MACROMEDIA FREEHAND MX 11, Use Manual

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CHAPTER 8
Using Type
Text that you place in a Macromedia FreeHand MX document is contained in a text block. To
control the appearance of text in your document, you can manipulate text and text blocks in a
variety of ways. You can precisely control type specifications and apply stroke and fill colors to
text and text blocks. You can format type in columns, rows, and tables. You can also place text
inside objects or along paths, or place inline graphics in text blocks.
To ensure that text on your pages displays and prints correctly, use either PostScript or TrueType
fonts. For more information, see “About printing fonts” on page 383.
Creating text
In FreeHand, you create text by clicking or dragging with the Text tool to create a text block, and
then typing in the text block to enter text.
New text that you enter in FreeHand is formatted with the default text attributes in the Object
panel or the currently selected text style in the Styles panel. For information on changing text
specifications, see “Setting precise type specifications” on page 250.
By default, clicking with the Text tool creates an auto-expanding text block that expands as you
enter text. You can change this behavior by setting text preferences. Dragging with the Text tool
creates a fixed-size text block in which text automatically wraps from one line to the next. For
more information, see “Working with text blocks” on page 234.
When you use the Text tool to create or select text, the text ruler is displayed. For information on
hiding the text ruler, see “Selecting text” on page 238.