Applying text to an arc

[Challis]

Quark Xpress4 (WinXP Pro)
Hi,
I'm trying to apply text to an arc; a semi-circle would be nice. Imagine a complete circle, cut it in half across the horizontal and lose the bottom half. I came across the following...

http://www.designillustration.com/BCC3/sep25_4.htm

If you scroll down to "Applying Text to a Standard Shape" I've followed this but the text doesn't follow the circle and ends up looking like a speech balloon in a comic strip - argh! Oh, not really important but, the text in the example is on the outside of the circle whereas the cursor appears on the inside when I attempt it - the answer is staring me in the face but I just can't see it...

I hope I've posted enough information!

 

[blueark]

Part 2 of that section is a little misleading. In the Item > Shape menu, it has the circle selected, whereas you should select the shape directly under it (the one that looks a little like an artist's palette).

Other than that, just make sure you are using the correct text tool (as described earlier in the lesson) and you should be ok.

 

[Challis]

Thanks for the reply, blue. No joy, I'm afraid; the text still doesn't follow the curve. I even tried all of the other tools, just for fun!
I'll just have to use the freehand text-path tool and hope I can produce a nice curve.
*shake fist at Quark aaaand....continue* ]

- Chris

 

[denice]

Chris I have had the same problem in the past. To resolve it this is what I did. Quark 4.1

Used OVal TEXT tool. Make it the size you want it to be. Have the Oval selected with the Hand tool. Click ITEM > SHAPE then choose the one at the bottom, which is the text to path tool. Looks like a squigly line. This converts the line to a path. The cursor then is on the outside of the line. Should work just fine with the half circle.

Although the text might want to run on the "flat" side of the half circle.
~Idea ~You might want to just have a circle and make the line zero in the modify section and not cut the circle in half.