Merrimo User Guide › Lettering and dialogue

Add captions and comic lettering on Mac

In Merrimo on your Mac, you can insert narrative captions, design impactful comic sound effects, and write vertical text for manga layouts.

Insert narrative caption boxes

Provide narrative exposition, time cards, or location settings:

1. In Merrimo on your Mac, select the Caption tool by pressing C, or choose Insert > Caption (or press ⇧⌘C).
2. Click or drag inside a panel to create a rectangular caption box.
3. Type your narration (for example, MEANWHILE, ACROSS TOWN…).
4. In the Inspector, choose from standard presets: Narration Box (paper tint), Location Card (bold sans-serif), or Voiceover (semi-transparent dark card).

Design sound effect lettering (onomatopoeia)

Create punchy, graphic sound effects that pop off the page:

1. Press L to activate the Free Lettering tool.
2. Click on the canvas where the impact occurs and type the sound (such as BOOM!, KRASH, or SWOOSH).
3. In the Inspector, choose dynamic text transformations:
   • Arc and Warp: Bend lettering along a curve or perspective wave.
   • Multi-Stroke Outlines: Add high-contrast white and black outlines for legibility over busy art.
   • Drop Shadows: Add 3D extrusion shadows or color blocks.

Write vertical text for manga layouts

Format dialogue in traditional vertical right-to-left columns:

1. Select any speech balloon or caption on the canvas.
2. In the Inspector under Text Flow, select Vertical (Top to Bottom, Right to Left).
3. Text reflows vertically, with punctuation, numbers, and quotation marks oriented according to Japanese typographical standards.