Copy and Paste Text Formatting with the Eyedropper Tool

Here’s a quick tip for those times when you’re experimenting with different combinations of text formatting to find the right look for a piece of type. Use the Eyedropper tool. It can make quick work of the job because it allows you to sample and apply just about any combination of text formatting options.

To choose what the Eyedropper samples, double-click it in the Tools panel.

In the Eyedropper Options dialog box, you can choose to sample and apply font, size, color, leading, kerning/tracking, scaling/skewing, baseline shift, and more.

InDesign eyedropper tool character settings

With the right options selected, click OK to close the dialog box. Then click to sample attributes from one piece of text, and click again to apply those attributes to other text. You can also click and drag to apply attributes to a specific range of text.

I used this method when I was writing my recent post on movie poster type. I sampled scaling and baseline shift. (Yes, I know scaling type this much is considered a type crime, but it’s common practice in movie posters.)