Geometry of text placement

(Basic) shapes and typographic standards

The click-type for dynamic shape and click-drag for text-box creation are standard in all tools.

Photoshop:

Text + shape creates a a text-shape in the form of the original shape. From this point text and original shape are independent from one another. This means a transformation of one does not alter the other.

As all text is created with a horizontal orientation, the left and right are set this way and NOT affected by later rotation. Thus when rotating a text-box by 180 degrees, a left margin setting will then influence the right side of the box.

Text inside a shape is text INSIDE a shape. If you want it to partly run out of the shape, margins may be set to negative values. This does NOT affect visibility. Everything is visible unless it is covered by something not transparent or its own transparency is set to 100%.

Non-rectangular shapes are bordered by a rectangular frame, its orientation being the orientation of the contained text.

Indesign:

Margins and offsets are always the way to adjust distances.

You can wrap text around a shape or do an invert wrap to have it placed inside. The exact contours of the shape (e.g. a closed path) define the boundaries of the text.

To sum things up:

In general, typographic means like setting offsets, margins or orientation are ought to be kept and adapted to the respective system, e.g. a text-frame. In this sense, a text-frame and a usual page are nothing else than text containers providing the anchor for certain parameters. Such a reference is almost always needed. The one-click dynamic text-frame available in Photoshop (or other graphic manipulation tools) provides an exception.

Also, in most tools the attributes left and right are inherited from the original orientation of the text-frame/from the text orientation.

GIMP

General idea: The different modes apply restrictions on the space text can cover. (e.g. Where is it cut? Where are line-breaks)

The boundaries where line breaks are ade by the typesetting engine are:

• canvas
• shape
• path end
• return key

Idea: shape, on path and from path are attributes/links not modes. e.g.: text can be on a path and in a shape.

? What is the default? ? And how do the modes relate to the default?

With these attributes the boundaries are defined on which the above mentioned typesetting and general typography settings (indent, baseline offset,…) take effect

All this is formulated in abstract terms. vertical text or right to left writing works in this context too

shape

principle: Text in X means nothing is outside!

the line-breaks are defined by taking all this into consideration:

• actual glyph outline/blackbox/body dimensions
• shape
• margins

along path

(path is baseline) path refers to a selection of at least two nodes, where the path is defined as being between the outermost ones. Also a path has a direction.

• from start to end
• text is placed on the left side of the path
• the vertical line through the center of the glyph is orthogonal to the baseline (the path)

-single line:

•  ?text is cut at the end (vertical line at end node)

-multiple lines

•  ?line breaks are inserted at the end (vertical line at end node)
• lines are added below

from path

(baselines are orthogonal to path)

• from start (1st node - line-height) to end
• baselines leave left side of path
• distances between baselines is line-height (along path)

sketch

example of text along/from path