Helpful InDesign Hacks

Over the years we have acquired a few hacks which make life easier when we are designing. A lot of times we use them without really thinking much about it, but we thought it might be helpful to share them.

Today’s post shares two hacks that we hope will be useful when you are in InDesign and want to have consistency in elements spacing. 

If the elements are similar shapes you can use the Align Window and after selecting all of the objects, then choose how you want them distributed. The graphic shows which side would distribute from: Top, Center Horizontal, Bottom, Left, Center Vertical, & Right.

However what do you do if you want to have consistent spacing, but the elements are not similar in size?

Here’s an example of a header that we had designed and wanted to make sure that the spacing between the copy and the top and bottom lines was the same. While the top and bottom lines are similar graphics the text is much larger and if we select all of them and try to use Distribute Objects it’s going to throw all 3 of those elements out of whack.

The hack that we use in those cases is creating a box and use that to get a similar spacing. We start with placing a box at the top and make it whatever size fits in the space. Once we have that then we drag it to the bottom and see how the space compares.

If it fits the box exactly then we have even spacing, if it’s a little off then we can adjust the elements to make the spacing consistent.

Alternate Method

Some people may prefer a more mathematical approach that involve less eye-balling and more calculation (or at least cold, hard numbers).

Here’s another way to address this same issue. Make sure that all of the center elements are grouped together (select the bullhorn, “First Meeting” copy, and the date; then press Command–G or Ctrl–G). Be aware that the spacing is measured from the frame edges, so you don’t want oversized frames for your content.

Select all three elements (the dotted lines and the center content — you can either hold Shift and drag over them or hold Shift and click on all three)

Bring up the Align Window. This time we are going to be dealing with the little-used, bottom section, “Distribute Spacing”.

Click on the “Use Spacing” selection box and enter in the amount of offset you want in the box. In this case we will use 0.1 in as the amount of spacing we want.

With the elements still selected, click on the left icon to distribute vertically. Voila, perfect spacing. If, after seeing the result, you would like more or less spacing, change the amount of offset and re-click the left icon.

There are absolutely different methods to accomplish certain effects, but hopefully, in sharing some of the ways that we do things, you may discover a new tool or method, or it may spark an idea of even another way to solve a problem.

If you come across any problems or issues when trying either of these solutions, just leave a comment and let us know. Is this kind of post useful for you and would you like to see more like it? We’re always eager to hear feedback!