Wrapping Text in Illustrator

What is a Text Wrap?

A text wrap is when a block of text wraps around an image or graphic object in a way that mimics the shape of that object. It often produces a more graphically pleasing layout if you have a dominant image or shape with a curved, slanted, or irregular outline. In the example below, you can see there is awkward white space made by the gaps under the dogs flying ears.   Using a text wrap to mimic the curves of the dog’s body is an interesting effect.

Text wraps can be used to add subtle graphic emphasis to a layout or a more humorous novelty effect like the layout with the image of the basset hound below.

Area Type vs Point Type

First off,  text wraps work with area type and not with point type.  Area type is used for blocks or columns of text and the text naturally wraps inside that box. To get area type you take the type tool and drag a box shape and Illustrator fills the box with lorem ipsum. Point type, typically used for headings,  is created when you click the artboard with the type tool and just start typing. Point type does not wrap unless you manually hit the enter key. If you scale up the area type box the text will reflow inside it and if you scale up point type, the text gets larger.

You can see in the illustration below the point text (selected with the Direct Selection Tool)  is hanging from a single anchor point (hence point type).

How to Make a Text Wrap in Illustrator

Wrap Text around a Shape

1. Create an area type box by selecting the type tool and then clicking on the artboard and dragging diagonally till you have a box of type.
   
2. Then choose a shape tool (ellipse, rectangle, star, or polygon) and click and drag out a shape on the artboard. Because we created the area type first o    ur new shape will be above the type in the stacking order and that is important.
   
3. Use the Selection Tool (Black Arrow) and drag a box around both the type and the shape to select them both.
4. From the Menu choose Object > Text Wrap > Make
   
5. Click Ok on the little warning window that comes up. This is just telling us that the text will wrap around all objects in the current selection including type objects. (which is actually what we want). You can click the don’t show again option and hit ok.
   
6. Voila! Text Wrapped around a shape.
   

Editing a Text Wrap

When you create a text wrap in Illustrator it remains “live” or editable. You can select your shape and move it, rotate it, resize it.  The text will reflow as you make changes. The area type box is also still editable and you can resize and reshape it as well.

Adding Multiple Shapes to a Text Wrap

Not only is the text still live and letting you move things around you can add more shapes.

• In the example below I duplicated the orange triangle by selecting the object and then dragging the object while holding down the Alt key (Windows) on a Mac you would hold down the Option key while dragging an object to duplicate.
• You can also add additional shapes by drawing them on top of the text layer and then selecting both the text and the new object and then from the menu choose Object >Text Wrap > Make (essentially repeating the process from the sections above).
  

Wrapping Text Around a Grouped Object

Can you wrap text around grouped shapes /objects? Yes. Can you do a text wrap when the area type is part of a group? No! In this example, we are going to text wrap a friendly little ghost that is a group of several shapes.

1. Use your type tool to make a box of area type by clicking the artboard and dragging.
2. Place your grouped object over the area type.
   
3. Use the Selection Tool (Black Arrow) to select the area type and then shift-click the grouped object so both are selected. Then from the menu choose Object > Text Wrap > Make.
   
   
4.  To tweak this slightly I am going to select the area type (which is still live) and use the bounding box to resize it slightly so the weird bits of text on the right-hand side go away.
   

Text Wrapping Other Text Elements

Yes, you can wrap text around other text elements.

The process is much the same as text wrapping a shape.

1.  Start by dragging out a box of area type
   
2. Select the Type Tool and click on the artboard and type out a few words.
   
3. Select both objects and choose Object > Text Wrap > Make
   
   One fiddly bit is that the bounding box for this text adds space to the bottom of the point text. You can outline the text which will get rid of the bounding box but… that usually leaves gaps between the letters that your area type will try to flow into.  In this case, I would probably wrap a rectangle with neither stroke or fill then place the text element on top.

Wrap Text Around a Raster Image (Photo)

Wrapping text around a photo is slightly more complex than the previous examples because even if the background is white photos are actually rectangular. So if you place your photograph-type image on top of your area text and go to make a text wrap,  you are going to end up with a square box around the image. Which is seldom what we want.

1.  Place your image on the artboard either by copying and pasting or choosing File > Place.  (the screencap leaves the bounding box visible so you can see the actual shape of the image. Lock the image to prevent it being accidentally selected in future steps. You can lock an object a couple of ways: select the object and use the hot key combination CTRL + 3 (windows ) or CMD + 3 (Mac). Alternatively you can select the object in layers panel and click the lock icon next to the object. 
   
2.  Draw out your box of area type over the image by selecting the Type Tool and clicking on the artboard and dragging till you have a box of type.
   
3. Using the pencil tool draw a shape around the part of the image you want to wrap the text around. In this case the chocolates. You don’t have to be super accurate at this point. This shape needs to be above the area type in the layer stack.
   
4. Select the area type and the shape you just created and from the menu choose Object > Text Wrap > Make
   
   
5. Use the None button below the Color Picker in the Toolbox to set the fill color of the shape to none.
6. Now we just need to clean up how things wrap on the right side. We are going to select the path we drew around the chocolates. It can be tricky to select a path that has neither fill or stroke. The easiest way is to switch to outline view by going to View > Outline or the hotkey combination CTRL +  Y (windows) | CMD + Y (Mac) as you will be able to see the path and then select it with the selection tool (Black arrow).
   
7. We are going to edit the path with the pencil tool. The important thing is that you start to draw with the pencil on or really close to the selected path and end on the selected path as well. This will ensure that you reshape the existing path rather than create a new one.
   
8. Hit CTRL + y  (Windows) | CMD + y (Mac) one more time to return to the regular view and Voila our chocolates are wrapped nicely by the text.
   

Text Wrap Options

You access the text-wrap options by going to the menu and choosing Object > Text Wrap >  Text Wrap Options.

Offset 

The primary option you will use is setting the offset. This will allow you to get a larger or smaller gap between the text and the object it wraps around.  The default is a 6px gap.

Invert 

Inverting a text wrap will allow you to flow the text inside your shape instead of around it.  This works best if your shape has a stroke but no fill (or a shape with the opacity lowered) and is pretty close to the same size on even slightly larger than the text box. Note: This will not work with grouped shapes – you would need to build a complex shape using the pathfinder tool or the Shapebuilder tool.

1. Use your type tool and click on the artboard and drag out a box of area type.
2. Place the shape you want to flow type into over your type. I made this shape partially transparent using the opacity controls on the properties panel.
   
3. Select both the area type and the cloud shape and from the menu choose Object > Text Wrap > Text Wrap Options. Check the invert Wrap checkbox.
   
   
   
4. With your box of type and cloud shape still selected; from the menu now choose Object > Text Wrap > Text Wrap Make. Voila! Inverted text wrap.
   

TIP: When I want text inside a shape I generally find it easier and just less fiddly to just draw out my shape and then use my area type tool to fill it with type. Your type tool will change to the area type tool as you move it over the edge of a closed shape.  Click when the type tool icon changes from the square type icon to the rounded type icon (I always say when the icon gets pregnant) and it will fill your shape with text. The only thing is, you need to have 2 copies of your shape because when you flow the type into it the shape will lose its fill and stroke. In the example below I had copied the first stanza of the poem to the clipboard. I had my cloud shape and then I clicked on the edge of the shape with my type tool to add the text,  and then I placed a copy of my cloud over the type and used the layers palette to move the cloud shape copy below my cloud-shaped area type. A little tweaking of the type to move the odd word to the next line and we are done.

Releasing a Text Wrap

Designs are ever-evolving and there will inevitably be times when you want to get rid of the text wrap. “Releasing” the text wrap will break the connection between the area text and the object you are wrapping. The object and area type will return to their pre-wrapped states.

1. Select both the area type and the shapes or objects in the text wrap
2. From the menu choose Object > Text Wrap > Release
   

Trouble Shoot Text Wraps

Why is my text wrap not working! Creating text wraps is pretty simple but… sometimes they just don’t work. Listed below are the 4 most common reasons why.

1. Using Point Type not Area Type: Text wraps only work with area type.
2. Stacking Order:  When you make a text wrap, the shape you are wrapping needs to be on top of the box of area type in the stacking order.  Telling which object is on top is not always as easy as you might think especially if the text and object are the same colour. The easiest way to tell is to open the layers palette. You can change the stacking order in a variety of ways, you can drag the objects layer above the text right in the layers panel. You can also change the order by by right-clicking the shape and then from the resulting context menu choose  Arrange > Bring to Front.  You can also use hot keys – select the shape and then use CTRL + ] (windows) | CMD +] (Mac) to move the object up the layer stack in increments.
   
3. Area Type & Object on Different Layers: The box of area type and the object you are trying to text wrap must be on the same layer. If they are on different layers the text wrap will not work. The best way to check is to open up the layers panel. They you can drag the object from one layer to another in the layer panel.
   
4.  Area Type is part of a Group:  You can text wrap around grouped shapes / objects but… the area type itself can not be part of a group. The simplest way to tell if your area text box is part of group is to right-click it and from the context menu look for an option to ungroup. Simply select ungroup and try your making your text wrap again.