KerfPress
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How to change text in a layered SVG

Names, dates, words and numbers in a layered papercut design can be changed in the free KerfPress editor. How you do it depends on where the text came from.

Check whether the text is editable

Only text made with the Text tool in the KerfPress editor stays editable text. It comes back as text when you open a KerfPress file again with Import SVG.

Text from any other app arrives as ordinary shapes. If the letters were converted to outlines, they import like any other path. If they were not, the editor skips them, so convert the text to outlines in your design app before importing.

To tell them apart, look at the cut list under the layers: editable text shows as a row like Text “Happy Birthday”, letters that are shapes show as Freehand.

Find the layer that holds the text

Click the eye button at the top of the layer list to hide all layers. Then click the layers one at a time. The canvas shows only the outline of the selected layer, so the letters are easy to spot.

Once you know the layer, click the eye button again to show all layers before you edit. You need the layers in front to see how the new text will really look.

Text that shows through several sheets can be cut on more than one layer. Check the layers next to it and change every copy.

Edit text made in KerfPress

Select the layer, then double-click the text on the canvas. It gets selected and the cursor jumps into the Text box on the right. Type the new words.

The box takes letters A to Z, numbers, spaces and & ! ? . ' @, up to 30 characters. Other characters are dropped as you type, so write dates with dots, for example 2027.05.20.

Under the box you can switch between Bold and Stencil and change Letter spacing. Stencil keeps the middle of letters like A, B and O attached when they are cut out.

Text keeps its height and grows wider from its center. To make it smaller, drag a corner handle or type a new Width or Height. The other side follows, so the letters keep their shape.

If the same text is cut on two layers, edit one, then give the other the same text and the same X, Y, Width and Height so they line up.

Replace letters that came in as shapes

Letters from other sources cannot be retyped. Remove them and place new text instead.

  1. Select the letter shapes: click one, Shift+click to add more, or drag a box across them starting from empty canvas.
  2. If the letters are joined with other parts in one shape, choose Split into pieces first so you can pick just the letters.
  3. Press Delete.
  4. Under Type, choose Cut Out or Add Paper to match how the old letters were made.
  5. Open Text under Shape, type your words, pick a font and choose Place text. Move and resize it into place.

Check it and download

Open Preview & download to see the stack in 3D before you cut. Look closely at small letters: very thin strokes are hard to cut cleanly.

Downloading the edited design counts as one download, like any other project: it uses a free download, a single download or your Pro plan. See pricing. If the design came from a free template, the template's personal-use terms still apply.