Design Space - Working with Text

We are continually working to improve your experience with Text in Design Space for Desktop. Beginning with v7.11 we've introduced improvements for Text that may change how you’ve interacted with this feature in the past. Continue reading to learn more about working with Text in Design Space for Desktop. 

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

Anytime 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 using either the functionality in the Edit menu, or by right-clicking inside the text box.
   
   Edit menu
   
   
   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 Font dropdown 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, you can select them from the Style dropdown.
   
   
    
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 enter specific values in the Rotate input field in the Edit toolbar.

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 Edit tool bar. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Edit toolbar.

Bounding box corner handles

Edit 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 Alignment 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 Text Edit bar at the top of the Canvas, between the Alignment and Advanced tools.

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 Advanced 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.
• On Android devices, projects with curved text will open, but attempts to edit the curved text will remove the curve.

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), or using Backspace/Delete keys on the keyboard.

We are continually working to improve your experience with Text in Design Space. Beginning with v5.10 we've introduced improvements for Text that may change how you’ve interacted with this feature in the past. Continue reading to learn more about working with Text in Design Space for iOS.

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

Select 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

Anytime 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. At the bottom of the screen you will see the Edit menu open – the font picker appears on the left side of this menu. Tap where it says “Font Name” and browse the fonts until you find the one you like – tap the font, then tap “Done.” 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 Style picker in the Edit menu.
   
   
    
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 below 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 Edit menu. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Edit menu - scroll the menu to the right if you don’t see the fields!

Note: Corner handles on the bounding box will 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, Letter Space, and Line Space tools in the Edit menu 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 picker inside the Edit 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 is found in the Text Edit menu, next to Alignment. 

1. Select the Text tool at the bottom 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 Actions > Advanced menu to separate your lines of text into separate text boxes.
   
   
    
3. Select the Curve tool (Edit > Curve). 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 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.
• On Android devices, projects with curved text will open, but attempts to edit the curved text will remove the curve.

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 in the Actions menu.

We are continually working to improve your experience with Text in Design Space. With v5.14 we are starting to introduce more improvements for Text that may change how you’ve interacted with this feature in the past. Continue reading to learn more about working with Text in Design Space for Android.

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 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 Edit menu – the font picker appears on the left side of this menu. Tap where it says “Font Name” and browse the fonts until you find the one you like – tap the font, then tap the back arrow to return to the Canvas. 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 Style picker in the Edit menu.
   
      
    
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 below 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 Edit menu. To unlock proportions so you can adjust the height and width independently, click on the Lock icon between width and height fields in the Edit menu - scroll the menu to the right if you don’t see the fields!

Note: Corner handles on the bounding box will 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, Letter Space, and Line Space tools in the Edit menu 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 picker inside the Edit 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 is found in the Text Edit menu, next to Alignment.

1. Select the Text tool at the bottom 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 Actions > Isolate Letters menu to separate your lines of text into separate text boxes.
   
     
    
3. Select the Curve tool (Edit > Curve). 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 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.
• On Android devices, projects with curved text will open, but attempts to edit the curved text will remove the curve.

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 in the Actions menu.

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, Edit, and then tap on the font name.
   
   
    
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.