Typing Around a Path in Illustrator

Typing around paths is sort of the opposite of typing within an area; type flows around the outside of a shape (or shapes) rather than within a shape. This technique is referred to as a text wrap or a type wrap. You don’t have a special tool for flowing type around paths, but you do have to choose a command with both the type and the path selected.

To flow text around the outside of a shape, follow these steps:
1. Create a text box by clicking and dragging with the Type tool.
2. Type text into the box until it’s full.
3. Create a path by using any of the Illustrator tools and place the path in front of the text.
You get the best results by using a closed path rather than an open one. You can use as many paths and text boxes as you want. All text wraps around all paths.
4. Choose the regular Selection tool from the Toolbox.
5. Select the text and the path by holding the Shift key while clicking each of them.
6. Choose Type➪Wrap➪Make.
The text flows around the shape.

The most important thing to do when you wrap text around a path is to make sure that the path is in front of the text. Typically, if you try to make text wrap around a path and the procedure doesn’t work, the shape is probably behind the text. If this happens, click the path with the Selection tool and choose Object➪Arrange➪Bring to Front, which moves the object in front of the text. Select the path and the text again and then choose Type➪Wrap➪Make. To undo the wrap, choose Type➪Wrap➪Release.

You can use several shapes for the text to wrap around, or you can add a shape later by selecting the new shape with the Selection tool, along with the existing text and/or shape objects, and choosing Type➪Wrap➪Make.