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Create type on a path

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Use the Type on a Path   tool to add text to any path or shape outline, move or flip text, and add effects to it. You can also adjust the alignment of the text and spacing between the characters to modify the appearance.

Practice and learn how to use the Type on a Path tool with a hands-on tutorial in the Discover panel, without leaving the app.

Open tutorial
Tutorial

Add text along a path

Add text along a path

Add text along a path

Apply effects

Add text along a path

Move or flip text

Add text along a path

Add text along the outline of a design, logo, or path.

  1. Select Type on a Path tool   or Vertical Type on a Path tool  .

  2. Click your path or shape outline where you want to begin your text.

If your text cannot fit along your path, you can see   at the bottom of the bounding area. You can resize the type area to display the overflow text.

Add text along a path

Move or flip text

After you add text on a path, you can easily move your text to a different point or flip it to the other side of the path.

  1. Select your path with the Selection tool   or Direct Selection tool   to.

  2. Follow these options to move or flip text along a path:

    Move text along a path

    Move text along a path

    • Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and drag the center bracket .

    Flip text on a path

    Flip text from one side to another

    • Drag the center bracket  to the other side.

Apply effects

Apply different effects to match the style or concept of your artwork.

  1. Select the path.

  2. Select Type > Type on a Path and select any of these effects:

    Rainbow, Skew, 3D Ribbon, Stair Step, Gravity.

Path type effects
Path type effects

A. Rainbow B. Skew C. 3D Ribbon D. Stair Step 

Adjust alignment

You can align the text as per your design requirement.

  1. Select the path.

  2. Choose Type > Type on a Path > Type on a Path Options.

  3. Select any of the following Align To Path options to specify the alignment of your characters to the path:

Ascender

Aligns along the font’s top edge.

Descender

Aligns along the font’s bottom edge.

Center

Aligns along the point halfway between the font’s ascender and descender.

Baseline

Aligns along the baseline. This is the default setting.
Adjust your type alignment
Adjust alignment of your text

A. Ascender B. Descender C. Center D. Baseline 

Adjust spacing

Follow these steps to change the spacing between the characters on a path:

  1. Select the type object.

  2. Choose Type > Type On A Path > Type On A Path Options.

  3. Within the Spacing option, enter a higher value to remove the extra space between characters.

Adjust the spacing between characters

Tips and Tricks

  • If your path has Stroke or Fill attributes, Illustrator automatically removes them when you click the path with a type tool.
  • Gravity effect on a perfectly circular path looks like the default Rainbow effect. It performs as expected on oval, square, rectangular, or otherwise irregularly shaped paths.
  • The Spacing value does not affect characters positioned on straight paths. Apply Kerning or Tracking to change the spacing of characters along a straight path.
  • Characters without ascenders or descenders (such as a letter e) or a baseline (such as an apostrophe) align vertically with characters that have ascenders, descenders, and baselines.
  • To move text across a path without changing the direction of the type, use the Baseline Shift option in the Character panel. For example, if you have text that runs across the top of a circle, you can enter a negative number in the Baseline Shift text box to make the text flow inside the circle.

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