Fitting Text in Frames in Publisher 2000 

Ever wonder why the size of your font sometimes shrinks or grows when you resize a text frame? Publisher is automatically resizing your text so it fits in the frame.

Fitting Text

Publisher offers two ways to automatically adjust the font size of your text so that it fits in your text frame. Access these choices with the AutoFit Text command on the Format menu.

Best Fit  This feature reduces or expands the font size for optimal fit in the text frame. For example, if a headline doesn't fit on one line, you can use Best Fit to reduce the font size of the text until it does fit. Highlight the text. Point to AutoFit Text on the Format menu, and then click Best Fit. The text shrinks or expands to fit in the text frame. To turn off Best Fit, under AutoFit Text, click None.

Shrink Text on Overflow  To reduce the point size of the text so that the text is no longer in the overflow area, click the text frame. Point to AutoFit Text on the Format menu, and then click Shrink Text On Overflow. The overflow area text shrinks until it fits the frame. To turn off Shrink Text On Overflow, under AutoFit Text, click None.

Note  To turn off automatic copyfitting, point to AutoFit Text on the Format menu, and then click None. The font size now remains the same whenever you resize the text frame.

Using Text Frame Margins

Publisher defines margins for all four sides of a text frame. The text frame margin defines the amount of white space between the text and the text frame boundary. The space between the two affects how text wraps and how snugly it fits in the frame.

The text frame margins you create also affect how text appears next to art in your publication. (On the Format menu, click Text Frame Properties. Under Margins, enter the settings for the left, right, top, and bottom margins. Click OK. )

If you create narrow margins in your text frames, the text prints very closely to the edge of the text frame or picture frame. If you create wide margins in your text frames, there will be more space around your text and pictures, which makes the layout appear more open.

Setting Up Columns Within a Text Frame

When you want a story to flow from one column to the next on the same page, use multiple columns within one text frame, as shown below in the example on the left. Your layout is then easy to manage because the columns behave and move as one object. Text flows from column to column, left to right, in the text frame.

If you want separate stories in adjacent columns on the same page, create a separate text frame for each story. Then, if you want to continue either story on another page, you can connect the text to another frame, as shown below in the example in the middle.

If you want your story to have columns of varying widths, use separate text frames and connect them, as shown below in the example on the right.

Use Text Frame Properties (on the Format menu) to set up your text in columns. You can also specify the space between columns by typing a value from 0 to 16 inches in the Spacing box, under Columns.

Aligning Text

While there is no right or wrong alignment, the horizontal alignment you use should enhance readability and be used consistently throughout your publication.

Left alignment  Also called flush left, left alignment creates a straight left margin and a "ragged" (or "unjustified") right edge. Left alignment is generally considered the best choice for body text because it's the most readable.

Right alignment  Also called flush right, right alignment creates a straight right margin and a "ragged" left edge. Although used less frequently, it works well when fitting text next to a picture, such as a caption along the left side of a picture.

Centered alignment  Aligning text in the center of a text frame is often used in publications with small amounts of text, such as invitations or formal announcements.

Justified alignment  Text aligned on both the left and right margins (or "justified") is most often used to fit text in newspaper columns or to give text a tidy, controlled look. This alignment can create uneven gaps between words, which slows reading. Choose a different alignment if the lines are short or the font is large.

Vertical alignment  You can position text across the top, bottom, or center of a text frame. Use vertical alignment in single text frames, multiple-column text frames, tables, or connected text frames. Vertical alignment affects the entire text frame, so you cannot vertically align just one paragraph in a frame.