Automatically Lay Out Type


As mentioned in Chapter 8, Illustrator is slowly adding desktop publishing features as it evolves. Among these are features that allow you to automatically wrap text around an image, automatically lay text out in columns , and instantly expand a headline to fill the width of a text box.

None of these features will inspire you to lay out a book in Illustrator ”that s a job for InDesign (or its rival, Quark). But Illustrator s quasi-desktop publishing features can simplify and speed up the process of designing a text-heavy poster, flyer, postcard, or brochure.

Wrap Type

You can manually wrap text around an object (such as an illustration) by simply creating a text box that fits around the object. You can also make this process even easier (if less exact) by using Illustrator s Text Wrapping feature to automatically wrap text around an object. To have text automatically wrapped around it, the object must be on top of the text. You can move an object in front of another one by selecting the object to move forward and choosing Object Arrange Bring to Front.

Select both the text block and the object around which the text will be wrapped. Then select Object Text Wrap Make Text Wrap, as shown in Figure 10-6.

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Figure 10-6: Preparing to wrap text around an object

After you apply a text wrap, the Text Wrap Options dialog box appears. The Bumper box allows you to define how much space you want to leave between the object and the text. As you set a value, if you have checked the Preview check box in the dialog box you can see how the text will flow around the object.

The Invert Wrap check box in the Text Wrap Options dialog box flows text through the wrapped object, instead of around the object ”which is what you usually want to do. After you tweak your wrap settings, click OK to create a text wrap like the one in Figure 10-7.

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Figure 10-7: Automatically wrapped text flows around an object.
Tip  

Automatically wrapped text does not flow around an object with the same accuracy and detail as text that flows into a box you design yourself. If automatic wrapping doesn't produce a close enough flow, use the technique described in the Link Text Boxes section earlier in this chapter to customize a precise text flow by drawing a text box with the exact text flow you need.

Lay Out with Columns

Illustrator allows you to lay out type in sequential rows or columns. The most useful application of this feature is to format text in columns. To lay out type in a text box in columns, select the text box and select Type Area Type Options. In the Rows box or Columns box, choose a number of columns or rows.

You can also define text flow options using the two buttons at the bottom of the dialog box. If you are flowing text from one row to the next, click the button on the right. To flow text from one column to the next , you will want to click the one on the left.

Fit Headlines

You can quickly and easily expand the width of a headline to fill the entire width of the text box. To do this, simply click anywhere in the text of a headline and choose Type Fit Headline.

When you apply the Fit Headline feature, you actually increase tracking for your headline, as shown in Figure 10-8.

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Figure 10-8: The tracking for the expanded headline has been increased to 189 percent, almost doubling the spacing between words and characters to fill the text box.



How to Do Everything with Illustrator CS
How to Do Everything with Adobe Illustrator CS
ISBN: 0072230924
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 175
Authors: David Karlins

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