InDesign

Change measurement units and rulers

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).
  2. To change the origin of the zero point, in the Origin menu under Ruler Units, do one of the following:

    • To set the ruler origin at the top-left corner of each spread, choose Spread. The horizontal ruler measures across the entire spread.

    • To set the ruler origin at the top-left corner of each page, choose Page. The horizontal ruler starts at zero for each page in a spread.

    • To set the ruler origin for multipage spreads on the top-left corner of the leftmost page, as well as at the top of the binding spine, choose Spine. The horizontal ruler measures from the leftmost page to the binding edge; and from the binding spine to the rightmost page.

  3. To change the measurement system used for rulers, dialog boxes, and panels, choose the desired system for Horizontal and Vertical, or choose Custom and type the number of points at which you want the ruler to display major tick marks.
  4. To change the value you want used for calculating points, specify the desired point size per inch for Points/Inch.
  5. Set any of the following Keyboard Increments:
    Cursor Key
    Controls the increment for the arrow keys when nudging objects.

    Size/Leading
    Controls the increment for increasing or decreasing the point size or leading using the keyboard shortcuts.

    Baseline Shift
    Controls the increment for shifting the baseline using the keyboard shortcuts.

    Kerning
    Controls the increment for kerning using the keyboard shortcuts.

  6. Click OK.
You can also change ruler units by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac OS) a ruler and choosing the units from the context menu. By right-clicking or Control-clicking at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical rulers, you can change the ruler units for both rulers at the same time.