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5 Tips for Better Tables

Use these 5 quick tips to improve the appearance and usability of your InDesign tables.

1. Break out of Data Prison

Use the proxy preview to determine which strokes are being affected. Right-click the preview proxy.

2. Emphasize the Reading Direction

3. Keep it Simple

• Abbreviate details where possible.

More after the jump! Continue reading below
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• Use a condensed font to keep the data compact and easy to scan.

• Turn off hyphenation.

• Select Ignore Optical Margin Alignment

4. Use Tabular Lining Numbers

To ensure that figures align within cells, if you’re using a typeface with different numbering styles, be sure to use Tabular numbers. Also, consider using a Figure Space to fine-tune alignment.

5. Be Flexible About Alignment

Nigel French is a graphic designer, photographer, author, and teacher living in Lewes, UK. He is the author of InDesign Type, and a LinkedIn Learning Instructor with many courses on design and typography.
  • JB says:

    You can RIGHT-CLICK IN THE PROXY?!?!?! Why isn’t this announced from the roof-tops?! I hate the little proxy but this will make it somewhat easier to use. Thanks Nigel!

  • Sarah Dukes says:

    Can you explain a little more about ‘figure space’? For instance, how is it used in your example? When would you use it specifically? Thanks!

    • Nigel French says:

      A figure space is the same width as a numeral when you are using lining numerals. It can be used to align numbers in columns when the numbers are centered within the column.

      • Sarah Dukes says:

        So do you use it when you’re trying to center align a single digit and double digit number, say 1 and 10? Wouldn’t it being centered take care of alignment? I know I’m missing something obvious here…

      • Nigel French says:

        You can use a figure space when the numbers are centered within the column but right-aligned relative to each other. If that makes sense. For example in row 1 you have two digit number and in row 2 a 1 digit number. Put a figure space in front of the one digit number to make it align with the two digit number above. Admittedly there are other, possibly easier, ways to do this.

  • Tobias Trofast says:

    Great tips for any table- creator, regardless of software. Thanks Nigel!!

  • mikael says:

    just finished a project using excel as container and inserting into tables.. it´s very comfortable setting up one table row, formatting it in the way you like, select the cells of the row (matching to what u want to paste of course) copying the data from excel and just pasting… extra rows will be created and the formatting inherited from row 1.

    i rework the data in excel in order to optimise it to be pasted into the dokument, that part can be the biggest hustle from time to time.

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