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Working with Text
the Paragraph panel
and the menu options.
single-line composer
type tools in the tools panel
Type tool
Area Type tool
Type On A Path tool
Vertical Type tool
Vertical Area Type tool
Vertical Type On A Path tool
W O R K I N G W I T H T E X T
Text composition methods
The appearance of type on the page depends on a complex interaction of
processes called composition. Using the word spacing, letter spacing, glyph
scaling, and hyphenation options you've selected, Illustrator evaluates possible
line breaks and chooses the one that best conforms to the specified parameters.
Illustrator offers two composition methods: the Adobe Every-line Composer and
the Adobe Single-line Composer.
The single-line composer offers a traditional approach to composing type—one
line at a time. This option is useful if you want manual control over how lines
break or if you are working with legacy text that you do not want to reflow.
The every-line composer considers a network of break points for a range of lines,
and can optimize earlier lines in the paragraph in order to eliminate especially
unattractive breaks later on.
To choose one of these methods use the Paragraph panel menu. If you select
your type object with the Selection tool, Illustrator applies the method to all
paragraphs that are contained in it; if you click the text insertion point in a
paragraph the option will be applied only to that paragraph.
FreeHand uses a text composition engine that is very similar to the Adobe Single
every-line composer
Line Composer; if you notice unwanted text-reflow in a converted document, try
changing the composition method.
Type tools
In FreeHand, you use the Text tool to enter text, either into fixed size or auto
expanding text blocks, and then flow it into a shape or attach it to a path. In
Illustrator, there are three methods for creating type: at a point, inside an area,
and along a path.
• Point type is a horizontal or vertical line of text that begins where you click
on the artboard with the Type tool and expands as you enter characters. This
method is useful for adding a few words to your artwork. Point type resizes
when you drag the handles of the bounding box.
• Area type uses the boundaries of a selected vector object to control the flow
of characters. When the text reaches a boundary, it automatically wraps to fit
inside the defined area. This method is useful when you want to create one or
more paragraphs, such as for a brochure. Create a container for area type by
clicking and dragging a rectangular shape with the Type tool, or use the Area
Type tool to select any closed path to contain your text. You can also create a
text area by clicking and dragging on the artboard with the Type tool. You can
modify the shape of the type area by dragging handles of the bounding box;
text will reflow in the new shape.
• Type on a path flows along the edge of an open or closed path. The text flows
in the direction in which points were added to the path.
In addition to typing text in your artwork, you can import it from a variety of text
file formats (for example Microsoft Word, RTF format, or plain text documents)
by choosing File > Place.
Freehand to Illustrator Migration guide
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Working with text 31
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