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coye
coye
Known Participant
November 6, 2021
Answered

How to add a auto-sized rectangle around text box?

  • November 6, 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 4257 views

The orange box is a cut line. I initially add the box around the text manually and but it took me so much time to change the size of the box if I want to increase the font size. I followed the steps from this post (https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/19824/illustrator-auto-sized-text-box-with-shaded-background), but the text became transparent when I selected Effect > Convert to shape > Rectangle. I don't know how to keep the text in black with the orange box around at the same time. I would like to keep the height in 0.35cm and the width should be the length of the text + 0.25cm. Does anyone know how to create an auto-sized rectangle around the text box :(?

 

Correct answer Jacob Bugge

coye,

 

Whatever is described, you can:

 

1) With the normal Type Tool create the text as live Type; you may wish to choose Align Center in the Window>Paragraph palette (bundled with the Character palette where you set the font and size);
2) In the Window>Appearance panel click Add New Fill, then drag that fill down below Characters and click it to have it selected; it will be highlighted;
3) Set the desired background colour, you may use the Window>Color palette or something else;
4) Effect>Convert to Shape>Rectangle (or Rounded Rectangle), then Click Relative and set the width and height to be added to the live Type; you may try different values in Preview to see how it works.

This will give you the text as live Type so you can edit it (you may add text, even more lines, hence the Paragraph choice), and it will stay centred on the background, and the background will adapt to the text.

 

 

Edit: I just had a closer look at your screenshot, and it seems that the crucial part is to perform step 2) in full.

1 reply

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Jacob BuggeCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
November 6, 2021

coye,

 

Whatever is described, you can:

 

1) With the normal Type Tool create the text as live Type; you may wish to choose Align Center in the Window>Paragraph palette (bundled with the Character palette where you set the font and size);
2) In the Window>Appearance panel click Add New Fill, then drag that fill down below Characters and click it to have it selected; it will be highlighted;
3) Set the desired background colour, you may use the Window>Color palette or something else;
4) Effect>Convert to Shape>Rectangle (or Rounded Rectangle), then Click Relative and set the width and height to be added to the live Type; you may try different values in Preview to see how it works.

This will give you the text as live Type so you can edit it (you may add text, even more lines, hence the Paragraph choice), and it will stay centred on the background, and the background will adapt to the text.

 

 

Edit: I just had a closer look at your screenshot, and it seems that the crucial part is to perform step 2) in full.

G
gregf68792037
Participant
October 2, 2024

Reviving this thread with a follow-up question:

 

When I do this, the text is not perfectly aligned to the rectangle, due to it aligning to the em box instead of the glyph bounds, even if I select the glyph bounds options in the Alignment panel.

 

Any help? Thanks!

    Jacob Bugge
    Community Expert
    Jacob BuggeCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 2, 2024

    aferwardsness,

     

    Thank you very much for your reviving this thread and your giving me the opportunity to elaborate for a fuller solution.

     

    One more step is needed, so here is the fuller instruction, with the addition of steps 0) and 5):

     

    To add an auto-sized and auto-aligned background rectangle round a text (box), you can:

     

    0) If you wish to align the background rectangle with the visible bounds of the characters rather than the Em box, Tick Use Preview Bounds in the Genereal Preferences;

    1) With the normal (Point) Type Tool create the text as live Type (you may wish to choose Align Center in the Window>Paragraph palette bundled with the Character palette where you set the font and size), then use the Effect>Path>Outline Object (inserted after Ton made me aware that it was missing, see this post and the Edit edit in this post below);

    2) In the Window>Appearance panel click Add New Fill, then drag that fill down below Characters and click it to have it selected; it will be highlighted;
    3) Set the desired background colour, you may use the Window>Color palette or something else;
    4) Effect>Convert to Shape>Rectangle (or Rounded Rectangle), then Click Relative and set the width and height to be added to the live Type; you may try different values in Preview to see how it works;

    5) Untick Use Preview Bounds in the Genereal PreferencesIf if you have Ticked it in 0);

    6) If desired, edit the Type by using the Type Tool; start by Clicking carefully on top of the Type to avoid creating a new Type object.

     

    This will give you the text as live Type so you can edit it (you may add text, even more lines, hence the Paragraph choice), and the background rectangle will stay centred round it and adapt to changes in the text.

     

    Similarly, you can use a Rounded Rectangle or an Ellipse as background.

     

    Below is shown a set of live Type with Use Preview Bounds was applied to the lower original Type without and with background, and with changes/additions made to the Type.

     

     

     

    Click to get closer

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