Graphics program with easy wysiwyg text entry?

[slobizman]

I need to create a jpg or png file for CafePress (shirts)that is simply text (short quotation). Simple, right?

Well, the easiest thing to key the text in is MS Word since it word wraps well. I thought I could get it to a PNG or JPG file, but I can't.

So, I tried my other two tools, Photoshop 5.5 and Fireworks (recent version). The problem with both of these is that I have to key my text into a "text window" which is really a pain, and the word wrapping is strange.

I need the ease of use of Word and I need to be able to create a 2000 x 2000 pixel image in png or jpg format. No graphic images--but text.

Can anyone point me to an inexpensive product that does this? Can MS Word somehow do this? If I upgrade to PhotoShop 7 is it better?

Thanks!

[mivox]

Photshop 7 would be worlds better. I use v.6 myself, but they got rid of the dreaded "text window" with v.6 and you now type directly into the image window.

[slobizman]

That's great. If I start typing will it wrap or continue going outside my canvas (like 5.5 does now)?

[mivox]

You need to wrap it manually... but that's not too difficult. I find I often get better results on text where I manually insert line breaks no matter what program I'm using (if I'm using the text as a graphic element, like a headline or pull quote).

[slobizman]

What does that mean, "Wrap it manually?" I have to make a lot of different quotation pages quickly. I want to enter the text, play around with the font size until it fits right, and then go for it. If I start with one font size and have manual line breaks in it, and then I increase/decrease the size, I have to remove the line breaks and place them elsewhere. And, I won't really know if something fits properly until I play around with the line breaks again.

I need something to work as simply as Word. Isn't there anything?

[TGecho]

Fireworks MX let's you draw a textbox and type right in it. It wraps manually as well.

If this is a one day thing you could get away with the 30 day demo.

[slobizman]

I've got Fireworks 3 (forgot there was something higher--MX). Guess I can upgrade.

So, once in the textbox, I can type away, change fonts, size etc, just like if I was in Word?

Are there many other new goodies that make going from 3 to MX?

I guess it would be a good thing for me anyway since I have DreamWeaver MX.

[TGecho]

>>> So, once in the textbox, I can type away, change fonts, size etc, just like if I was in Word? <<<
Yes, and I'm sure there are many other improvments over version 3 (never used 3 before).

[bunltd]

slobizman, lots of new goodies with Fireworks MX.

You can edit the text in the image without going to the edit box - this way you can see what you're getting - but V3 did this too. Just click the text tool on the toolbar then click the text you want to edit in place.

MX is just faster to use for me with all the palettes right at your fingertips for optimization, layers, etc. Hope this helps.

LisaB

[slobizman]

thanks to all. This site is fantastic!

[Ryan8720]

What you really need is Quark, InDesign, or PageMaker. Those are layout programs, and seem to be what you are really looking for.

[mivox]

Personally, I'd use my copy of InDesign for a project like that... But when I'm working in Photoshop, I've never found the "enter/return" key to be too much hindrance to my workflow. ;)

I just figured upgrading Photoshop is a lot cheaper than buying a good layout program. However, if you got Adobe Acrobat Distiller, you could print from Word directly to a PDF file... which would also work well for what you're trying to do.