# Formatting Lettering

You can format the glyphs in a lettering element to adjust how they are laid out and drawn.

To format the glyphs in lettering:
1. Select the lettering element you want to format.
2. Open the Lettering tab of the Inspector.
3. Use the glyph controls to make adjustments.

   Joined: When checked the overlapping parts of glyphs are connected making the fills, outlines and shadows become uniform across the entire lettering element. When unchecked the style settings are applied to each glyph individually.

   Spread: Adjusts the spacing between the glyphs. Moving the slider to the right increases the gap between each glyph. Moving the slider to the left increases the amount the glyphs overlap.

   Skew: Adjusts the baseline of the glyphs to give a stair-step effect going up or down depend on the position of the slider.

   Stagger: Adjusts the baseline offset of alternating glyphs up and down.

To learn how to add a 3D effect to your lettering see Making Lettering 3D for more information.