Working with text boxes is an essential skill when creating PowerPoint presentations. The ability to accurately position, format, and connect text boxes gives you more control and design flexibility over the content on your slides. This article will provide tips on the key features for formatting text boxes in PowerPoint 2007.

Inserting and Positioning Text Boxes

To insert a text box in PowerPoint 2007:

On the Insert tab, click Text Box

Click and drag on the slide to draw the text box
Type or paste text into the box

Once inserted, text boxes can be moved by clicking inside the box and dragging it to the desired location. For more precise positioning, use the Size and Position dialog box under the Format tab. This allows you to set exact measurements for the distance from the edge of the slide.

Text boxes can also be rotated by clicking and dragging the green circle above the box.

Formatting Text in Boxes

The text inside a text box can be formatted just like normal text on a slide. With text selected, options like font, size, color and alignment are available under the Home tab.

Some additional unique formatting options include:

Text direction – Make text horizontal, rotated, or vertical
Text spacing – Adjust spacing between letters or lines
Text fill – Add color, gradients, textures or pictures to text

Text effects – Shadow, reflection, glow and 3-D effects

Connecting Text Boxes into Columns

Text boxes can be connected together so text flows from one box to another automatically. This is great for creating columns and text of varying widths.

To connect text boxes:

Click inside the first text box
Go to the Format tab and click Text Box
Under Text Box, click Create Link

Click inside the second text box

Now text will flow from the first box into the second when it reaches the end. Formatting carries over too.

Working with the Text Box Tools Format Tab

When clicking inside a text box, a Format tab appears with additional options specific to text boxes. Here are some key tools:

Text Box Styles – Preset styles including colors and effects
Shape Styles – Quick formatting for the text box container
WordArt Styles – Transform text into formatted WordArt

Text Box – Settings for margins, columns, vertical alignment and more
Shape Format – For fill, line and effects formatting

Setting Default Text Box Properties

If you want new text boxes inserted to have certain default formatting set, this can be done through:

Adding a new text box
Formatting it as desired
Right-clicking the text box outline

Choosing Set As Default Text Box

Now any new text boxes will have those same properties.

Tips for Working with Text Boxes

Use alignment guides and gridlines under the View tab for easy positioning

Right-click the edge of a text box to access common formatting options quickly
Double click the edge of the text box to automatically resize it to fit the text
Hold the Shift key when rotating a text box to constrain it to 15 degree increments

Use the Selection Pane under the Home tab to quickly select individual text boxes

Using text boxes effectively gives you full creative control when adding text in PowerPoint. Mastering text box formatting takes your PowerPoint skills to the next level.

Common Text Box Issues in PowerPoint 2007

While text boxes provide flexibility, there are a few common formatting issues to look out for:

Text Doesn’t Update With Template Changes

If text was added via text boxes instead of placeholders, it will not update when slide master styles change. To fix this, copy the text and paste it into a placeholder box or edit it manually to match the template.

No Set As Default Option for Text Boxes

Only manually inserted text boxes have the set as default option. Placeholder text boxes follow the slide master by default. To change defaults for placeholders, edit the slide master instead.

Text Boxes Not Changing on Slide Master

Again, this issues arises when text boxes are used instead of placeholders linked to the slide master. Delete the text boxes and use placeholders for text that needs to dynamically change.

Line Breaks in Text Boxes When Editing

Text box content can shift when edits are made. To fix, check the text box margins in the Size and Position dialog box and adjust as needed.

By understanding how to work with text boxes and these common pitfalls, you can take full advantage of this useful text formatting feature in PowerPoint 2007.