Scaling vs. resizing objects

Resizing and scaling are different actions in InDesign. Resizing is simply changing the Width and Height values of an object. Scaling involves using a percentage value related to the original scale (100%) of the frame.

The difference between resizing and scaling isn’t always apparent. A good way to see the difference is to resize and scale a text frame that has a stroke applied to it. When you double the size of the text frame, the text size and stroke weight remain the same. When you double the scale of the text frame, the text size and stroke weight also double.

Resizing a frame

By default, when the frame (and not the frame contents) is selected, changing the values of the Width and Height fields changes only the frame, not its contents, regardless of which selection tool is active.

Scaling a frame and its contents

When the frame is selected with the Selection tool, changing the values of the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y Percentage fields changes the frame and its contents.

Resizing or scaling frame contents

If you want to change only the content (resize or scale) of a frame, use the Direct Selection tool to select the frame content first. Once selected, you can use the Width and Height fields or the Scale fields, depending on your preference.

Overriding defaults

If you want to scale the frame or its contents by a percentage and have the results returned in the current measurement system, you can enter in a number with the percent sign to override the default measurement system. For example, if the current width is 12p, and you want the new width to be 75% of the current value, you can enter 75% in the Width field. After you press Enter, the new value for the Width displays as 9p.

Similarly, you can use other measurement system values if you want to scale to a specific increment but have the results display in percent of the original. For example, you can replace 100% with 9p, and InDesign figures out which percentage is required to make it that width/height.