Help! How do you flip text?

[torilg16]

Hi there, I'm trying to flip some text to make a mirror image, left to right (or vice versa). I've googled this subject and found many answers on this forum, mainly to do with converting to curve (whatever that means!), but I'm having trouble even doing this!!!!! I've tried to follow instructions, and made a text box with the text I want to flip and that's where I stumble! I can't find "modify" or "convert" and I'm sure I'm doing something obviously wrong.

Please could somebody kindly talk me through this, step by step in easy to follow vocabulary!

I'm using Open Office version 4.0.1 on Windows 7, if this makes a difference?

Many thanks in advance.

[RoryOF]

Do you wish to flip it onscreen, or only on printout (as for example for making iron on decals)?

If on printout, depending on printer, try /File /Print Properties button, Device tab and select Mirror. This setting is present for my Epson WP-4535, but may not be offered for all printers.

[gerard24]

This can be done with a text box or a Fontwork in Draw:

Right-clic on the text box, Flip → Horizontaly.
Then you can cut and paste to Writer if needed.

[acknak]

... I can't find "modify" or "convert" ...

Those are menu functions in OO Draw; they're not present in OO Writer. I don't know of any way to flip a text box directly in Writer.

Start OO Draw (from any OO application): File > New > Drawing

Create the text box ("T" button from bottom toolbar)

Select the box and copy to clipboard (Ctrl+C)

Edit > Paste Special, choose "GDI Metafile"; OK

Select the metafile (the pasted copy) and menu: Modify > Flip > Horizontally

Once you get it flipped in Draw, you can copy/paste the box into your Writer document.

Note: you can't edit the text or its properties once it's in the metafile form. You have to go back to the original text box for any editing so you may want to save the Draw document. If you don't need to edit later, you can just discard the Draw document.

Edit: PS:

One way to flip a text box in Writer: copy/paste special as bitmap; you can flip the bitmap using the pop-up picture toolbar.

[John_Ha]

This may not be helpful for mirroring, but you can rotate text in Draw so it remains editable

1 Select the "box round text" by clicking on the border when text is highlighted. The border now gets red blobs.
2 r-click border > Position and size > Rotation and type 180 degrees. The text is rotated 180 degrees

Or

1 Select the "box round text" by clicking on the border when text is highlighted. The border now gets red blobs.
2 hover cursor over a corner - cursor changes to a "rotating arrow". Drag corner to rotate text box

Text is editable in the rotated positions.