You can wrap text around any object, including text frames, imported images, and objects you draw in InDesign. When you apply a text wrap to an object, InDesign creates a boundary around the object that repels text. The object that text wraps around is called the wrap object. Text wrap is also referred to as runaround text.
Keep in mind that text wrap options apply to the object being wrapped, not the text itself. Any change to the wrap boundary will remain if you move the wrap object near a different text frame.
Wrap Around Bounding Box
Creates a rectangular wrap whose width and height are determined by the bounding box of the selected object, including any offset distances you specify.
Wrap Around Object Shape
Also known as contour wrapping, creates a text wrap boundary that is the same shape as the frame you’ve selected (plus or minus any offset distances you specify).
From the Wrap To menu, specify whether the wrap is applied to a specific side (such as the right side or largest area) or toward or away from the spine. (If you don’t see the Wrap To menu, choose Show Options from the Text Wrap panel menu.)
A. Both right and left sides B. Side towards spine C. Side away from spine
If you can’t get the text to wrap around an image, make sure that Ignore Text Wrap isn’t selected for the text frame that doesn’t wrap. Also, if Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath is selected in Composition preferences, make sure that the text frame is beneath the wrap object.
Text frames inside a group aren’t affected by a text wrap you apply to the group.
To set default text wrap options for all new objects, deselect all objects and then specify text wrap settings.
To wrap text around an imported image, save the clipping path in the application where you created the image, if possible. When you place the image in InDesign, select the Apply Photoshop Clipping Path option in the Image Import Options dialog box.
Wraps text to the rectangle formed by the image’s height and width.
Generates the boundary using automatic edge detection. (To adjust edge detection, select the object and choose Object > Clipping Path > Options.)
Generates the boundary from an alpha channel saved with the image. If this option isn’t available, no alpha channels were saved with the image. InDesign recognizes the default transparency in Adobe Photoshop (the checkerboard pattern) as an alpha channel; you must otherwise use Photoshop to delete the background or create and save one or more alpha channels with the image.
Generates the boundary from a path saved with the image. Choose Photoshop Path, and then choose a path from the Path menu. If the Photoshop Path option isn’t available, no named paths were saved with the image.
Generates the boundary from the container frame.
Same As Clipping
Generates the boundary from the imported image’s clipping path.
If you manually change the shape of a text wrap path, User-Modified Path is selected in the Type menu and remains dimmed in the menu. This indicates that the path of the shape has changed.
If you want to use the original clipping path rather than the edited text wrap boundary, choose Same As Clipping from the Type menu in the Text Wrap panel.
If the Apply To Master Page Only option is selected, you must override a master page item on a document page to wrap text around it. If this option is deselected, text on both master pages and document pages can wrap around the master page items without the master page items being overridden.
This option is available only when an object on a master page is selected and has a wrap applied to it.
If you apply text wrap to an anchored object, the wrap affects the lines of text in the story that follow the anchor marker. However, the wrap doesn’t affect the line of text that includes the anchor marker or any lines before it.
When you paste an object as an inline object, its text wrap boundaries are preserved.
When you hide a layer that contains a wrap object, the text frames on other layers wrap around the object, unless you select the Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden option in the Layer Options dialog box. If this option is selected, hiding a layer can cause text on other layers to be recomposed.
When you specify how text is justified next to wrap objects, the change applies to the entire document.
Justify Text Next To An Object
Justifies text next to wrap objects that separate a column of text. This setting takes effect only when the text wrap completely interrupts lines of text so that each line is divided into two or more parts.
Text adjacent to an object is aligned to the left or top of the object when set to Align Left, to the right or bottom of the object when set to Align Right, or evenly aligned to both edges when set to Full Justify.
Skip By Leading
Moves wrapped text to the next available leading increment below a text-wrapped object. If this option isn’t selected, lines of text may jump below an object in a way that prevents text from lining up with text in neighboring columns or text frames. Selecting this option is especially useful when you want to make sure that the text aligns to the baseline grid.
Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath
Text stacked above the wrapped object isn’t affected by the text wrap. Stacking order is determined by layer position in the Layers panel and by the stacking order of objects on a layer.
In some cases, you’ll want to turn off text wrap in a text frame. For example, you may want one text frame to wrap around an image, but you may want a different text frame to appear within the image.