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LaTeX provides extensive control over text formatting, from basic styles to advanced typography. This reference covers all essential text formatting commands and techniques.

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Font Styles

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Basic Text Styles

Commands vs Declarations:
  • Commands like \textbf{} affect only their argument
  • Declarations like \bfseries affect all following text in the current group

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Combining Styles

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Font Sizes

From smallest to largest:
Font size commands are declarations—use braces to limit their scope:

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Text Alignment

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Paragraph Alignment

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Justification Control

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Color

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Basic Colors

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Custom Colors

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Color Models

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Spacing

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Horizontal Spacing

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Vertical Spacing

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Line Spacing

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Special Effects

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Boxes and Frames

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Rotation and Scaling

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Strike-through and Underline

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Advanced Typography

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Microtype

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Lettrine (Drop Caps)

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Small Caps

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Lists with Custom Formatting

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Inline Lists

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Custom List Styles

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Quotes and Excerpts

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Basic Quotes

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Quote Environments

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Best Practices

Text formatting tips:
  1. Use semantic markup - \emph{} for emphasis, not \textit{}
  2. Avoid manual formatting - Use styles and custom commands
  3. Be consistent - Choose a style and stick to it
  4. Don’t overformat - Less is often more
  5. Test readability - Ensure formatting enhances, not distracts

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Quick Reference

Next: Learn about Math Mode for mathematical typesetting or explore Lists for structured content.