How to Adjust Leading in InDesign

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Leading is the amount of space between lines of text. By adding or subtracting space you can improve the overall look and readability of your document. Knowing how to adjust leading in InDesign, a desktop publishing program that allows you to develop print documents in a number of formats and sizes, will allow you to customize your document's layout in a manner that maximizes its visual impact.

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-1.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-728px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Follow the on-screen instructions for installing InDesign on your computer and restart your computer if necessary.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/15\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/15\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-2.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-728px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-728px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/23\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-4.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-728px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • If you do not have an existing InDesign document to work in, create a new document by selecting File>New>Document and specifying the settings for your new document.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fa\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fa\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-5.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-728px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • Create a text frame with your Text tool, which is located in your Tools palette. Click within your newly created text frame, with your Text tool still created, and begin typing your text.
    • To import text directly from a pre-existing word processing document, select File>Place, navigate to the file you wish to import and double click the file name. A loaded cursor will appear. Move your mouse to the location where you want your text to appear and click to place the text.
    • If you are importing a large amount of text, you may need to thread it across multiple text frames. Do this by clicking the red plus sign in the bottom right-hand corner of your text frame, navigating to the new page or column where you want to place your text and clicking your mouse. Repeat this step until all your text is placed.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid1473910-v4-704px-Adjust-Leading-in-InDesign-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":366,"bigWidth":704,"bigHeight":560,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Adjust your leading by using your Text tool to highlight the text you wish to adjust and selecting your desired leading from the Leading menu, which is located on the Character panel. The Character panel is located at the right-hand side of your workspace.
    • If you have applied vertical justification to your text or set it to align to the baseline grid (bottom of your text frame), InDesign may not accept your leading adjustments. If this happens, turn off vertical justification and baseline grid alignment and re-adjust your leading.
    7. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • Leading is measured from the baseline of one line of text to the baseline of the previous line of text.
        Thanks
      • By default, Adobe InDesign sets leading at 120 percent of your type size. If your text is set at 10-point type, your leading will by default be 12-point.
        Thanks
      • Using InDesign you can create a paragraph style that includes font, size, leading, kerning and tracking specifications. This is useful if you have a particular group of settings you would like to apply to a large amount of text.
        Thanks
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Align in InDesign
      How to Add Borders in InDesign
      How to Add Fonts in Adobe InDesign
      How to
      Add Pictures in InDesign
      Quickly Add Page Numbers to an Adobe InDesign Document
      How to Unlock Objects in InDesign
      How to
      Convert a Word File to Indesign
      How to
      Add a Drop Shadow in InDesign
      How to
      Add Columns in InDesign
      How to
      Adjust Opacity in InDesign
      How to
      Set up an InDesign Template
      How to
      Add Swatches in InDesign
      How to Create a Background in InDesign
      How to Show Paragraph Marks in InDesign (2021)
      Advertisement

      References

      1. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/6.0/WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-715aa.html
      2. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/6.0/WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6fada.html
      3. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/6.0/WS714a382cdf7d304e7e07d0100196cbc5f-6199a.html
      4. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/6.0/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30d2a5051004d659b1c-7fe7a.html

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 71,119 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement