Using the rulers and dot grid

The PagePlus rulers mimic the paste-up artist’s T-square, and serve several purposes:

  • To act as a measuring tool.

  • To create ruler guides for aligning and snapping.

  • To set and display tab stops.

  • To set and display paragraph indents.

Ruler units

To select the basic measurement unit used by the rulers:

  • Right-click the PagePlus rulertab left Using the rulers and dot grid Ruler Intersection and set the measurement unit from the flyout.
    – or -
    Choose     Options… from the Tools menu and select the Layout>Rulers page.

In Paper Publishing mode, the default unit is inches (US) or centimeters (international); in Web Publishing mode, only pixels can be used.

The actual interval size of the ruler marks depends on the current zoom percentage. In zoomed-out view, for example at 50%, there’s more distance between ruler marks than when zoomed-in to 150%. To handle work where you want finer control or smaller snapping increments, click a zoom button to magnify the page.

When working with text and lines in large publications (e.g., posters) it may be beneficial to work in ruler units (cm, in, etc.) rather than the default point size. Using a physical measurement unit such as inches aids the visualization of text title sizes and object borders.

To use ruler units for text and line drawing:

  • Right-click the PagePlus rulertab left Using the rulers and dot grid Ruler Intersection and uncheck either Keep Text Size in Points or Keep Line Widths in Points (or both).
    – or -
    Select equivalent options from Tools>Options>Layout>Rulers.

Adjusting rulers

By default, the horizontal ruler lies along the top of the PagePlus window and the vertical ruler along the left edge. The default ruler intersection is the top-left corner of the pasteboard area. The default zero point (marked as 0 on each ruler) is the top-left corner of the page area. (Even if you have set up bleed area guides and the screen shows an oversize page, the zero point stays in the same place, i.e. the top-left corner of the trimmed page.)

PagePlus rulers1 annotate Using the rulers and dot grid 

(A) Ruler intersection; (B) drag tab marker to set new zero point.

To define a new zero point:

  • Drag the tab marker on the ruler intersection to a new zero point on the page or pasteboard. (Be sure to click only the triangular marker!)

To move the rulers:

  • With the Shift key down, drag the tab marker on the ruler intersection. The zero point remains unchanged.

  • Double-click on the ruler intersection to make the rulers and zero point jump to the top left-hand corner of the currently selected object. This comes in handy for measuring page objects.

To restore the original ruler position and zero point:

  • Double-click the tab marker on the ruler intersection.

To lock the rulers and prevent them from being moved:

  • Choose Tools>Options… and select the Layout>Rulers page, then check Lock Rulers.

Rulers as a measuring tool

The most obvious role for rulers is as a measuring tool. As you move the mouse pointer along the ruler, small lines along each ruler display the current horizontal and vertical cursor position. When you click to select an object, shaded ruler regions indicate the object’s left/right and top/bottom edges on the horizontal and vertical rulers, respectively. Each region has a zero point relative to the object’s upper left corner, so you can see the object’s dimensions at a glance.

PagePlus rulers2 Using the rulers and dot grid 

Using the dot grid

The dot grid is a matrix of dots based on ruler units, covering the page and pasteboard areas. Like ruler guides, it’s handy for both visual alignment and snapping.

PagePlus grid Using the rulers and dot grid

  • To turn the dot grid on or off, click Dot Grid on the View menu.
    – or -
    Choose     Options… from the Tools menu and select the Snapping menu option. Check or uncheck Dot Grid.

You can also set the grid spacing, style, color, and positioning in the dialog.

To change the grid spacing, style, and/or color:

  1. Choose Options… from the Tools menu and select Layout>Snapping (ensure Dot Grid is checked).

  2. To set the grid dot interval, enter a value in the Grid dots every input box.

  3. To display the grid using solid lines or crosses instead, select an option from the Grid style drop-down menu.

  4. To change the color of the grid, click the Color drop-down menu and then select a color thumbnail.

  5. To send the grid to the back (for clearer object editing), check the Dot grid to back option.

Using the rulers and dot grid