Scaling Text

While you're roughing out a design, you'll probably find yourself changing type sizes, object placement, and colors as you go. Changing the size of text can get a little tedious ‚ especially if the text is tucked into its own frame. You have to select the Type tool, highlight the text, enter a new size, then often switch to the Selection tool to resize the frame so the text doesn't overflow. For a more interactive method of resizing text, you can use the Scale tool to resize the text and its frame at the same time.

To use the Scale tool, click it in the Tools palette or press S (if the Type tool is not selected). If the text frame is not already selected it, you'll need to z +click or Ctrl+click. Then simply drag any frame edge or handle in any direction. To scale proportionally so the text is not distorted , press the Shift key while you drag. The amount of scaling is reported in the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y Percentage fields in the Transform pane or in the Control palette.

Caution ‚  

Be careful in scaling text frames and the text within them. If you modify multiple text frames that contain similar items (such as headlines), you'll end up with inconsistent text formatting for like items, which will look terrible. You should scale text only when it is a unique element, such as a headline in an ad, and thus not likely to create visual inconsistencies.