# Working with Text Objects

Several text formatting options are available through the main menu. Choose Text > to choose from styles, alignment, case, kerning, and more. The Fonts panel offers font selection and custom effects, including outline, shadow, and mask. Align, tighten and loosen kerning, change case and baseline are available menu options and keyboard shortcuts. Font effects and options can be applied to blocks of text, individual words, and and even individual glyphs. For full creative control, including applying styles and distortion, you can convert text to shapes, shape groups, and paths.

## Show Hide To Add and Edit Text:

1. Choose the Text [t] tool.
2. Do one of the following:

- Click on your drawing canvas to place the text box.
- Press and drag to place a custom size text box.

3. Begin typing.
4. To end typing, do one of the following:

- Click on the drawing canvas to place another text box.
- Click the Esc-key to end typing and return to the Select tool.
- Choose the Select tool or another drawing tool.

HINT: If you prefer to have the Return-key end editing, disable (uncheck) 'Return-key inserts a new line when editing text boxes' in the Artboard > Preferences… Editing pane; while disabled, use SHIFT-Return-key to insert a new line in multi-line text.

## Show Hide To Edit Existing Text:

1. Double-click existing text with the Select [s] tool to make the text active for editing.
2. Do one of the following:

- Start typing to replace the selected text.
- Click to place the cursor within the selected text to insert new text.

3. Click outside of the text box, or the Esc-key, to end editing.

## Show Hide To Expand the Text Box When Some Content is Hidden:

When text extends beyond the confines of the text box an indicator “+” is shown in the lower right-hand corner of the text box prompting you to enlarge it.

HINT: Text in a box will not be visible if the font size is larger than the text box. Use the sizing handles on the text box to make it bigger, or right-click the text box and choose 'Fit To Text' from the contextual menu.

## Show Hide To Add Text On a Path:

Artboard makes curved text beautifully. A bit of practice is all it takes to give your curved text an expert look. Text On Path uses curves with the same controls as the Path tool.

1. Choose the Text Path [e] tool.
2. Press and drag to place the starting point for your text on a path, release the cursor and continue placing points along the curve.
3. Double click (or hit ESC-key) to end the path.
4. Begin typing.
5. To end typing, do one of the following:

- Click on the drawing canvas to place another text path.
- Click the Esc-key to end typing and return to the Select tool.

6. With the Select [s] tool, adjust the curve handles as desired.

HINT: It is a good practice to keep your text curves simple. With only two points you can create smooth c-shaped and s-shaped curves simply by adjusting the points themselves (the orange dots) and the curve handles (the blue squares). The longer the curve handles, the steeper your curve. Experiment by moving the curve handles around and altering the shape of the curve.

## Show Hide To Edit Text on a Path:

1. Double-click the text with the Select [s] tool to edit (make sure you click onto a letter when double-clicking to recognize the selection).
2. When selected, the text to be edited will float above the path and be highlighted.
3. Do one of the following:

- Start typing to replace the selected text.
- Click to place the cursor within the selected text to insert new text.

4. Open the Font panel to change the font and appearance of text.

## Show Hide To Change Text Alignment Along the Path:

Text On Path has "Justified" alignment by default, giving it a stretched appearance across the entire length of the path.

- Choose Text > Align > Left / Right / Justified / Center to change text along a path to your desired alignment.

## Show Hide Flipping Upside-down Text:

Like normal paths, Text On Path has a direction from its start point to its end point. Text On Path follows the direction of the path – typically reading from left to right.

1. To draw text upside-down, start the path from right to left.
2. To flip text that is upside-down, choose Edit > Path > Reverse from the main menu.

## Show Hide To Fit Text to a Shape (for example a circle)

In addition to drawing a Bezier curve with the Text Path tool, you can fit text to any shape.

1. Use the Text Path [e] tool to place your text on your drawing canvas (don't worry about the shape of the path).
2. Begin typing.
3. To end typing, do one of the following:

- Click the Esc-key to end typing and return to the Select tool.
- Choose another drawing tool.

4. Next, draw your shape.
5. While the shape is sected, copy it to the clipboard.
6. Select the text and choose Edit > Paste Text Clipping Path from the main menu. The text will now follow the path of the object.

HINT: To wrap text only partially around a circle, use the Arc tool to draw an arc to the desired length and paste it onto your text using the above method.

## Show Hide To Use Spreading (or Tracking) on Text:

Text can be spread out across and area (called “tracking”).

1. Select the text.
2. Do one of the following:

- Hold the Option-Command keys and repeatedly pressing the right Arrow (end) key to spread text.
- Choose Text > Kern > Loosen from the main menu. Repeat as necessary to get a wide spread.
- Hold the Option-Command keys and repeatedly pressing the left Arrow (end) key to tighten tracking.
- Choose Text > Kern > Tighten from the main menu. Repeat as necessary to tighten the spread.
- Choose Text > Kern > Use Default from the main menu to reset to the original tracking.

HINT: Tracking command may also used to add (or tighten) space between selected letters, rather than the entire text box or path.

## Show Hide To Make Text Bigger, Smaller, Bold, Italic, and Underline:

Modify text properties in the Fonts panel, or by choosing various Text > options in the main menu. Use the convenient keyboard shortcuts to quickly modify text properties.

Need multi-styled text? Text boxes can use multiple fonts, sizes, colors, and more in a single text box.

1. Make text active for editing.
2. Press and drag to highlight individual text or words for editing.
3. Open the Font panel to change the font and appearance of text.

## Show Hide To Make Shape Objects from Text and True Type Fonts:

Text and True Type Fonts (TTF) can be converted into individual editable shape objects. These new shape objects can be further styled, grouped, and saved as clip art as desired.

1. Place text in the drawing area using the Text Box tool. Choose the font you want to use, or choose Edit > Special Characters from the main menu to open the Special Characters window.
2. After typing, select the text box and choose Graphic > Convert To > Shape or Graphic > Convert To > Shape Group from the main menu (or right click and choose 'Convert To…' from the contextual menu). When converted to shape, the entire block of text is one shape. When converted to shape group, you can Ungroup to obtain each glyph as a separate object.
3. To further explode and modify multi-layered objects, choose Graphic > Combine > Break Apart from the main menu and modify the shape or re-color individual components.

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