Text is usually the element in a publication that needs trapping the most. For whatever reason, it’s easier to notice poor trapping around text than around other elements. At the same time, traps that are too large distort the shapes of the characters you’re trapping. It’s especially a problem with small type, especially serif type.

Here’s how to create a spread for text.

  1. Draw a rectangle,create a spot color (“Color 1″), and apply it to the rectangle.
  2. Enter text in a text frame. Position the text frame on top of the rectangle so that it ’s entirely within the area occupied by the rectangle.
  3. Create a second spot color (“Color 2″) and apply it to the text in the text frame.
  4. While the text is still selected, display the Stroke palette. Enter the stroke weight you want (remember, it’s two times the amount of trap you want) in the Weight field. Turn on the Overprint Stroke option in the Attributes palette.

The next example shows how you can choke text by making the shape the characters knock out of the background a bit smal ler than the characters themselves.

  1. Draw a rectangle,create a spot color (“Color 1″), and apply it to the rectangle.
  2. Create a text frame. Position the text frame on top of the rectangle so that it’s entirely within the rectangle.
  3. Create a second spot color (“Color 2″). Select all the text in the text frame and apply “Color 2″ to the fill of the text.
  4. Without deselecting the text, press F10 to display the Stroke palette. Enter the stroke weight you want for the trap in the Weight field. Turn on the Overprint Stroke option in the Attributes palette.

If text crosses color boundaries, use the techniques described earlier for trapping overlapping paths.



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