How to outline text in Illustrator, both meanings
"Outline text" means two things. To draw a line around letters, add a stroke in the Appearance panel and drag it below the fill. To convert text to shapes for a printer, use Type › Create Outlines (⇧⌘O), which is permanent. JuicyType's Strokes effect handles the first without the second.
The manual way, in Illustrator
- For a visible outline: select the text, open Window › Appearance, click Add New Stroke, set weight and colour, and drag the stroke below the Characters row. Use double the weight you want to see: live type cannot align a stroke to the outside, so half of it hides behind the letters.
- Set Round Join in the Stroke panel, or lower the Miter Limit, so corners do not spike.
- For a printer's outlines: duplicate the artboard or file first, then Type › Create Outlines. Keep the live version.
- To get out of Outline view (wireframe display), press ⌘Y; it is a view mode, not an effect.
Create Outlines removes text editability from that copy: it becomes paths that cannot be retyped or spell-checked. Undo restores it only while the step is still in history, so keep a live backup for later revisions.
Menu paths checked against Adobe's current Illustrator documentation; hands-on verification and screenshots are still to come.
2 effects in JuicyType
Strokes are cumulative bands, so a two-colour double outline is two rows rather than two stacked strokes you have to size by hand.
Common questions
Why did my text turn into a wireframe?
You are in Outline view. Press ⌘Y to return to Preview.
Why is Align Stroke to Outside greyed out?
It never works on live type; Adobe has had the request open since 2017. Use the double-weight stroke below Characters, or add a fill with Effect › Path › Offset Path.
Do I have to outline text before sending to print?
Not necessarily; follow the printer's delivery requirements. Packaging the file or embedding fonts in a PDF often avoids it.