TEXT

A text box is simply a transparent "piece of paper" where your text resides. It is created using the text box tool. Once you have created the box, you can either type in it from scratch, using the content tool, or import text which has been created in MicroSoft Word or other word processor.

To "get" text from an external file, two things have to be so: the text box must be active—with control points showing—so XPress knows where you want to put the text. The content tool must also be selected, so XPress knows that you are about to deal with the contents of this box.
Once this has been established, go to the File menu. About halfway down, select the option to "get text."

If "get text" is dimmed, either the text box isn't active, or the content tool isn't selected.

A dialog box will appear asking you to locate the text file you want. Once you have found the file you need, either double click on it, or select it and click "open."

Quark XPress puts the text in the box for you.

The text box needs to be selected, and the content tool active to "get" text, or to type from scratch.

If the text box is too small for the amount of text, you will see a red icon in the bottom right corner. You must either enlarge the box, or create an empty text box and link the first one to the new one.

If the box is too small, you will see a red icon in the bottom right.

Linking text boxes is essential when you have several columns or pages of text. You can create a document with linked boxes by choosing “Automatic Text Box” in the New document dialog box. If you create boxes from scratch, you need to use the link tool to connect them.

To link more than one box at a time, hold the Option key when you select the link tool.

1) Click in your first text box: you’ll see dancing ants around it.

2) Click in the second text box. You’ll see an arrow icon that goes from the bottom right of the first box to the top left of the second one.

3) Continue to click in consecutive boxes until you’re done. Then make sure you go back and select the content tool again.

Working with text

To make any changes to text in your document, you must select it with your content tool:

1. Double clicking a word will select it.

2. Triple clicking a word will select the entire line.

3. Clicking four times on a word will select an entire paragraph.

4. Clicking five time will select all the text in any boxes linked to the current one.

5. You can click the cursor at the beginning or end of the portion of text you want to select., then hold your shift key and click at the end or beginning of the text you want to include in the selection.

6. If you want to select all the text in a box, even if some of it isn’t showing, use command A

Create style sheets (Edit > style sheets) to redefine “normal” and to create additional styles. You can put your style palette on the desktop by selecting “show style sheets” from the Window menu.

You can also make changes to your text by using the measurements palette or the Character Attributes dialog box (command shift D) under the Style menu. This dialog box looks almost identical to the Character Style Sheet box, but you won’t be able to save the choices you make here—only apply them to the selected text.

Specify the parameters for paragraphs using the Format dialog (command shift F) box under the Style menu. Again, the options are almost identical to those available when defining paragraph attributes using Edit > Style Sheets.

Initial Caps

If you specify initial caps for any particular paragraph, there are some ways to play with the results.

Hanging Indents

An interesting technique for introducing a new topic or for creating a list is the use of a hanging indent. This is achieved using the “left indent” and “first line” attributes from Style > format (command shift F).

Select the paragraph you want to deal with and set your “left indent to a positive number (i.e. .25”) and the “first line” to the equivalent negative number (i.e. -.25”).

Tabs

Creating tabs is most often used when you need a table or list of some kind. There are several kinds of tabs—flush left, right, centered, and decimal for starters. To set tabs for any piece of text, select it first and then choose Style > tabs or command shift T.

You can either set the tab stops by first selecting the kind of tab you want, and then typing in a specific point on the ruler, or (easier) select the kind of tab you want and then click in the ruler that appears above the text box you want to change.

Any tab setting can utilize the “fill character” attribute. Just type the character (i.e. a period) in that box to create a visual connection between the first word(s) and the tabbed data (i.e. page number).

Text before setting any tab stops.

After setting a decimal tab stop.

Text using a fill character.

Kerning and Tracking

Adjusting the space between letter can be handled in two fashions: in a global way for the entire document, use Edit > style sheets to create a “normal” text style, and specify a positive or negative letter spacing in the “track amount” box.

If you want to apply tracking to just a line or a paragraph, select the text and use the tracking box in the measurements window.

When dealing with display type, you may want to both track the sentence, and then kern between individual letters. To kern, place the text cursor between the two letters that need adjusting and either click on the arrows (left to tighten, right to loosen) or type a specific amount in the box. Hold the Option key to kern in one point increments.

Headline Tricks

XPress has features that allow you to manipulate display text in unusual ways.
While my temptation is to create these in Illustrator, there are benefits to doing it in XPress—for one, it’s native to the software and eliminates the need for an external illustration.

While the following examples represent what’s possible,
it in no way should be an indication that these are smart choices to make.

While all text needs to be placed or created in a text box, there is one exception: when using the text path tools. In this case, you need only create the path, rather than a text box.

To create text on a curved path you can use either the pen (bezier) text-path tool or the freehand text-path tool. After completing your path, reselect the content tool to type along it. Use the Style menu items or the measurements palette to
make your modifications to the text (remember to select it first!).

Use the line-text path tool to create angled line. Conversely, you could just rotate
a text box.

Use the pen text-path tool to put type around a box or along a path with sharp
corners—watch the spacing between words and letters!

Reverse text by creating a colored box, then adding a text box on top with white letters. If you do it using one text box, you'll want to remember to use Item > modify to set the vertical alignment to centered, and add a text inset dimension.

You can create drop shadow text using the measurements palette (top), but creating two identical text boxes and offsetting them gives you more control over both positioning and the shade of gray (or color) you want.

Use Style > modify to reverse and skew a duplicate text box.

Turn display type into picture boxes by selecting one line at a time and using Style > text to box.

Use File > get picture to fill the text.

Or fill it with a blend, using the color palette.

After converting display type to boxes, you can use the Item > split command to reshape each letter and use a separate fill or image for each.

(In this illustration, I duplicated the letters, filled them with gray, and sent them behind the colored letters.)

Another word about typography

One of the surest signs of a design hacker is how the text is keyboarded (input) and then formatted in an XPress document. There are many rules that were important to follow when typing on a typewriter that absolutely do not apply to text generated digitally.

Some small, but significant new rules are important to bear in mind as you begin to type, and format, your manuscript.

1) Only use the return key to create a new paragraph. Word processors and layout programs will advance to a new line automatically, so there is no need for a "return" within a paragraph. If, however, you very much want a sentence to appear on several lines (as in a headline) then use shift + return key.

2) Always define a paragraph indent using style sheets or defining it under "formats..." from the Style menu. Do NOT use spaces or tabs.

3) Only use one space between sentences, rather than two.

4) If your document will be requiring the use of bold and/or italic styles, chose a typeface that has those styles as separate fonts, rather than using the "type style..." options under the Style menu or the measurement palette.

5) Never ever let "auto" define your leading. Choose a point size (the size of your type plus or minus the number of points of leading you want).

6) If you are creating frames for your text boxes, or filling them with color, always inset your type at least 6 points from the edges (using "modify" under the Item menu).