Baseline grids

The baseline grid is overlaid over your page to help you align text. A baseline grid can be applied to the entire document or individual text frames within it, and will align baselines across linked or completely separate text frames.

The baseline grid's Grid Spacing option overrides the leading value of frame text. Setting the grid spacing to the same size as your body text leading means that your frame text should snap to, and perfectly align with, the baseline grid. The baseline grid is blue by default but can be any colour you choose.

You can adjust your Document baseline grid for a baseline grid spanning across a whole page, or from the Text Frame panel or Table panel for a baseline grid that has instead been applied only to an individual text frame or table,respectively.

Frame-specific baseline grids are useful for text frames that use a different font sizes (e.g. for caption text, quotes, etc) to the main document's body text, where the frame text will adopt its own independent baseline grid rules and not those of the Document baseline grid.

Settings

The following settings can be adjusted on a baseline grid:

Use Baseline Grid—ticking this checkbox will enable the baseline grid.
Start Position—specify the offset of the first grid line from the origin at Relative To.
Relative To—specify what the baseline grid's starting position is in relation to. The Top of Page option is used for facing page spreads arranged vertically—you can restart the grid from the top of the second page in the spread.
Grid Spacing—specify how far apart consecutive horizontal grid lines are.
Colour—click on the swatch to display a pop-up panel to set the line colour. Drag the slider to set the opacity of the line colour.
Show Baseline Grids—ticking on this checkbox will show or hide document baseline grids (not available for baseline grids for text frames or tables).
Display Threshold—adjust the zoom level below which document baseline grids will not be displayed (not available for baseline grids for text frames or tables). For example, choosing 100% will make the baseline grid visible at a zoom level of 100% or above.

To enable the Baseline Grid:

Do one of the following:
- On the main toolbar, click Show Baseline Grid.
- On the View menu, select the equivalent option.
From the dialog, check Use Baseline Grid.
Adjust the position and spacing of your baseline grid.

To hide (show) the baseline grid:

From the Baseline Grid - Document dialog, uncheck/check Show Baseline Grids.

To align text to the baseline grid:

Go to the Paragraph panel.
Click on the Spacing tab.
Ensure that the Align to Baseline Grid checkbox is ticked.

To snap objects to the baseline grid:

From the main toolbar, enable Snapping, then click the Snapping down arrow and ensure Snap to Spread is checked.

To set up an independent text frame (or table) baseline grid:

On the Window menu, select Text>Text Frame or Table>Table.
On the Baseline Grid section, check Use Independent Baseline Grid.
Adjust the independent grid settings.

To ignore the underlying document baseline grid on text frames and tables:

With a table or text frame selected, on the Table panel or Text Frame panel, check Ignore Baseline Grid. Uncheck to allow the document baseline grid to influence the text frame or table again.

Settings

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