Tracing its origin to old religious texts, a drop cap is a letter at the start of a paragraph that’s larger than the rest of the text. Fast-forward to modern times; add a drop cap to your text to grab attention and add some serious style to your page in Adobe InDesign.
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Add a drop cap in one step
With the Type tool, insert a cursor anywhere in the first line. Click More Options (three dots) in the Paragraph section of the Properties panel. Type a number in Drop Cap Number of Lines to increase the drop cap’s height. Make it as large as you like; we made our drop cap as tall as our poem (nine lines).
Make your drop cap jump off the page
In the Character section of the Properties panel, change the drop cap’s appearance using the text formatting controls. Try changing the font, style, and fill color.
We tried these variations:
Add a modern twist
With the Type tool, select your drop cap letter, and choose Type > Create Outlines so you can apply some effects without affecting the rest of the text. Select the drop cap with the Selection tool, and then locate fx in the Appearance section of the Properties, and experiment with effects. We applied a hard-edged drop shadow in a contrasting color.
Add some padding between your drop cap and text
With the Type tool selected, insert your cursor between the drop cap and the next letter, and increase Kerning (space between consecutive letters) in the Character section.
Instead of a drop shadow, you could fill your drop cap with colorful artwork. Select the outlined drop cap with the Selection tool, and then choose Object > Content > Graphic. Now choose File > Place and select any vector drawing, pattern, or photo to enhance your drop cap.
Now that you know how to make a distinctive drop cap, practice these techniques to add personality to your text.
