Here are the steps I would follow:

1. define which colors you need (outline and interior)
2. define what point size your final font will be (this method works best
   for point sizes of 20 and up at 72 dpi)
3. define the amount of workspace you would need to create letters of that
   point size (x pixels by y pixels, with some border around the edges)
4. create a new canvas of no less than 4 times the size needed for your
   text.. example (the word "HELLO" in Arial 24 point fits on a 100 x 100
   canvas.. create a 400 x 400 canvas for that word.
5. use the type SELECTION tool to place the word on the canvas at 4 times
   the destination point size (96 point in this case)
6. create a new layer if you want this word to have a transparency
7. Fill the selection with the interior color (I chose cyan for my
   experiment.. could easily be a gradient or texture, etc
8. Select -> Modify -> Border -> 3 pixels
9. Fill selection with border color
10. Image->Size-> 25%
11. If you used a layer, you will have a 'type' layer that will work just
    like other type layers, but will have the border effect

Pat

HWG: hwg-graphics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA