# TX Text Control X8 is Coming Soon! > TX Text Control X8 (18.0) ships with transparent text frames, object z-ordering, 2D and 3D charting, improved PDF import, background image support, and EMF compatibility. Visual Studio integration gains updated SmartTags, a MailMerge template designer, and richer IntelliSense. - **Author:** Bjoern Meyer - **Published:** 2012-07-23 - **Modified:** 2026-07-17 - **Description:** TX Text Control X8 (18.0) ships with transparent text frames, object z-ordering, 2D and 3D charting, improved PDF import, background image support, and EMF compatibility. Visual Studio integration gains updated SmartTags, a MailMerge template designer, and richer IntelliSense. - **4 min read** (625 words) - **Tags:** - Release - **Web URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/23/tx-text-control-x8-is-coming-soon/ - **LLMs URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/23/tx-text-control-x8-is-coming-soon/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/23/tx-text-control-x8-is-coming-soon/llms-full.txt --- ![TX Text Control X8](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_logo.webp "TX Text Control X8")The last weeks and days before a new release are exciting times. Code is frozen, final touches are done, setups are built and the final tests are running in our SQA. Everyone is happy that the code we produced in the last months is published soon. The new features and possibilities of TX Text Control X8 are simply stunning and we are very proud to present one of the biggest releases in the last 20 years. What is TX Text Control X8? --------------------------- Basically, X8 is version 18.0: Roman '10' + Arabic '8'. But we used this new version name to emphasize our e**X**perience of 20 years in word processing components. Every day, we are talking to developers with very specific needs and we learned from all these requirements and feedback. Here is a brief overview of main features we added and areas we improved. A detailed list will be published on release day. - Transparent text frames - Z-Order of objects (images, text frames, charts) - [Comprehensive 2D and 3D charting](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/02/07/sneak-peek-text-control-adds-powerful-2d-and-3d-charting-support/llms-full.txt) - [PDF Reflow (improved PDF import)](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/05/09/fresh-from-our-labs-adobe-pdf-import-improvements/llms-full.txt) - [Background images](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/05/new-look-feel-of-tx-text-control/llms-full.txt) - [Updated status bar design](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/05/new-look-feel-of-tx-text-control/llms-full.txt) - [New mail merge template designer](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/06/20/powerful-mail-merge-in-a-new-designer-tx-text-control-words/llms-full.txt) - EMF support - Improved object handling (aspect ratio resizing, object moving) - [MailMerge and ServerTextControl available in Windows Forms](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2012/07/11/mailmerge-and-servertextcontrol-available-for-client-applications-soon/llms-full.txt) Visual Studio User Experience ----------------------------- ![Visual Studio 2012 compatible](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/vs2012.webp "Visual Studio 2012 compatible")Additionally, we improved the user experience in Visual Studio while developing with TX Text Control. An updated SmartTag can be used to easily add and connect the optional button bar, status bar or the ruler bars. ![TX Text Control X8](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_smarttag.webp "TX Text Control X8")MailMerge Template Designer --------------------------- While creating MailMerge applications, it can be helpful to design and test the templates during development. Now, you can start the new designer right from the TX Text Control SmartTag to create your MailMerge templates. You don't have to leave Visual Studio while creating your applications. [![TX Text Control X8](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_designer_zoom.webp "TX Text Control X8")](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_designer_zoom.webp) Help and Support Center ----------------------- The TX Text Control Help and Support Center has been integrated into Visual Studio. In case you need more information, sample code or if you need to open a support case with our engineers, you can start the **Help and Support Center** right from the TX Text Control SmartTag. [![TX Text Control X8](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_help_zoom.webp "TX Text Control X8")](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_help_zoom.webp) IntelliSense Improvements ------------------------- We invested a lot of time into the improved IntelliSense support. Now, every overload and parameter is listed in the IntelliSense pop-up for each and every method, property or event of TX Text Control. This drastically improves the user experience and efficiency while developing. ![TX Text Control X8](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2012/07/23/a/assets/tx8_intellisense.webp "TX Text Control X8")Again, this is just a brief overview of TX Text Control X8. More on release day. Stay tuned! --- ## About Bjoern Meyer As CEO, Bjoern is the visionary behind our strategic direction and business development, bridging the gap between our customers and engineering teams. His deep passion for coding and web technologies drives the creation of innovative products. If you're at a tech conference, be sure to stop by our booth - you'll most likely meet Bjoern in person. With an advanced graduate degree (Dipl. Inf.) in Computer Science, specializing in AI, from the University of Bremen, Bjoern brings significant expertise to his role. In his spare time, Bjoern enjoys running, paragliding, mountain biking, and playing the piano. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernmeyer/) - [X](https://x.com/txbjoern) - [GitHub](https://github.com/bjoerntx) --- ## Related Posts - [TX Text Control 34.0 SP4 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/05/20/tx-text-control-34-0-sp4-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [TX Spell .NET 11.0 SP1 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/04/08/tx-spell-net-11-0-sp1-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Announcing TX Text Control DS Server 5.0](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/03/12/announcing-tx-text-control-ds-server-5-0/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 34.0 SP2 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/02/18/tx-text-control-34-0-sp2-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 34.0 SP1 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/12/03/tx-text-control-34-0-sp1-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Introducing TX Text Control 34.0: Your Next Leap in Document Processing](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/11/10/introducing-tx-text-control-34-0-your-next-leap-in-document-processing/llms.txt) - [PDF/UA vs. PDF/A-3a: Which Format Should You Use for Your Business Application?](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/24/pdf-ua-vs-pdf-a-3a-which-format-should-you-use-for-your-business-application/llms.txt) - [Validating PDF/UA Documents in .NET C#](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/21/validating-pdf-ua-documents-in-dotnet-csharp/llms.txt) - [Sneak Peek: TX Text Control 34.0 Coming November 2025](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/02/sneak-peek-tx-text-control-34-0-coming-november-2025/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 33.0 SP3 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/08/14/tx-text-control-33-0-sp3-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [High-Performance Text Replacement in Large DOCX Files using C# .NET](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/30/high-performance-text-replacement-in-large-docx-files-using-csharp-dotnet/llms.txt) - [Document Viewer 33.2.1 Released: New Event and Bug Fixes](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/30/document-viewer-33-2-1-released-new-event-and-bug-fixes/llms.txt) - [Upcoming Support for PDF/UA Compliance and Tagged PDF Generation in Version 34.0](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/24/upcoming-support-for-pdf-ua-compliance-and-tagged-pdf-generation-in-version-34-0/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 33.0 SP2 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/06/18/tx-text-control-33-0-sp2-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Service Pack Releases: What's New in TX Text Control 33.0 SP1 and 32.0 SP5](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/05/07/service-pack-releases-whats-new-in-tx-text-control-33-0-sp1-and-32-0-sp5/llms.txt) - [Introducing DS Server 4.0: Linux-Ready and Container-Friendly](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/04/30/introducing-ds-server-4-linux-ready-and-container-friendly/llms.txt) - [The Wait is Over: TX Text Control for Linux is Officially Here](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/03/12/the-wait-is-over-tx-text-control-for-linux-is-officially-here/llms.txt) - [Full .NET 9 Support in Text Control .NET Components for ASP.NET Core, Windows Forms, and WPF](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/11/11/full-net-9-support-in-text-control-net-components-for-asp-net-core-windows-forms-and-wpf/llms.txt) - [DS Server 3.5.0 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/24/ds-server-3-5-0-released/llms.txt) - [Using the Document Editor in SPA Applications using the removeFromDom Method](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/02/using-the-document-editor-in-spa-applications-using-the-removefromdom-method/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 32.0 Service Pack 4 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/02/tx-text-control-32-0-service-pack-4-released/llms.txt) - [Service Pack 3: MailMerge Supports SVG Images](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/29/service-pack-3-mailmerge-supports-svg-images/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 32.0 Service Pack 3 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/29/tx-text-control-32-0-service-pack-3-released/llms.txt) - [Document Viewer: Long Polling Support for Loading Documents](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/25/document-viewer-long-polling-support-for-loading-documents/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control React Packages Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/02/29/tx-text-control-react-packages-released/llms.txt)