Text and text styles
Drawings carry a lot of words — room names, notes, specifications. Learn the two text commands, how text styles keep everything consistent, and what height text should be.
In this lesson you will
- Choose between MTEXT and single-line TEXT
- Create and use text styles
- Pick correct text heights for printed sheets
- Edit, find and spell-check text
Two kinds of text
| Multiline text (MTEXT) | Single-line text (TEXT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | T or MT | DT (TEXT) |
| Object | One object for a whole paragraph | Each line a separate object |
| Formatting | Bold, lists, columns, stacked fractions | None |
| Best for | Notes, specifications | Short labels, room names |
Text styles
A text style (ST › STYLE) defines the font, width factor and — for annotative styles — the paper height. Create a few styles for your drawings, such as KW-Notes (2.5 mm), KW-Titles (5 mm) and KW-Room (3.5 mm), and use them instead of changing fonts on individual text.
Choose clear, widely available fonts (such as Arial or the TrueType versions of standard CAD fonts). Drawings shared with others may substitute missing fonts.
How big should text be?
Text is sized for the printed sheet. Common paper heights: 2.5 mm for general notes and dimensions, 3.5 mm for room names and labels, 5–7 mm for titles. Make text styles annotative and AutoCAD scales them to the viewport scale automatically.
If you don't use annotative styles, multiply the paper height by the scale: 2.5 mm text at 1:100 must be 250 units tall in model space.
Editing text
Double-click text to edit it in place. The Properties palette changes style, height and layer for many texts at once. FIND searches and replaces text throughout a drawing; SPELL checks spelling. TEXTALIGN lines up several single-line texts, and TXT2MTXT combines single-line texts into one MTEXT.
Special characters
In single-line text, type %%c for ⌀, %%d for °, and %%p for ±. In MTEXT use the Symbol menu on the ribbon.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| MTEXT | T / MT | Multiline text |
| TEXT | DT | Single-line text |
| STYLE | ST | Text Style manager |
| FIND | Type the name | Find and replace |
| SPELL | SP | Spell check |
Common mistakes
Text too small to read on the PDF.
Size text for paper: at least 2.5 mm printed. Use annotative styles.
Lots of fonts in one drawing.
Use a small set of text styles; convert odd texts with MATCHPROP.
Exercise
Label a plan
- Create annotative text styles for notes (2.5 mm) and room names (3.5 mm).
- Add room names with single-line text.
- Add a general notes block with MTEXT including a numbered list.
- Use FIND to replace 'Bed' with 'Bedroom' everywhere.
- Run SPELL.
You should end up with: Consistent, readable text throughout.
Checklist
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Lesson quiz
Which text type is better for a paragraph of notes with a numbered list?
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Free KitWren tools that help
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- Merge PDFCombine multiple PDFs into one file, in any order, choosing which pages to include from each.
- PDF CompressorReduce PDF file size by recompressing images while keeping text sharp — free, private and in your browser.
- PDF to PNGConvert PDF pages to sharp, lossless PNG images.
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