• Introduction
• Manual has moved!
• Why use Inkscape?
• Professional Software
• About this Book
• Installing Inkscape
• Windows
• Mac OS X
• Gnu/Linux
• Getting Around in Inkscape
• Interface
• Managing the Workspace
• Drawing with Geometrical Shapes
• Ways of Drawing with Inkscape
• Shape Tools
• The Selector Tool
• Squares and Rectangles
• Circles, Ellipses and Arcs
• Stars and Polygons
• Spirals
• 3D-Boxes
• Freehand Drawing
• Freehand Drawing
• The Pencil Tool
• The Pen Tool
• The Calligraphy Tool
• Boolean Operations
• About Nodes
• Editing Paths
• Stacking Order
• Align and Distribute
• The Node Tool
• Tracing an Image
• The Tweak Tool
• Color
• Colors
• The Color Palette
• The Fill And Stroke Dialog
• Custom Colors
• Copying a Color
• Creating Gradients
• Creating a Mesh Gradient
• Using Patterns
• Modifying Patterns
• Creating Custom Patterns
• Strokes
• Markers
• Ordering Markers, Stroke and Fill
• Customizing Markers
• Text
• Text
• Writing Text
• Styling Text
• Changing Text Color
• Moving and Rotating Letters
• Putting Text on a Path
• Flowing Text into a Frame
• Creating Custom Fonts
• Advanced Techniques
• Beyond the Basics
• Saving Your Work
• Exporting a PDF File
• Exporting a PNG File
• Exporting to other File Formats
• Importing Pictures into a Document
• Importing other File Formats
• Copying and Duplicating Objects
• Cloning Objects
• Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
• Clipping and Masking
• Filters
• Extensions
• Live Path Effects
• Where to Go from Here
• Test Chapter (for trying out styling)

Writing Text

Once the Text tool is active, you will have two options at your hands about how to create a text.

[F8] or [t]

In the case that the text that you want to add to your drawing consists of a single word or a short expression, the easiest way to add it is to:

• Left-click on the canvas to place the cursor at the desired position.
• Type the text directly afterwards. The text will all be put into a single line, unless you hit Enter to continue in the next line.

In the case when you want to put your (longer) text into a specific area that you reserved for it:

• Click-and-drag on the canvas. This will create a frame for a flowed text with a blue border, in which the text can be inserted.
• Type on the keyboard. The text will appear in its frame and will not leave the frame area. When it reaches the border of the frame, it will automatically flow into the next line. The border of the text frame will turn red when the text doesn't completely fit into it.
• You can change the dimensions of the text box by dragging on the white handle in the bottom right corner.

The text will not stretch or grow to fill the allotted space at all costs. It is up to you to adapt the size of the area or the font to your needs.

I write my text directly on the canvas

A left-click on the canvas with the text tool positions the cursor.

I write my text directly on the canvas

I hit Enter when I need to break a line

This mode does not automatically break lines in the text.

Or I create a frame where

You need to create a text frame with the text tool first, if you want to use a flowed text with automatic line breaks.

Or I create a frame where

the text breaks

At any time, you can modify the text frame using its handle. [the image shows a bug - a text frame is only supposed to have a handle at the bottom right, and no rectangle corner rounding handle. This is fixed in trunk.]