Vertical Motion Index (lines per inch)

[Beta_Zeroid]

Can someone explain how I can set the vertical motion index (or "lines per inch") when entering Text? In the olden days, the vertical motion index was a variable associated with Hewlett Packard Laserprinters, and how far down the cursor moves, every time you press the carriage return key.

This is probably listed in a submenu found in the Inspector - somewhere - but I tend to get lost when I go there. I'm assuming that a lot of us switch from one point size to another, several times in a given line, but the distance the cursor travels depends wholly on the last point size created. Is there some easy way of changing this distance without changing the point size?

[Jean-Jacques Boutaud]

Hi Beta_Zeroid,
To adjust space between lines, in a same paragraph, use… Spacing Between Lines from Inspector (Text tab).
To adjust space between paragraphs, use… Spacing Before Paragraph.
You also have the option to raise/lower baseline (Format>Font>Baseline).
You may force break-line inside paragraph using Ctrl-Return.

[Beta_Zeroid]

Thanks, that was very helpful!

[Beta_Zeroid]

Thanks, that was very helpful!

Strangely, I am having troubles getting lines to overlap. When the text executes a carriage return, BCC simply won't let me adjust the lines per inch so the text overlaps with the line above it.

Is there a way of getting text entered in such a way that it overlaps and merges with the line just above it?

Sort of like a carriage return without a linefeed?

You could do it with nearly every computer from the 1980s.

Help!

[Nick]

Hi,

What I should do to repeat this problem?
I'm adding a text box of the "Custom" type. Then add several lines of text (Enter, Return and Shift-Return buttons seem to work in the same way). Which steps are the next?

Nick

[Beta_Zeroid]

Maybe Format>Font>Baseline is what I am looking for. It's just that everybody else in the world (beside Mac and Windows users, as many as those people are) called it the Vertical Motion Index....

[Jean-Jacques Boutaud]

Hi,
It seems that you try to get something like this:


(made in TextEdit)

You should use Spacing Between Lines.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work with BCC (and Labels & Addresses as they use the same "kind" of text box model) because you may not set this parameter with negative values.

So, here're two different ways to get this effect:

1. type and adjust text settings in another application (TextEdit, Bean, SP2 or why not DC2 too). In TextEdit, use Format>Text>Spacing… then adjust Inter-line Spacing to overlap lines of text.
Don(t forget that:
-- this works for lines in a same paragraph
-- you may insert break-line with Ctrl-Enter
After typing text, you copy it then paste into BCC.
Caution, editing text in BCC may break these "custom" inter-line spacing setting.

2. Simply use two (or more) different text boxes then move one over other one(s).
It seems the best solution (at least the most versatile) especially with text boxes containing few text.

Maybe, BeLight may fix that in a next update of BCC (and LA too)?

Btw., I don't know if you try to make some business cards or some posters using BCC but, imho, it would be really easier to use Swift Publisher to design posters.
This particular problem (overlapping lines of text) doesn't exist in SP2 (take the time to test the demo) and in a more general way, "typographic" settings are really more developed.

[Nick]

Hi,

We'll consider allowing the negative "Between Lines" values.

Nick

[Beta_Zeroid]

Hi,

We'll consider allowing the negative "Between Lines" values.

Nick

Thanks, that would solve the whole problem!

[Beta_Zeroid]

Hi,
It seems that you try to get something like this:

http://belightcommunity.free.fr/4_belight_forum/space_between_lines.png
(made in TextEdit)

You should use Spacing Between Lines.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work with BCC (and Labels & Addresses as they use the same "kind" of text box model) because you may not set this parameter with negative values.

So, here're two different ways to get this effect:

1. type and adjust text settings in another application (TextEdit, Bean, SP2 or why not DC2 too). In TextEdit, use Format>Text>Spacing… then adjust Inter-line Spacing to overlap lines of text.
Don(t forget that:
-- this works for lines in a same paragraph
-- you may insert break-line with Ctrl-Enter
After typing text, you copy it then paste into BCC.
Caution, editing text in BCC may break these "custom" inter-line spacing setting.

2. Simply use two (or more) different text boxes then move one over other one(s).
It seems the best solution (at least the most versatile) especially with text boxes containing few text.

Maybe, BeLight may fix that in a next update of BCC (and LA too)?

Btw., I don't know if you try to make some business cards or some posters using BCC but, imho, it would be really easier to use Swift Publisher to design posters.
This particular problem (overlapping lines of text) doesn't exist in SP2 (take the time to test the demo) and in a more general way, "typographic" settings are really more developed.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Your example about overlapping is exactly what I was talking about. (And if the number were negative enough, I'd like to move the cursor way up above the line it came from.)

When it comes to wordprocessing, I've been plodding along with Apple's own in-house program, "Pages" which is okay, but if Swift Publisher is more compatible with Business Card Composer, I'd rather use Swift Publisher.