Is there a better way to format text around a picture?

[Guest]

My slides are often set up so the picture is to the upper right and a tall
relatively narrow text box is on the left side of the page. When the text
goes below the picture bottom I'd like to have the text extend to the right
margin of the slide.

The only way I've been able to do this is a Kludge that doesn't really work.
I create a second text box that is the width of the margins. I stop typing in
the tall narrow box when it reaches the bottom margin of the picture. Then I
continue with the sentence in the bottom text box.

There are three problems with this. First, I can never seem to align the
left margin of both text boxes together so that it really looks seamless.
Second, every time I change the text in the tall narrow box I have to redo
the continuation box, since there obviously isn't word wrap. Finally,
handouts do not print the second text box.

Is there a better way of doing this?

Thanks,

 

[Guest]

You can align text boxes with draw > align left.

Sometimes its easier to work with text in autoshapes. Try this draw two
rectangle where you want the text . Align left edges and in format autoshape

textbox tab set word wrap to yes anchor to top and resize autoshape to fit

text to no. Start typing in the upper shape (make sure text is left aligned)
- you will easily see when you overflow and can cut and paste into the second
box. You may need to nudge the lower box a little and then set fills/ lines
to none. This should print on handouts (as should two text boxes!)

 

[Jennifer Q]

I always find this to be a difficult problem myself, and I'm so surprised
that there's not a better way to do it. John, I think your idea is good but
for my money, I'd rather have people use two text boxes rather than
autoshapes because the textboxes have our company temlate's formatting on
them and the autoshapes do not.

Ed, You should be able to use the ruler to make sure your edges and
paragraphs are lined up. When you're in the text, you should be able to see
the indent and other paragraph settings on the ruler, and you could match
them up from text box to text box.

What I do is to copy the original text box, then resize the original text
box. Then I paste my copy, and resize it (this is the second text box). The
left and right edges stay the same when I do this, and all my formatting
stays the same, too.

Good luck, let me know if you come up with any better solutions.

Jennifer Q