InDesign Basics: Wrap Text around Shapes and Images
In this Bitesize tutorial, you will learn how to apply a Text Wrap to Shapes and Frames in your InDesign document.
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Become familiar with the Text Wrap Panel
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Apply different types of Text Wrap to a shape or frame
Step 1: Create a Frame or Shape and run Text behind them
The easiest way to set up your document for text-wrapping is to position your text frame(s) behind the image frame or shape you want to apply the text wrap effect to. This means you can easily select your frame/shape.
In this example, I have created two columns of text using the Type Tool (T), threading the text between them by clicking once on the bottom right corner of the left-hand column, then once again in the right-hand column.
Then I selected the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) and dragged to create an image frame, before going to File > Place > Open to place an image in the frame. I selected the Ellipse Frame Tool and, holding down Shift, dragged to create a perfect circular frame before placing a second image in this new frame.
Step 2: Open the Text Wrap Panel
Select the image frame or shape and go to Window > Text Wrap to open the Text Wrap Panel.
Across the top of the panel there are five icons, each of which indicate a different way of applying the text wrap. The icon to the far left, selected by default, has No Text Wrap applied to your frame/shape. Click on the second icon along from the left to apply a wrap around the Bounding Box of the frame/shape.
You can adjust the Offset values to increase or decrease the distance between the text and the edge of your frame/shape.
You can also adjust the direction of the wrap from the Wrap Options drop-down menu.
Experiment with different ways of applying a wrap using the icons in the Text Wrap Panel. You can wrap text around an Object’s Shape to give a more closely fitted appearance to the wrap. This can work particularly well with outlined text (Type > Create Outlines), which gives a dramatic typographic effect.
