InDesign. Diamond-shaped text box?

Boogly Posted messages 2 Status Member -  
 Monsieur A -
Hello,

I would like to be able to write horizontally in a text block shaped like a diamond (or another shape) in InDesign CS5.
I couldn't find in the InDesign help how to do it.
Thank you very much if you know the trick.

:-)

Pascal

Configuration: Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.8) / Safari 5.1.1

10 answers

vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
re-hello,

there's a simpler and more "functional" way:

* you stack your "normal" text block (quadrangular) onto an empty diamond block -it is imperative that the former is smaller than the latter-.
* you select both and Object>Pathfinder>Add

You can resize this block and edit it.

Edit/ An example.
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
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contrariness Posted messages 342 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   6 243
 
If the methods of Vankop and Mimilie72 are supposed to work, there is a third one:

You create your text block normally and then deform it with the "white arrow" tool.. to give it a diamond shape, you use the "trace" tool to add nodal points in the middle of the sides and remove those at the corners.. https://www.cjoint.com/?0Jnmhly76te
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
Hello,

for example:
* you create your diamond
* you "stick it in" (File>paste into) your text_block that you can reorient to 0°
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mimilie72 Posted messages 6 Status Member
 
You can create a square or a rectangle and then rotate it :)

Good luck.
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Boogly Posted messages 2 Status Member
 
Thank you to Vankop and Mimile.

Thank you both for taking the time to read my request and for responding.
I'm sorry, but your suggestions do not work at all.
In all three cases, it results in a normal text block placed inside a diamond shape without conforming to its form. At best, I can rotate the text block, which then appears slanted, but I already knew how to do that; that's not at all what I'm looking for.

I must have expressed myself poorly in my request.
I would like the text WRITTEN HORIZONTALLY to completely fill the diamond shape.
In fact, I want it to be a text block, written horizontally, that has the shape of a diamond (or another shape).

This is because I saw it in a magazine, and I would like to do the same :-)
I uploaded a photo on ImageShack as an example of what I would like to achieve:

http://imageshack.us/a/img341/1406/img4120t.jpg

I don't know if this link will work for you, and I hope you'll be able to see the image that shows what I want.

Thank you in any case.

And thanks even more to whoever can explain to me how to achieve this text-in-diamond effect in InDesign CS5 for MAC.

:-)

Boogly
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
my second suggestion works with CS5 and CS5.5: image...

/edit: if you're having trouble, I'll explain this solution "step by step" later, but right now I'm short on time, I have gratin endives to cook...
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
my second solution step by step.
1. With the rectangle_tool, draw a square (Shift_key held down).
2. Rotate this square by 45°.
3. Superimpose any text_box on this diamond-square with the desired text (if there is excess text, it doesn't matter for the final result). Note that the text_box must be smaller than the drawn diamond-square AND positioned in front of it.
4. Select both blocks with the selection_tool.
5. Menu Object>Pathfinder>Add
6. Center your text
7. Select your block and Menu_Object>Fitting>Fit Frame to Content.

...
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
a little last one while my endives are gratinée:

* when drawing your diamond with the pen tool, the texts you insert will take its shape.

/edit: for a cleaner result, remember to center or justify your ¶.
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
Hi,

the rotation of the square will cause the rotation of the text...

... I thought I read that there was a new feature for CS6: the rotation of characters independent of the text block path. But I'm not sure and I don't have this version to check...
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Boogly
 
Well, thank you all, I hadn't forgotten about you, and even less had I left without saying thanks, it's just that I couldn't dedicate myself to this extent over the last few days :-)

Well, sorry once again, but Vankop's proposals don't work at all for me. Once I've drawn the square, or diamond, in rotation or with the pen, and once I've placed the text block (smaller) in front of the polygon, if I select both and go to Object/Pathfinder/Addition, I get the empty polygon, the text block is no longer there, it has disappeared... I've done it 50 times, it doesn't work.

Well, it's not a big deal, let's not get upset, because the ultra-simple solution from Contrariness works perfectly. A simple text block, adding (or removing) points with the Direct Selection tool, then deforming the text block as desired.
It's absolutely perfect because it works for the diamond I wanted but also for any other geometric shapes we might need to create for a nice magazine page layout.

Thanks again to all of you for coming together to provide me with the solution.

:-)

Boogly.
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vankop Posted messages 2429 Status Contributor 1 958
 
...“... but Vankop's suggestions don’t work at all for me...” (sic)... : damn it ;(

Sorry, but good for you if you found a solution.

Just a little note (you never know): your text box should be in front of your polygon: I meant to say in the foreground relative to your text_box (if you right-click on your text_box > arrange > bring to front)....
There you go...
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Boogly
 
Yes, yes, I positioned it well in the foreground and also smaller than the drawn block, but it's not working.
Well, it's not a big deal.
No worries.
:-)
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bà rbà r Posted messages 1 Status Member
 
Hello,

I'm using this topic for a clarification: I created a triangular block using the arrow tool and by deforming the block. However, I would like the text to fit perfectly to the block, with no margin. The block's margin is indeed set to zero, but I don't know how to reduce it further. Does anyone have a solution?

Thank you so much!
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Monsieur A
 
You just need to create a shape using the polygon tool. By default, the shape appears in black. You create a text block separately. You overlay the text onto the shape and, of course, it will extend beyond all sides. But if you open the text wrapping functions (Window > Text Wrap), you can select the "Wrap Around Bounding Box" mode and check the "Invert" box. At that moment, the text will not go around your shape, but overlap it, within the limits of its outline. Finally, remove the background color of your object and you're good to go. All that's left is to properly position the text.
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