Setting up Your Document > Using the grid and guides > Using guides

 

Using guides

Guides are nonprinting blue lines that help you align and position objects. You can change the color of guides; see Using the grid and guides. You can set guides where you want them using the page rulers or the Edit Guides command. You can add, modify, and delete guides as needed. You can also lock guides in place.

By default, the Document window does not scroll when you drag a guide. However, you can set preferences to make this happen. (For more information on setting preferences, see Using preferences.) You can also change how close objects can be to a guide before snapping to it, using the Snap Distance preference; for more information, see Selecting objects.

You can convert paths to guide objects and lock guides using the Layers panel; for more information, see Using layers.

To show or hide guides:

Choose View > Guides > Show.

This command toggles between showing and hiding the guides. A check mark indicates that the guides are visible.

To add a guide by dragging:

1

If the page rulers aren't visible, choose View > Page Rulers > Show to display them.

2

Drag from the top ruler onto the page to set horizontal guides; drag from the left ruler onto the page to set vertical guides.

Note: The pointer has to be over the page when the mouse button is released for the guide to remain on the page after being pulled from the ruler.

To add guides precisely:

1

Do one of the following:

Choose View > Guides > Edit.

Double-click an existing guide.

2

Click Add.

3

Select Horizontal or Vertical.

4

Choose an Add By option to add guides:

Select Count and enter a value to add a precise number of guides.

Select Increment and enter a value to add guides at set intervals.

5

Enter the first and last position of the guides.

6

Set the page range.

7

Click Add.

8

Repeat steps 3 through 7 to set additional horizontal or vertical guides.

9

Click OK.

To make objects snap to guides or to release snapping:

Choose View > Guides > Snap to Guides.

This command toggles between snapping and not snapping. A check mark by the menu item indicates that snapping behavior is active. Snap to Guides is active by default.

The Pointer tool displays a horizontal or vertical triangle when objects snap to the corresponding guide.

To lock or unlock guides:

Choose View > Guides > Lock.

This command toggles between locking and unlocking the guides. A check mark by the menu item indicates that the guides are locked. The guides are unlocked by default.

To edit, release, or delete guides:

1

Do one of the following:

Choose View > Guides > Edit.

Double-click an existing guide.

2

Select the guide you want to modify.

To modify more than one guide at a time, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh). Shift-click to select contiguous guides.

3

Do one of the following:

To edit a guide's position, click Edit. In the Guide Position dialog box, enter a new location for the guide and click OK.

To release the guide or guides, click Release.

To delete the guide or guides, click Remove (Windows) or Delete (Macintosh).

4

Click OK.

To set whether the view scrolls when a guide is dragged:

1

Choose Edit > Preferences. Click General.

2

Do one of the following:

Select Dragging a Guide Scrolls the Window to make the view scroll when a vertical or horizontal guide is dragged beyond the edges of the Document window.

Deselect the option to keep the view from scrolling when a guide is dragged.

3

Click OK.