Working with Text

Properties of Text

The Control panel gives you quick access to the most frequently used properties. For extra options, you can use the Appearance Panel.

Text Properties in the Control Panel

Text properties are displayed in the Control panel when you activate the Text tool or select text. The panel is usually located above the canvas.

1 - Select the type of a new text object: text in a text box, text along a path or text inside a shape. You should select one of the types before creating a new text object.

2 - Select a font. You can also select fonts in the standard Fonts pane (Cmd-T).

3 - Select a typeface. This drop-down list shows typefaces actually available for the selected font.

4 - Set up the font size.

5 - Choose color. This button opens the Color panel.

6 - Select text alignment.

7 - Make text bold, italic, underlined or crossed out. Notice that these buttons repeat options that can be present in the list of typefaces (3). Some of the buttons may make no change if the corresponding typeface is not provided by the selected font.

The Fix Proportions button restores the original look of the text. This function is supported only by distortable text. The button appears in the Control panel when this type of text is selected.

Text Properties in the Appearance Panel

In order to access text properties, open the Appearance panel by choosing Window > Appearance from the main menu. Notice that the Appearance panel lets you change the font size and color directly.

Then click on the gear icon of a text object.

1 - Select a font.

2 - Select a typeface.

3 - Set up the font size.

4 - Change the kerning.

5 - Select the text alignment.

6 - Set up the line spacing.

7 - Set up the amount of space after a paragraph. If the whole text box is selected, this control affects all paragraphs. In the editing mode, you can select one or several paragraphs. In this case, spacing after selected paragraphs will be changed.

8 - Create a list. You can choose numbers or letters for ordered lists, or bullet-like symbols.

9 - Set the distance from the bullet symbol to the text box border.

10 - Make text bold, italic, underlined or crossed out.

11 - Change the baseline.

12 - Set up the paragraph indent width.

13 - Set up the amount of space before a paragraph. If the whole text box is selected, this control affects all paragraphs. In the editing mode, you can select one or several paragraphs. In this case, spacing before selected paragraphs will be changed.

14 - Decrease or increase the indent level to create a nested list.

15 - Set the distance between the bullet symbol and the beginning of the text.