GuideGuide for InDesign

Apr 25, 2023 | Written byCameron McEfee

GuideGuide is available for InDesign. Go try it out!

Over the years since I first launched GuideGuide in 2010, many people (I mean, literally tens of them) have asked me to make a version for InDesign. Today, they finally get their way.

GuideGuide, if you’re not familiar, is a plugin that creates grids and manipulates guides in your favorite design tools. “But InDesign already has the Document Setup menu,“ you say to yourself. “Why do I care?” you ask yourself.

Horizontal. Guides.

I know, I can’t believe that’s what I’m going with as the main selling point, but inexpecliably, InDesign has never been able to do rows. Frankly, GuideGuide is way more powerful than this, but it’s the low hanging fruit as far as obvious-things-that-you-really-want goes with InDesign.

Once you’re done looking like a heart-eyes emoji at the thought of finally being able to align in the second dimension, there are some other great things to consider.

With a single click, GuideGuide can add guides to the edges and midpoints of whatever you have selected and can quickly clear guides as well. Frankly, everything works within the context of your selection. Need to add a three column grid to an image? Do it! Want to figure out padding around a logo? Do that too.

If you’re the sort of designer that feels like their tools hold them back, GuideGuide has a custom language built in for “writing” grids. You can use it to make things like columns (and ROWS!) with their own midpoints and margins, create grid elements based on aspect ratios, or — for you math perverts — align things using the golden ratio or the Fibonacci sequence.

Every feature works within the scope of your current context, whether that’s the active page or what you have selected. I even went to painstaking effort (and it was painful, I assure you) to make sure it works when spreads are rotated.

If you already know GuideGuide is going to make your life better, I hope you enjoy it. And if you still need some convincing, give it a try — I hope you find it helpful.

Download GuideGuide for InDesign

Feeling supportive? Leave your feedback on Product Hunt: