How To Change Line Spacing In InDesign

Adobe InDesign is the computer page layout formatting and publishing software by Adobe Inc. It helps the user create many reports, catalogs, books, magazines, and pamphlets. Among many of its available features changing the line space is one of the most commonly used.

Two of the most used methods to change line spacing are using the leading option and the available built-in shortcut. The line spacing is changed by holding the ALT button of your keyboard and pressing the directional arrow keys, allowing them to increase and decrease the line spacing value.

Changing line spacing in InDesign is a necessary-to-know task if you are a writer. This article will teach you how to do so using two different methods. 

Changing Line Spacing in InDesign 

To learn how to change line spacing using InDesign, follow this method:

1. Begin by opening a new document from the opening screen of this program. To do this, use the “create new” tab.

2. Next, go down to the options listed under the “windows” and “type and tables” menu. Here, you will see the “character.” You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + T to open “character.”

3. Within this panel, you will find an option called “leading,” which generates automatic line spacing by InDesign, depending on the font size of your text.

4. Alternatively, you can also add the required line spacing value manually.

5. To do this, select two lines with the same font size and click on “auto” from the “leading” panel. This will result in a distinct value, such as one that is 130% of the font size.

6. Within the leading panel, you can also select the “Properties” panel on the right side of the screen and enable it.

7. Then, alter the font size and multiply the leading value with this selected font size, e.g., 12*1.5.

8. As the application calculates line spacing on its own for your given values, automatic line spacing will be created within the selected paragraphs by InDesign.

The abovementioned steps will form a uniform line spacing within your document. Having learned how to include line spacing, we will now discuss why it is important to do so.

If you’re still confused about the process, take a look at this video:

Why is Line Spacing Important?

Line spacing is essential as it changes the way the readability and the feel of your design are for a reader. If the text is too clustered, it will feel crowded and become more challenging to read through. However, if there is too much spacing, the text lines may seem unrelated to each other.

Additionally, line spacing is also important for people with poorer vision. This is because they will find it harder to track text lines if they are too tight. 

Conclusion

There are two ways to add line spacing in InDesign: the “leading” feature and the keyboard shortcut. It is important to include line spacing within your text to make it more accessible and easy to read.