How to Wrap Text Around an Image in Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign, a versatile desktop publishing software, empowers users to create visually appealing and professional-grade documents. Integrating images into your layouts often requires wrapping text around them to achieve a visually balanced and engaging design. InDesign offers a straightforward method for wrapping text around images, ensuring seamless integration of text and visual elements.

Step 1: Prepare the Image and Text

  1. Import the image you want to wrap text around using the Place Gun tool (Shift + F) or by dragging and dropping the image file onto your InDesign document.
  2. Ensure the image frame is selected using the Selection tool (V).
  3. Create a text frame where you want the text to wrap around the image. You can use the Text tool (T) to create a new text frame or utilize an existing one.

Step 2: Initiate Text Wrapping

  1. Select the image frame and the text frame to initiate text wrapping.
  2. Go to Object > Text Wrap.
  3. In the Text Wrap panel, choose the desired wrapping option:
  • Wrap Around Object Shape: This option wraps the text around the exact shape of the image, including any irregular contours.
  • Wrap Around Bounding Box: This option wraps the text around the rectangular bounding box of the image, creating a more uniform text flow.

4. Adjust the inset values, if applicable, to specify the distance between the text and the image. Positive values move the text away from the image, while negative values move the text closer to the image.

5. Click “OK” to apply the text wrapping settings.

Step 3: Refine the Text Wrap

  1. Observe the text wrapping around the image. Adjust the position and size of the image frame and text frame as needed to achieve the desired layout.
  2. Use the Transform panel (Window > Transform) to fine-tune the position, rotation, and scale of the image and text frame.
  3. Consider using the Text Wrap panel’s additional options, such as “Avoid Text Cliffs” and “Minimum Text Wrap,” to control the text wrapping behavior.
  4. Preview the document in different zoom levels and page sizes to ensure optimal text wrapping across the layout.

Additional Tips

  • Group the image frame and text frame together to maintain their relative positions and prevent them from shifting independently.
  • Utilize master pages to ensure consistent text wrapping settings across multiple pages in your document.
  • Experiment with different text wrapping options to find the most visually appealing and effective approach for your design.
  • Consider using the Content Aware Fill feature to intelligently remove or replace unwanted content within the image while maintaining the text wrap.

Remember, wrapping text around images is a fundamental aspect of creating visually balanced and engaging layouts in Adobe InDesign. By following these guidelines and utilizing InDesign’s text wrapping tools, you can seamlessly integrate images into your designs, enhancing the overall visual impact of your documents.