Manual reference lines 

Reference lines are meant to simplify the design process of your coffee table book. With the help of the lines, elements can be placed and aligned towards each other very accurately. In the design view, reference lines reach across your coffee table book as dashed white lines but will of course not be printed.  

To use reference lines you need to activate the rulers in advance via “View“ -> “Show rulers”. 

You can then use any number of horizontal and vertical reference lines. Please click on the ruler on the left side if you wish to insert a vertical reference line. Then drag the mouse pointer onto the coffee table book while pressing the mouse key. You will see a dashed white line that you can now drag onto any point of your coffee table book. At the top end of the reference line you will also see a box that displays the exact position, i.e. the distance of the reference line from the left side. 

Now release the mouse key to place the reference line. 

You see a small hash symbol at the top end of the reference line. If you move over it with the mouse pointer, it will change the colors and you can click on it with the mouse and move it. This way you can re-position the reference line at any time. 

If you drag a picture box close to a reference line, it will be drawn “magnetically” and placed exactly along the reference line. You can do this for example with multiple photos beneath each other so that they are aligned accurately on this edge. 

Text boxes can be aligned on reference lines in the same way.  

Another major advantage of the reference lines is the fact that they are not only displayed for the double page you are currently working on but that they are visible on all double pages of the coffee table book. This way, designs can also be produced consistently in an entire book. Place your photos always in the same way or, for example, headlines always in the same place. The reference lines on the cover are not affected as they do not apply anywhere else. 

To delete a reference line, click onto the hash symbol at the end of the reference line with the mouse and then drag it back onto the ruler on the left or at the top. If you release it there, it will be removed. 

Magnetic reference lines  

When you move a picture or text box, so-called magnetic reference lines will be displayed automatically depending on the position. Similar to the manually placed reference lines, their purpose is to align the elements. However, they are not located at a defined position but displayed dynamically based on the elements already placed on the coffee table book page.  

If you have already placed a photo on a double page and add another one, you can drag it with the mouse, for example to align it with the already existing photo. If the edges of both photos are nearly aligned, a dashed line will appear, i.e. a prolongation of the image edge of the permanently placed photo. The photo that you are currently moving will be automatically aligned to it. The principle is applied to image edges as well as to the center of the photo. Hence, the photo that you are moving will also be aligned ”magnetically” if its horizontal or vertical center is located in approximate alignment with a photo that is already placed. In addition, a photo or text can be centered on a page with this function.  

The principle works the same way for two text boxes as well as for a text box and a picture box. This facilitates the alignment of elements on a double page.  

This function is activated by default. However, it may happen that you wish to work without the ”magnetic snap-in mode”. For example when elements are not meant to be aligned in an accurate way. In that case, you can deactivate this function very easily via ”Edit” -> “Snapping” by unticking the box. You can reactivate this function in the same way.