Text

All text added to a photo product, whether added by clicking the Add text button in the Designer’s top menu, or already included in a selected layout, can be customised. The configuration tools can be found in the Text editor window that appears when you select the text box and click the button at the top.

They can also be found in the right-hand menu by selecting the text box and clicking on the Text box button. Several tools are displayed.

Opacity: The opacity of the text box can be changed by changing the Opacity value. Note that the opacity affects the entire text box, including the text, highlight and background colour if applicable.
Font: The Font box displays the different fonts available in the software for use in your photo product. To select a font, click on the desired one.
Font size: The Font size box displays a list of text sizes. Clicking on one of these will change the text to the selected size. You can also type the desired size directly into the Font size field and press Enter. To the right of this field are two buttons to increase and decrease the font size point by point. Note that some fonts may be limited in size depending on the surface selected.
Character Styles: To apply a style to the text, select the Bold, Italic or Underline button as required. Please note that some fonts do not support bold or italic characters. This is due to the font itself and is not a fault of the software. To get bold or italic text, you should choose fonts that offer these styles.

Line Height: By default, the line spacing within the text box is set to automatic and varies according to the size of the text. To change the line spacing, open the Line Height box and select a value, or type the spacing in the same box and press Enter.
Automatic font size: This function will automatically reduce the text size if the text box is reduced beyond the text size. This means that if this option is enabled and the text box is reduced in size, the text within the box will adjust to the size of the box by reducing its size if necessary to be properly visible within the text box.

Text readability recommendations

Please note that font sizes may vary between fonts. For optimum readability, use the following guidelines:

• Sans serif fonts should be at least 8 pt (measurement using the Arial font)
• Serif fonts should be at least 10 pt (measurement using Times New Roman)
• When using Light weight, choose a font size of at least 12 pt.
• When using Light text on a dark background, the font size should be at least 14 pt.

Spell check

If the Spell check checkbox is selected, grammatical errors will be highlighted according to the selected language. The language can be set in the Settings menu at the top of the designer.

If a written text contains a grammatical error, it will be underlined with a red dotted line. This line will not be printed, it will only act as a warning so that you can easily see if there is an error in the written text. When you open the preview, the spell checker is not displayed either. Once the error has been corrected, the red dotted line will disappear.

Alignment

Text is aligned according to its box. It can be aligned left, centre, right or justified. It can also be vertically aligned top, centre or bottom relative to the text box.

Colours

The colour of the text can be changed by clicking on the Text colour box. A colour menu will appear with colour options to choose from. You can also change the opacity of the text from here. This only affects the text colour, not the background or highlight colour.
You can use the pipette tool to select a colour from an image or a fill box already used. It is possible to select a specific colour by clicking on Colour selection. This will bring up a menu where you can write the code number, HSB and RGB value or select a colour.

The Background colour box allows you to select a colour to fill the entire background of the text box. The Highlight colour box allows you to select a colour for the background on which the text is written. This colour is superimposed on the Background colour when selected.

System fonts

Saal Digital offers a wide range of fonts. It is also possible to activate the fonts installed on your device. To do this, open the Settings menu at the top of the Designer, activate the Show system fonts option and click OK. Once the option is enabled, when the Font field is opened, you will be able to select the system fonts and the fonts offered in the Saal Digital software.

We can guarantee that all fonts supplied by us will produce a good result. Please ensure that system fonts are displayed correctly in the preview. We cannot accept complaints about faulty fonts that were not provided by us.

Note: Due to ensuring a correct production, system fonts cannot be used in our special covers (like Leatherette, Natural Linen, etc.).

Text on Photo Book spine

When you create a Photo book, you can add text to the spine. Write and customise your text on the Cover, then select it and click the Position button on the right. Under the Align section you will find the On book spine button. Clicking it will automatically place your text on the spine of the cover. Please keep this in mind to ensure correct display:

• Use the On book spine button to avoid manual positioning.
• Never place the text box outside the inside fold lines of the spine. Note, however, that the spine fold lines in the preview are orientation aids, not exact references.
• In the Text box, centre the text so that it is centred on the spine.