How do I draw a rectangle a set distance around my whole design? (Square Around gadget)

What it is

Square Around is a drawing gadget from the official gadget library. It draws one rectangle around whatever vectors you have selected, with a border gap you choose. The gap is set separately for X and Y, so the margin at the sides can differ from the margin at the top and bottom.

It is a shortcut for a common chore: measuring the extents of a design, drawing a rectangle, sizing it and centering it. The gadget does that in one step, placing the rectangle the offset distance outside the selection.

Steps

1. Download the version 12 build from the gadget library and install it with Gadgets > Install New Gadget.
2. Select the vectors you want enclosed.
3. Choose Gadgets > Square Around.
4. Fill in the two fields:

• Offset X: the distance to stand off from the selection along the X axis.
• Offset Y: the distance to stand off along the Y axis.

5. Click OK. The rectangle is added to the job.

Typical uses

• A cutout line for a sign blank with an even margin around the lettering.
• A pocket boundary for carving the background away around raised artwork.
• A boundary for a texture or a 3D toolpath that should stop a fixed distance from the design.

Limits and judgment

• It produces vectors only. Add your own Profile or Pocket toolpath afterward.
• The result is a plain rectangle around the outer extents of the selection. It does not follow the shape of the design. For a border that follows the outline, use the Offset Vectors tool instead.
• The public page describes selected vectors. If you need a box around a 3D component, select or draw a vector outline for it first.
• Corners are square. Round them afterward with the Create Fillets tool if you want a softer blank.

Pro tips

• Use different X and Y offsets when the blank must hit a standard size, such as leaving more room at the bottom for a second line of text later.
• Put the new rectangle on its own layer so it is easy to pick for the cutout toolpath.
• See the entry on the Offset Vectors tool for shaped borders.