Fit text in a text box

If you type or import more text than the text box can hold, Publisher stores the extra text in overflow, where you can't see it. Here are some ways to make the text fit into the text box.

Newer versions Office 2007

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Fit text automatically

1. Click anywhere in the text.

2. On the Text Box Tools Format tab, in the Text group, click Text Fit, and do one of the following:

   • To reduce the point size of text until there is no text in overflow, click Shrink Text On Overflow.

   • To shrink or expand text to fit in the text box when you resize the box, click Best Fit.

Fit text manually

Here are some ways to fit text in a text box manually:

• Change the size or font of the text.

• Delete text.

• Increase the size of the text box.

• Reduce the line spacing.

  How?

  1. On the Home tab, click the Paragraph dialog box launcher , and then click the Indents and Spacing tab.

  2. Under Line spacing, select the options that you want.

• Adjust the spacing between all characters (tracking).

  How?

  1. Select the paragraphs you want to change.

  2. On the Text Box Tools Format tab, in the Font group, click Character Spacing , and then click More Spacing.

  3. In the Character Spacing dialog box, under Tracking, do one of the following:

     • To adjust tracking automatically, click one of the preset spacing options.

     • To adjust tracking manually, click Custom, and then enter a percentage between 0.1% and 600% in the By this amount box.

       Note: Tracking is available only if you are working on a print publication.

• Reduce the size of the text box margin.

  How?

  1. Right-click the text box, and then click Format Text Box.

  2. On the Text Box tab, under Text Box Margins, enter the settings for the margins.

• Flow text into another text box.

  How?

  When you connect text boxes, text that won't fit into the first text box flows into the next text box. A chain of connected text boxes, also known as a story, can span multiple pages.

  Use connected boxes to continue a story in another text box, create columns of different widths, or move text from overflow into another box.

  1. Click in the text box you want as the first text box in the story.

  2. On the Text Box Tools Format tab, in the Linking group, click Create Link.

     The mouse pointer changes to a pitcher .

  3. Click in the text box you want as the next in the story.

     This text box is now connected to the first box and any text in overflow now appears in the next box.

  4. To connect more text boxes to the story, repeat these steps.

Fit text automatically

1. Click anywhere in the text.

2. On the Format menu, point to AutoFit Text, and do one of the following:

   • To reduce the point size of text until there is no text in overflow, click Shrink Text On Overflow.

   • To shrink or expand text to fit in the text box when you resize the box, click Best Fit.

Fit text manually

Here are some ways to fit text in a text box manually:

• Change the size or font of the text.

• Delete text.

• Increase the size of the text box.

• Reduce the line spacing.

  How?

  1. On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Indents and Spacing tab.

  2. Under Line spacing, select the options that you want.

• Adjust the spacing between all characters (tracking).

  How?

  1. Select the paragraphs you want to change.

  2. On the Format menu, click Character Spacing.

  3. In the Character Spacing dialog box, under Tracking, do one of the following:

     • To adjust tracking automatically, click one of the preset spacing options.

     • To adjust tracking manually, click Custom, and then enter a percentage between 0.1% and 600% in the By this amount box.

       Note: Tracking is available only if you are working on a print publication.

• Reduce the size of the text box margin.

  How?

  1. Select the text box.

  2. On the Format menu, click Text Box.

  3. In the Format Text Box dialog box, click the Text Box tab.

  4. Under Text Box Margins, enter the settings for the margins.

• Flow text into another text box.

  How?

  When you connect text boxes, text that won't fit into the first text box flows into the next text box. A chain of connected text boxes, also known as a story, can span multiple pages.

  Use connected boxes to continue a story in another text box, create columns of different widths, or move text from overflow into another box.

  1. Click in the text box you want as the first text box in the story.

  2. On the Connect Text Boxes toolbar, click Create Text Box Link .

     The mouse pointer changes to a pitcher .

  3. Click in the text box you want as the next in the story.

     This text box is now connected to the first box and any text in overflow now appears in the next box.

  4. To connect more text boxes to the story, repeat these steps.