Adobe InDesign CS3

Working with Leading

Leading refers to the vertical white space that separates lines of text. Like letter and word spacing, the right amount of leading makes text easier to read. Leading is measured in points; you can specify the leading value yourself or let InDesign determine it automatically.

Adjusting the Space between Lines of Text
Positioning Text within its Leading
Setting the Default Leading Percentage

Adjusting the Space between Lines of Text

InDesign automatically inserts leading as you enter text into your document; however, there may be times when you want to control the value of the leading. Reasonable leading values vary with the requirements of each document and each font used.

NOTE: You can apply more than one leading value within the same paragraph; however, if different leading values occur within a single line of text, InDesign uses the largest leading value for the entire line.

Leading settings have two parts:

Leading Value measures the entire vertical space allotted for a line of text.

Baseline Shift defines the vertical position of the text, relative to the baseline, within the space allotted by the leading value.

Selecting a Leading Value

From the Toolbox, select the Type Tool
Select the text in which you want to apply a leading value
If the Character palette is not already displayed, from the Type menu, select Character
NOTE: The palette is displayed if a checkmark appears next to its name.
OR
On the Dock, click CHARACTER
The Character palette appears.
Use the Leading text box, pull-down list, or nudge buttons to indicate the desired value
HINTS:
To restore the default leading value, from the pull-down list, select Auto.
Press [Enter]

Positioning Text within its Leading

The baseline is an imaginary line on which the text is aligned. You can use the Character palette to adjust how the text is aligned on the baseline, creating more or less space between particular lines with the same leading value. Positive baseline shifts, shifting the text up in relation to the baseline, are achieved by entering a positive value in the Baseline Shift text box. Negative baseline shifts, shifting the text down in relation to the baseline, are achieved by entering a negative value in the Baseline Shift text box. The following table shows examples of a positive and negative baseline shift.

Positive Baseline Shift	Negative Baseline Shift

Adjusting the Baseline Alignment

From the Toolbox, select the Type Tool
Select the text in which you want to adjust the baseline alignment
If the Character palette is not already displayed, from the Type menu, select Character
NOTE: The palette is displayed if a checkmark appears next to its name.
OR
On the Dock, click CHARACTER
The Character palette appears.
Use the Baseline Shift text box or nudge buttons to indicate the desired value
NOTE: Positive values move the selected text up from the baseline; negative values move the selected text down from the baseline.

Setting the Default Leading Percentage

When you select Auto for a paragraph's leading value, InDesign applies a default value equal to 120% of the text size. Using a value greater than the text size ensures that the lines of text do not overlap. You can change the default leading value used for paragraphs.

From the Toolbox, select the Type Tool
If the Paragraph palette is not already displayed, from the Type menu, select Paragraph
NOTE: The palette is displayed if a checkmark appears next to its name.
OR
On the Dock, click PARAGRAPH
The Paragraph palette appears.
On the Paragraph palette, click MENU» select Justification...
The Justification dialog box appears.
In the Auto Leading text box, type the percentage you wish to apply as the default
Click OK
The leading is adjusted on your selected text.