Adobe Illustrator CS

Now that you understand how path type works, you’re ready to learn how to work with path type on a closed path. When you convert a path to a Path Type object, the point at which you click the path becomes the start point. On an open path, you can easily see the start and end points because they are on opposite sides of the path. However, when you are working with a closed path, the point that you click becomes the start and the end point (a closed path is continuous).

If, for example, you want to place text on a circle, click the top of the circle to create the start point and the end point; if you center your text, it actually aligns to the bottom of the path. To get text to align to the top center of a circle, either click at the bottom of the circle when you’re creating the Path Type object, or adjust the start and end points so that the center of the text rests at the top of the circle. At first placing text on a circle seems non-intuitive—clicking at the top of a circle centers your text at the bottom of the circle. Changing the position of the start and end points can make it easier to center text at the top curve of a circle.