Place Tool in Affinity Designer for Rich Text Formatted Files

A guide to importing RTF files with preserved formatting on your Mac

June 13, 2025 by cryan.com

Affinity Designer offers powerful tools to realize your creative projects. One key feature for text-heavy designs is the Place Tool, which imports Rich Text Format (RTF) files while maintaining their formatting. Unlike copying and pasting, which often loses styling, the Place Tool ensures fonts, sizes, alignments, and more remain intact. This post explains how to use the Place Tool in Affinity Designer on macOS to import RTF files, why it outperforms copy-and-paste, and tips to enhance your workflow.

Why Use the Place Tool for RTF Files?

RTF files are ideal for documents requiring consistent formatting across platforms, such as manuscripts or styled text for design projects. Copying and pasting text from an RTF file into Affinity Designer often strips formatting like bold, italics, or paragraph spacing due to inconsistent clipboard handling between applications. The Place Tool imports RTF content directly into a text frame, preserving the original styling, which is critical for projects like posters, brochures, or digital layouts.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Place Tool for RTF Files

Follow these steps to import RTF files in Affinity Designer on your Mac while keeping their formatting:

1. Open or Create a Document in Affinity Designer
   • Launch Affinity Designer and open an existing project or create a new one via File > New. Configure your document settings, such as dimensions or color profile (e.g., CMYK for print or RGB for digital).
   • For text-heavy layouts, use the Frame Text Tool (shortcut: T) to create a text frame by clicking and dragging on the canvas.
2. Select the Place Tool
   • In the Tools panel, find the Place Tool (a small arrow with a document icon) or use the shortcut Shift + Cmd + M.
   • Alternatively, go to File > Place in the menu bar.
3. Choose Your RTF File
   • After selecting the Place Tool, a file explorer opens. Navigate to your RTF file (e.g., saved from TextEdit or Microsoft Word) and click Open.
   • To import multiple files, hold Cmd for non-adjacent files or Shift for adjacent ones. These load into the Place Panel for sequential placement.
4. Place the RTF Content
   • If a text frame exists, click inside it with the Place Tool to import the RTF content, retaining its formatting (fonts, sizes, bold/italic styles, etc.).
   • If no frame is selected, click the canvas to place text at default size or drag to create a custom-sized frame.
   • For large documents, overflowing text shows a red triangle with a crossed eye. Resize the frame or link to another by clicking the triangle and creating a new frame.
5. Verify and Adjust Formatting
   • The imported text retains its RTF formatting, visible in the Context Toolbar or Character and Paragraph panels.
   • To adjust formatting (e.g., change fonts or leading), select text with the Frame Text Tool or Move Tool and use the Text Styles panel to apply consistent styles.
6. Save and Export
   • Save your project via File > Save. For print, ensure proper settings (e.g., bleed, color profile) and export as PDF using File > Export with a preset like PDF/X-1a:2003.

Why the Place Tool Outshines Copy-and-Paste

Copying and pasting RTF text into Affinity Designer often results in formatting issues:

• Inconsistent Formatting: Pasting may apply the text frame's default font or ignore indents and bullet lists.
• Manual Fixes Required: Reformatting large documents manually is time-consuming.
• Compatibility Issues: Complex formatting, like nested bullets, may not transfer correctly.

The Place Tool reads the RTF file directly, preserving its attributes and leveraging Affinity Designer's RTF support for accurate typography.

Pro Tips for Working with the Place Tool

• Use Linked Text Frames for Long Documents: Link multiple frames across pages for automatic text flow. Hold Shift and click the Text Flow triangle to auto-create pages and frames.
• Check for Missing Fonts: If fonts are missing, Affinity Designer displays a warning. Use the Font Manager (Window > Font Manager) to substitute fonts.
• Combine with StudioLink: With Affinity Publisher and Photo, use StudioLink to access advanced text or image editing within Designer.
• Autoflow for Efficiency: Load multiple RTF files into the Place Panel, select all, and click a text frame to autoflow content across linked frames.
• Preview Cleanly: Use View > Preview Mode to hide design aids and view text as it will appear in the final output.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Text Overflow: Resize frames or link additional ones. Ensure enough pages for large documents.
• Font Substitution: Install missing fonts via Font Book or use the Font Manager to select alternatives.
• Formatting Glitches: Simplify complex RTF formatting (e.g., nested tables) in a text editor before importing.

Why This Matters for Mac Users

Mac users expect a seamless workflow, and the Place Tool delivers by preserving RTF formatting, saving time and ensuring design quality. It's ideal for freelancers or hobbyists working on newsletters, books, or portfolios.

Conclusion

The Place Tool in Affinity Designer simplifies importing RTF files on your Mac, preserving formatting that copy-and-paste often loses. From setting up text frames to linking long documents, this tool enhances efficiency and quality. Try it in your next project and explore features like StudioLink and text styles for better designs.

For more tips, visit Affinity's YouTube channel or support forums.