Text Won't Weld Correctly in Silhouette Studio? Here's The Fix!

Every now and then I'll run into a script font or a shape that just doesn't want to weld correctly. There are a number of issues that can cause this to happen, but sometimes a quick fix is just what you need in order to continue on with your project!

Silhouette School weekly contributor Becky Dykes is here today to share not one, but two quick fixes.  Which method you go with will depend on your personal preference, for dealing with a tricky font or shape that just won't weld normally.

Here's an example that we are working with. The top is what I want my font to look like, while the bottom is what happens when I actually weld the letters together. Imagine how frustrating this can be if you need this specific font for a project.

The two options we are going to discuss are (1) creating an offset of your text or shape, and (2) filling the shape with color (usually black) and tracing the image in Silhouette Studio. Both have their advantages depending on your specific circumstances, so we want to go over the principles of both in case you need options in the future.

So first, let's look at filling the text or shape with color and tracing in Silhouette Studio. It's important to note that you want to fill with color and forget the welding altogether. To put it plainly, DO NOT WELD the shape or text that is giving you problems. If you trace a font or shape with these errors in place, you'll only duplicate a design with the same issues.

With your text typed correctly and your font chosen, go ahead and FILL with black and set the line color to transparent. This is to make sure you get a true trace of your font. Open the Tracing window and proceed to trace as normal. I clicked on Select Trace Area, unchecked High Pass Filter and reduced my Scale to 4.

If you are new to tracing, the overall goal is for the entirety of your design to be filled with yellow. Filling with black helps Silhouette Studio to pick up the contrast and get the best trace possible. After my design is filled with yellow, I click Trace.

After I trace my text, I can now move my original text out of the way to view my results. As you can see, tracing the filled image gives me an outline of what the text would look like, which happens to be the same as if I had welded the font to begin with!

If necessary you can group any areas that are ungrouped by selecting both > right click > group. 

So I'm sure you're asking yourself why you would go to so much trouble when you could just weld the font? Well, just remember that we are using this on fonts and shapes that (for whatever reason) aren't welding correctly or achieving the final result that we want. It may not be something you use today, but it's another great tool to tuck into your crafting arsenal for when you have that extra tricky project you need to get sorted out!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

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