ), so I'll probably stick to judging the centre point, but it's useful to know that there are different effects that can be acheived through bending, and with placing added nodes. I'll be able to use this effect for placing my logo font into a banner/scroll too, so thanks again.
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 17:59
  • If you change the middle node to a smooth node and adjust the node handles, that should make it less pointy. I made a sample image to show it perfectly curved. (I drew the green circle just as a reference to align the text against). With the Bend effect and a smooth middle node, you can get something like this: imgur.com/a/6CU0V Just drag out the middle node handles to align it perfectly.
    – z3z
    Apr 8, 2017 at 19:10
  • Thanks, I had selected the Smooth nodes button but didn't notice the 2 handles either side. Works perfectly for what I want to do with the logo. Thanks for the help and clear advice.
    – Wayne Six
    Apr 8, 2017 at 20:09

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