I have columns of text I want to engrave on a piece of slate. Its a football schedule. Date, team name, score. That kind of stuff. I want all the columns to align on the left of each column. In any other software I would type the first entry and then tab to the next column, enter an entry then tab to the third column etc. Unless I am missing it, this is a foreign concept to Lightburn. I am having to hit the space bar between columns and that does not work as eventually spaces wont line up. I thought about making a table with rows and columns…but again, I dont see how to do it. Can somebody throw a guy a lifeline here? What am I missing. This seems like it should be easy. Thanks!
Maybe. Have you tried making your columns in a word processor, like MS Word, then copy-past that into Lightburn?
Another way is to type your first column into Lightburn using the Text tool. Then type the second column in the same way. You will have two set of text. You can then double-click on either column and align right or left as needed. Until you Convert to Path, you can edit, copy, and paste in the Edit Text Shape window as needed.
Mike’s approach of doing individual columns should be easy.
Have you tried using a proportional font like courier?
EDIT:
Ahem! Sorry. “non-proportional”
I have not tried either of those approaches. I keep thinking something this simple should be supported natively. I guess not….so I am going to try your way…thank you.
I have not tried a proportional font. Frankly, I didn’t know Courier was proportional….i am going to look at that too. Thank you.
It’s not …
If that exists as a text file per award, you can massage it into becoming a CSV file with those four fields separated by commas. Then you can use LightBurn’s Variable Text feature to import the file and distribute the fields appropriately.
In LightBurn, set up a rectangular array with the proper vertical and horizontal spacing, with Variable Text formatting codes in each cell.
When you run the job, LightBurn will read the file and plunk the fields into the proper spots so everything lines up. Aim it at a different file for the next award, run the job again, and It Just Works.
Of course, it’ll take some experimentation before you have the array laid out right and the proper code in each cell, so use cardboard until you get dependable results.
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I usually just make a temporary box and use it to manually adjust the texts or objects within it. Or use the Align and/or distribute commands to line things up. Afterwards I just delete the box.
Correct description is Fixed Width.
This is probably what I will end up doing…just seems it should be easier…thanks!
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