Columns, threaded text and text wrap in Vectornation
Lay out longer copy in Vectornation by Zaweba with area type columns, text in any shape, threaded text frames and text wrap around objects.
Vector apps are usually thought of as tools for logos and illustrations, but flyers, menus, packaging and posters often carry real amounts of text. Vectornation by Zaweba has the layout tools to handle it: area type with columns, text in any shape, threaded text that flows from one frame to another, and text wrap around objects.
Columns in area type
A wide block of text is tiring to read, because the eye has to travel a long way back to the start of each line. Splitting area type into columns keeps line lengths comfortable. Set the number of columns on the text frame and the text flows from one column to the next.
Columns are ideal for menus, product sheets and the back panel of packaging, where a lot of information needs to fit a fixed space and still be easy to scan.
Text in any shape
Area text does not have to be rectangular. Text can fill any shape, so a paragraph can sit inside a circle on a badge, fill a leaf shape on a label, or follow the outline of a product illustration. Keep the text short and the shape simple, as narrow parts of a complex shape can leave awkward short lines.
Threading text between frames
Threaded text joins two or more frames into one story. When the first frame is full, the text flows into the next. This is how you run copy across separate boxes on a page, or across two panels of a leaflet, without splitting it by hand.
The real benefit comes when the copy changes. Add a sentence near the start and everything after it moves along through the chain of frames. Without threading you would be cutting and pasting the overflow every time.
Text wrap around objects
Text wrap makes text flow around an object rather than running behind or over it. Place a picture, an illustration or a pull quote in a block of text, set it to wrap, and the lines shorten to leave room for it. It is the difference between a picture dropped on top of text and a layout that looks considered.
Leave a little space between the object and the text. Lines that touch the edge of a picture look cramped.
A workflow for text heavy pieces
Start with the frames. Decide how many columns and frames you need and where pictures go. Thread the frames, then place the text, ideally from a file using File > Place, which accepts text and Word documents. Apply paragraph and character styles so the formatting is consistent. Finally set text wrap on any objects that sit within the text, and check every line break.
Working in that order means each step builds on the last and you rarely have to undo earlier decisions.
Overset text and other traps
The commonest problem is overset text, where there is more text than space and the end of the story is hidden. Always check that the last frame in a thread ends where you expect.
Another is fixing line breaks by hand with Enter. In threaded or wrapped text that breaks as soon as anything changes. Adjust the frame, the wrap or the spacing settings instead.
Finally, keep columns and frames aligned to a grid or guides. Neat edges make text heavy pages look calm and readable, and they make later changes easier.
With these tools, Vectornation can handle the text side of print work as well as the drawing, so you can keep a whole piece in one file.
