Picture of Subscript and Superscript Support in MegaEdit and Invent

Subscript and Superscript Support in MegaEdit and Invent

Built-in superscript and subscript styling for text in MegaEdit are now available. This enhancement makes it simple to create professionally formatted text directly in the editor. There is no longer any need to manually resize fonts or write custom scripts to achieve these effects. This feature is intuitive to use: simply click the new superscript or subscript buttons to apply or remove these styles, and watch as the text updates seamlessly in both the on-screen preview and the final output. Whether you’re editing text manually or generating documents through scripting, the styling is preserved at every stage, including in PDF exports or variable data workflows.

Click Here to View the Step by Step Guide

Tutorial Video Transcript

A transcript of our tutorial video, ensuring you can find exactly what you need, when you need it.

You can search this page to find the relevant time-stamp in the video. Also, this text can be used as part of the tutorial search feature.

0:00
In response to the need for a streamlined, reusable approach to subscript and superscript, MegaEdit and the Invent plugin now support these features natively, This eliminates the need for manual font adjustments or writing custom scripts to achieve raised or lowered text So applying subscript or superscript
0:20
in MegaEdit is really easy. It's just as easy as implementing other font formatting such as bold, underline or italics So once you open up the MegaEdit editor, start modifying one of your text fields Double click so it opens up the additional text fields pop-up window with all your font and text formatting
0:43
You'll notice since these updates there's an additional section in here for superscript It's simply a case of selecting the text you want to apply it to then clicking the arrow at the bottom.
1:03
or superscript will rescale based on the rest of your text. So you'll see, for example, I've put a few subscript and superscript options in my text box here.
1:14
If I select all of those and just change the font size that I'm using, you can see that it scales the font relative to the normal formatted font around it.
1:30
This also applies when you use options such as a fit-to-box. our plugin for Adobe InDesign, it's also super, super easy.
1:48
So, you just apply a subscript to InDesign itself, so as part of the native InDesign document to MegaEdit, all subscript and superscript formatting is retained.
2:04

If you've set up placeholder in InDesign, ensure that subscript or superscript formatting is applied as needed. Upon import into MegaEdit, these placeholders will preserve those styles.

Incomplete
Supporting Article

Overview of the Feature

Subscript and Superscript allow you to position text slightly below (subscript) or above (superscript) the normal text line. These are especially useful for displaying mathematical notations, chemical formulas, date suffixes (such as “st,” “nd,” “rd,” “th”), and more.

In response to the need for a streamlined, reusable approach to subscript and superscript, MegaEdit and the Invent plugin now support these features natively—both in the visual editor (client side) and during output creation (server side). This eliminates the need for manual font adjustments or writing custom scripts just to achieve raised or lowered text.

Key Settings

  1. New Formatting Buttons

    • Subscript Button: Positions selected text below the text baseline.

    • Superscript Button: Positions selected text above the text baseline.

  2. Toggle Behavior

    • Clicking once applies the subscript/superscript style.

    • Clicking again reverts the text back to normal.

    • Switching between subscript and superscript is immediate without resetting any other style changes.

  3. Fit-to-Box and Resizing

    • Text with subscript or superscript honors the overall text box resizing, maintaining proportions.

    • When “Fit to Box” is enabled, it correctly scales subscript or superscript text so that document layout remains consistent.

  4. Invent Plugin Integration

    • When you export to MegaEdit, subscript and superscriptstyles from the InDesign file are preserved.

    • Placeholders and variables within Invent can also use this formatting.

Use Cases

  1. Date Suffixes

    • Commonly used to display “1<sup>st</sup>,” “2<sup>nd</sup>,” “3<sup>rd</sup>,” “4<sup>th</sup>,” etc.

  2. Chemical Formulas

    • For instance, “H<sub>2</sub>O” or “CO<sub>2</sub>.”

  3. Mathematical Equations

    • Showing exponents like “x<sup>2</sup>” or “x<sup>n</sup>.”

  4. Trade Marks or Copyright Notices

    • Example: “BrandName<sup>®</sup>” or “BrandName<sup>™</sup>.”

  5. Product Variables & Placeholders

    • Automated text fields that need raised or lowered characters to display specialized or stylized data.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

1. Applying Subscript and Superscript in MegaEdit

  1. Open the Text Editor: Select or create a text field in MegaEdit.

  2. Use the Formatting Buttons:

    • Click the Superscript button to raise text.

    • Click the Subscript button to lower text.

    • Notice the button highlights when active.

  3. Typing with the Style:

    • If you apply subscript or superscript and then continue typing, the new text continues in that style.

  4. Switching Between Styles:

    • If you switch from Superscript to Subscript (or vice versa) while text is highlighted, it changes immediately without removing any other style settings.

  5. Fit-to-Box:

    • Enable “Fit to Box” if needed; your subscript or superscript text will scale correctly along with the rest of your text content.

  6. Visual Confirmation:

    • Check that your text is displayed properly on the preview. Resize your text field as needed and verify subscript or superscript remains proportionate.

4. InDesign Plugin Workflow

  1. Apply Subscript/Superscript in InDesign:

    • Select text and click InDesign’s Subscript or Superscript button.

  2. Export to MegaEdit:

    • When exporting your InDesign document to MegaEdit, all subscript and superscript formatting is retained.

  3. Variable Fields and Placeholders:

    • If you’ve set up placeholders in InDesign, ensure that subscript or superscript formatting is applied as needed. Upon import into MegaEdit, these placeholders will preserve those styles.

Alternate Search Terms

subscript formatting, superscript formatting, raised text, lowered text, small numbers and letters, text scaling, format small characters, text above line, text below line, how to make text smaller in MegaEdit