Text
Adding text
Choose Text from the Add menu, click on the canvas and start typing. Press Return to commit the text, or Esc to finish.
To change text you have already placed, double-click it with the Select tool. While you are editing, a compact text toolbar appears in the inspector with the font, colour, size, bold, italic, underline and alignment controls, so you can restyle as you type.
The Text section
With a text object selected, the inspector's Text section offers:
| Control | Notes |
|---|---|
| Font | The font family |
| Colour | Text colour |
| Size | Font size |
| Bold, Italic, Underline | Style toggles |
| Alignment | Left, centre, right or justified |
| Vertical Position | Top, middle or bottom — where the text sits inside its box |
| Text Wrap | Whether long text wraps onto more lines |
| Text Overflow | What happens to text that does not fit |
Vertical Position only matters when the text box is taller than the text — for example after you have resized the box.
Fonts and the Edit menu
The Edit ▸ Font submenu mirrors the standard macOS font commands, and they apply to the selected text:
| Command | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show Fonts | ⌘T |
| Bold | ⌘B |
| Italic | ⌘I |
| Underline | ⌘U |
| Bigger | — |
| Smaller | — |
Spelling is also available: Check Spelling Now (⌘;), Spelling and Grammar… (⌘:) and Correct Spelling Automatically.
Text on a path
Text can run along any path instead of sitting in a box.
- Select the text and the path together.
- Choose Object ▸ Text on Path.
The text now follows the path, and the inspector's Text section gains an On Path row with three controls:
| Control | Notes |
|---|---|
| Start | Where along the path the text begins |
| Spacing | Extra space between characters |
| Flip | Runs the text along the other side of the path |
To undo it, select the text and choose Object ▸ Remove Text from Path. The text returns to being an ordinary text object; the path stays where it was.
Converting text to paths
Object ▸ Convert Text to Path turns the text into vector outlines.
Do this when you need the letterforms to be exact everywhere — for example before sending a document to someone who may not have the same fonts installed. The trade-off is that the result is no longer editable text: it is a shape, and you edit its vertices rather than its characters.