InDesign on Demand: Type on Path

by Katherine Robinette, CPSM, Go! Strategies

Want to have some fun with your lettering? You can make it appear to "wrap" an object or follow a design by using they Type on Path tool:

Place your graphic. Then draw a shape around it, approximately where you want the text to be. 

Select the Type on Path tool, place your cursor where you want the text to start, click, and type. 

You can select the text as usual and adjust all of the usual font features.

Notice the "handles" on the path? These let you shift the location of the text along the path. Pull down the handle on the right to move the text to the right on the path.

Select the path and change the swatch from black to "none" so no one can see the path.

Here's the final result!

You can type on the INSIDE of a shape, too.

Grab the right handle and pull it "inside" to get the type inside a circle, for example:

You can type on ANY path, even a free-hand squiggle:

You can adjust the location of the text along the path using the handles.

I adjust how close the text is to the path using the superscript feature: