Vary column width (Adjust gutter position)

[HeidiMW]

Hi. Does anyone know how to create a text frame with columns of varying width? All I want to do is move the gutter over towards the right, but I don't know how.

[SJRiegel]

It cannot currently be done with text frame colums (although you might be able to hack it by creating more columms than you need, and using span columns on, say, the first five and then the last three.

Otherwise, you will need to use two linked text boxes side by side.

[Randy Hagan]

As SJRiegel offered, you cannot set uneven columns within a text frame — like many things about computer graphics, the computer does perfect things beautifully. If you want something imperfect, like unevenly sized columns of type, you're going to have to do it yourself.

That doesn't mean that I'd want it to be junk though. I'd like to be able to apply my imperfect, unevenly sized columns of type consistently. So I prefer to do that with column grids. Let me provide an example:

While I want to set two uneven width columns,  I'll set up my page to contain 6 columns, as shown above in the Margins and Columns dialog box. You can open this by selecting the Layout>Margins and Columns... menu command.

I get my text, then click-drag across four of the columns to set my larger column, as shown above. I then I click on the red + sign in the bubble at the lower-right of my first large column and then click-drag across the two columns at the right to create my smaller columns. When I print it out, it'll look like two columns; the fat one to the left and the skinny one to the right. Works like clockworks.

Hope this helps,

Randy