Text on a path in Illustrator, and how to flip it
Pick the Type on a Path tool from the Type tool group, click any path, and type. Drag the centre bracket along the path to slide the text and across the path to flip it inside. Type › Type on a Path › Type on a Path Options adds Rainbow, Skew, 3D Ribbon and spacing for tight curves.
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Draw a path: an ellipse (L) for a badge, or any Pen stroke.
- Hold on the Type tool, choose Type on a Path, and click the path. Type your text.
- Hover the small centre bracket until the cursor shows a ⊥, then drag along the path to move the text or across it to flip.
- Open Type › Type on a Path › Type on a Path Options… for effect, alignment to path and spacing.
The path itself takes no fill or stroke once type is on it; draw a separate copy if you also want the line to show.
Menu paths checked against Adobe's current Illustrator documentation; hands-on verification and screenshots are still to come.
2 effects in JuicyType
Type on a Path stays live type, so JuicyType effects apply directly to it.
Common questions
Can I have text on the top and bottom of a circle both reading upright?
Use two paths, or one circle cut in two with the Scissors, and flip the bottom text.
Why is my text spaced oddly on a tight curve?
Open Type on a Path Options and adjust Spacing with Preview on: higher values remove the extra space that sharp bends open between characters. Tracking is a separate control.
Do the letters get distorted?
Not with the default Rainbow effect, which only positions them along the path. Skew and the other path effects do reshape them.