PageStream offers two ways to put text on a page: text frames and text blocks.
Text frames are containers in which text may be entered. Most text frames are rectangular text column frames with one or more columns. Text frames created from irregular shapes are referred to as text shape frames. Text column frames are normally used for the body text of a document and text shape frames are used for special effects. Text frames can be linked together so that text will flow between them. Use text frames for the body text of your documents.
Text blocks are frameless text used for titles, headers, footers and other small blocks of type. They lack defined right and bottom margins, so they don't have fixed edges within which to wrap text. You must press the Return key to end each line of text in a text block. Text blocks cannot be linked to other blocks or frames.
Text frames and text blocks can be manipulated as objects with the Object tool in the same way as shapes created with the drawing tools. The Text tool is used to edit and format text in a text frame or text block.
Resizing a text frame will cause the text inside to reflow to fill the new dimensions of the text frame. Resizing a frameless text block will cause the size of the text to resize proportionally to the new dimensions of the text block.
Most text is entered into text column frames. This type of text frame can be divided into multiple columns which are permanently linked together. You can change the number of columns in a text column frame at any time.
You can create text frames on multiple pages at once with the Create Text Frames command, or you can draw a single frame with the Column tool.
1. Choose Create Text Frames from the Layout menu.
The Create Text Frames dialog box will appear.
2. Select the column options.
Enter the number of columns to create and the gutter space between them. You can also set their margins, the pages on which to create them, and whether or not to link the frames from page to page.
3. Click Create.
1. Select a Column tool from the toolbox.
Select the one, two or three column tool.The mouse pointer will change to a drawing crosshair.
2. Drag the mouse to start the frame.
Position the mouse crosshair over the start point of the frame. Drag the mouse in any direction while holding down the mouse button.
3. Release the mouse button to end the frame.
Depending on which tool is selected it would create a one, two or three text column(s) frame.
To change the number of columns in a text frame after creating it: Select the frame with the Object tool. Choose Text Frame Options from the Frame submenu in the Object menu to display a dialog box with column and gutter options. Alternatively, enter new values into the Edit palette's #C and G text boxes for text column frames.
Text shape frames are used for special effects. PageStream allows you to convert any shape or path into a text frame. For example, you could draw an ellipse, convert it to a text frame, and then type directly into it. PageStream will treat the shape or path, no matter how irregular, as the margins for the text.
If you join objects together with the Join command and convert the result to a text frame, text will flow into the portions of the path which do not overlap.
The gray portions of the objects on the left show where text would be placed. The text would be drawn from left to right starting at the top, just as it would in normal text frames.
Note that you cannot convert groups or drawings into text frames, because they are not a single object.
Text shape frames retain all the properties of their original object type. For example, you can continue to edit the arc angles of a pie slice after converting it to a text frame.
To convert a shape or path into a text shape frame: Select the object to convert with the Object tool, and then choose Text Frame from the Frame submenu in the Object menu. This command will be checkmarked when a shape is capable of holding text.
Choose None from the Frame submenu to turn off the text container ability of a text shape frame. Note that this will delete the text it contains.
Text frames are useful because the text in them can be wordwrapped. Text blocks lack defined right and bottom margins so you must press Return at the end of each line. They are intended for short blocks of text such as titles, captions,Text FX, headers and footers, and cannot be linked together like text frames.
To create a text block: Choose the Text tool and click on a blank area of the page. If you click on another text block or a text frame, the insertion point will be placed in that object rather than creating a new text block. You can click on top of non-text objects to create a text block. The text block will initially have no width. You can begin typing immediately to enter text. Press Return to end each line.
When you resize a text column frame, the text in it reflows without changing the size of the text. The text may or may not fit in the frame's new size. When you resize a text block, the text in it resizes in proportion to the object's new size.