Creating a simple “Guarantee Sticker”

[GarryP]

Here's how you can made a simple "Guarantee Sticker". See the first screenshot for an example.

There are some tricky bits in this tutorial. You are expected to know how to use most of the normal Scribus functions such as: creating shapes; text frames and editing them; aligning; changing levels; duplicating objects. If you don't know how to do these things read the Scribus Manual or the Tutorial on the Wiki first.

I hope you're sitting comfortably; this is a long one...

The Background

1. Go to menu "Insert -> Insert Polygon -> Properties...".
2. Enter the number of points as 18; check the "Apply Factor" box and enter a Factor of -15% (that's minus 15).
3. OK the dialog and draw the polygon using as square a bounding box as you can. (I've used 200pt.)
4. Go to menu "Item -> Multiple Duplicate" and, after selecting "Shift Selected Items By", give a small horizontal and vertical gap. (I've used 2pt.) Then OK the dialog.
5. Select the newly created polygon - just to the right of the original - and use the "Colours" tab of the "Properties" palette to remove the outline - set line colour to "None" - and give it a grey fill. (Just create a grey with menu "Edit -> Colours..." if you haven't already got one.)
6. Lower the polygon to the Bottom - right-click then "Level -> Lower to Bottom".
8. Select the other polygon - it's now the top one - and remove the outline and give it a Free Radial Gradient Fill between two shades of whatever colour you want to use. Move the gradient vector to a top-left to bottom-right configuration. (Just make it a simple coloured fill if you don't know how to use free gradient fills).

You should now have something like that in "STEP A" of the second screenshot.

The Hoop

This is more difficult and will need some manual work.

1. Somewhere else on the page (on the left), create a circle that doesn't quite reach the inner edges of the original polygon. (I've used a diameter of 140pt compared to the 200pt of the polygon.)
2. Go to menu "Item -> Transform" and add a Scaling transformation of 70%; set it to create 1 copy; then OK the dialog.
3. Align the smaller circle to the centre of the larger circle.
4. Create a text frame and enter the text you want. Make the text large enough to not quite fill the space between the two circles.
5. Drag-select the circles and the text frame and duplicate them, then drag them to the right of the originals. Then do the same again so you've got a line of three sets. Delete the text frame from the last set and change the text in the middle set.

You should have something like "STEP B" on the second screenshot.

6. Select the left-most smaller circle and use "Item -> Multiple Duplicate" - with no changes to the parameters - to create a duplicate straight over the top then do the same for the larger circle in the middle set. (You'll see why soon.)

Now we get to the tricky bit.

7. With the left set, select the text frame and shift-select the SMALLER circle.
8. Go to menu "Item -> Attach Text to Path".
9. Use the "Path Text Properties" section of the "Text" tab in the "Properties" palette - it only appears for text on path - to change the "Start Offset" so that the text moves clockwise to the top of the circle and change the "Distance from Curve" parameter so that the text is nicely between the two circles. You'll need to do quite a bit of manual experimentation to get this right. (Now you see why I said to duplicate the circles.)
10. When that's done, select the middle text frame and shift-select the middle LARGER circle and again "Attach Text to Path". Flip the resulting object horizontally - to get the text going the other way - and repeat steps 8 and 9 until you get something nice. (You may have to also increase the tracking of the text so that the letters are better spaced.)
11. Then drag select the two right-hand circles and use menu "Item -> Path Tools -> Path Operations" and use the "Subtracts" operation to make the hoop. Fill the hoop in black (and remove its outline if necessary).

You should now have three things that look like "STEP C" on the second screenshot.

Phew! I hope that didn't take too much out of you. Not much further to go.

Alignments

Now you need to align the bits you've made.

1. First delete the - now un-needed - circles from the left and middle sets.
2. Select the hoop, shift-select the coloured background polygon, and align the hoop to the centre of the polygon using the normal Alignment tools.
3. Change the text colour of the left-hand text to "White". (It's still editable text so just use the normal text colour tool.)
4. Raise it to the Top of the levels and drag it over the hoop. You'll have to align it manually because Scribus can't align it automatically.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the remaining text.

Nearly there... just one last thing to do.

Finishing Up

1. Create another text frame, put whatever text you want in it - I've used "100%" but use whatever you want.
2. Resize the text to fit it inside the hoop. (I've made the height of the characters 160% of normal.)
3. Then give the text a white shadow with offsets of, say, -2% and 2% respectively - so that the shadow goes to the top-left of the text.
4. Manually centre the text within the hoop (automatic vertical alignment may not work as you think).

And you should now have something like that in the first screenshot.

Simple. Well, okay, maybe not, but once you've done it once it helps you to remember the steps so it's easier the next time.

Try experimenting with typefaces and colours/gradients. Also, as the text is still editable, you could put it in a scrapbook for use whenever you need it.

Enjoy.

P.S. I hope I've described everything okay. If I've made any mistakes or left anything out just tell me and I'll make the necessary changes.

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[Kunda]

Awesome.