Let your text breathe beyond the box.
Have you ever noticed how perfectly aligned columns of text in magazines or books seem to hang just right, even around quotation marks or punctuation? That’s likely thanks to a subtle but powerful feature in Adobe InDesign called Optical Margin Alignment.
This feature improves the visual edge of your text blocks by pushing punctuation and small characters slightly into the margin—making the left and right edges appear cleaner and more balanced.
Here’s how to use Optical Margin Alignment like a pro.
🧠 What Is Optical Margin Alignment?
By default, InDesign aligns all characters to the exact edge of a text frame. But this can cause:
- Hanging quotation marks
- Indented bullets or hyphens
- Visual “raggedness” on aligned text blocks
Optical Margin Alignment (OMA) adjusts the positioning of punctuation marks so they “hang” slightly outside the text frame—creating a visually straight edge.
📂 Where to Find It
To enable Optical Margin Alignment:
- Select your text frame
- Go to the top menu: Type > Story
- Check the box for Optical Margin Alignment
That’s it! You’ll see immediate changes—especially around:
- Quotation marks
- Hyphens
- Periods and commas
- Bullets and numbers
🔧 Customize the Alignment
When you open the Story panel, you’ll also see a dropdown for Point Size. This determines how strongly the adjustment is applied based on the assumed size of your text.
Tips:
- Match the point size to your body text (e.g., 11 or 12 pt)
- Use smaller values for subtle correction on large headings
🎯 When to Use Optical Margin Alignment
✅ Recommended for:
- Body text in columns
- Pull quotes
- Blockquotes
- Justified text
🚫 Skip for:
- Centered or ragged right text
- Text in narrow sidebars or captions
- Headlines with tight kerning
It’s ideal for print and editorial work where text alignment needs polish without visible guides or adjustments.
🖼️ Visual Example
Without OMA:
Text edges may look choppy due to quotation marks and bullets.
With OMA:
The eye perceives a smoother left or right edge, even though some characters technically hang outside the box.
This is especially helpful in high-end editorial layouts, where detail matters.
💡 Pro Tips
- Combine OMA with Justified text for the best results
- Apply to individual frames (not globally) for control
- Use Paragraph Styles to automate alignment behavior across documents
- Don’t overuse—evaluate visually on a case-by-case basis
📘 Final Thought
Optical Margin Alignment is one of Adobe InDesign’s quiet heroes. It doesn’t call attention to itself, but it makes your typography look cleaner, more professional, and better balanced. Once you start using it, your text blocks will never look the same again.
It’s a subtle detail—but great design lives in the details.
