Issues with squished text

[amatuerbutimproving]

Hi, i have a problem with my squished text.

I don't know how to revert it back to normal like i was copying text from a google doc into illustrator and the text ended to be very long in length. So i resized it down so i could read it on a A3 document setup normally. ANNDDD..... i don't know why but my text got squished and there's nothing wrong with my spacing and size. Now every textbox and text i make in Illustrator ends up being squished. I need helpp

[ShakeN93]

Can you show a screenshot ? btw in my opinion every time when i copy a text from internet first time i paste in Notepad and after i copy again from Notepad and put in Ilustrator/PowerPoint/Word, etc.

[Jeff Witchel, ACI · Accepted solution]

Just a guess here.

Sounds like you're using Horizontal or Vertical Scale in the Character panel. Just change the Percent back to 100% and you'll be good to go. (see screenshot below)

[John Mensinger]

I suspect Jeff has it right.^

It's worth mentioning (and remembering) that any setting you change in Illustrator while nothing is selected becomes the default for all new items.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/John+Mensinger  schrieb

It's worth mentioning (and remembering) that any setting you change in Illustrator while nothing is selected becomes the default for all new items.

That would be in InDesign.

[John Mensinger]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause  wrote

That would be in InDesign.

Hmmm...yes, it's true of InDesign. But it's also true of Illustrator, perhaps in a different way, so I'll refine my statement.

It's worth mentioning (and remembering) that any setting that is available to be changed in Illustrator while a document is open, and nothing is selected, becomes the document-level default for applicable new items created during the session.

In other words, for example, if the user changes font scaling while nothing is selected, new text will assume the setting.

[Monika Gause]

In Illustrator it's not any setting. It applies to some settings. But for other settings options like "New Art has basic appearance" are important as well.

[John Mensinger]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause  wrote

In Illustrator it's not any setting. It applies to some settings.

Well, while I respect your expertise, we're down to mincing words here. That said, I imagine it's obvious I'm not one to let my statements go undefended.

I know it's not "any setting," hence my qualification:

any setting that is available to be changed . . . while a document is open, and nothing is selected

There may be exceptions, but I can't find any.

Perhaps you can explain the importance of the New Art Has Basic Appearance setting. Here at my desk, it doesn't appear to have any overriding effect. In fact "Basic Appearance" seems to be affected by exactly what I posted about. If I set a stoke color and weight with nothing selected, those settings become the default Basic Appearance. What am I missing?

[Monika Gause]

It has an effect when you apply brushes or dropshadows and other effects. Those won't be applied to new objects when the "Basic Appearance" setting is selected.

[John Mensinger]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause  wrote

It has an effect when you apply brushes or dropshadows and other effects. Those won't be applied to new objects when the "Basic Appearance" setting is selected.

Ah, thanks Monika. I do see now that Brushes and Effects are indeed available when nothing is selected, and that their application with nothing selected is indeed overridden by New Art Has Basic Appearance.

I wouldn't say that necessarily negates any of my prior assertions in this thread, but I appreciate you pointing out something I'd have never discovered on my own during the logical progression of my typical workflows. I suppose I would simply never attempt applying effects, etc. without an active selection.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/John+Mensinger  schrieb

I suppose I would simply never attempt applying effects, etc. without an active selection.

It's indeed not the typical workflow, but the question why it happens (or doesn't happen) comes up regularly inthe forums.