Last reviewed 16 Sept 2026 · 8 min read
Text styles
STYLE (ST) defines text styles controlling:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Font | SHX fonts (AutoCAD shape fonts, e.g. romans.shx, simplex.shx — plot quickly and clearly) or TrueType fonts (Arial, Times New Roman, etc.) |
| Height | 0 (height asked at each use — flexible) or a fixed height |
| Annotative | Height scales automatically with annotation scale |
| Width factor | 1 = normal; < 1 condensed; > 1 expanded |
| Oblique angle | Slant of characters (e.g. 15°) |
| Effects | Upside down, backwards, vertical (SHX) |
The default style is Standard. Using consistent styles keeps drawings uniform.
Single-line text — TEXT (DTEXT, DT)
- Each line is a separate object.
- Prompts: start point (or Justify), height (if style height is 0), rotation angle, then type text; Enter starts a new line; Enter twice ends.
- Justification options: Left (default), Center, Middle, Right, Align (fits between two points — height changes), Fit (fits between two points — width changes, height fixed), TL, TC, TR, ML, MC, MR, BL, BC, BR.
- Suitable for short labels — room names, notes of one line.
Multiline text — MTEXT (MT, T)
- A paragraph of text treated as one object within a defined width (text box).
- In-place text editor with ribbon formatting: fonts, height, bold/italic/underline, colour, stacked fractions, bullets and numbering, paragraph spacing and indents, columns, symbols, fields (dynamic data such as date, file name, sheet number, area of an object), background mask.
- Suitable for general notes, specifications and title block text.
Special characters (control codes)
| Code | Result |
|---|---|
| %%c | Diameter symbol (Ø) |
| %%d | Degree symbol (°) |
| %%p | Plus/minus (±) |
| %%u | Toggle underline |
| %%o | Toggle overline |
| %%% | Percent sign (single) |
| %%nnn | Character by ASCII number |
In MTEXT, symbols are also available from the Symbol menu (and Unicode strings such as \U+2205 for diameter in some fonts).
Editing text
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
| TEXTEDIT / DDEDIT (or double-click) | Edit text content |
| Properties palette | Change height, style, justification, rotation, layer |
| FIND | Find and replace text in the drawing |
| SPELL (SP) | Spelling check |
| SCALETEXT | Scale several text objects at once about their insertion points |
| JUSTIFYTEXT | Change justification without moving text |
| TXT2MTXT | Convert single-line text to multiline text |
| QTEXT | Displays text as rectangles (faster regeneration) |
Annotation scale and annotative objects
- Text heights must be chosen so that they appear correct when plotted. If model space is drawn full size and plotted at 1 : 100, a 2.5 mm plotted text must be 250 units high in model space (height × scale factor).
- Annotative text, dimensions, hatches, multileaders and blocks automatically adjust their size according to the annotation scale of the model space or viewport — the paper height is specified once (e.g. 2.5 mm).
- Objects can support multiple annotation scales, displaying correctly in different viewports.
FormulaScale factor for annotation
e.g. at 1 : 50, 3.5 mm text → units (when 1 unit = 1 mm).