change the default units permanently

[geris67254912]

I know how to change the units of measurement. Edit, Preferences and then I can change picas to inches or whatever. In the old CC 6, this would become the default. Now, in the online InDesign, every single new document I have to change the preferences from picas to inches. Is there a way to permanently change this? It's annoying as heck!

[Frans v.d. Geest · Accepted solution]

Close all documents. Change the value From InDesign Preferences, Units and Increments.

You have to do this with no documents open at all to make it default.

Older documents you already had, there you have to change it once and then save the document

[jillb21760915]

THANK YOU!    I wish I had looked this up sooner.  My annoyance level with this had topped out!

[Amy29587283ahtr]

ME TOO!

[Discoverypubs24155858s03f]

Thank you

[Barb23779987jpsx]

Thank you thank you thank you - was driving me nuts!!!

[Colorado2382340391jn · Accepted solution]

my new document does this no matter what. i hit ctrl+n for new, it opens new document window, the first option is always custom (top/left) corner, 612px X 792px...nothing changes this it seems. have done what was said here, over and over. 

[Randy Hagan]

There are menu options at the top of the New Document dialog box for determining the intent and the last used/saved InDesign documents on your system.

If your option in the menu options is for Web or Mobile, the first document will show in pixels no matter what you've set for your measurement units. Similarly, if the last document you used and/or created/saved was set for Web or Mobile intent, the first document would be in pixels for the default 72ppi describing an 8½" x 11" page.

With no documents open, try switching your Units &Increments ruler settings in Preferences to Inches or Millimeters, then click OK. Then go to your File>New>Document menu command, click on the Print menu option at the top of the dialog box and that should get you the results you're looking for.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[geris67254912]

OMG. That was ridiculously easy. Thank you--it was driving me nuts having to change the units every single time. 

[Scott Falkner]

This is how a lot of defaults work in InDesign. Change something when an object is selected and you change the attribute on that object. Change something when no object is selected and you make that the defult for all new objects in that InDesign document. Change something when no document is open and you make that the default for new objects in all new documnets created on that computer.

Whenever I install a new copy of InDesign or set up a new computer I set the defaults to what I want. eg. type size and leading incrments to 1 point instead of 2 and tracking/kerning to 5 units instead of 20 (which honestly should be the defaults out of the can).

[Discoverypubs24155858s03f]

That info could be easier to find.

[MADink_Designs27]

I agree with Scott and wanted to add, you open your workspace without any documents open and create presets for your default paragaraph style to change it from Minion Pro. You can set default GREP styles in that style, default object styles, swatches, character styles, etc.

Additionally, I will also transfer workspaces and keyboard shortcuts on the backend when setting up a new computer. I only know how to on Windows, but it can be done through Adobe Roaming App Data and/or Program Files and copying existing files over. This is true of all Adobe software. For example, I have a different Adobe account for work and for home, so it's an essential step to try to syncronize settings. I think Adobe tried to do this, but it didn't work very well. My backend solution has worked for a decade.

[McMartin27]

Thank you soo much! This has been driving me nuts for years now. 😬🙃

[Angela5E5F]

Heck YES! THANK YOU!!!

[GymDean]

Thank you this has been driving me nuts!

[johnm82806023]

I agree, VERY annoying! It wasn't this way for me until version 19.0.1 

I go back to when it was called Pagemaker.

Only designers from the 1980's use picas 😉

[rob day]

I agree, VERY annoying! It wasn't this way for me until version 19.0.1

Ruler Units have always been settable as an Application Preference (set your preferred unit with no documents open), or a Document Preference (set your preferered unit for an active document and save). As Scott mentioned above, most inDesign Preferences can be either application or document specific.

[Frans v.d. Geest]

@johnm82806023 Always been this way. Just change it with no document open, it becomes the default for new documents; in older documents change it once, save the document, done.

This is unchanged since the first ever version of InDesign.

[GopyAlgoMedia]

This doesn't works for my Illustrator, everytime I click new, the option in the PRINT tab always shown in points and there is no option to change it in centimeters. Although, I already set in the preferences in centimeters since the first time after install this illustrator and try to change it in preferences many times (without any document open) but still the default option in points and sadly there is no option to centimeter.

 

[leo.r]

This is InDesign forum but regardless:

Yes, I can reproduce the situation you describe. That's because "Print" in this case is a pre-defined new document preset, where units are set to points. The Recent tab will use the units (and other settings) that were used the last time.

Frankly, I don't know if it's possible to change the settings in the Print document preset (as well as other pre-defined presets).

Just in case, Illustrator forum is here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/ct-p/ct-illustrator?page=1&sort=latest_replies&filter=all...

[GopyAlgoMedia]

Oops.. I'm sorry, this is my first time in forum. thanks for your feedback.

[BobLevine]

Nothing has changed in regard to this. Existing documents will always open with the units that they were saved with.

BTW, InDesign was never called Pagemaker.

[johnm82806023]

InDesign was the replacement for Pagemaker.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Setting preferences was the same in PageMaker too.

[acameron1]

Here's a short 1-minute video on how to update, if you prefer video:

https://youtu.be/ud2ltCCVK1c?feature=shared