Text on a curve

Prepare the guide

Draw or import the curve you want the text to follow. A guide remains a normal project object and can still output. Put construction guides on a tool layer or disable their layer's Output.

Create and link text

Activate Text with Ctrl+T, click the canvas, and type.
Press Escape to commit, then select the text.
In Properties, expand Advanced Text Shape and choose Path.
Use Select Path and click the guide on the canvas.
Use Pick to choose a different guide or Clear to unlink it. Escape cancels the picker.

Adjust the lettering

Baseline Offset moves the text away from its guide.
Tracking adjusts character spacing.
Distort changes whether letter outlines deform to follow the curve.
RTL changes writing direction for right-to-left text. It is separate from the direction of a text shape.

Straight-text alignment controls are hidden for shaped text. Keep the text editable while adjusting its wording, font, and shape. Convert to Path freezes the lettering into vector geometry; use it only when you need node editing.

Circular alternatives

Choose Bend for an arc controlled by Bend Radius, Baseline Offset, Direction, and Distort.

Choose Circle for Arc Span, Top or Bottom position, and Inside or Outside placement. These controls are independent. See Text for examples.

Verify before output

Check letter spacing, size, and orientation in Preview. Confirm that the guide itself is excluded if it should not run. Assign text to a suitable layer and verify the layer's power, speed, and mode.