Adobe Illustrator - Text question

Author

Text question

steggy

2007-07-02, 6:14 pm

In Illustrator CS2 the text is defined in a frame. That
frame is always wider and higher than the text.

How can I be sure how wide the text is, whether it be in
inches or millimeters. Now I have to manually reshape the
frame, with the eye so to say, or draw a rectangle with the
desired width and then play with the text.....that is not
the way to work.
It seems to me only outlining the text gives me exact
measurements?

inez

2007-07-03, 3:15 am

steggy wrote:
> In Illustrator CS2 the text is defined in a frame. That frame is always
> wider and higher than the text.
>
> How can I be sure how wide the text is, whether it be in inches or
> millimeters. Now I have to manually reshape the frame, with the eye so
> to say, or draw a rectangle with the desired width and then play with
> the text.....that is not the way to work.
> It seems to me only outlining the text gives me exact measurements?

That sounds scary. Is there no text inset preference or setting you can
change?

jbl

2007-07-03, 6:15 pm

On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:32:10 +0200, steggy <steggy@me.privacy.net>
wrote:

>In Illustrator CS2 the text is defined in a frame. That
>frame is always wider and higher than the text.
>
>How can I be sure how wide the text is, whether it be in
>inches or millimeters. Now I have to manually reshape the
>frame, with the eye so to say, or draw a rectangle with the
>desired width and then play with the text.....that is not
>the way to work.
>It seems to me only outlining the text gives me exact
>measurements?

I don't profess to be able to answer your question but the only time I
see a 'frame', Illustrator calls it a bounding box, is when I select
it with the Selection tool (V). I do not see it with the Direct
Selection too (A).

If you go to the View menu you can select Show/ Hide bounding box. If
you select Hide you won't see it even with the Selection tool (V).

In either case the only measurements I see are the X and Y locations
of the bounding box.

My bounding box is 'exactly' the same width as the text inside.

By default the text sets on a baseline that is above the bottom of the
bound box, leaving space in the bounding box above the text and below
the text.

I can adjust the baseline of the text to where ever I want it, exactly
at the bottom of the bounding box, even outside and below the bounding
box if I want to.

And as far as I know, you are correct, in that the only way that I see
to get what the exact measurements of the actual text are, is to
create a copy and create outlines and then see what they are.

If you had to do that very often it might be a tedious prosess and
somebody out there might know of a workaround.

jbl

steggy

2007-07-03, 6:15 pm

jbl wrote:
> On Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:32:10 +0200, steggy <steggy@me.privacy.net>
> wrote:
>
>
> I don't profess to be able to answer your question but the only time I
> see a 'frame', Illustrator calls it a bounding box, is when I select
> it with the Selection tool (V). I do not see it with the Direct
> Selection too (A).
>
> If you go to the View menu you can select Show/ Hide bounding box. If
> you select Hide you won't see it even with the Selection tool (V).
>
> In either case the only measurements I see are the X and Y locations
> of the bounding box.
>
> My bounding box is 'exactly' the same width as the text inside.
>
> By default the text sets on a baseline that is above the bottom of the
> bound box, leaving space in the bounding box above the text and below
> the text.
>
> I can adjust the baseline of the text to where ever I want it, exactly
> at the bottom of the bounding box, even outside and below the bounding
> box if I want to.
>
>
> And as far as I know, you are correct, in that the only way that I see
> to get what the exact measurements of the actual text are, is to
> create a copy and create outlines and then see what they are.
>
> If you had to do that very often it might be a tedious prosess and
> somebody out there might know of a workaround.
>
> jbl

Thanks for the answer jbl.

You are right it is called a Bounding Box. Maybe I have my
settings in a way that the Box always is there. Somehow
however it is always wider (on the right side)....I have no
clue how to mend that. I am not so much concerned about the
vertical measurements, more about the horizontal ones.

So...how to set the Bounding Box that way it has the same
width as the text might be my question, I am sure with an
easy answer;)

LawnElf

2007-07-03, 10:14 pm

Once upon a time, steggy scrawled out...
<snip>
> Somehow
> however it is always wider (on the right side)....I have no
> clue how to mend that. I am not so much concerned about the
> vertical measurements, more about the horizontal ones.
<snip>

Silly question, but perhaps you're adding a space at the end of your text?

--
Jim
(aka LawnElf)
http://lawnelf.deviantart.com
http://www.myspace.com/lawnelf
Let go of your inhibitions to email me

"Two wrongs don't make a right... but three lefts do"

Hank

2007-07-04, 6:15 pm

LawnElf wrote:
> Once upon a time, steggy scrawled out...
> <snip>
> <snip>
>
> Silly question, but perhaps you're adding a space at the end of your text?
>
Justify your text within the box, or track out the individual lines to
fit exactly. Characters carry a little bit of space with them on the
right and the rag of the paragraph will break the line after that little
bit of space, not flush at the box edge; that's the way font kerning
tables work; the only way to have it fit flush right is by
justification. If the horizontal measurement of the paragraph is
important, why not just measure it, draw a guide, and track your type to
the guide?