Easily Create Text Blocks in Illustrator

When you need to make text blocks in Illustrator, there are many ways to do it, from selecting each line of text individually and setting the proper font size, to using paragraph text and adjusting sizes and spacing. However, if you want to create a text block in less than a minute—which is especially useful for quote posters—you can use an automated method to do it quickly and effortlessly. Today, I’ll show you how to make a text block in Illustrator in a matter of seconds by using a single script, saving you time and enhancing your creative workflow. This method is perfect for experimenting with different typefaces and achieving unique results.

Step 1

Download the "TextBlock" free Illustrator script from Github: Download

Step 2

Before opening Illustrator, Install the script.

• If you are a Mac user, copy the script file to Applications/Adobe Illustrator [version]/Presets/en_US [or your language]/Scripts
• If you are a Windows user, copy the script file to Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator [version]/Presets/en_US [or your language]/Scripts

Step 3

Open Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. In this case I will make mine at 900 x 1100 px.

Step 4

Select the Type Tool (T) and type the text that will be on the first line of the text block. For this one, I will be using CocoSharp Heavy at 100pt.

Step 5

Type the second line. Now I will change the font to TexasTango at 140pt.

Step 6

Keep adding as many lines as you want for your text block, using any font, at any size and with any color.

Step 7

Select all the text objects and go to File > Scripts > textBlock.

Step 8

In the first dialog box, set the width you want for your text block and click the "OK" button. You can use any measurement you want (points, picas, inches, milimeters, centimeters or pixels). In this case I will change the default "300 pt" and set mine to 600 px.

Step 9

Lastly, set the space you want between your text block lines and click the "OK" button. Again, you can use any measure unit you wish, here I will set mine to 20 px.

Some Final Notes:

If you want to change the colors after the text block is created, you can do so as you normally would in Illustrator. Simply select the text (or an individual letter) and adjust its color in the Swatches window, where you can also experiment with custom color options to achieve your desired look.