Since I began my design career using QuarkXpress, I sometimes will think back to how some of the settings were. I remember having quite a few choices with frames & lines etc. Now that I use Indesign, I find they also have a lot of choices, but you also have to know how to look for them.
Recently I really wanted to create a dotted line, but I didn’t want to use the default “Dotted” and “Japanese Dots”. I wanted to space out the dots so that distance between was a .25″, so here’s how I did it.
First, decide if you want this to be a global addition to your workflow or if you just want this to be added to one file. Either way, you will create the actual dotted line the same way, the only difference is if it’s global, don’t have your file currently open when you are following these directions. Just simply have Indesign open.
Once you’ve decided how often this new dotted line would get applied, go to Window > Stroke. When this window is open, go to the drop down preferences (the 4 thin lines) and click on “Stroke Styles”.
From there, click on “New…”, then name your new style. I chose “.25” since I was going to put a distance of a quarter of an inch in between. It also makes it easier when you’re adding additional sizes. Select the dropdown under “Type” and choose “Dotted”. Set your “Pattern Length” to “.25”. Depending on how you want your corners, you can adjust your gaps or set to “None”. There is even a preview window to see what your sizing will look like.
Once you hit “Ok” and then “Ok” again, it will now be part of your stroke type menu choices.
