Software Instruction Manual

IQ–MSD Turbo 1.4 Advanced IQ System Software
Page 85
4.7 Text
Text objects are used as labels and they are one of the few objects that can be placed on top of other objects. To
place a Text object on a graphics plate, choose Text from the Toolbox. The Text Attributes window (Figure 4.16)
will then open so you can configure it. Its attributes are described next.
Font List: Selects the font to be used by the Text object. A preview of the selected font is displayed at the bottom
of the Attributes window to help you make a selection. See Figure 4.17 for a sample of each font. There are two
types of fonts, stroked (vector) and bitmap.
Stroked Fonts: The stroked fonts are variable in size between 5 and 60 points and are listed first in the Font List.
(A “point” is a typographical unit of size equal to
1
⁄72 of an inch. However, whether 72 points really equal an inch
on your computer’s display will be controlled by the video resolution and the size of your monitor.) Because the
stroked fonts are variable in size, Text objects that use them can be resized. For example, placing a Text object
with a stroked font into a container and then resizing the container will cause the Text object to be scaled along with
the container. To prevent Stroked Text objects from being resized, press
S when resizing the parent object. A
disadvantage of stroked fonts is that they are not optimized for a specific size like bitmap fonts and so they do not
look good at some sizes.
Bitmap Fonts: The bitmap fonts are fixed in size and are listed last in the Font List. A different bitmap font is required
for each size. Because bitmap fonts cannot be resized, their size is selected when you choose them from the Font
List. Also, placing a Text object with a bitmap font into a container and then resizing the container will have no affect
on the size of the Text object. However, an advantage of bitmap fonts is that they usually look better because they
have been optimized for one size.
The size of a bitmap font is included in its name and two methods are used to describe the size. Some bitmap fonts
Fig. 4.16 The Text Attributes Window