Applying Text Formats
Applying Text Formats
Canvas X Draw provides three ways to format text: the Properties bar, Text menu, and Type palette. The Type palette is also used when you create and save paragraph and character styles to use again within a document.
When you use menu commands or the Properties bar to apply formatting, the settings you choose affect the document immediately. However, with the Type palette, the settings take effect when you click Apply. You do not have to click Apply before switching to another tab within the Type palette; Canvas X Draw remembers all changes and applies them simultaneously with one click.
You must apply or save the new settings before clicking the pointer anywhere outside the Type palette. If you don’t, the settings will be lost.
To Apply Character Formatting to Existing Text:
Select the characters you want to change. Choose the formatting you want to apply.
To Apply Paragraph Formatting to Existing Text:
Select text in the paragraph you want to change, or place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph. Choose the formatting you want to apply.
To Establish Formatting for New Text Objects:
When you create a new text object, Canvas X Draw applies a preset format to text you type. You can define the preset format for new text objects. To establish or modify the preset, follow these steps:
- Be sure you have not selected any text or text objects, and no text objects are in Edit mode. To deselect all objects, press Esc twice.
- Use one of the methods to choose formatting options. If you use the Type palette, be sure to click the Apply button after making changes.
Canvas X Draw uses the specified settings to format new text objects that you create.
To Change Formatting Before Typing New Text:
Set the format for text you are about to type without changing the preset format for new text objects.
- Place the text object in Edit mode. (See To Select Text within a Text Object:.) The pointer should appear as an I-beam and an insertion point (a flashing vertical line) should appear in the text.
- Place the insertion point by clicking the I-beam where you want the new formatting to begin.
- Use one of the methods to choose formatting options. If you use the Type palette, be sure to click the Apply button after making changes.
- Begin typing. The text appears with the chosen formatting. If you begin typing in the middle of a paragraph, only the new text has the new settings.
Formatting Text with the Properties Bar
When using various tools to create or select text objects, the text formatting options appear in the Properties bar. Format your text using the Properties bar options in addition to the Type palette (Text | Type) and Text menu commands.
Text Formatting Options
Font | Select a font from the drop-down menu. The font applies to selected text objects, highlighted text, or the next text you type. |
Text styles | Click the styles buttons to assign standard text styles. |
Size | Select a size from the drop-down menu. The size applies to selected text objects, highlighted text, or the next text you type. To increase the font size, you can also click the +A. To decrease the font size, you can click -A. |
Tab | Select left, right, center, decimal, or comma from the menu and then click in the ruler to set the tab. (See Positioning Tabs.) |
Horizontal alignment | |
Text attributes | Use the pop-up palettes to apply a text fill ink, text pen ink, background ink, and text frame ink. For the text stroke and frame stroke, you can also assign a pen width. |
Leading | Select an option from the drop-down menu, or choose Exactly and enter a value in the field and press Enter. |
Kerning | Select an option from the menu or enter a value in the field and press Enter. |
Scaling | Specify percentages (horizontal & vertical) by which you want to scale the current type size. |
Space | Insert spacing before or after a paragraph by entering values in the fields. |
Vertical alignment | Select the top, bottom, center, or justify button. |
Insert | Select a special character from the drop-down menu. |
Specifying Fonts
To Select a Font from the Text Menu:
- Choose Text | Font. A checkmark appears next to the current font.
- Choose a font.
The Fonts Palette
Use this palette to quickly view and apply fonts, font styles, as well as type size.
To Open the Palette:
Choose Window | Palettes | View Fonts. Use the scroll bar to view the available fonts.
- To select a font: Click the font name in the list.
- To apply appearance font styles: Click the one of the style buttons.
- To change type size: Select one from the drop-down menu.
To Apply Font Styles Using the Type Palette:
- Choose Window | Palettes | Type...
- Click the Character tab.
- Click the Style buttons to change appearance styles.
- Choose Upper, Lower, Normal, or Title in the Case menu.
- Choose Normal, Superscript, or Subscript in the Baseline menu. If you are applying superscript or subscript, specify the distance from the baseline (in points) in the text box. Normal baseline always has an elevation of zero points.
- Click Apply to implement the font style settings.
Tips for Font Installation and Use
On Mac systems, Canvas X Draw uses fonts installed in the Font Book application.In the Font Book application, use the Install Font button in the bottom corner of the application. Please see your Mac help file for more information.
Canvas X Draw can use fonts that are properly installed as described above. Canvas X Draw does not list all fonts available in Font Book.
Guidelines for Choosing Fonts
There are three types of fonts widely available: PostScript, TrueType, and OpenType. You can’t distinguish the three types in the Canvas X Draw menus; however, you should be aware of the different types of fonts you have, because each font is best suited for particular purposes.
- PostScript Type 1 fonts are the standard for image setting. PostScript produces high-quality printed text. For onscreen display, however, PostScript needs screen fonts. If the screen font for a particular point size is not installed, the text appears jagged onscreen.
- TrueType fonts are suitable for most desktop publishing purposes when you are printing in-house. TrueType fonts produce good quality printed text, and the onscreen appearance closely resembles the printed output, even when the screen font is unavailable.
- OpenType fonts are the solution to font sharing across platforms. Canvas X Draw offers basic support for OpenType fonts, including vertical glyph substitutions in East-Asian fonts.
Specifying Type Size
Choose from standard type sizes using either the Properties bar, Text menu, or Fonts palette. To reduce or increase a font size in 1-point increments, choose Text | Size..
To Set Type Size Using Menu Commands:
- Choose Text | Size. A checkmark appears next to the current type size.
- Choose one of the sizes in the submenu. The size setting applies immediately.
Applying Font Styles
Font styles are different character types, such as bold, italic, or superscript, as well as capitalization modes.
Styles can be chosen and applied with either the Properties bar, Text menu, Type palette, or Fonts palette.
Font styles can be categorized into three groups: appearance, capitalization, and baseline position. You can apply multiple appearance styles to the same text; however, you are restricted to one each of capitalization and baseline styles.
Appearance Styles
Appearance styles include plain, bold, italic, underline, outline, shadow, and strikethrough. Except for the Plain option, use as many of these appearances as you like on the same text. Depending on the typeface, using certain styles might not have the desired effect, and can even make text appear ugly when printed; e.g., applying bold to a heavy weight typeface can make characters look too thick. Similarly, applying italic to an already italicized font might exaggerate the slant of the characters.
Applying the Plain setting removes other font styles that have been applied to revert text to its standard appearance.
Capitalization Styles
Capitalization styles format text as uppercase, lowercase, or title (first letter of each word capitalized) styles. Apply one of these capitalization styles to the same text: Normal, Upper, Lower, and Title.
You can also format lowercase text to uppercase while maintaining the same height (as the lowercase version). Choose Text | Style | Small Caps.
Baseline Position
The baseline of text is the imaginary horizontal line on which characters sit. To position characters above (superscript) or below (subscript) the normal baseline, shift the baseline position.
Canvas X Draw does not change the type size of superscript and subscript text. Unless you reduce the type size of shifted text, the line size increases by the amount of the baseline shift. As a result, the line spacing might change, depending on the leading setting. If you don’t want the line spacing to change, reduce the type size of shifted text by the same amount (or more) of the baseline shift, or you can specify leading in points. (See Setting Line and Paragraph Spacing.)
If you use the Style submenu to change baseline position, you can choose either Superscript or Subscript to shift text the baseline by roughly 27 to 33 percent of point size of the line; e.g., superscript text in a line of 12-point text appears 4.0 points above the normal baseline.
If you use the Character tab of the Type palette to change the baseline position, you can specify the exact distance (in points) of text above or below the normal baseline.
To Apply Font Styles Using Menu Commands:
- Choose Text | Style to open the Style submenu. Checkmarks appear next to the active styles.
- Choose the font style you want to apply. Choosing an active style turns off the style. Canvas X Draw implements the setting immediately.
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