FULL Serif PagePlus X7 ISO TBE
Marq Pargman
A lot of people think you have to purchase Adobe InDesign or Quark XPress to get all the features, but as we discover more and more powers in PagePlus X3 we're beginning to think there's a third choice!
This award-winning desktop publishing application is designed for consumers and small businesses looking to create high-quality, dynamic brochures, newsletters and other printed materials. In addition to all of its professional-level design tools, when it comes to text handling, PagePlus X3 offers a full range of specialized applications to enhance a document's appearance.
One of the most dramatic methods for easily improving a document is to change the look of its artistic text'that is, text that makes up a headline, pull-out quote or other graphical text element. Serif's PagePlus X3 enables users to extend their artistic text's creative possibilities by flowing it along a curved path. The resulting object will have all of the properties of the artistic text, plus its path will be a Bezier curve that can be edited with the program's Pointer Tool as easily as any other line. By anchoring text along a curved line, users can create eye-catching effects that could not be achieved with traditional straight-line text.
1. Create an artistic text object using PagePlus X3's Artistic Text Tool found in the Artistic Text flyout on the Tools toolbar.
2. With the text selected, on the Text context toolbar, click the Path Text flyout and choose a preset path.
1. Create a freehand, straight or curved line using the line tools found on the Line Tools flyout of the Tools toolbar at the left.
2. Choose the Artistic Text Tool from the Artistic Text flyout on the same toolbar.
3. Bring the cursor very close to the line. When the cursor changes to include a curve, click the mouse where you want the text to begin.
4. Begin typing at the insertion point. Text flows along the line, which has been converted to a path.
PagePlus X3 also enables users to easily fit existing text to an existing line or shape in just three steps:
1. Create an artistic text object.
2. Create a freehand, straight or curved line or a shape.
3. Select both objects. On the Tools menu, choose Fit Text to Curve from the Tools menu.
No matter the curve or path chosen for artistic text, the text can still be moved along its path, adjusted with respect to text baseline height and flipped or reversed on the path, making editing curved text as easy as it is to edit text in the body of a document. Additionally, text can be fit to a path just as it can be fit to a text frame, to fill the entire path for maximum visual impact.
Using PagePlus X3 to create curved text opens the door to a variety of creative opportunities and provides users with the ability to add new and striking elements to their publications. For more information about PagePlus X3 and how to put text on a path, visit www.serif.com.
If you haven't already settled in to a desktop publishing program, or you're thinking you might want something more, just check out PagePlus X3... it's powerful publishing, easy to use, has everything you need, and is gentle on the pocketbook!
See Also: Creating a Logo Using Serif's PagePlus X3
PagePlus interface screen
PagePlus interface screen showing palettes