Text Wrap in multiple columns

[lilgee34]

I am trying to wrap text in a publictation with mulitple columns of text and for some reason I can't get the lines of text to line up. I get a big space on the line on the left hand side... please help. this is very frustrating.

 

[apepp]

...please describe your current text wrap settings and number of columns you are using, also what shape are you trying to wrap the text around?

Andrew

 

[lilgee34]

I am using indesign 2.02. I have a square box and I am wrapping it around 3 columns of text. and just with the settings that goes aroundf all sides... does that make sense

 

[apepp]

...a difficult one to problem solve as I can't see the document in question, are there any other wrap around objects on the page? This may be throwing it about...

...I'm assuming your wrap settings are set to 0mm and the box is covering column two (the middle), if you move the box to the right slightly does the same thing happen?

...if you reduce the box to the width of column two does the same thing happen?

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...also check you haven't got a few stray line returns somewhere in that left column...

...also check the paragraph justification settings, these may need adjusting to balance the words better...

Andrew

 

[pbrodsky]

Or are you talking about balancing the relative length of the columns. If that's what you are having problems with, check the "keep" options in your paragraph formatting.

 

[ChrisPT]

Was this problem solved? I'm not finding a definte answer. InDesign actually changes the leading of a text block it interrupts. I have a shape covering one column, and half of a second column. Even though I've set the text leading to an absolute value, it changes in the second column when the text wrapped shape interrupts it.

 

[jmgalvin]

Check your preferences/composition and see what you have checked in text wrap.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[Ekwoman]

If you are aligning to the baseline grid and have "skip by leading" chosen in your composition preferences (Preferences > Composition pane), you can get unexpected results. Also, if you have "space after" or "space before" in your paragraph styling, that can cause uneven lines when working with text wrap. Actually, it can happen anytime, it's just that with a text wrapped object it becomes very noticeable. Hope that helps some...post pix somewhere if you get the chance.

 

[ChrisPT]

Two options I've hit upon including Baseline settings are posted at

http://ptleader.com/ftp/InDesignWrap/Page1.jpg

and

http://ptleader.com/ftp/InDesignWrap/Page2.jpg

In Preferences -> Composition I've tried checking and unchecking the text wrap boxes under a number of conditions, and haven't had any noticeable changes.

I've also played with leading - absolute, auto, space before/after - and haven't gotten closer.

I appreciate the help, guys! Thanks loads.

- Chris

 

[apepp]

...have you tried utilizing the baseline grid for these columns of text?

...baseline is the button bottom right of the paragraph pallette, the baseline settings are in the grid preferences and also the text frame options, choose relative to top of page...

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...use the custom option in text frame options and adjust the increment levels to suit, balance this with the text wrap values on the bounding box...

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...just to add, in reference to your examples posted, it is better practice to have text filling columns and pictures or frames covering columns rather than splitting and breaking paragraphs into two or three word lines...

Andrew

 

[ChrisPT]

In other words, this is an InDesign bug. I'll start hounding Adobe to fix it. Arbitrarily altering leading column to column - in any circumstances - is not an acceptable "feature" for anyone in the publishing business.

Thanks.

- Chris

 

[apepp]

...i think you may find adobe a bit miffed as you are with this one, they will likely say that a baseline grid needs to be implemented as any other magazine publisher utilizes in the production of column based layouts. Typesetting, even with digital assistance, does require a certain level of skill and know how...

...the flexibility of indesigns typesetting functions are in truth very unrestricted, if typesetting appears to be unpredictable, capricious then the setup will always need adjusting to suit the desired layout. These adjustments are available in both the grid preferences and also text frame custom baseline options, very much a flexible solution to create consistency and readability. I'm yet to work with a publisher that doesn't use baseline grids...

...if you turn on the custom baseline grid and set the first baseline offset to leading you will have a much better finish than without...

...it's a balance between the size of your wrapped object, the increment spacing, the length of words in that area and the wrapping offset...

Andrew

 

[ChrisPT]

As I indicated before, I appreciate all the suggestions. What I'd prefer, however, is if somebody could recreate the situation and solve it first-hand. I've tried every combination of alignment and grid configuration I can think of. I've checked other online forums, and this seems to be a common InDesign issue among many types of users. The only "solutions" I'm seeing are scripts or cheats, both of which may provide awkward and/or unsatisfactory solutions. I'd be happy to email to anyone the file I'm working with if they think they have a sure-fire fix.

- Chris

 

[ChrisPT]

Ah-HA! As expected, the solution appeared as soon as I was giving up.

One of the quirks of InDesign is that it expects you to implement settings in a particular order. For example, if you call up your text box settings (Cmd-B) and set the Vertical Justification to "Align: Bottom" first, THEN assign text wrap to your graphic element, the whole grid/alignment works differently. (You can't set text box justification once you've introduced a text wrap object into it.)

It's still a matter of software deciding what looks good and what doesn't, but at leat it's a solution.

Now to find a solution to the disappearing drop shadows ...

- Chris

 

[apepp]

You can set text box justification after you've introduced a text wrap object into it by turning 'ignore text wrap' on then changing the vertical alignment, then turn it off again...

Andrew