BEYOND STRAIGHT

People read from left to right in English, so horizontal type is often all you need. For text that runs from right to left, enable Middle Eastern in Text Engine Preferences, and you can change direction in the Paragraph window. If you want more than text in straight lines, you can use Text on a Path. Get yourself a path using the Pen tool, or by converting a selection, then select the Type tool and click on your path. Now, anything you type follows the path. This is useful in a few situations where you want your type to bend round in a circle, for example, but in other situations, especially where the path is very complex, it’s a sure-fire way to make your type unreadable. Use it with care.