Set Character Alignment for East Asian text

When a line contains characters of different sizes, such as body text with smaller superscripts or larger drop caps, InDesign provides alignment options to control how these characters are positioned relative to each other. Character Alignment is useful in East Asian typography, where precise vertical positioning supports readability and visual balance.

Character Alignment applies only when a line includes multiple character sizes. It works in both horizontal and vertical text frames and complements other typographic controls, such as baseline grids and leading adjustments.

Understand the alignment reference points to choose the right option for your layout. In Japanese fonts, the em box is called the virtual body (仮想ボディ), and Ideographic Character Face (ICF) is called the average face (平均字面). The Roman baseline is the standard reference for Latin typography.

The alignment options control how smaller characters are positioned relative to larger characters in the same line:

• Roman Baseline: Align smaller characters to the baseline of the largest character, following standard Latin typography.
• Embox Top/Right: Align smaller characters to the top of the largest character’s embox in horizontal frames or to the right edge in vertical frames.
• Embox Center: Center smaller characters within the embox height in horizontal frames, or within the width of the largest character in vertical frames.
• Embox Bottom/Left: Align smaller characters to the bottom of the largest character’s embox in horizontal frames or to the left edge in vertical frames.
• ICF Top/Right: Align smaller characters to the ICF top edge in horizontal frames or to the right edge in vertical frames of the largest character’s font.
• ICF Bottom/Left: Align smaller characters to the ICF bottom edge in horizontal frames or to the left edge in vertical frames of the largest character’s font.

For documents using Grid Alignment, character alignment works independently of grid alignment settings. When Align to Grid Alignment is active in the Paragraph panel, InDesign first applies baseline grid alignment to the line, then applies character alignment to position smaller characters within that line.

Character alignment works alongside other East Asian typography features, including Kenten (emphasis marks), Ruby (furigana annotations), and Tate-chu-yoko (horizontal-in-vertical text). When these elements appear in mixed-size text, alignment options help keep line spacing consistent and the composition looking balanced.