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rsbisa
Inspiring
November 7, 2024
Answered

Understanding Baseline Options in Text Frame Settings: Why Is It Usually Unchecked?

  • November 7, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 1181 views

Just a general learning question: What is the purpose of the ...Baseline Options in the Text Frame Options panel? Does it have to defualt to unchecked? Why is that the preferred state? 

 

I working on a Digital Publishing project and have been frustrated with textboxes when trying to nudge them in to proper relative position on the document. The text jumps around inside its box when I move it. Thanks to help here, I found that checking the Baseline Options box cures this condition. But what is this feature for? Why is it preferred loose and uncontrollable? There must be a reason you pros prefer this state. 

 

Thanks. 

 

<Title renamed by MOD>

Correct answer James Gifford—NitroPress

Having text snap to a document baseline may seem like a very basic and obvious thing, but it's really an advanced layout technique that needs a pretty fair mastery of ID and layout to use well. It gets even more complex when you start overriding a document-wide setting with ones specific to an individual text frame, which is why those options are not enabled by default.

 

It doesn't/shouldn't have anything to do with positioning non-text elements — frames, graphic elements, etc. — on a page. That 'snap' is controlled by the guides, a document grid if you have it enabled, and selective enabling of 'snap to' settings. (Some users don't like the interface grabbing and trying to position everything, which is why it's not an integral function.)

 

you might want to start with this: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/ruler-guides.html. There are other topics on grids, guides, snap, etc. that can fill out the details.

 

And then you can look into the wonders of baseline grids. 🙂

2 replies

N
NotHerbert
New Participant
May 23, 2025

 

I am a relative Power user of InDesign, but this one has me stumped. I am trying to create a spread as you see above. All the type here has the same leading, and you can see that the two columns (which I've dragged on top of each other for emphasis) are aligned at the top. My goal is for the type in both columns to sit on the same baseline (and this method usually works; leading is like stacking pennies...) WHY is the non-serif font used for my Questions tripping up the alignment here when it's at the top of a frame? If I use a BOLD version of the body font (instead of the serif font), the alignment fixes itself. 

 

And what would your solution be? I usually always use Baseline/Ascent by default (and that's what you see above). I can change EVERYTHING here to Baseline/Leading — and THAT will fix it. Changing JUST the Serif font paragraph to Baseline/Leading and leaving the other at Ascent makes them radically different when the frames are aligned.

 

This body copy Style is used extensively throughout a 100-page book so I'm not anxious to change it all to Baseline/Leading and tweak the frame height on dozens of pages.

 

Any thoughts?

rob day
rob day
Community Expert
May 23, 2025

I usually always use Baseline/Ascent by default (and that's what you see above).

 

Hi @NotHerbert , Are you sure both text frames' Text Frame Options>First Baseline Offset are set to Ascent? Looks like your frame to the right is set to Cap Height not Ascent.

 

N
NotHerbert
New Participant
May 23, 2025

Indeed, yes. (The two frames are part of one story, by the way, and I Select All to either make all Ascent or all Leading) This is why I posed the question. You'd think if it was all one thing (and usually Ascent is the default, and it just works), everything would just ALIGN. If these two columns started with body copy font, everything would be fine; but in THIS case, if that non-serif font is atop a column, it has a different baseline setting. I "fixed" this by making everything Baseline: Leading, but then I had to go back and adjust umpteen text blocks to realign them.

 

This image shows both columns as Baseline:Leading (the baselines line up perfectly; however, their vertical starting position jumps compared to Ascent):

 

 

This image shows everything as Ascent (using non-Serif Gibson font for my question). Baselines do NOT line up:

 

 

This image shows the same thing, but I changed the top left question font to the body copy serif font (Dovetail). When the font is changed, and using Ascent, the baselines lines up again:

 

 

SO there must be something in the FONT that determines this. It's very irritating. So the purpose of my post is: is there a paragraph setting in InDesign that can defeat this (besides making everything Baseline:Leading)? You would THINK if two columns of type have the exact same leading throughout, and Zero before/after Paragraph adjustments, and the same Baseline treatment, that the baseline would be universal across columns. But there's SOMETHING about some fonts when they START columns. For emphasis, here is the same composition, but with the body copy font STARTING the left column and using universal Ascent. Lines up perfectly? But when the non-serif atops the column: bedlam!

 

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPressCorrect answer
Brainiac
November 7, 2024

Having text snap to a document baseline may seem like a very basic and obvious thing, but it's really an advanced layout technique that needs a pretty fair mastery of ID and layout to use well. It gets even more complex when you start overriding a document-wide setting with ones specific to an individual text frame, which is why those options are not enabled by default.

 

It doesn't/shouldn't have anything to do with positioning non-text elements — frames, graphic elements, etc. — on a page. That 'snap' is controlled by the guides, a document grid if you have it enabled, and selective enabling of 'snap to' settings. (Some users don't like the interface grabbing and trying to position everything, which is why it's not an integral function.)

 

you might want to start with this: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/ruler-guides.html. There are other topics on grids, guides, snap, etc. that can fill out the details.

 

And then you can look into the wonders of baseline grids. 🙂

R
rsbisaAuthor
Inspiring
November 8, 2024

Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to explain and share the resource.

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