All text settings are located at the Text feature icon in the top menu bar. If a frame with the Multi Line feature is selected, the text is not in edit mode and changes to the Text tab. General alignment settings for the frame are configurable.
Left, Top, Right and Bottom Paddings will control the distance of the text content to the respective edge of the frame. If the Multi Line frame has a shape feature with Text Flow Into Shape activated the Shape Padding defines the distance from the shape outline that the text flows into.
This setting reduces the Ascender influence when wrapping text around shapes. This is necessary to adjust to a perfectly round wrap like in this example.
Fit Text to Frame makes sure the complete content of a Multiline Text will fit into a frame. This helps to ensure that text containing variables will not get cut off. To achieve this text size and all other properties like line height, indents, tabs, etc. will be reduced until the text is completely visible. Note that whitespace might exists afterwards at the bottom of the frame when no next line would fit in this space. Also text will not get enlarged Fit Text To Frame will only reduce the size. Fit Text to Frame works also for text flow frames by fitting the text into the complete text flow chain. Enable it for the first frame in the text flow chain.
Fit Text to Frame has three modes:
multi line This simply reduces the text size until it is completely fitting the frame. Example:
single lines This mode ensures that all paragraphs will fit exactly in one text line, effectively reducing the text size until the longest line fits. Example:
reduce font size This is a special fit mode which will not only fit the complete text to the frame but it will do so by reducing the font size to the next available font size in the defined list of font sizes. This mode is meant for editable frames on Buyer Side. If you enable editing on the Buyer Side, this mode will automatically be set. Once the font size is reduced it will not automatically get bigger again if text is removed - the Buyer will need to enlarge the text manually (list of available font sizes can get changed in the Template preferences under the gear icon menu).
Info: The reduce font size Fit Text to Frame mode is automatically enabled for a Multi Line text frame when you enable Content editing for the frame in the Text section of the Buyer Side Frame Settings panel:
If Use Baseline Grid is switched on, text lines will snap to the Baseline Grid.
Baseline Grid is a powerful functionality to ensure lines are aligned vertically even if they are distributed between different frames with changing formats.
To use this feature, one needs to define the Baseline Grid settings in the document settings.
Click here to learn more about the various document settings.
The next step is to switch on the Use Baseline Grid icon for the frame.
One will notice that all lines in the text automatically snap to the next available Baseline Grid line so that all text frames with this feature switched on will share the same baselines creating a more coherent layout like in a newspaper.
Sets the baseline distance of the first line to either the maximum ascender value of the text on the first Line (ascender) - or to the line height from the paragraph settings (Line Height).
This is where hypehaneation can get switched on and off and the language for hyphenation can get set.
Sets the vertical alignment of the text in the frame (Top, Center, Bottom).
One can convert a Multi Line text to a Single Line text by selecting the Make Single Line Text button. Note that the text format will be lost during conversion.
If a frame with the Multi Line feature is selected and one wishes to edit the text, just click the Edit button in the middle of the frame. The tab will also change to edit mode and show the UI for in-line editing.
By default, inserted Multi Line texts are in standard Frame mode allowing to freely size them. Set Auto Frame Size to either vertically or horizontal Auto Size. Then the Frame will grow on this axis until it hits it limit values. It will also automatically adjust width and height by its content. So in vertical mode one can only change the width and the position of the frame, the height is controlled by its content. To change this, go to the Position tab and switch the Auto Frame Size off:
Text in Auto Size mode can shift elments below in the same group on buyer side. Additionally, setting the Auto Frame Size mode to Height will enable the Adjust Document Height setting in the Buyer Side tab.
Learn more about shifting elements below Auto Size Text here.
When you press Return on the keyboard the Editor will start a new paragraph. To still achieve a new line without starting a new paragraph (e.g. because of a paragraph distance that should not appear) press Shift + Return and a soft line break will be inserted.
In the following example, the space after a paragraph is set to 10pt in both text blocks. But the lower one uses a soft line break, so the distance is not added between the first and the second line as no new paragraph has started.
This is also important if one is using hanging indents and does need a line break within one block.
Info: In the buyer side the behavior is different. Here pressing Return produces a soft line brake and pressing two times Return creates a new paragraph. This is intentional as users outside the graphics art community are not familiar with soft line-breaks and paragraphs. Its therefore important to have some space after defined for paragraphs, otherwise it will feel weird to the buyer when he presses return for the second time and nothing happens.
CTRL/COMMAND “+” und “-” scales the entire text up and down.
For headlines and the joy of designers, Printess has a simple way to control character distances aka ‘manual kerning’.
Simply use Option/Alt + Right or Left Arrow to control character distance:
Or use Option/Alt + Up or Down Arrow to control Baseline shift:
Adding Shift will make the steps bigger.
The text properties are divided into character and paragraph properties. Character properties can either get applied to the current paragraph style or just to a word or some letters of the text. Then they would apply to the current character style.
Paragraph properties can only be applied to the complete paragraph.
In the text editor, one can select a portion of the text and make changes of e.g. font size or other character properties. These will then get applied to the current character style of this text. If one selects either a complete paragraph or just sets the cursor anywhere in a paragraph without selecting something, one will note that when changing character properties like font size, the complete paragraph is automatically selected and then the change is applied. If one intends to change properties for a complete paragraph, this is the preferred method.
A very useful addition to setting text properties manually is to use combined styles. To create combined styles, create a text with the settings to be set by a style and press the Add Character or Paragraph Style button:
This will open up a dialog where you can enter a name for the new style:
Besides giving the style a name, one can also select:
Below the check-boxes one can then choose whether to add the style globally (template) or just for the current document.
Once created you can alter the style in the Styles tab to the left.
There is also a code view available
To use the created style(s) click into the Paragraph / Character Style search field and pick a style from the list (a list is filtered while typing). Once selected, the chosen style will be shown in blue above the search field:
One can add more than one Paragraph Style and/or Character Style - properties will be automatically added. Properties that are tied to a style will get grayed out and are not editable in the UI. They also show the name of the style that the value originates from in […] in the label above.
Styles Overwrite Behavior
If one selects multiple styles containing the same properties e.g. color - the style which appears last in the style definition will determine the property independent from the order in which the styles are mentioned in the style selector of the frame. Also Document Styles will win over Template Styles.
This controls the background color of a Paragraph. This Paragraph property can only be controlled via a Style.
Tip: Combine this feature with ruleAbove & ruleBelow as well as left and right indents to create yourself info boxes, decorated headlines, tables with alternating backgrounds etc. - which flow with the text.
This will remove all character and paragraph properties or styles from the selected text / the current paragraph.
Here one can set all character properties for the selected text - note that Paragraph Styles can also contain all character properties, but Character Styles cannot contain paragraph properties and selection will automatically enlarge to the current paragraph when changing a paragraph property.
Font - Here one can change the font. If the font is not currently loaded one can also upload a font here (TTF or OTF files are supported).
Font Size - Sets the glyph size for the current selection / the current paragraph.
Line Height - Sets the line height as a percentage of the maximum font size.
Color - Sets the color of the current selection / the current paragraph.
Stroke Width / Color - Sets the stroke-width & stroke-color for the current selection.
Tracking sets the spread of the characters in “em” (Geviert/1000).
Baseline shift moves the baseline up or down (while keeping the general line height equal). This way one can realize Superscript and Subscript text.
Here one can set all paragraph properties for the selected text - note that Paragraph Styles can also contain all character properties, but Character Styles cannot contain paragraph properties and selection will automatically enlarge to the current paragraph when changing a paragraph property.
Text Align can be set to:
Bullet - The paragraph will be presented as a bullet list (see more details below).
Left - Text will be left-aligned.
Right - Text will be right-aligned.
Center - Text will be centered.
Justify Left - Text will get justified and the last line of the paragraph will be left-aligned.
Justify Right - Text will get justified and the last line of the paragraph will be right-aligned.
Justify Center - Text will get justified and the last line of the paragraph will be centered.
Justify Full - The full paragraph will get justified including the last line.
As justify normally looks uneven without hyphenation, please consider switching hyphenation on (Leave Edit mode to set hyphenation).
If one selects Bullet List as Text Align additional properties are available:
Firstly one can select the Bullet Type. One can even create a custom bullet by adding a shape feature to the frame, switching off Wrap Text Inside Shape and setting the shape color to [None]. Then this shape will be added to the list of available bullet types.
Bullet Size - Determines the size of the bullet.
Bullet Shift - Shifts the bullet vertically up or down.
Bullet Color - Defines the color of the bullet.
Tip: Control the space between the bullet and the text with the Left Indent and Firstline Indent settings (s.b.).
Horizontal indents can be set which define the padding to the left and right of a paragraph.
First Line - This defines the left indent of the first line of the paragraph.
Left Indent - This defines the indent of all following lines.
Right Indent - This defines the right indent of all lines.
To enable negative/hanging indents, one can set the First Line indent to 0 and the Left Indent to ones liking. Then the other lines will ‘hang’ below.
If Auto Frame Size is disabled one can also use the text flow feature in Multi Line text frames. To let the text flow from frame to frame, click on the small + icon on the side of the frame. The mouse pointer will change to flow frame selection and you can select the target frame to flow into.
One will also get an indication of possible flow targets when hovering over frames. Green means possible flow target, and red means you cannot flow into this frame.
Possible targets are all frames. If a Single Line text frame gets selected as a target it will automatically change to a Multi Line text frame. If a frame without a text feature is selected, a multi line text feature is added to the frame.
In a chain of flow frames one can see the order of frames indicated by small numbers on top of the Frame:
Frames can get reordered by selecting the flow icon arrow again and point the frame it should get reflowed into. If the Frame was not the last frame in the flow change the selected frame will then get inserted into the flow chain and the inserted frame will flow to the former flow target.
A form feed character (\f) will flow the text after the form feed character into the next frame.
Multi Line text can flow into a shape. For this, a shape feature in the same frame must be added. This already enables the Wrap Text Inside Shape option in the Shape tab and should flow the text into the shape. Next switch to the shape feature. There you can switch the Wrap Text Inside Shape option.
Shape Padding defines the distance the text needs to keep from the shape contour.
Multi Line text can also wrap around shapes, pictures and other text boxes. This is enabled by setting the Wrap Text Around option in the Position tab for the frame the text should flow around.
Please note that this only works for non rotated Multi Line text with vertical alignment top.
Text Flow Distance defines the distance the text needs to keep from the frame.
Note that if a frame has a shape feature it will define the outline to flow around. This is especially handy if you mask images with a shape or if you’d like to create an invisible flow around the area by using an invisible shape with fill color [None].
Wrap Inside Frame and Wrap Around Frame can also be combined together.
