Datasheet

15
Chapter 1: Understanding InDesign Ingredients
If you change the ruler measurement system when no documents are open,
the rulers in all new documents will use the measurement system you
selected. If a document is open when you make the change, the rulers are
changed only in that document.
You can also create your own measurement system by choosing Custom.
Most people should ignore this option, but sometimes it can make sense, such
as setting the ruler to match the line spacing, so that you can measure number
of lines in your ruler.
If your computer has a small monitor and the rulers start to get in your way,
you can hide them by choosing View➪Hide Rulers (Ô+R or Ctrl+R). Get them
back by choosing View➪Show Rulers (Ô+R or Ctrl+R).
Zero point
The point where the rulers intersect in the upper-left corner of the page is
called the zero point. (Some people call it the ruler origin.) The zero point is
the starting place for all horizontal and vertical measurements.
If you need to place items in relation to another spot on the page (for exam-
ple, from the center of a spread rather than from the left-hand page), you can
move the zero point by clicking and dragging it to a new location. Notice that
the X: and Y: values in the Control panel update as you drag the zero point so
that you can place it precisely.
If you change the zero point, it changes for all pages or spreads in the docu-
ment. You can reset the zero point to the upper-left corner of the left-most
page by double-clicking the intersection of the rulers in the upper-left corner.
If you move the zero point, all the objects on the page display new X: and Y:
values even though they haven’t actually moved. Objects above or to the left
of the zero point will show negative X: and Y: values, and the X: and Y: values
of other objects will not relate to their actual position on the page or spread.
You can lock the zero point, making it more difficult to accidentally change
it. Control+click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) the ruler origin and choose
Lock Zero Point from the menu that appears. (The Unlock Zero Point com-
mand is right there as well, so you can just as easily unlock it.) Locking the
zero point is a good idea because it will remind anyone working on your doc-
ument that you prefer that they not fiddle with the zero point.
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