I am new to Inkscape, and I am using version 0.48 on Windows 8.1.

I have imported a pdf, and the text in text objects was very tight/overlapping so I have used 'Text>Remove Manual Kerns' to get proper text spacing. However, now the text is wider than it was and runs off the right side of the object, where it disappears in whiteness.

I am looking to extend the size of the object so that the now properly spaced text fits within.

I have tried selecting the whole object (right click) and then 'File>Document Properties...' and then adding 200px to the overall width, this appears to change the canvas size (is it called 'background'?).

What steps should I take?

Have you checked this page?

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... forms.html

"Objects can be moved, scaled, rotated, skewed, and flipped. Inkscape provides a variety of ways to make these transformations. These include: using the mouse, the keyboard, items in the Tool Controls bar, the Object menu, the Transform dialog, the Paste Size commands, and the XML Editor dialog. Each method will be discussed in turn. Each method begins by selecting an object or group of objects to be transformed. The Select Tool must be active for making transformations with the mouse or keyboard. To activate, click on the icon in the Tool Box or use the keyboard shortcut (F1)."