How to outline text in Illustrator
Add a stroke in the Appearance panel (Window › Appearance › Add New Stroke) and drag it below the fill so it grows outward. Add more strokes for concentric bands. JuicyType's Strokes effect builds up to five rounded bands from one panel, including transparent knockout bands.
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Select the text. Open Window › Appearance.
- Click Add New Stroke, set a weight and colour, and drag the stroke below the fill in the list.
- Repeat for each band, making each lower stroke wider than the one above.
- Set round joins in the Stroke panel so corners don't spike.
Stroke order in the Appearance panel is what makes bands look right; a stroke above the fill eats into the letter.
Steps drafted from Illustrator's documentation; to be checked in Illustrator 2025–2026 before launch.
Strokes with JuicyType
Select the text, open the JuicyType panel, choose Strokes, and drag. It is a live effect, so the text stays editable and every control can be changed later.
- Stroke rowsup to 5, each a width 0–30 pt (0.01 steps) and a colour: None, TC1, TC2, Black, White or a document spot
- Row modeNo Effect / Raise / Feather
- Raise depth0–300 pt, with top, side and slope pane colours
- Featheramount 0–99 pt, Spread 0–99, Shift 0–99, Angle 0–360° (default 135°)
- Position0–100%
- Rounded0–100% corner rounding
Common questions
Does outlining text convert it to shapes?
Not this way. Appearance strokes keep the type live. Type › Create Outlines is the destructive version.
How do I knock out the letter so only the bands show?
Set the fill to None. In JuicyType, colour a stroke row None for a transparent band.