How to Work With a Baseline Grid in InDesign
Paragraph baselines that don't line up next to each other across a page spread look sloppy and unprofessional; they can also detract from the message and make legibility more difficult. A skilled typesetter strives to set clean, well-structured text blocks with perfect leading – the space between lines – which is aided in InDesign by the baseline grid function. The baseline grid enables the typesetter to produce consistency in columns and paragraphs on the page by providing a magnetic-like grid to which the text "snaps."
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Instructions
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Start InDesign and create a new document. Select the number of columns and the page size for your document, then click "OK."
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Select "Edit" from the main menu, then scroll to "Preferences" and select "Grids." Click the Color Menu to choose a color for your grid. Enter a grid value in the text field, then select the "Relative" point from which you want the grid to start: for instance, the top of the page. Select the pull-down menu next to "Increments" and select the measurement between grid lines. Select an increment value that matches your leading for best results, according to Adobe.com. Click the 'View Threshold" pull-down menu and select a value below which the grids do not show on the page. Select "OK."
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3
Select "View" from the InDesign menu, then scroll down to "Grids and Guides" to choose "Show Baseline Grid" from the sub-menu. Alternatively, select the view options in the application tool bar, then select "Baseline Grid."
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4
Type your text into a two- or three-column text box. Insert the cursor anywhere in the type and select "Ctrl" + "A" to select all the text. Click the "Paragraph" palette. Select the button with equal columns, which is located at the bottom right of the window to "Align to Baseline Grid."
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Open the "Character" palette. Click the "Leading" pull-down menu, or enter a leading value in the text field until the columns align perfectly across the grid line.
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