Spacing at the beginning of chapter

[m5heath]

I am editing a book with 200 pages and about 20 chapters. Each chapter has a heading/title. I want each chapter to start on the next right-hand page which is easily achieved with Keep Options. But I also want it to start about a third down the page. And I discover that Space Before doesn't work because there is no preceding para. So I am advised by Googlers to use Text Frame Options which does indeed give me the option of Inset Spacing to achieve the desired result. But that's isn't what I want. I want to make that inset spacing a feature of the para heading by means of a para style. Is there any way to do that or do I have to use Text Frame Options on every relevant frame (and then when I amend the text, finding that the Inset Spacing is applying to the wrong frame).

[rob day · Accepted solution]

Hi @m5heath , You can set a Rule Above in the Paragraph Style with the stroke weight set to 0, and an Offset amount to create the space above.

[James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted solution]

Once again, Google gives a wrong answer. 🙂

There are two or three ways to get top spacing on headings and such, and most (Parent page, adjusting top text margin, etc.) are fails because they are tied to that physical page... if the heading moves, you'll have body text halfway down the page.

ID has one and only one way to force space above a heading (or other paragraph), and while it sounds like a real hack, it works well.

Set a Paragraph Rule Above on the style. Set the line width at 0, and the color to none. Set the offset to the height-above you want (2 inches, 18 picas, whatever). Be sure to check Keep In Frame.

Done. 🙂

You should also set the equivalent Space Above if this is to be exported to EPUB, as the line trick doesn't export and most EPUB readers do respect space-above on virtual pages. Too well, actually, since secondary heads with some small amount of spacing will also be pushed down at page top — e-docs are the inverse of InDesign and do not (automatically or otherwise) collapse that spacing.

[m5heath]

What a terrific tip! Don't think that would ever have occurred to me. The one thing I forgot was to check 'Keep in Frame' but then it all worked beautifully. I feel I have used up a lot of time for you gentlemen but I am enormously grateful to you. Thanks a million!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

It's why we're here, even on a scorching Sunday afternoon. 🙂

You're working through pretty much all the basics on book layout in ID, so it's all time well spent.

FWIW, most of us find this hitch in InDesign function exasperating. There really should be a style toggle to enforce or ignore top spacing, as the need to do this is quite common and needs a flexible, controllable option and not a wonky workaround. (I mean, if they can get so granular as to include that cryptic "Keep in Frame" toggle... something like that for top spacing should be obvious.)