How do I put a floating image in a text box?

Question

How do I put a floating image in a text box?

Help! I haven't found a solution to this after about an hour of research so here goes...I am making some name badges for a conference in Pages '09 and I have encountered a bit of trouble. I got over the hump of making sure I could get multiple name badges on one page when merging, but now I want to insert a university logo into the text box so that it becomes part of the text box (and is repeated on every badge). I don't want the text to wrap (which I have done successfully) because it pushes the image too close to the edge of each badge. I want to be able to manipulate where the image goes inside the text box and still be able to have it reprint for each tag. Is this possible?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Mar 29, 2013 4:50 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

3,005 points

Mar 29, 2013 5:26 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

The only thing a text box can contain is a block of text, so the only way to put an image "in" the text box is to put it inline in the text.

You can put a floating image on top of a text box, with wrap set so that the text is not under the image and then when things are positioned as you would like, you can group the image and the text box so they stay together.

Reply

Answer 2

Mar 29, 2013 6:02 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

Copy the logo > click into the text inside the Textbox or Shape where you want the logo > Paste

You can control the inset inside the textbox:

Inspector > Text > Inset Margin

Peter

Reply

Answer 3

Mar 29, 2013 7:17 AM in response to Jeff Shenk

Jeff,

I did try to simply put the image over the text box and group but it won't let me group the objects.

Thanks

Reply

Answer 4

Mar 29, 2013 7:19 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter,

I have also tried this and I looked at the inset margin but once I select it inside the text box, the inset margin capabilities are no longer available. Why doesn't Apple work on making the floating image inside a text box a possibility?

Cheers.

Reply

Answer 5

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Mar 29, 2013 7:26 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

Click in the text and not the image in the text box and you'll be able to change the Insert Margin

Reply

Answer 6

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

3,005 points

Mar 29, 2013 7:36 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

Don't know why it wouldn't let you group them unless both objects were not selected.

Reply

Answer 7

Mar 29, 2013 7:40 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

Because obviously it is not a floating image if it is pasted inside the Textbox. It is inline.

The Inset margin applies to the Textbox or Shape that everything is in. What do you think Inset means?

You are looking at a working example above. That is what you wanted isn't it?

Peter

Reply

Answer 8

Mar 29, 2013 4:41 PM in response to Jeff Shenk

Jeff,

Not sure the reasoning behind it but whenever I moved the box with the graphic and then tried to command click the text box it would only end up selecting the text box. I solved the problem though by changing the margin inside the text box which pushed the image over to where I really wanted it. Thanks for your help!

Dan

Reply

Answer 9

Mar 29, 2013 4:44 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter,

What I really wanted was a floating image, which I understand is not possible within a text box (I'm just not entirely sure why it isn't). The inset margin just pushed my text in but actually left my image where it was (despite the fact I had pasted it inside the box). I ended up figuring it out by adjusting the right margin a bit which pushed the image to where it needed to be. Thanks for your help.

Dan

Reply

Answer 10

Mar 29, 2013 6:18 PM in response to tenaciousdeeps

I am repeating myself.

If it is floating it can't be in anything, it is floating ie an independent object.

Peter

Reply

Answer 11

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Mar 30, 2013 12:48 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

Why did you want a floating image? What do you think the floating image would achieve that an inline couldn't?

Reply

Answer 12

Mar 30, 2013 4:56 AM in response to fruhulda

A floating image lets me move it anywhere I want with no regard as to where a line is. It wouldn't have been constrained by anything.

And to Peter, Yes, I understand your comment in general, however I think it would be savvy to consider a text box as a sort of free standing entity, much like a document would be, so that inside it you could still have a floating object within that confined space. I don't understand why it shouldn't be possible to put an independent object (even without pasting it) inside another independent object and be able to move it around freely within that.

Reply

Answer 13

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

3,005 points

Mar 30, 2013 5:38 AM in response to tenaciousdeeps

I agree about it being easier to position a floating object. I am not sure what a floating object inside a text box could do that a floating object on top of a text box can't do. As I said before, once they are positioned relative to each other, you can group them and treat them as a single object. If you want to change their relative positions just ungroup them.

If moving the margin in your text box moved the image, I think it had to be inline with the text, which is why you couldn't select it on the object level with the text box.

Reply