How To Offset A Text Stroke In Illustrator In A Non Destructive Way

🎉 Try Slides With Friends — Zoom Trivia, Live Polls, Icebreakers & more! Check it out → How to Offset a Text Stroke in Illustrator in a Non Destructive Way Diego Sanchez Author Photo

by Diego Sanchez

March 30, 2020

Blog, Quick Tips

Comments

Diego prevents carpal tunnel syndrome in designers worldwide by making incredible time-saving Photoshop actions and mock-ups.

share

20 Illustrator Retro Graphic Styles 1 20 Illustrator Retro Graphic Styles 2 20 Illustrator Retro Graphic Styles $5.00
Offset Text Effect Mockup 1 Offset Text Effect Mockup 2 Offset Text Effect Mockup Free
How to Offset a Text Stroke in Illustrator in a Non Destructive Way

Editable Text with an Offset Stroke

Sometimes, you need to have a full stroke around a text, but in a way where that stroke is set away from the text itself with a visible gap in between. By using the Appearance Panel, you can easily offset the stroke, but you will get a stroke around each separated letter and those strokes will overlap each other (and that simply does not looks good). There are of course a few different ways to properly offset a stroke around a text, but most of the methods will simply not allow you to edit the text after you apply the stroke due it requires to outline the text first. Today, I will show you a quick and easy way to offset a stroke around a text in Illustrator in a way that your text will remain fully editable.​

Step 1

Open Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. In this case, i will make mine at 1800 x 1200 px.

Step 2

Select the Type Tool (T) and type your text into the Artboard. For this tutorial, i will be using a free font designed by Tony Thomas called "Rolight" which you can download right here at Medialoot: Download.

Step 3

With the text selected, go to Window > Appearance.

Step 4

Click on the menu icon and from the dropdown menu select "Add New Stroke".

Step 5

Set any stroke size and color you want. In this case, I will setup mine at 16 pt using an orange color.

Step 6

In the Appearance Panel, click on the bottom FX icon and from the dropdown menu select Path > Offset Path.

Step 7

In the Offset Path window, set any Offset size you want and click OK. In this case, i will setup mine at 20px.

Step 8

As you can see, we get some overlaping strokes on our text. To solve that, click on the FX icon again and from the dropdown menu select Pathfinder > Add.

Some Final Words

Now that we successfully applied an offset stroke around our text in a non destructive way, we can freely edit it as we normally do in Illustrator and change it as we want it. Of course, you can not only change the text, but also the typeface, the size, etc due it is fully editable.

Further reading

If you liked this article you might like these too, check 'em out:

  • Make a Fully Editable Retro Text Effect in Illustrator
  • How to Easily Make a Stamp Shape in Illustrator
  • How to Create a Basic Chain Pattern Brush in Illustrator

Share This Post

Want to help us out? If you enjoyed this article we'd really appreciate a quick share. Every share makes a big difference and helps us write more tutorials and content. Thanks!

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Stumble

Related Posts

October 10, 2025

Comments

Diego Sanchez

Make a Fully Editable Retro Text Effect in Illustrator

Adding a nostalgic, vintage touch to your designs can be surprisingly simple. By using only the Appearance Panel in Illustrator, you can build a fully editable retro text effect that combines layered styles, bold color contrasts, and subtle details for extra depth. This method keeps the process straightforward while ensuring your text remains completely editable, so you can easily update fonts, wording, or styling at any time without having to rebuild the effect from scratch.Read more

September 12, 2025

Comments

Diego Sanchez

How to Easily Make a Stamp Shape in Illustrator

Creating a stamp shape in Illustrator can add a classic and professional touch to your designs, perfect for logos, labels, or decorative badges. Today, you’ll learn how to easily create a dynamic stamp shape that automatically adapts to any shape you apply it to. We’ll achieve this using the powerful Appearance Panel, allowing you to keep your artwork fully editable and flexible. With just a few steps, you’ll have a reusable stamp shape that can be customized for any project.Read more

August 22, 2025

Comments

Diego Sanchez

How to Create a Basic Chain Pattern Brush in Illustrator

Creating seamless and reusable pattern brushes in Illustrator is a great way to add consistent and stylish elements to your designs. Today, we’ll walk through a simple method to create a chain-like pattern brush that you can apply to any path or shape. Using just a few basic Illustrator tools and techniques, you'll learn how to build the chain links, define the brush, and apply it to different objects with full flexibility. Once you're done, you'll have a fully editable chain brush that you can reuse and customize in any of your design projects.Read more

August 15, 2025

Comments

Diego Sanchez

How to Make a Grainy 3D Object in Illustrator

Creating textured 3D objects in Illustrator doesn’t have to be complicated. With just one shape and a few tweaks inside the “3D and Materials” panel, you can easily produce realistic, grainy-looking objects that feel both modern and organic. This method is incredibly straightforward, relying entirely on Illustrator’s built-in tools—no need for external textures or third-party plugins. It’s a great way to give your graphics more depth and a tactile, handcrafted feel using nothing but vector shapes and lighting.Read more

Comments

Login or Register to comment →

Create an Account

Already have an account? Login → Email me about new freebies OR Login with Facebook Login with Google Login with Twitter

Login to Medialoot

Don't have an account? Create one →

Forgot your password?

OR Login with Facebook Login with Google Login with Twitter
  • Register
  • Choose Version
  • Download

Create an Account

Already have an account? Login → Email me about new freebies OR Login with Facebook Login with Google Login with Twitter

Sign up to our Newsletter

Get site updates, freebies, and MediaLoot news.

X

You've successfully logged in!

Tag » How To Offset In Illustrator