Learn how to use the linked offset feature in Inkscape to create text with an offset border.
UPDATE - As of Inkscape 1.0. the linked offset no longer works the same way with text. Clicking linked offset will convert the text to a group of paths.
To use linked offset in inkscape 1.0 and later, you need to select the text, convert it to a path, ungroup, union all the characters together, then apply linked offset.
