Wrap Text in Adobe Illustrator

To wrap text around any Adobe Illustrator object, bring the object to the front of the document, then navigate to the "Text Wrap" option in the "Object" menu. Text-wrapping is often used in graphic design to create integrated, professional-looking images that stand out. Learn how to use the Text Wrap tools in Illustrator to wrap your text around a shape, photo, drawing, or any imported object. Make sure you also learn how to undo your changes!

Steps

Wrapping Text Around an Object

  1. Open Adobe Illustrator.
  2. Press ⌘ Command+N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (Windows) to create a new Illustrator document.[1] Once a new document is created, you can place an object (like an image) and create some text to work with.
    • If you’re already working in a document that has both an object and text, there’s no need to create a new one.
  3. Place an object into your document with ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+⇧ Shift+P (Windows).[2] This keyboard shortcut will create the image or shape you’d like to wrap text around.
  4. Select the Text tool by pressing ⌘ Command+T (Mac) or Ctrl+T (Windows). With this tool, you can click anywhere on the document and begin typing.
  5. Type in the text you'd like to wrap.
    • Increase the size of selected text with ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+> (Mac) or Ctrl+⇧ Shift+> (Windows).
    • Decrease selected text size with ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+< (Mac) or Ctrl+⇧ Shift+< (Windows).
  6. Click the Selection tool (the arrow), then click the object you placed earlier. Now that you have at text and an object, it’s time to wrap the text. To select more than one object, hold the Ctrl key as you click.
  7. Navigate to the Object menu and find "Arrange"
  8. Select “Bring to Front”. This brings the selected object to the front of the text, which is necessary to make text wrap around it.
  9. Navigate to the Object menu and find "Text Wrap"
  10. Select “Make”. The text will now wrap around all selected objects.
  11. Use the Select tool to drag the object to a different area of the document.[3] Notice how the text that wraps around the object automatically adjusts to the object’s new location.
    • If the object is not a perfect square or rectangle (for example, a drawing of a dog) and you’d like the text to wrap along the path of its curves/edges, click the Pen tool, then draw around the outline of the object. Once the outline is complete, click the “Object” menu, choose “Text Wrap,” then “Make.”
    • Press ⌘ Cmd+Z or Ctrl+Z to undo your changes if desired.
  12. Navigate to the Object menu, and find "Text Wrap".
  13. Select “Text Wrap Options”. This will allow you to adjust some of the visual elements of the text wrapping.
    • Change the value in the "Offset" box to adjust the distance between object and text. The larger the number, the more space will appear between the text and the object(s). Use a negative (-) number to make the text overlap the object.
    • Check "Invert Wrap" to make the text appear inside of the object and wrap within it rather than around it.
  14. Click “OK” to apply your changes.[4]
    • To undo a change you just made, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or ⌘ Command+Z (Mac) to undo them.
  15. Click “File,” then “Save As” to save your work. Type a file name you’ll remember, then click “Save.”
    • If you don’t want to create a brand new document, just click “File,” then “Save” to commit your changes.

Unwrapping Text from an Object

  1. Click the Selection tool (the arrow) on the toolbar. If you no longer want wrapped text, you can “release” the wrapping. First you’ll need to select the object.
  2. Click the object with the wrapped text. This will highlight the shape (or photo) and the text as a single object. What you’ll do next is separate these two elements.
  3. Navigate to the "Object" menu and find "Text Wrap".
  4. Select “Release”. The image and text box should now be separate. You can select both elements individually and move them around as desired.
  5. Click “File”, then “Save” to make your changes permanent.
    • If you’d prefer to save the unwrapped image as a new file, click “Save As” instead, then choose a new name for the new file. This effectively creates two versions of your file - the original and the newly-edited version.


Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.academyclassblog.co.uk/illustrator-creating-text-wrap/
  2. ↑ http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=2175998&seqNum=8
  3. ↑ http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/wrapping-text-around-an-image-in-illustrator
  4. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/saving-artwork.html
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