Getting more from text frame options in Layout

Text frame options are the settings that belong to the frame rather than the words. They decide how text is laid out inside the box: in how many columns, how far from the edges, where it sits vertically and where the first line starts. In Layout by Zaweba these settings let one frame do jobs that would otherwise need several.

Columns inside a frame

A text frame can have its own columns, fixed or flexible. Fixed columns keep their width; flexible ones adjust to the frame. Balance columns evens out the text across them, so the last column isn't a short stub. That's especially useful at the end of a magazine article, where unbalanced columns look unfinished.

Having columns inside one frame means the text flows between them automatically, without threading separate frames.

Insets, vertical justification and first baseline

Insets set the space between the frame edge and the text, per side. A frame with a coloured fill needs insets, otherwise the text runs right up to the edge of the colour. Per side settings let you give more room at the top and bottom than at the sides, or the other way round.

Vertical justification places the text at the top, centre or bottom of the frame, or justifies it to fill the height. Centre suits a title on a cover or a quote in a box. Bottom suits a caption that should sit on the base of a frame.

First baseline offset decides where the first line of text sits relative to the top of the frame. Getting it consistent across frames is part of making text in different boxes line up.

Auto-size and ignore wrap

Auto-size makes the frame grow or shrink in height or width to fit its text. It's ideal for captions, labels and sidebars, where the box should fit the words exactly and change when they change.

Ignore wrap tells the frame not to respond to text wrap from other objects. Use it for a caption laid over a picture that has wrap set, so the caption isn't pushed out of the way.

A frame's own baseline grid

A text frame can have its own baseline grid with a start, increment and colour, measured from the page top, top margin, frame top or top inset. That suits a sidebar or a boxout set in a smaller size than the main text, which needs its own rhythm. The main text stays on the document grid, and the sidebar lines up on its own.

Frame option slips

Forgetting insets on filled frames is the common one; text jammed against a coloured edge looks like a mistake.

Mixing auto-size with a fixed design height can surprise you when a long caption pushes a frame into something else. Check auto-sized frames after editing text.

Vertical justification set to justify can open up gaps between paragraphs in a short frame. Use it with care.

And it's better to put these settings in object styles if you repeat them. A sidebar style that sets insets, columns and the frame baseline grid makes every sidebar consistent.

Text frame options are easy to overlook because the defaults are fine for simple work. In Layout by Zaweba they're what turns a plain text box into a sidebar, a pull quote panel or a balanced multi column story.