Sometimes you need a shape to increase or decrease in size, but be
exactly the same distance around all the lines of the original. This means the
new shape will have to change. A classic example of this is echo quilting,
where, as the lines of stitching echo out, the curves become less tight, and
fewer details are visible.
Clicking the Inflate button on the Tool Pane displays the Inflate dialog, which allows you to inflate selected objects and their holes as needed.
When inflating or deflating, the object selected will change. Thus, if you wish to have the original shape retained on the page (for some other part of the design) you should copy and paste it before inflating. See the next section, ‘Automatic Outlining’ for an example use of inflation.