Create text

Point type is a horizontal or vertical line of text that begins where you click and expands as you enter characters. Each line of text is independent—the line expands or shrinks as you edit it, but doesn’t wrap to the next line. Entering text this way is useful for adding a few words to your artwork.

Area type (also called paragraph type) uses the boundaries of an object to control the flow of characters, either horizontally or vertically. When the text reaches a boundary, it automatically wraps to fit inside the defined area. Entering text this way is useful when you want to create one or more paragraphs, such as for a brochure.

Place text from a supported file right inside an object, such as a shape. You can place text from files in the .txt or .rtf formats, or files from word-processing applications. For example, you can place text from a .rtf file into a polygonal shape.

Filling type objects with placeholder text helps you visualize the design better. By default, Illustrator automatically fills new objects created using type tools with placeholder text. The placeholder text retains the font and size applied to the previous type object.

You can disable the default Illustrator behavior of filling all new type objects with placeholder text. Deselect Preferences > Type > Fill New Type Objects With Placeholder Text. 

After you disable the default behavior, you can still fill type objects with placeholder text on a case-by-case basis. Follow these steps:

You can resize text in different ways, depending on the whether you are creating point type, area type, or text along a path.

There is no limit for the amount of text that can be written using point type, so resizing of the text box is not required in this case.

When using the area type tool, you drag an object and type inside the selected area. In this case, the text resizes when you resize the object using the Direct Selection tool.

When you type text along a path, you can thread text between objects (see Threading text between objects), if the text does not fit in the selected path. In this case also, the text is resized if you resize the path using the Direct Selection tool.

When working with an area type object, you can control the margin between the text and the bounding path. This margin is referred to as the inset spacing.

When working with an area type object, you can control the alignment of the first line of text with the top of the object. This alignment is referred to as the first baseline offset. For example, you can make text stick up above the top of the object or fall a specific distance below the top of the object.

To thread (or continue) text from one object to the next, you link the objects. Linked type objects can be of any shape; however, the text must be entered in an area or along a path (not at a point).

Each area type object contains an in port and an out port, which enables 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. An arrow in a port indicates that the object is linked to another object. A red plus sign in an out port indicates that the object contains additional text. This remaining unseen text is called overflow text.

You can break threads and have the text flow into either the first or the next object, or you can remove all threads and have the text stay in place.

You can wrap area text around any object, including type objects, imported images, and objects you draw in Illustrator. If the wrap object is an embedded bitmap image, Illustrator wraps the text around opaque or partially opaque pixels and ignores fully transparent pixels.

Wrapping is determined by the stacking order of objects, which you can view in the Layers panel by clicking the triangle next to the layer name. To wrap text around an object, the wrap object must be in the same layer as the text and located directly above the text in the layer hierarchy. You can drag contents up or down in the Layers panel to change hierarchy.

You can set wrap options before or after you wrap the text.

To align text according to the bounding box of the actual glyphs instead of the font metrics, do the following:

After applying these settings, you get the same alignment as outlined text, while keeping the text live.

Deleting unused type objects makes your artwork easier to print and reduces the file size. You can create empty type objects, for example, if you inadvertently click the Type tool in the artwork area and then choose another tool.