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: regular text, 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 family (also known as typeface). You can also select fonts in the standard Fonts pane (Cmd-T).

3 - Select a font style. This drop-down list shows styles 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 or underlined. Notice that these buttons repeat options that can be present in the list of font styles (3). Some of the buttons may make no change if the corresponding style is not provided by the selected font.

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 family.

2 - Select a font style.

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 - 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.

11 - Make text bold, italic or underlined.

12 - Move the baseline up or down. That moves selected characters up or down in relation to the rest of the text in the same line.

13 - Set up the paragraph indent width which offsets the beginning of the first line.

14 - 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.

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

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