Changing Type Specifications

The InDesign Character palette allows you to alter your text's appearance. You can modify the font, type, size, and style of the text.

• Changing Type Specifications: Existing Text
• Changing Type Specifications: Before You Type
• Formatting Options with the Character Palette

Changing Type Specifications: Existing Text

1. Select the desired text
   
2. If the Character palette is not already displayed, from the Type menu, select Character
   OR
   From the Dock, click CHARACTER
   The Character palette appears.
   
   
   
3. Using the pull-down lists, modify the desired formatting options
   
4. To deselect the text, click outside of the selected text area
   

Changing Type Specifications: Before You Type

1. Using the Type Tool, set the insertion point where the text will begin
   
2. If the Character palette is not already displayed, from the Type menu, select Character
   OR
   From the Dock, click CHARACTER
   The Character palette appears.
   
   
3. Using the pull-down lists, modify the desired character formatting options
   
4. Type the text
   NOTES:
   Do not reset the insertion point. If you change the insertion point before you begin typing, text will revert back to previous type settings.
   The new text will have the characteristics that you selected in step 3.
   

Formatting Options with the Character Palette

Character Property	Symbol	Function
Font		Allows you to select the desired font for your text
Type Style		Allows you to select the desired type style for your text (regular, italic, bold, bold italic)
Leading		Allows you to specify the amount of space you would like between the lines of your text NOTE: For more information, refer to Working with Leading
Tracking		Allows you to specify how compressed you would like the entire block of text NOTE: For more information, refer to Working with Tracking
Horizontal Scale		Adjusts the width of selected text by a percentage of its current size
Skew		Specifies the amount you would like your text to be skewed (tilted)
Define Language		Allows you to select the language you will be using for your text
Type Size		Specifies the size for your selected text
Kerning		Allows you to specify the space between selected characters in the text NOTE: For more information, refer to Working with Kerning
Vertical Scale		Adjusts the height of selected text by a percentage of its current size
Baseline Shift		Allows you to adjust the selected text to set higher or lower than the rest of your text

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