PDF (adobe.com)

Set layout guides



Guides are lines that you drag onto the document from the rulers. They help you place and align objects more precisely. You can also use guides to measure the size of page elements, or emulate the folds (visible areas) of web browsers.

To help you align elements, you can snap elements to guides, and snap guides to elements. (Elements must be absolutely positioned in order for the snap feature to work.) You can also lock guides to prevent them from being accidentally moved by another user.

Create a horizontal or vertical guide

  1. Drag from the corresponding ruler.
  2. Position the guide in the Document window and release the mouse button (reposition the guide by dragging it again).
    Note: By default, guides are recorded as absolute pixel measurements from the top or left side of the document, and are shown relative to the origin of the ruler. To record the guide as a percentage, press the Shift key while you create or move the guide.

Show or hide guides

 Select View > Guides > Show Guides.

Snap elements to guides

  • To snap elements to guides, select View > Guides > Snap to Guides.
  • To snap guides to elements, select View > Guides > Guides Snap to Elements.
    Note: When you resize elements, such as absolutely-positioned elements (AP elements), tables, and images, the resized elements snap to guides.

Lock or unlock all guides

 Select View > Guides > Lock Guides.

View and move a guide to a specific position

  1. Hold the mouse pointer over the guide to view its position.
  2. Double-click the guide.
  3. Enter the new position in the Move Guide dialog box and click OK.

View the distance between guides

 Press Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) and hold the mouse pointer anywhere between the two guides.
Note: The unit of measure is the same as the unit of measure used for the rulers.

Emulate the fold (visible area) of a web browser

 Select View > Guides, and then select a preset browser size from the menu.

Remove a guide

 Drag the guide off the document.

Change guide settings

 Select View > Guides > Edit Guides, set the following options, and click OK.
Guide color
Specifies the color of the guide lines. Click the color swatch and select a color from the color picker, or type a hexadecimal number in the text box.

Distance Color
Specifies the color of the lines that appear as distance indicators when you hold the mouse pointer between guides. Click the color swatch and select a color from the color picker, or type a hexadecimal number in the text box.

Show Guides
Makes guides visible in Design view.

Snap to Guides
Makes page elements snap to guides as you move elements around the page.

Lock Guides
Locks guides in place.

Guides Snap to Elements
Snaps guides to elements on the page as you drag guides.

Clear All
Clears all guides from the page.