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Return to wholeearthinc.com.

Whole Earth, Inc. Print Services September 03, 2010


A delightfully absurd take on everything from superheroes to office humor, twisted relationships, huggable animals, and more.
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An adroit mixture of everyday settings and extraordinary events.
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A compendium of strange-but-true recent events as reported in the legitimate press.
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The world of business and finance gets skewered, as Bottom Liners tackles subjects such as foreign takeovers, office policies, getting a raise, and the fast-paced world of Wall Street.
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A wry look at the absurdities of every day life.
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With a daily readership of more than 95 million, Dear Abby is the symbol of a caring heart for millions of people around the world.
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In today's complex world of family issues, learn from Dr. Dobson's lifetime of practical experience in dealing with family problems.
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Idea of
the Week





Shady Text
Idea of the Week
Using Type as a Mask

Adobe Illustrator has a wonderful assortment of tools for adding fill colors and patterns to paths and objects. However, those fill options aren't as plentiful when it comes to adding fills to type. Workarounds for these limitations are available. One method allows you to use type as a mask to apply a gradient to your text. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Create a word or phrase of text.



  2. Use the rectangle tool to create a rectangle about the size of your text. Apply a gradient fill to this rectangle.



  3. Drag your type on top of the filled rectangle, making sure that the text is on top. (Object > Arrange > Bring to Front)



  4. Select both pieces, the type and the rectangle.

  5. Choose Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

  6. Click anywhere outside your type to see the effect.

You could use this technique to create unique headlines for a newsletter, or in your company’s logo.

See more great ideas like this!
Click here to visit the Whole Earth, Inc. Print Services Ideas Collection.

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