"Lock" Labels at specific size

Question

I use ArcMap 10.5 and i have created a map with a layer with polygon-features. Each polygon has got its own name. I need all the labels to be shown in the Layout view. So far so good. My Problem is that some of the polygons are very small and some are big. It would be ideal if the labels adjust automatically to the size of the polygon and if that´s not possible i would like to "lock" the labels at a small size so that i can zoom in on them in an exported PDF-file. In the default-mode the label adjust to the zooming but if i zoom out some of the labels disappear.

How do I show all the labels in the finished map?

Answer 1

• Set the labels up as you want them to display in the main map.
• Convert the labels to annotation (first image below).
• Select the option for in the current map and all features (second image below).
• The reference scale is the scale that the labels will display the way you set them up (circled in the second image below).
• If you zoom in from this scale, the labels will get larger. If you zoom out from this scale, the labels will get smaller.
• If you need to change the reference scale: Data Frame Properties > Annotation Groups > Reference Scale.

Answer 2

You could try breaking the polygon feature class up by size (creating a separate feature class for small, medium, and large polygon features).

You could also try adding a field in the attribute table and assigning a unique attribute to the smaller polygons. This will enable you to "define classes of features and label each class differently" under the labels tab in the layer properties.