4 A directory dialog box opens. Locate the strokes file you want to open and click Open. Customizing pens In the Pen manager, you can choose from the following options: •   standard or calligraphic pen styles, also known as “nibs.” Standard pens have a uniform width. Calligraphic pens have a separate width, weight, and angle setting. •   bevel, miter, or round line joins •   flat, round, or square end caps For basic information about setting pen size, see “Using standard pen strokes” on page 19.336. To create a custom pen width:  In the Pen manager, choose Standard in the pop-up menu, and set the width in the Width text box. The sample window at the bottom of the manager shows the current settings; drag from this window to the scroll list to add the pen stroke to the presets. To create a calligraphic pen The calligraphic option lets you create a pen stroke with a custom weight, width, and angle. The shape of a calligraphic stroke varies depending on the stroke’s path. 1 In the Pen manager, choose Calligraphic in the pop-up menu. Weight, Width, and Angle text boxes and an editing box appear in the configuration manager. 2 To set the width of the pen, enter a value in the Width text box, or drag the thin red arrow in the edit window. The width is the max- imum thickness of the stroke when it is perpendicular to the pen angle. 3 To set the weight of the pen, enter a value in the Weight text box, or drag the thick blue arrows in the edit window. The weight is the maximum thickness of the stroke when it is parallel to the pen angle. 4 To set the pen angle, enter a value in the Angle text box or drag an arrow in the edit window. For the most calligraphic effect, the weight and width values should be dissimilar (at least by a factor of three or four) and the angle set to approximately 45 degrees. Tip You can choose millimeters, inches, or picas instead of points as the pen size unit using the Preferences com- mand in the File menu.
Canvas 8 Help: Strokes: outline effects (13 of 22)                                                  Page #345