Design Space - Working with Text

Learn how to add, edit, and format text in Design Space for Desktop. Select an option below to get started. 

Select an option below to learn more. 

• Adding text to Canvas
• Changing text on Canvas
• Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Adding text to Canvas

Click on the Text icon to add new text to Canvas. The word “Text” appears highlighted in a text box. When text looks like this, it is in Edit mode. Simply start typing your text to update it.

Changing text on Canvas

Any time you click outside of the text box, you exit Edit mode, but making changes is easy!

1. To type new words or make corrections, double-click on your text, or right-click on your text and select Edit Text from the menu. This puts the text back in edit mode. From there, you can place your cursor where you wish and type new letters or select existing letters.
   
   
    
2. With letter(s) selected, you can cut, copy, and paste by either right-clicking inside the text box or using keyboard shortcuts.
   
   Right-click shortcut menu
    

Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Select a link to view information about the following: 

• Selecting a font
• Rotating text
• Sizing text
• Resizing the text box
• Text Wrap
• Curving text
• Deleting text 

Selecting a font

1. Click on the name of the current font in the toolbar (which will be “Cricut Sans” by default) to open the font picker and select your desired font. Use the tabs (1), search field (2), keyword buttons (3), and filters (4) to find the perfect font for your project. There's even a filter for "kerned" fonts which have been optimized with more natural spacing between letters and characters. Learn more about kerned fonts. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Tip: When you're finished, click the arrow on the right side of the picker, or click outside of the text box to dismiss it. 
    
2. Select a font style – If your font has Bold, Italic, or Writing styles available, you can select them from the toolbar by clicking on the current style, which will be labeled “Regular” by default.
   
   
    
3. Use the Font Size input box to change to your desired font size.
   
   

Rotating text

To rotate your text box on the Canvas you can use any bounding box corner handle or use the Rotate option in the toolbar to either enter specific values or adjust the slider.

When rotating via bounding box corner handle, allow cursor to hover just outside the handle until a curved arrow appears. Then click and drag to rotate the text.

Sizing text

To resize text use any corner handle on the bounding box or enter values in the Size input fields in the toolbar. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Size menu.

Bounding box corner handles

Size option in the toolbar

Resizing the text box

You can change the size of the box your text is in without changing your selected text size. Just click and drag the middle rectangular handles on the bounding box. Text is centered horizontally and vertically by default, but you can use the Alignment, Letter Space, and Line Space tools to adjust text position within the text box.

Text Wrap

By default, text is added to the Canvas in a single line. You can cause your text to wrap, or automatically flow to a new line based on the size of your text box – no line breaks required!

To push a word to another line (or pull a word back from the previous line) simply click and drag a middle rectangular handle on the text box.

This puts your text box in Wrap mode. To exit Wrap mode, select Wrap Off in the Format menu.

Note: When you turn Wrap off, any wrapped text will return to a single line.

Curving text

Use the Curve tool in Design Space to easily bend your text into a circular shape. The Curve tool can be found in the toolbar at the top of the Canvas, within the Effects menu.

1. Click the Text tool in the design panel to the left of the Canvas.
   
   
    
2. Enter text into the text box, choose your font and font style, and use the Letter Space tool to adjust letter spacing as needed. If you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line of text in a separate text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool under Format to separate your lines of text into separate text boxes.
   
   
    
3. Click on the Curve tool. Design Space will take a few moments to analyze your text for size and spacing, then display a slider and a number field.
   
   
    
4. Drag the slider to the right to curve the text downward. Note the number in the Curve field as you drag the slider. Design Space uses an imaginary circle to determine the curvature of the text. The size of that circle decreases the further the slider is moved to the right. The number in the Curve field will change to reflect this as the slider is moved.
   
   The smallest curve possible will change based on the size, length, and spacing of your text. Smaller font sizes and shorter words or phrases can achieve a smaller circumference than larger font sizes and longer words or phrases.
   
   
    
5. Drag the slider to the left to curve the text upward. You will notice that a “-“ is added to the number in the Curve field as an indication of the upward curve.
   
   
    
6. When curving multiples lines of text, quickly match the curvature of previously curved text by manually entering the same number in the Curve field. If you wish to curve the text in the opposite direction, add or remove a dash (-) in front of the number as needed to tell Design Space which way to curve the text.
   
   

Things To Remember

• Curved text remains completely editable unless welded or flattened. You can continue to adjust letter spacing, rotate, edit the actual text, and change the font type and style after curving your text.
• Curve tool will not enable if there are multiple lines of text in the same text box. Insert separate text boxes for each line or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes. Then curve each line separately.

Note: The Curve tool will only enable for text boxes with a single line of text; if you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line in its own text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes.

Tip: The Curve tool cannot be used on text that has been ungrouped to individual letters, then re-grouped, so if additional manual letter spacing adjustments are needed after you have used the Letter Spacing tool, wait until you have curved the text to do this.

Deleting text

Text can be deleted through the right-click menu (1), selecting Delete in the Layers panel (2), the delete icon underneath the text (3), or using Backspace/Delete keys on the keyboard.

Select an option below to learn about working with text in Design Space for iOS.

• Adding text to Canvas
• Changing text on Canvas
• Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Adding text to Canvas

Select the plus button on the bottom right of the Canvas, then choose Text to add a new text box. The word “Text” appears highlighted in a text box. When text looks like this, it is in Edit mode. Simply start typing your text to update it.

Changing text on Canvas

Any time you tap outside of the text box, you exit Edit mode, but making changes is easy!

1. Double-tap on your text to type new words or make corrections. This puts the text back into edit mode. If you need to move your cursor, tap and hold the cursor, then drag it to the spot where you want to drop it. Once the cursor is located where you wish it to be, just start typing new letters or select existing letters.
   
   
    
2. With letter(s) or words selected, you can cut, copy, and paste using the menu that appears above the selected letters.
   
   

Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Select a link to view information about the following:

• Selecting a font
• Rotating text
• Sizing text
• Resizing the text box
• Text Wrap
• Curving text
• Deleting text

Selecting a font

1. Use the Font picker to select your desired font. After you have typed your text into the text box, tap the “Done” link on your keyboard, or tap anywhere outside the text box to close the keyboard – just make sure to select your text box again by tapping it once. At the bottom of the screen you will see the toolbar open – select the Font option (shown as a “T” symbol labeled as “Font”) and browse the fonts until you find the one you like – tap the font to apply it, then tap outside of the font menu to close it.  There's even a filter for "kerned" fonts which have been optimized with more natural spacing between letters and characters. Learn more about kerned fonts.
   
   
    
2. Select a font style – If your font has Bold, Italic, or Writing styles, you can select them from the Font Style picker in the toolbar.
   
   
    
3. Use the Font Size input box to change to your desired font size.
   
   

Rotating text

To rotate your text box on the Canvas, tap and hold the rotate icon above the text box. Rotate the text as you wish, then release the icon.

Sizing text

To resize text use any corner handle on the bounding box or enter values in the Size input fields in the toolbar. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Size menu – depending on the size of your screen, you may need to scroll the menu to the right if you don’t see the fields you are looking for!

Note: Some of the handles on the bounding box may disappear when zoomed out on the Canvas or when the text box is very small, so that you can move it as needed without issue. If you cannot see the corner handles after selecting your text, pinch to zoom in until they reappear. 

Zoomed in

Zoomed out

Resizing the text box

You can change the size of the box your text is in without changing your selected text size. Just click and drag the middle rectangular handles on the bounding box. Text is centered horizontally and vertically by default, but you can use the Alignment and Adjustments tools in the toolbar to adjust text position within the text box.

Text Wrap

By default, text is added to the Canvas in a single line. You can cause your text to wrap, or automatically flow to a new line based on the size of your text box – no line breaks required!

To push a word to another line (or pull a word back from the previous line) simply click and drag a middle rectangular handle on the text box.

This puts your text box in Wrap mode. To exit Wrap mode, toggle Wrap Text off in the Alignment tool.

Note: When you turn Wrap off, any wrapped text will return to a single line.

Curving text

Use the Curve tool in Design Space to easily bend your text into a circular shape. 

The Curve tool is found in the Adjustments menu, next to Alignment. 

1. Select Text tool in the plus (+) menu at the bottom right corner of the Canvas. 
   
   
    
2. Type text into the text box, choose your font and font style, and use the Letter Space tool to adjust letter spacing as needed. If you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line of text in a separate text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” function in the Isolate menu to separate your lines of text into separate text boxes.
   
   
    
3. Select Adjustments, then locate the Text Curve option in the menu.
   
   
    
4. Drag the slider to the right to curve the text downward. Note the number in the Curve field as you drag the slider. Design Space uses an imaginary circle to determine the curvature of the text. The size of that circle decreases the further the slider is moved to the right. The number in the Curve field will change to reflect this as the slider is moved.
   
   The smallest curve possible will change based on the size, length, and spacing of your text. Smaller font sizes and shorter words or phrases can achieve a smaller circumference than larger font sizes and longer words or phrases. 
   
   
    
5. Drag the slider to the left to curve the text upward. You will notice that a “-“ is added to the number in the Curve field as an indication of the upward curve.
   
   
    
6. When curving multiple lines of text, quickly match the curvature of previously curved text by manually entering the same number in the Curve field. If you wish to curve the text in the opposite direction, add or remove a dash (-) in front of the number as needed to tell Design Space which way to curve the text.

Things To Remember

• Curved text remains completely editable unless welded or flattened. You can continue to adjust letter spacing, rotate, edit the actual text, and change the font type and style after curving your text.
• Curve tool will not enable if there are multiple lines of text in the same text box. Insert separate text boxes for each line or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes. Then curve each line separately.

Note: The Curve tool will only enable for text boxes with a single line of text; if you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line in its own text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes.

Tip: The Curve tool cannot be used on text that has been ungrouped to individual letters, then re-grouped, so if additional manual letter spacing adjustments are needed after you have used the Letter Spacing tool, wait until you have curved the text to do this.

Deleting text

Text can be deleted using the delete icon just below the text.

Select an option below to learn about working with text in Design Space for Android.

• Adding text to Canvas
• Changing text on Canvas
• Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Adding text to Canvas

Tap on the plus button on the bottom right corner of the Canvas, then select Text to add new text. The word “Text” will appear highlighted on the Canvas. Simply start typing your text to update it.

Changing text on Canvas

Anytime you click outside of the text box, you exit Edit mode, but making changes is easy!

1. Double-tap on your text to type new words or make corrections. This puts the text back into edit mode. If you need to move your cursor, tap and hold the cursor, then drag it to the spot where you want to drop it. Once the cursor is located where you wish it to be, just start typing new letters or select existing letters.
   
   
    
2. With letter(s) or words selected, you can cut, copy, and paste using the menu that appears above the selected letters.
   
   

Editing appearance of text on Canvas

Select a link to view information about the following:

• Selecting a font
• Rotating text
• Sizing text
• Resizing the text box
• Text Wrap
• Curving Text
• Deleting text

Selecting a font

1. Use the Font picker to select your desired font. After you have typed your text into the text box, tap anywhere outside the text box to close the keyboard. At the bottom of the screen tap the Font picker – the font picker appears on the toolbar as a “T” symbol labeled with “Font” just below it. Browse the fonts until you find the one you like, then tap the font to apply it. There's even a filter for "kerned" fonts which have been optimized with more natural spacing between letters and characters. Learn more about kerned fonts.
   
      
    
2. Select a font style – If your font has Bold, Italic, or Writing styles, you can select them from the Font Style picker in the toolbar.
   
      
    
3. Use the Font Size tool to enter your desired font size in the input box.
   
       

Rotating text

To rotate your text box on the Canvas, tap and hold the rotate icon above the text box. Rotate the text as you wish, then release the icon.

Sizing text

To resize text use any corner handle on the bounding box or enter values in the Size input fields on the toolbar. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Size menu – Keep in mind that you may need to scroll the toolbar menu to the right if you don’t see the fields you are looking for!

Note: Some of the bounding box handles may disappear when zoomed out on the Canvas or when the text box is very small, so that you can move it as needed without issue. If you cannot see the corner handles after selecting your text, pinch to zoom in until they reappear. 

Zoomed in                                                                        Zoomed out

Resizing the text box

You can change the size of the box your text is in without changing your selected text size. Just click and drag the middle rectangular handles on the bounding box. Text is centered horizontally and vertically by default, but you can use the Alignment and Adjustment tools in the toolbar to adjust text position within the text box.

Text Wrap

By default, text is added to the Canvas in a single line. You can cause your text to wrap, or automatically flow to a new line based on the size of your text box – no line breaks required!

To push a word to another line (or pull a word back from the previous line) simply tap and drag a middle rectangular handle on the text box.

This puts your text box in Wrap mode. To exit Wrap mode, toggle Text Wrap off in the Alignment menu found on the toolbar.

Note: When you turn Wrap off, any wrapped text will return to a single line.

Curving text

Use the Curve tool in Design Space to easily bend your text into a circular shape. The Curve tool is found in the Adjustments menu, next to Alignment.

1. Select the Text option in the plus menu at the bottom right corner of the Canvas.
   
   
    
2. Type text into the text box, choose your font and font style, and use the Letter Space option in the Adjustments tool to modify the letter spacing as needed. If you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line of text in a separate text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” function in the Isolate tool to separate your lines of text into separate text boxes.
   
     
    
3. Select the Adjustments tool to locate the Text Curve option. You will see a slider and a number field.
   
     
    
4. Drag the slider to the right to curve the text downward. Note the number in the Curve field as you drag the slider. Design Space uses an imaginary circle to determine the curvature of the text. The size of that circle decreases the further the slider is moved to the right. The number in the Curve field will change to reflect this as the slider is moved.
   
   The smallest curve possible will change based on the size, length, and spacing of your text. Smaller font sizes and shorter words or phrases can achieve a smaller circumference than larger font sizes and longer words or phrases.
   
   
    
5. Drag the slider to the left to curve the text upward. You will notice that a “-“ is added to the number in the Curve field as an indication of the upward curve.
   
   
    
6. When curving multiple lines of text, quickly match the curvature of previously curved text by manually entering the same number in the Curve field. If you wish to curve the text in the opposite direction, add or remove a dash (-) in front of the number as needed to tell Design Space which way to curve the text.

Things To Remember

• Curved text remains completely editable unless welded or flattened. You can continue to adjust letter spacing, rotate, edit the actual text, and change the font type and style after curving your text.
• Curve tool will not enable if there are multiple lines of text in the same text box. Insert separate text boxes for each line or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes. Then curve each line separately.

Note: The Curve tool will only enable for text boxes with a single line of text; if you have multiple lines of text to curve, enter each line in its own text box, or use the “Ungroup to Lines” tool to move your lines of text into separate text boxes.

Tip: The Curve tool cannot be used on text that has been ungrouped to individual letters, then re-grouped, so if additional manual letter spacing adjustments are needed after you have used the Letter Spacing tool, wait until you have curved the text to do this.

Deleting text

Text can be deleted using the delete icon shown next to the selected text box.

1. Select the Text tool or an existing text box, then select the font drop-down.
   
   
    
2. Click the filter icon in the font search window to turn on the Kerned filter. 
   
   
    
3. Select a font from the list and create your project with a Kerned font!

Tip: To view only Cricut fonts, or only fonts installed on your device (system fonts), select the appropriate index. 

1. Select the text box, then choose Font.
   
   
    
2. Select the filter icon in the font search window.
   
   
    
3. Select the Kerned filter. Then, when you go back to select a font, only kerned fonts will be listed.
   
   

Tip: To view only Cricut fonts, or only fonts installed on your device (system fonts), select the appropriate index.