Last Updated: 20/07/2026
If you’ve ever wanted to jump beyond boring, standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman and add some real personality to your documents, LibreOffice Writer has a built-in tool for exactly that: Fontwork. Some users know it by its more familiar name – WordArt – thanks to its similarity to the classic Microsoft Office feature.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to access Fontwork, customise stylised text, and use it to design something practical: a colourful Christmas party flyer.
Step 1: Enable the Drawing Toolbar
Open a blank document in LibreOffice Writer.
To access Fontwork, you first need to enable the Drawing toolbar:
- Go to View in the menu bar.
- Click on Toolbars.
- Select Drawing.
Once enabled, a new toolbar will appear at the bottom of your screen, filled with shape tools, drawing options, and – the star of this tutorial – the Fontwork Gallery icon.
Step 2: Insert Fontwork Text
Click the Fontwork icon on the Drawing toolbar, and a gallery window will pop up showing dozens of decorative text styles. These aren’t traditional fonts – they’re stylised, shaped text objects that remain fully editable after you insert them.
Pick a style you like and click OK. You’ll see the placeholder text (usually “Fontwork”) appear on your page in that style.
Step 3: Edit the Text
To change the wording:
- Double-click inside the Fontwork object.
- Type your own text – for example, “Christmas Party.”
- Click outside the text box to apply the change.
Your custom message now appears in the decorative style you selected.
Step 4: Resize and Reshape Your Text
Once you’re happy with the wording, click on the Fontwork object to select it:
- Hold Shift while resizing to scale the object proportionally (keeps width and height in ratio).
- Resize without Shift to stretch or squash the text freely for a different effect.
You can also change the overall shape of the text by clicking the Shape option in the Fontwork toolbar. From here you can choose effects like:
- Wavy
- Perspective
- Bent
- Inflate
Experiment with different shapes to see which one best fits your design – different shapes can work well for titles versus supporting text.
Step 5: Duplicate and Add More Text Elements
Want to add a date or additional details? Simply:
- Select your Fontwork object.
- Copy it (Ctrl+C).
- Paste it (Ctrl+V).
- Double-click the new copy and edit the text – for example, “24th December 2018.”
You can position this second element anywhere on the page, such as beneath your main title, and add regular body text in between using line breaks to create space.
Step 6: Apply Color and Gradient Effects
To make your flyer really pop, click on the color/gradient option within the Fontwork toolbar:
- Choose from preset gradients (e.g., festive greens for a Christmasy feel, or bright “Sunshine” tones).
- Some Fontwork styles only support flat/tonal colors rather than gradients – if gradient options are missing, try a tonal color scheme instead.
- You can also enter custom HTML color codes for precise brand or theme matching.
Step 7: Combine Multiple Fontwork Styles
Don’t limit yourself to a single style. You can insert a second Fontwork element with a different shape – for example, a perspective-style effect – to add extra flair, such as a “Let’s Have Fun!” callout elsewhere on the flyer. Resize, reposition, and recolor it to complement your main heading.
Bonus Tip: Works in OpenOffice Too
If you’re using OpenOffice Writer instead of LibreOffice, good news – the Fontwork feature works virtually identically, so you can follow the same steps.
Final Thoughts
Fontwork is a simple but powerful way to transform plain text into eye-catching design elements – perfect for flyers, invitations, posters, and any document that needs a bit of visual flair. Whether you’re planning an office Christmas party or a personal celebration, a few minutes with Fontwork can turn a plain page into something worth printing and sharing.
Give it a try in your next LibreOffice Writer document, and don’t be afraid to experiment with shapes, colors, and sizing until you find a combination you love.
