User Guide Cancel

Align and distribute objects using rulers

Search
InDesign

InDesign

Open app
  1. InDesign User Guide
  2. Get to know InDesign
    1. Introduction to InDesign
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Contextual task bar
      3. Customize your workspace in InDesign
      4. Toolbox
      5. Set preferences
      6. Properties panel
      7. Touch workspace
      8. Default keyboard shortcuts
      9. Undo edits and manage History panel
      10. Document recovery and undo
    3. Generative AI (Not available in mainland China)
      1. Text to Image
      2. Generative Expand
      3. Generate Effect in InDesign (Beta)
      4. Generative AI FAQ
  3. Create and layout documents
    1. Documents and pages
      1. Create documents
      2. Work with parent pages
      3. Work with document pages
      4. Set page size, margins, and bleed
      5. Work with files and templates
      6. Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta)
      7. Create book files
      8. Add basic page numbering
      9. Number pages, chapters, and sections
      10. Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
      11. Share content
      12. Understand a basic managed-file workflow
      13. Save documents
    2. Grids
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
    3. Layout aids
      1. Rulers
      2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
      3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
  4. Add content
    1. Text
      1. Add text to frames
      2. Threading text
      3. South-East Asian Scripts
      4. Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
      5. Create type on a path
      6. Bullets and numbering
      7. Insert MathML to create math expressions
      8. Glyphs and special characters
      9. Text composition
      10. Text variables
      11. Generate QR codes
      12. Edit text
      13. Align text
      14. Wrap text around objects
      15. Anchored objects
      16. Linked content
      17. Format paragraphs
      18. Format characters
    2. Typography
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
      3. Scale and skew type
      4. Apply color effects to type
    3. Format text
      1. Format text
      2. Auto Style text
      3. Work with Style Packs
      4. Tabs and indents
    4. Review text
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
    5. Spell check and language dictionaries
      1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
      2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
      3. Change dictionary preferences
      4. Duden dictionary
    6. Add references
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
    7. Styles
      1. Paragraph and character styles
      2. Map, export, and manage styles
      3. Object styles
      4. Drop caps and nested styles
      5. Work with styles
      6. Leading
    8. Tables
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
    9. Interactivity
      1. Hyperlinks
      2. Dynamic PDF documents
      3. Bookmarks
      4. Buttons
      5. Forms
      6. Animation
      7. Cross-references
      8. Structure PDFs
      9. Page transitions
      10. Movies and sounds
    10. Graphics
      1. Understand paths and shapes
      2. Draw with the Pencil tool
      3. Draw with the Pen tool
      4. Apply line (stroke) settings 
      5. Compound paths and shapes
      6. Edit paths
      7. Clipping paths
      8. Change corner appearance
      9. Frames and objects
      10. Align and distribute objects
      11. Linked and embedded graphics
      12. Integrate AEM assets
    11. Color and transparency
      1. Apply color
      2. Use colors from imported graphics
      3. Work with swatches
      4. Mix inks
      5. Tints
      6. Understand spot and process colors
      7. Blend colors
      8. Gradients
      9. Flatten transparent artwork
      10. Add transparency effects
  5. Find and replace
    1. Find and replace text
    2. Find and replace fonts
    3. Find and replace glyphs
    4. Find and replace using GREP expressions and queries
    5. Find and replace objects
    6. Find and replace colors
    7. Search options to find and replace
  6. Share
    1. Save and access cloud documents
    2. Organize, manage, and share cloud documents
    3. View and manage versions in cloud documents
    4. Common questions about InDesign cloud documents
    5. InCopy on the web (Beta)
    6. Share and collaborate        
    7. Share for Review
    8. Review a shared InDesign document
    9. Manage feedback
    10. Invite to edit
  7. Export, import, and publish
    1. Place, export, and publish
      1. Publish online
      2. Publish online dashboard
      3. Copy, insert graphics
      4. Export to Adobe Express
      5. Export content for EPUB
      6. Adobe PDF options
      7. Export to HTML5
      8. Export content to HTML (Legacy)
      9. Export to Adobe PDF
      10. Export to JPEG or PNG format
      11. Import SVG files
      12. Supported File Formats
      13. Export and import User Settings
    2. Printing
      1. Print booklets
      2. Printer's marks and bleeds
      3. Print documents
      4. Inks, separation, and screen frequency
      5. Overprinting
      6. Create PostScript and EPS files
      7. Preflight files before handoff
      8. Print thumbnails and oversized documents
      9. Prepare PDFs for service providers
      10. Prepare to print separations
  8. Extend InDesign
    1. Automation
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
  9. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash on launch
    4. Preference folder read-only issue
    5. Troubleshoot file issues
    6. Unable to export InDesign file to PDF
    7. InDesign document recovery

Learn to customize the layout of your project in InDesign using rulers.

Rulers in InDesign show the exact dimensions of an object and its position on the page which helps users align and distribute objects consistently throughout a design.

The image shows the horizontal and vertical rulers and the measuring units

Manage rulers and measurement units

InDesign provides horizontal and vertical rulers that assist in creating and aligning objects on your document. These rulers, located at the top and left sides of your workspace, display measurements in your chosen unit (For example-inches, centimeters, or pixels).

To show or hide rulers, choose View > Show Rulers or Hide Rulers.

You can easily modify the measurement units displayed on the on-screen rulers and apply them. You can even temporarily override the default units when entering values. When you change measurement units, it doesn't move guides, grids, and objects.

Rulers in a document window
Rulers in a document window

A. Labeled tick marks B. Major tick marks C. Minor tick marks 

You can set up different measurement systems for horizontal and vertical rulers.

  • Horizontal ruler: It governs tabs, margins, and indents.
  • Vertical ruler: It governs the spread.

However, all vertical rulers use the same settings you specify in the Units & Increments preferences dialog box.

To change the units in Units & Increments, select:
  • (Windows) Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments 
  • (macOS) InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments 
Options available to customize Unit & Increment s
Units & Increments

Ruler Units:

Origin

Changes the origin of the zero point.

Horizontal

Changes the horizontal measurement system used for rulers, dialog boxes, and panels.

Vertical

Changes the vertical measurement system used for rulers, dialog boxes, and Control panel.

Other Units:

Stroke

Changes the values of stroke.

Points/Pica Size:

Points/Inch

Changes the value of calculating points. For PostScript points, you can use 72 points per inch, 72.27 traditional printer points per inch, or you can use a different measure, depending on the selected preference.

Keyboard Increments:

Cursor Key

Controls the increment for the arrow keys when you move objects.

Size/Leading

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

Baseline Shift

Controls the increment for shifting the baseline using keyboard shortcuts.

Kerning/Tracking

Controls the increment for kerning and tracking using keyboard shortcuts.
Tip:

Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical rulers to change the ruler units for both rulers at the same time.

Override default measurement units

You can specify a unit of measurement that is different from the default. You can type the new value using the notation given in the following table:

To specify

Type these letters after the value

Examples

Result

Q

q

6q

6 Q

Ha

h

6h

6 Ha

Inches

i

in

inch

"

5.25i

5.25in

5.25inch

5.25”

5 1/4 inches

Millimeters

mm

48mm

48 millimeters

Centimeters

cm

12cm

12 centimeters

Picas

p

3p

3 picas

Points

pt

p (before value)

6pt

p6

6 points

American points

ap

6ap

6 American points

Picas and points

p (between values)

3p6

3 picas, 6 points

Pixels

px

5px

5 pixels

Ciceros

c

5c

5 ciceros

Agates

ag

5ag

5 agates

Pro tips

  • Q and Ha are units used in a Japanese manual or automatic photo composer to show font size, tracking or leading length. Each unit has a value of 0.25mm. 
  • Q is used only to express font size, and Ha can be used to express direction and length for leading, object spacing, and similar elements.
  • You can also use points (also known as American points) to indicate font size on computers or Adobe PostScript® points to indicate leading or spacing. 
  • One American point is 0.35146 millimeters, and there are 72.27 American points in 1 inch and 72 PostScript points in 1 inch.

The zero point

The zero point refers to the origin of both horizontal and vertical rulers, from which measurements start. You can customize the zero point to suit your design requirements, making it easier to measure and align objects within your layout. By default, the zero point is located at the upper-left corner of a page or spread. You can move the zero point to measure distances, create a new reference point for measurement, or tile oversized pages.

Adjust the zero point

When you move the zero point, it moves to the same relative location in all spreads. For example, if you move the zero point to the top left corner of the second page of a page spread, it appears in that position on the second page of all other spreads in the document.

Watch this short clip to learn how to adjust the zero point.

Tip:

To lock or unlock the zero point, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the zero point of the rulers and select Lock Zero Point in the context menu. 

Change the default zero point

You can change the default zero point for rulers as well as the scope of the horizontal ruler. The scope determines whether the ruler measures across the page, across the entire spread, or, for multipage spreads, from the center of the spine.

  1. Select Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (macOS).

  2. In the Ruler Units section in the Origin menu:

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

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

    • Select Spine to set the ruler origin at the center of the spine. The horizontal ruler measures in negative numbers to the left of the spine and positive numbers to the right of the spine.

More like this

Talk to us

We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts with the Adobe InDesign Community. 

Get help faster and easier

New user?

Quick links

View all your plans Manage your plans
View quick links
Hide quick links

Legal Notices    |    Online Privacy Policy