Wrapping Text Around Graphics and Text Boxes

In word processing terms, wrapping means to make text wind around the side or sides of a text box or graphic. Don't confuse "wrapping" with "rapping," which means to make words fly around the sides of a boom box or topic. Wrapping text is one of the easiest ways to create an elegant layout and impress your impressionable friends and employers.

TIP: To make the most of text wrapping, hyphenate and justify the text that is being wrapped. That way, the text can get closer to the graphic or text box. For more information about setting hyphenation options in Word, see Chapter 7.

Figure 10-8 illustrates several ways to wrap text. When you wrap text, you choose a wrapping style and tell Word along which side or sides of the text box or graphic to wrap the text:

·        Wrapping Styles The style choices are Square, Tight, Through, Top And Bottom, Behind Text, In Front Of Text, and In Line With Text. When you choose Through, you can pull text as close to a text box or graphic as you want it to go. You can even make text overlap a text box or graphic.

·        Wrap To The choices are Both Sides, Left Only, Right Only, and Largest Only. As Figure 10-8 shows, the Largest Only choice wraps the text around the side of the graphic that allows the most room for wrapping, and it leaves empty space next to the narrow side of the graphic.

To wrap text around a text box or graphic, follow these steps:

1.      Click the text box or graphic to select it.

2.      Choose Format | Text Box or Format | Picture. The Format Text Box or Format Picture dialog box appears.

3.      Click the Layout tab, click the Advanced button, and in the Advanced Layout dialog box, click the Text Wrapping tab. It is shown in Figure 10-9.

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4.      Under Wrapping Styles, click a box to tell Word how to wrap text around the text box or graphic.

5.      Under Wrap Text, click a box to tell Word which side or sides of the text box or graphic to wrap the text around.

6.      If you want to be specific about how close text can come to the graphic or text box, choose settings under Distance From Text.

7.      Click OK twice.

LEARN BY EXAMPLE: Open the Figure 10-B (Wrapping) file on the companion CD if you want to try your hand at different wrapping styles and methods.

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Production: Please set on one page

(s)Wrapping “Through” a Graphic

The Through wrapping style in the Advanced Layout dialog box is for making text wrap very, very close to a graphic or for making text overlap part of a graphic. After you choose the Through option and place the graphic in the text, you can make the text come closer by following these steps:

1.      Click the graphic to select it.

2.      Right-click on a toolbar and choose Picture to bring the Picture toolbar onscreen.

3.      Click the Text Wrapping button and choose Edit Wrap Points from the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 10-10. Black wrap points—small squares—appear on the graphic. You can see them in the figure.

4.      Click and drag the wrap points inward to make text come closer to the graphic.

5.      Click on the text when you are done.