InDesign

Create ruler guides

Ruler guides are different from grids in that they can be positioned freely on a page or on a pasteboard. You can create two kinds of ruler guides: page guides, which appear only on the page on which you create them, or spread guides, which span all pages and the pasteboard of a multiple-page spread. You can drag any ruler guide to the pasteboard. A ruler guide is displayed or hidden with the layer on which it was created.

New ruler guides always appear on the target spread. For example, if several spreads are visible in the document window and you drag a new guide into the window, the new guide becomes visible only on the target spread.

Guides in the document window

A.
Spread guide

B.
Page guide

Create a ruler guide

  1. Make sure that both rulers and guides are visible, make sure the correct spread is targeted, and view the document in Normal View mode, not Preview mode.
  2. If the document contains multiple layers, click a layer name in the Layers panel to target the layer.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • To create a page guide, position the pointer inside a horizontal or vertical ruler and then drag to the desired location on the target spread. If you drop the guide onto the pasteboard, it spans the pasteboard and spread; it will act as a page guide if you later drag it onto a page.

    • To create a spread guide, drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler, keeping the pointer in the pasteboard but positioning the guide at the desired location on the target spread.

    • To create a spread guide when the pasteboard is not visible (for example, when you’ve zoomed in), press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler to the target spread.

    • To create a spread guide without dragging, double-click a specific position on the horizontal or vertical ruler. If you want to snap the guide to the nearest tick mark, hold down the Shift key when you double-click the ruler.

    • To create vertical and horizontal guides simultaneously, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you drag from the target spread’s ruler intersection to the desired location.

A vertical and horizontal guide created concurrently

To reposition a ruler guide numerically, select the guide and enter values for X and Y in the Control panel.

Create a set of evenly spaced page guides

  1. If the document contains multiple layers, click a layer name in the Layers panel to target the layer.
  2. Choose Layout > Create Guides.
  3. For Number, type a value to specify the number of rows or columns you want to create.
  4. For Gutter, type a value to specify the spacing between rows or columns. Start with a low value, such as 1 pica; large gutters leave little space for columns.

    Columns created with the Create Guides command are not the same as those created with the Layout > Margins And Columns command. For example, columns created using Create Guides cannot control text flow when a text file is placed. Use the Margins And Columns command to create major column divisions appropriate for autoflow text, and use the Create Guides command to create column grids and other layout aids.

  5. For Fit Guides To, click Margins to create the guides within the page margins, or click Page to create the guides within the page edges.
    Ruler guides evenly spaced within page margins (left) and page edges (right)

  6. To delete any existing guides (including guides on locked or hidden layers), select Remove Existing Ruler Guides.
  7. If you like, select Preview to see the effect of your settings on the page, and then click OK.
Note: The Create Guides command can create page guides only; it cannot create spread guides.
To space existing guides a uniform distance apart, select the guides (by dragging or pressing Shift as you click with the mouse). Then, select Use Spacing from the Control panel, type the space value in the text box, and press Enter or Return to confirm. Click either Distribute Horizontal Centers  or Distribute Vertical Centers  to the left of the Use Spacing option.