Scaling (reducing) image with fonts

[rubinho]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to GIMP but I know my way around the basics.

I have a layered image containing some raster images and some text which I want to reduce in size for print.

If I use the Scale Image command the text gets corrupted as it is scaled as a raster rather than reducing the font size. When I select it with the text tool I get a pop-up as shown:



If I scale the layers individually and reduce the font sizes accordingly to get rid of the text corruption the layout of everything moves around so I cannot mantain the exact image I want.

How can I reduce the size of the image but ensure that rather than a raster resize of the text it reduces the font size by the correct amount? This way I should avoid the corruption and maintain my layout.

Thanks!

[Blighty]

As you have discovered, make any changes to a text layer and the text is rasterised.

What you can do:
Use Text To Path (either Layer>Text to Path; or right click the layer in the layers dialogue and Text to Path)
Scale your image. The text layer is rasterised.

The path you created is correctly scaled as paths are vectors.

Click the eye on what was the text layer to make the layer invisible.
Make a new transparent layer above this layer.
In the Layers dialogue click the Path to Selection button.
Bucket fill this selection on the new layer.

[Ofnuts]

You must be the 1st person here who need to reduce an image for print. Usually people discover that they underestimated the image size required for print.... Normally, if your image is bigger it is not a problem and will be scaled properly for print in the print driver. Another possibility is to use Image>Print size, that changes the print definition of the image without changing the pixels size (so your image stays the same, it just prints bigger/smaller).

As soon as a text layer is altered it becomes a plain bitmap layer. If you want so scale the image and not lose text sharpness:

1) for each text layer, creates the corresponding path (Layer>Text to path)
2) Scale the image which will scale the path (but these being path, they don't get blurred)
3) for each text layer, delete the layer and rebuild one using the path (Path to selection, bucket-fill selection)

Of course, you don't get font hinting that way.

[rubinho]

Cool, thanks for your answers.  I made the original huge but the printers needed it actual size and vectorised.  

What I ended up doing was exporting the large PDF and then using Coherent pdf tools (cpdf) to reduce the PDF.  This maintained the vector layers and left the text as correctly scaled fonts. 

I will try the GIMP-centric methods you suggest next time I have something similar to do. 

Happy new year!