Adjusting a Series of Tabs

[Mike_Gondek]

Is there a way I can grab for example the tabs within the red border, and move each to the right by 18points.

Would be great to  drag and drop around a series of tabs, and click a button to increase / decreases / scale the values in the tabs stops. Would such a feature be useful to you?

[JonathanArias]

i would not use that feature. But than again I would have made that layout in indesight making a table. I think it way simpler to do things like this in I design.

[Barb Binder]

I wouldn't need that in Illustrator. I would definitely create that table (ok, any table) using InDesign (or FrameMaker). In either application, I would start with a table—which minimizes the need for any tabs. The only one I'd have to add to InDesign is a right-indent tab (Shift+tab) between the grams the percentages.

That said, I know there are some folks who only use Illustrator for layout, and for that specific group yes, I suspect that would be useful.

~Barb

[Mike_Gondek]

Thanks for the feedback could see some advantages to using the InDesign table feature  for this. Not sure you could do the rules underneath though, but am not a daily user of InDesign.

Any ideas how to do exactly what is shown in my first post. This is where I got stuck with using either the table  or characters features to make the rules. I obviously do not want rules underneath Buttercrisp, and for them to span the cell width with a 2 point gap

Below is  the file incase that is easier for you

http://files.kaleidoscopechicago.com/_dAa0ObVbNTytNR

Nut Facts Table.indd

976 KB

The URL will expire on Aug 23.

[Jeff Witchel, ACI · Accepted solution]

In InDesign, you could use Paragraph Rules (Paragraph panel options menu) or Custom Underlines (Character panel options menu).

Here's a video tutorial about Paragraph Rules: http://www.jeffwitchel.net/2011/11/indesign-fun-with-paragraph-rules/

Here's a tutorial about Custom Underlines, starting at 1:10 into the video: http://www.jeffwitchel.net/2012/04/do-you-know-the-secret-backdoor-to-type-options-in-indesign/

[JonathanArias]

like this?

[JonathanArias]

thats what i was about to do for you mike, i am making you rules and setting up the basic structure of the table as we speak

[Barb Binder]

Looks like you are in good hands, now, Mike! Let us know if you have any more questions. That's a pretty straightforward table in InDesign. Any by nesting Table, Cell and Para styles you can set up additional tables with the same look pretty darn fast.

[JonathanArias]

here you go Mike, i started it for you, take a look at the cells styles, table style, and paragraph styles. you can edit these as you need, but this is the foundation to help you get going, happy to help you further.

Nut Facts Table.indd - Box

[Mike_Gondek]

Thanks. The file you attached looked no different than mine, but no worries. Paragraph rules was a great suggestion, but do not think in the end they will work with 2 lines of type, as the rule is offset. Might be easier to manually draw the rules in InDesign.

Illustrator works great with using a transform effect on a group of rules to make the first column with 4 repeats for the additional ones needed.

Thanks all. Sorry this went into InDesign rather than Illustrator, but was curious.

[Barb Binder]

In your first screen shot, Nutrition Facts is larger than in the last one, that's why they are offset. You don't need to draw the lines manually, for sure!

[Mike_Gondek]

I took Jonathan file and made the Nutrition Facts larger, but you cannot get an x & y axis coordinate on the rules. Working with pargraph rules is a great idea, but if this were to eb a template for other to pick up on, I would not what a myriad of settings because likely we will get results as below with the rules being slightly off.

[Barb Binder]

Set the row alignment to bottom. You might have figured that out by the time you got to pepperoni.

[JonathanArias]

sorry, sent you the wrong file.  i did made you a cell style that gives you padding top and bottom for the line under the text to have breathing room. take a look at the new file.

here:

Table_nutrition fact.indd - Box

[Mike_Gondek]

Thanks Jonathan, that makes sense.

[JonathanArias]

you cells styles is where you will control the position of the text inside the cell. Middle aligment, left right top and bottom spacing ( or padding) can all be adjusted independent and you can update the style i made you, or make a new one.

[Barb Binder]

When you get to the body of the table:

I'd use em spaces in lieu of indents in the first column (to minimize overrides and styles) and use a right indent tab between 0g and 0%. In the table the shortcut I mentioned earlier doesn't work, so it's Type > Insert Special Character > Right Indent Tab.

Finally, these values repeat so if it were me I'd start with placeholder text:

• type in the first cell
• tap Ctrl/Cmd / to copy select the cell contents, copy
• highlight all the other cells, paste
• edit to the correct values

[Mike_Gondek]

Thanks Barb I was looking for text frame options or something similar but could not find. Your screenshot was very helpful as had to select by row not character to get my tools to match yours.

Like your idea of using em spaces rather than another tab stop.

[Barb Binder]

That's great. (My answers are influenced by laying out more tables any normal person should be expected to complete in a lifetime. )

Any more questions, just ask.

~Barb

P.S. Should we move this to the InDesign forum? Happy to take care of it. I initially thought you had a plan for a plug-in to automate tab movement in Illustrator.

[Mike_Gondek]

Whether you move or keep here is fine with me. I was  looking for a solution in Illustrator as I cannot submit InDesign files, but the topic was interesting, and hoping the Illustrator development team gives us an update to tabs &  adds tables to Illustrator.

[Barb Binder]

I cannot submit InDesign files

That's too bad. Can you submit a PDF? Or drop the InDesign table (as a PDF) into an AI file?

[Mike_Gondek]

For the packaging design industry Illustrator has been that industry standard for over 25 years. If we were to begin submitting InDesign files, a few printers would accept them, but the majority would reject the file and we would have to redo the artwork and miss most likely a tight deadline and the client.

We deal with many different printers and some of them trap inside Illustrator. Submitting in .ai gives separators the most control as they may need to mitre traps or add dot reduction, pullback a white plate.

[JonathanArias]

ahhhh..  i would have slit the percentage cell vertically do to left or right alignments.

[JonathanArias]

i would personally prefer that instead of new features we can get all of the features to be in the same locations in the drop down menus for Illustrator, photoshop and Indesign.