`text`Element

Customizes the look and layout of text in a variety of ways.

This function is used frequently, both with set rules and directly. While the set rule is often the simpler choice, calling the text function directly can be useful when passing text as an argument to another function.

Example

#set text(18pt)
With a set rule.

#emph(text(blue)[
  With a function call.
])

Parameters

`font`
str or array
Settable

A font family name or priority list of font family names.

When processing text, Typst tries all specified font families in order until it finds a font that has the necessary glyphs. In the example below, the font Inria Serif is preferred, but since it does not contain Arabic glyphs, the arabic text uses Noto Sans Arabic instead.

The collection of available fonts differs by platform:

In the web app, you can see the list of available fonts by clicking on the "Ag" button. You can provide additional fonts by uploading .ttf or .otf files into your project. They will be discovered automatically.
Locally, Typst uses your installed system fonts. In addition, you can use the --font-path argument or TYPST_FONT_PATHS environment variable to add directories that should be scanned for fonts.

Default: "linux libertine"

View example

#set text(font: "PT Sans")
This is sans-serif.

#set text(font: (
  "Inria Serif",
  "Noto Sans Arabic",
))

This is Latin. \
هذا عربي.

`fallback`
bool
Settable

Whether to allow last resort font fallback when the primary font list contains no match. This lets Typst search through all available fonts for the most similar one that has the necessary glyphs.

Note: Currently, there are no warnings when fallback is disabled and no glyphs are found. Instead, your text shows up in the form of "tofus": Small boxes that indicate the lack of an appropriate glyph. In the future, you will be able to instruct Typst to issue warnings so you know something is up.

Default: true

View example

#set text(font: "Inria Serif")
هذا عربي

#set text(fallback: false)
هذا عربي

`style`
str
Settable

The desired font style.

When an italic style is requested and only an oblique one is available, it is used. Similarly, the other way around, an italic style can stand in for an oblique one. When neither an italic nor an oblique style is available, Typst selects the normal style. Since most fonts are only available either in an italic or oblique style, the difference between italic and oblique style is rarely observable.

If you want to emphasize your text, you should do so using the emph function instead. This makes it easy to adapt the style later if you change your mind about how to signify the emphasis.

Variant	Details
`"normal"`	The default, typically upright style.
`"italic"`	A cursive style with custom letterform.
`"oblique"`	Just a slanted version of the normal style.

Default: "normal"

View example

#text(font: "Linux Libertine", style: "italic")[Italic]
#text(font: "DejaVu Sans", style: "oblique")[Oblique]

`weight`
int or str
Settable

The desired thickness of the font's glyphs. Accepts an integer between 100 and 900 or one of the predefined weight names. When the desired weight is not available, Typst selects the font from the family that is closest in weight.

If you want to strongly emphasize your text, you should do so using the strong function instead. This makes it easy to adapt the style later if you change your mind about how to signify the strong emphasis.

Variant	Details
`"thin"`	Thin weight (100).
`"extralight"`	Extra light weight (200).
`"light"`	Light weight (300).
`"regular"`	Regular weight (400).
`"medium"`	Medium weight (500).
`"semibold"`	Semibold weight (600).
`"bold"`	Bold weight (700).
`"extrabold"`	Extrabold weight (800).
`"black"`	Black weight (900).

Default: "regular"

View example

#set text(font: "IBM Plex Sans")

#text(weight: "light")[Light] \
#text(weight: "regular")[Regular] \
#text(weight: "medium")[Medium] \
#text(weight: 500)[Medium] \
#text(weight: "bold")[Bold]

`stretch`
ratio
Settable

The desired width of the glyphs. Accepts a ratio between 50% and 200%. When the desired width is not available, Typst selects the font from the family that is closest in stretch. This will only stretch the text if a condensed or expanded version of the font is available.

If you want to adjust the amount of space between characters instead of stretching the glyphs itself, use the tracking property instead.

Default: 100%

View example

#text(stretch: 75%)[Condensed] \
#text(stretch: 100%)[Normal]

`size`
length
Settable

The size of the glyphs. This value forms the basis of the em unit: 1em is equivalent to the font size.

You can also give the font size itself in em units. Then, it is relative to the previous font size.

Default: 11pt

View example

#set text(size: 20pt)
very #text(1.5em)[big] text

`fill`
color or gradient or pattern
Settable

The glyph fill paint.

Default: luma(0%)

View example

#set text(fill: red)
This text is red.

`tracking`
length
Settable

The amount of space that should be added between characters.

Default: 0pt

View example

#set text(tracking: 1.5pt)
Distant text.

`spacing`
relative
Settable

The amount of space between words.

Can be given as an absolute length, but also relative to the width of the space character in the font.

If you want to adjust the amount of space between characters rather than words, use the tracking property instead.

Default: 100%

View example

#set text(spacing: 200%)
Text with distant words.

`cjk-latin-spacing`
none or auto
Settable

Whether to automatically insert spacing between CJK and Latin characters.

Default: auto

View example

#set text(cjk-latin-spacing: auto)
第4章介绍了基本的API。

#set text(cjk-latin-spacing: none)
第4章介绍了基本的API。

`baseline`
length
Settable

An amount to shift the text baseline by.

Default: 0pt

View example

A #text(baseline: 3pt)[lowered]
word.

`overhang`
bool
Settable

Whether certain glyphs can hang over into the margin in justified text. This can make justification visually more pleasing.

Default: true

View example

#set par(justify: true)
This justified text has a hyphen in
the paragraph's first line. Hanging
the hyphen slightly into the margin
results in a clearer paragraph edge.

#set text(overhang: false)
This justified text has a hyphen in
the paragraph's first line. Hanging
the hyphen slightly into the margin
results in a clearer paragraph edge.

`top-edge`
length or str
Settable

The top end of the conceptual frame around the text used for layout and positioning. This affects the size of containers that hold text.

Variant	Details
`"ascender"`	The font's ascender, which typically exceeds the height of all glyphs.
`"cap-height"`	The approximate height of uppercase letters.
`"x-height"`	The approximate height of non-ascending lowercase letters.
`"baseline"`	The baseline on which the letters rest.
`"bounds"`	The top edge of the glyph's bounding box.

Default: "cap-height"

View example

#set rect(inset: 0pt)
#set text(size: 20pt)

#set text(top-edge: "ascender")
#rect(fill: aqua)[Typst]

#set text(top-edge: "cap-height")
#rect(fill: aqua)[Typst]

`bottom-edge`
length or str
Settable

The bottom end of the conceptual frame around the text used for layout and positioning. This affects the size of containers that hold text.

Variant	Details
`"baseline"`	The baseline on which the letters rest.
`"descender"`	The font's descender, which typically exceeds the depth of all glyphs.
`"bounds"`	The bottom edge of the glyph's bounding box.

Default: "baseline"

View example

#set rect(inset: 0pt)
#set text(size: 20pt)

#set text(bottom-edge: "baseline")
#rect(fill: aqua)[Typst]

#set text(bottom-edge: "descender")
#rect(fill: aqua)[Typst]

`lang`
str
Settable

An ISO 639-1/2/3 language code.

Setting the correct language affects various parts of Typst:

The text processing pipeline can make more informed choices.
Hyphenation will use the correct patterns for the language.
Smart quotes turns into the correct quotes for the language.
And all other things which are language-aware.

Default: "en"

View example

#set text(lang: "de")
#outline()

= Einleitung
In diesem Dokument, ...

`region`
none or str
Settable

An ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 region code.

This lets the text processing pipeline make more informed choices.

Default: none

`script`
auto or str
Settable

The OpenType writing script.

The combination of lang and script determine how font features, such as glyph substitution, are implemented. Frequently the value is a modified (all-lowercase) ISO 15924 script identifier, and the math writing script is used for features appropriate for mathematical symbols.

When set to auto, the default and recommended setting, an appropriate script is chosen for each block of characters sharing a common Unicode script property.

Default: auto

View example

#set text(
  font: "Linux Libertine",
  size: 20pt,
)

#let scedilla = [Ş]
#scedilla // S with a cedilla

#set text(lang: "ro", script: "latn")
#scedilla // S with a subscript comma

#set text(lang: "ro", script: "grek")
#scedilla // S with a cedilla

`dir`
auto or direction
Settable

The dominant direction for text and inline objects. Possible values are:

auto: Automatically infer the direction from the lang property.
ltr: Layout text from left to right.
rtl: Layout text from right to left.

When writing in right-to-left scripts like Arabic or Hebrew, you should set the text language or direction. While individual runs of text are automatically layouted in the correct direction, setting the dominant direction gives the bidirectional reordering algorithm the necessary information to correctly place punctuation and inline objects. Furthermore, setting the direction affects the alignment values start and end, which are equivalent to left and right in ltr text and the other way around in rtl text.

If you set this to rtl and experience bugs or in some way bad looking output, please do get in touch with us through the contact form or our Discord server!

Default: auto

View example

#set text(dir: rtl)
هذا عربي.

`hyphenate`
auto or bool
Settable

Whether to hyphenate text to improve line breaking. When auto, text will be hyphenated if and only if justification is enabled.

Setting the text language ensures that the correct hyphenation patterns are used.

Default: auto

View example

#set page(width: 200pt)

#set par(justify: true)
This text illustrates how
enabling hyphenation can
improve justification.

#set text(hyphenate: false)
This text illustrates how
enabling hyphenation can
improve justification.

`kerning`
bool
Settable

Whether to apply kerning.

When enabled, specific letter pairings move closer together or further apart for a more visually pleasing result. The example below demonstrates how decreasing the gap between the "T" and "o" results in a more natural look. Setting this to false disables kerning by turning off the OpenType kern font feature.

Default: true

View example

#set text(size: 25pt)
Totally

#set text(kerning: false)
Totally

`alternates`
bool
Settable

Whether to apply stylistic alternates.

Sometimes fonts contain alternative glyphs for the same codepoint. Setting this to true switches to these by enabling the OpenType salt font feature.

Default: false

View example

#set text(
  font: "IBM Plex Sans",
  size: 20pt,
)

0, a, g, ß

#set text(alternates: true)
0, a, g, ß

`stylistic-set`
none or int
Settable

Which stylistic set to apply. Font designers can categorize alternative glyphs forms into stylistic sets. As this value is highly font-specific, you need to consult your font to know which sets are available. When set to an integer between 1 and 20, enables the corresponding OpenType font feature from ss01, ..., ss20.

Default: none

`ligatures`
bool
Settable

Whether standard ligatures are active.

Certain letter combinations like "fi" are often displayed as a single merged glyph called a ligature. Setting this to false disables these ligatures by turning off the OpenType liga and clig font features.

Default: true

View example

#set text(size: 20pt)
A fine ligature.

#set text(ligatures: false)
A fine ligature.

`discretionary-ligatures`
bool
Settable

Whether ligatures that should be used sparingly are active. Setting this to true enables the OpenType dlig font feature.

Default: false

`historical-ligatures`
bool
Settable

Whether historical ligatures are active. Setting this to true enables the OpenType hlig font feature.

Default: false

`number-type`
auto or str
Settable

Which kind of numbers / figures to select. When set to auto, the default numbers for the font are used.

Variant	Details
`"lining"`	Numbers that fit well with capital text (the OpenType `lnum` font feature).
`"old-style"`	Numbers that fit well into a flow of upper- and lowercase text (the OpenType `onum` font feature).

Default: auto

View example

#set text(font: "Noto Sans", 20pt)
#set text(number-type: "lining")
Number 9.

#set text(number-type: "old-style")
Number 9.

`number-width`
auto or str
Settable

The width of numbers / figures. When set to auto, the default numbers for the font are used.

Variant	Details
`"proportional"`	Numbers with glyph-specific widths (the OpenType `pnum` font feature).
`"tabular"`	Numbers of equal width (the OpenType `tnum` font feature).

Default: auto

View example

#set text(font: "Noto Sans", 20pt)
#set text(number-width: "proportional")
A 12 B 34. \
A 56 B 78.

#set text(number-width: "tabular")
A 12 B 34. \
A 56 B 78.

`slashed-zero`
bool
Settable

Whether to have a slash through the zero glyph. Setting this to true enables the OpenType zero font feature.

Default: false

View example

0, #text(slashed-zero: true)[0]

`fractions`
bool
Settable

Whether to turn numbers into fractions. Setting this to true enables the OpenType frac font feature.

It is not advisable to enable this property globally as it will mess with all appearances of numbers after a slash (e.g., in URLs). Instead, enable it locally when you want a fraction.

Default: false

View example

1/2 \
#text(fractions: true)[1/2]

`features`
array or dictionary
Settable

Raw OpenType features to apply.

If given an array of strings, sets the features identified by the strings to 1.
If given a dictionary mapping to numbers, sets the features identified by the keys to the values.

Default: (:)

View example

// Enable the `frac` feature manually.
#set text(features: ("frac",))
1/2

`body`
content
RequiredPositional

Content in which all text is styled according to the other arguments.

`text`
str
RequiredPositional

The text.

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textElementQuestion markElement functions can be customized with set and show rules.

Example

ParametersQuestion markParameters are the inputs to a function. They are specified in parentheses after the function name.

fontstr or arraySettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

fallbackboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

stylestrSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

weightint or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

stretchratioSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

sizelengthSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

fillcolor or gradient or patternSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

trackinglengthSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

spacingrelativeSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

cjk-latin-spacingnone or autoSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

baselinelengthSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

overhangboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

top-edgelength or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

bottom-edgelength or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

langstrSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

regionnone or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

scriptauto or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

dirauto or directionSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

hyphenateauto or boolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

kerningboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

alternatesboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

stylistic-setnone or intSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

ligaturesboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

discretionary-ligaturesboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

historical-ligaturesboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

number-typeauto or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

number-widthauto or strSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

slashed-zeroboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

fractionsboolSettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

featuresarray or dictionarySettableQuestion markSettable parameters can be customized for all following uses of the function with a set rule.

bodycontentRequiredPositionalQuestion markPositional parameters are specified in order, without names.

textstrRequiredPositionalQuestion markPositional parameters are specified in order, without names.

`text`Element

Parameters

`font`
str or array
Settable

`fallback`
bool
Settable

`style`
str
Settable

`weight`
int or str
Settable

`stretch`
ratio
Settable

`size`
length
Settable

`fill`
color or gradient or pattern
Settable

`tracking`
length
Settable

`spacing`
relative
Settable

`cjk-latin-spacing`
none or auto
Settable

`baseline`
length
Settable

`overhang`
bool
Settable

`top-edge`
length or str
Settable

`bottom-edge`
length or str
Settable

`lang`
str
Settable

`region`
none or str
Settable

`script`
auto or str
Settable

`dir`
auto or direction
Settable

`hyphenate`
auto or bool
Settable

`kerning`
bool
Settable

`alternates`
bool
Settable

`stylistic-set`
none or int
Settable

`ligatures`
bool
Settable

`discretionary-ligatures`
bool
Settable

`historical-ligatures`
bool
Settable

`number-type`
auto or str
Settable

`number-width`
auto or str
Settable

`slashed-zero`
bool
Settable

`fractions`
bool
Settable

`features`
array or dictionary
Settable

`body`
content
RequiredPositional

`text`
str
RequiredPositional