Filling Text with Digital Patterns and Papers in Silhouette Studio

In today’s tutorial you will learn about filling text with digital patterns and papers in Silhouette Studio. Text can be enhanced with textures, images and so much more. It is a great way to create impact and grab the viewer’s attention. Silhouette Studio comes with a good selection of preset patterns. You can even upload your own patterns.

There are tons of amazing Handwriting Fonts to choose from. For this tutorial we will be using a handwritten typeface font called Garlic Butter. We are using this mermaid scales svg as our text fill.

If you need more information, we have a helpful tutorial on installing fonts for PC and Mac.

Step 1 - Add and Edit your Text

After opening Silhouette Studio, go to the left side toolbar. Click on the Text Tool icon and add your text to the document.

Next, on the right side toolbar, click on the Text Style Panel. This will open a window where you can edit your font. Select the font that you want to use and it will be applied.

Step 2 - Upload your Patterns to the Library

Let’s add a digital pattern fill to the text. You do this by going to the Fill Panel on the right side toolbar. It looks like a paint palette.

Click on the third icon to select the Fill Pattern menu. Silhouette Studio has a number of preset patterns available. Select your text then click on a pattern to get an idea of how it looks.

You can also upload your purchased digital patterns and papers to the Library in Silhouette Studio.

We located our Mermaid Scales file and uploaded it.

The file will now appear in your library. Click and drag the file to the Patterns folder.

You can add more patterns but they all need to be placed in the Patterns folder. This will tell Silhouette Studio to make these available in the Fill Pattern menu. Follow the same process for adding patterns for each pattern.

Step 3 - Use the Fill Pattern Menu

Your pattern will now appear in the Fill Pattern panel. You may need to scroll down to the bottom under the category Patterns. Select your text, then select the pattern you uploaded. The pattern will now be applied.

Each letter can be filled individually with different patterns. You will first need to turn your text into an object. This means that you won’t be able to change the text once done.

Select the text, then right click > Ungroup. Each letter will be turned into an individual object. You can now select the letters with the Move Tool on the left side panel. Fill each letter object with a pattern.

Lower down you will find the Advanced Options. Here you can alter the patterns in the text. You can flip the pattern using Mirror Pattern if you want to create a mirror effect in your text.

Adjusting the slider for the Angle will rotate the pattern in the selected letters.

You can also Scale the pattern up or down within the letters. This is great if you want to focus on a specific part of the pattern. Patterns with higher resolution work best for scaling as the quality is better retained.

Then we have the Pan Pattern option. Select a letter with the pattern in it, then click on Pan Pattern. A small circle handle will appear in the middle of the letter. Click + drag it to move the pattern around within the letter. This works great if you want a specific part of the pattern to be in the letter.

Isn’t the Fill Pattern option awesome? It allows you to edit your text however you choose. By filling text with digital patterns and papers in Silhouette Studio, your creativity options are endless.