TypeTalk: Automatic Leaders to the Rescue

Ilene Strizver

TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above. If Ilene answers your question in the blog, you’ll receive one Official Creativepro.com T-Shirt!
Q. Is there an easy way to create the dot leaders used in tables of contents and other running lists?
A. If you’ve been tapping the period key to create leaders (the repeated dots or other characters between a tab and the following text), you’ll be thrilled to know that there’s an automatic way to create leaders in running lists.
Here’s how:
Adobe InDesign and Illustrator
InDesign calls them tab leaders.
1. Enter the text, using the tab (not the space bar) for the second column.
2. Go to Type / Tabs to open the Tabs palette.
3. Select the tab stop (most commonly the F/R tab) and position (or desired width) on the tab ruler, or entering a value manually in the X field.
4. Highlight the list.
5. Type up to eight characters (including spaces) in the Leader field. These can be periods, hyphens, dashes, and even decorative characters.
6. Hit Return or Enter.
Figure 1. Creating tab leaders in InDesign is as easy as one, two, three!

QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress refers to them as dot leaders.
1. Enter the text, using the tab (not the space bar) for the second column.
2. Select your text.
3. Go to Style / Tabs which opens Tabs in the Paragraph Attributes dialog box.
4. Click on your tab style (most commonly the F/R tab) and set your Position.
5. Click on the tab stop on the tab palette (or leaders won’t appear) and select up to two characters (including spaces) as your Fill Character.
6. Hit Apply and then OK.
Figure 2. Quark’s Tabs are found in the Paragraph Attributes palette.

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her site, call The Type Studio at 203-227-5929, or email Ilene at [email protected]. Sign up for her e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.

Recommended For You

InType: Know Your Small Caps

CreativePro Magazine Issue 19: Virtual Photography

CreativePro Magazine Issue 18: Photoshop Motion and Video

5 Great Script Fonts From Adobe Fonts
Ilene Strizver
Ilene Strizver is a noted typographic educator, author, designer and founder of The Type Studio in Westport, Connecticut. Her book, Type Rules! The designer’s guide to professional typography, is now in its 4th edition.
  • iblani says:
    October 22, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    I prefer to use one space before the dot – so that it appears more “open: Like:
    . . . . . . . . . .
    instead of:
    ………………
    THX – Love creativepro!!!!!!

    Reply
  • pixiesmith says:
    October 24, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    And if you’re not satisfied with the size of the dots (or whatever you decide to use) — you can set a character style for them and make them bigger or small — or a different style or color. Then used Nested Styles in your paragraph style — the possibilities are endless.

    Reply
  • Cristiano says:
    March 6, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    Thank you very much for sağlık portalı this useful article and the comments. I love this site as it contains good materials.

    Regards
    Cris – Atatürk resimleri

    Reply
  • Anonymous says:
    April 5, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Carte Noire, Jacques Vabre, Suchard and Milka are all well-known brands and together they form the backbone of Kraft Foods, n°2 in the world food industry. They can easily be found both on hypermarket film izle shelves and in automatic drink and confectionery vending machines where they meet the expectations filim izle of consumers wherever they may be and whatever the time of day.

    Reply
  • Anonymous says:
    April 13, 2009 at 11:20 pm

    Thank you very much for this useful article. I love this site as it contains good materials.

    Regards

    sohbet–film izle

    Reply
  • Anonymous says:
    April 26, 2009 at 12:00 am

    And tomorrow? Kraft Foods wants to continue to innovate and help its managers through its position as « solutions distributor ». « We think that the role of the managers is absolutely vital. Far from limiting itself to filling the machines, they are there to ensure that the sites, in particular companies, integrate automatic distribution into their HR and/or commercial policy since the environment, the offer, the design and use of the machine say a lot about the way the company treats its staff, clients and suppliers. An automatic vending machine, if its offer and environment have been well thought out, can take on a social role, that of film izle reflecting the corporate culture or even serve as a support to internal and external communications », says Florence Cohen-Tanugi.

    Reply
  • Anonymous says:
    July 25, 2009 at 4:45 pm

    Thank you very much for this useful article. I love this site as it contains good materials. saç bakımı

    Reply
    • >