Check out here for a quick example video doing surface-to-surface flow:

http://www.screencast.com/t/3rzeZvqB9z



A few key things - note there is a plane (not just a rectangle, but a plane surface made with Draw solid > Plane) underneath the text.

Then select just the text (not the plane or the cylinder), and run Transform > Deform > Flow.

Pick the base plane and note that the pick spot is important - don't pick directly on the corner, more near the edge but towards one side of the edge. Then for the next pick onto the cylinder make sure to pick in an equivalent edge location there, that will control how things are oriented from one surface to the other.


The text will stretch to the bounds of the cylinder surface, in order to get the same proportion you will want to make a plane that has the same length as the circumference of the cylinder.

- Michael