Changing font size

Changing font size

1. If the text is not active, use the Type toolto insert the cursor in the text area and choose Select > All.
2. In the Control panel, choose a preset size from the Font Size pop-up menu, or click and drag over the present size and enter a value in points. If the font size is not 12, choose 12 now.
   
   Changing the font size in the Control panel.
   
   

Changing font color

In this next section, you'll change the font color; you can change both the fill and/or the stroke of selected text. In this example you will change the fill.

1. Click and drag to select the first paragraph in the text area, or click three times.
2. Click the Fill color in the Control panel. When the Swatches panel appears choose White. The text fill changes to white.
   
   
   
3. While you still have the first line of text selected, change the font size by selecting 14 from the Font size pop-up menu in the Control panel.
4. Change the font style for the selected text by selecting the Font Style pop-up menu in the Control panel and choosing Bold.
   
   

Changing additional text attributes

By clicking the Character panel link in the Control panel you can change many other attributes that are worth investigating but not covered in this particular exercise.

A. Set the font family.
B. Set the font style.
C. Font size.
D. Kerning.
E. Horizontal Scale.
F. Baseline Shift.
G. Underline and Strikethrough.
H. Language.
I. Leading.
J. Tracking.
K. Vertical Scale.
L. Rotation.

Changing paragraph attributes

Just like with character attributes, you can set paragraph attributes (such as alignment or indenting) before you enter new type, or reset them to change the appearance of existing, selected type. If you select several type paths and type containers, you can set attributes for them all at the same time.

Now you'll add more space before all the paragraphs in the column text.

1. With the Type tool, insert the cursor anywhere in the text area and choose Select > All.
2. Click the word Paragraph in the Control panel. This links you to the Paragraph panel.
3. Type 6 in the Space Before Paragraph text field (in the bottom left corner) and press Enter. Spacing before paragraphs, rather than pressing the Return key, is recommended when creating large text areas.
   
   Enter a space before the paragraphs.
   
   

Changing text attributes

In this section, you'll discover how to change text attributes, such as size, font, and style. Fortunately, with this version most attributes can be changed quickly and easily in the Control panel.

1. With new project, select the Type tool and insert the cursor anywhere in the text area created earlier.
2. Choose Select > All, or Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac OS). All text becomes selected.
   
   In this next section, you will discover two different methods for font selection, both using the Control panel.
   
3. Change the font of selected text from the Font menu in the Control panel. Click the arrow to the right of the menu and scroll until you find the font Times, or Times New Roman.
   
   Choose fonts using the Control panel.
   
   
   
4. With the text still selected, choose from the menu items Type > Font to see the font display to the right of the font name. This may take a little more time because of the display, but scroll to change the selected font to Arial Regular or Helvetica.
   
   
   
5. This next method is the most dynamic method for selecting a font. Make sure the text is still selected and then follow these instructions:
   
   * Click and drag over the Font Name in the Font text field in the Control panel.
   
   Select the font name in the Control panel.
   
   
   
   * Now, begin typing the name, "Myriad Pro," an OpenType font. Illustrator will filter through the list.
   
6. Font styles are specific to each font family. Though you may have the Myriad Pro font family on your system, you may not have condensed and italic styles of that family. Find the available styles by choosing them from the Font Style pop-up menu.

Working with overflow text and text reflow

Each area type object contains an in port and an out port, which enable you to link to other objects and create a linked copy of the type object. An empty port indicates that all the text is visible and that the object isn't linked or overflowing. A red plus sign in an out port indicates that the object contains additional text. This remaining unseen text is called overflow text.



Note that since the text area created is too small, there is a plus sign in the out port.

There are two main methods for remedying overflow text.

• Thread the text to another text area.
• Re-size the text area.

Threading text

Thread, or connect, one text area to another to create a dynamic connection between the areas by following these steps:

1. Use the Selection tool to select the type area.
2. With the Selection tool, click the out port of the selected type area. The cursor changes to the loaded text icon.
3. Click and drag on an empty part of the artboard.
   
   Click on the out port of the overflowed text area. Click and drag to create a threaded text area.
   
   

Resizing the text area

For this next, you will see how to re-size the text area to make room for additional text.

1. If you have created additional text areas using the threading method, switch to the Selection tool and click to select and delete all but the original text area. Make sure the overflow text icon is still visible.
2. Use the Selection tool to drag a handle on the bounding box. Drag the handle on the middle of the right side so that the text area changes in size only horizontally. Click and drag to make the text area larger.
   
   Resizing the text using a middle handle.
   
   
   
3. Grab the lower right corner handle to see how dragging a corner handle will increase the size of the area both horizontally and vertically.
   
   Resizing the text area using a corner handle.
   
   
   
   Adjusting the type path using the Direct Selection tool is easiest when you're in Outline view.
   
   
   
4. You have completed the text flow. Choose File > Close. In the Adobe Illustrator alert window, choose not to save this file. This returns you to your original project.