Layout Grid Calculator

Layout Grid Calculator

Margins, columns, rows and baseline grid that line up exactly, with values ready to type into Affinity.

Margins Columns and rows Baseline grid Bleed

This grid on common formats

The same grid system scaled to each format, with typical body sizes for that format. Pick one to switch.

Prepare as IDML

An IDML file with this page size, bleed, margins, columns, row guides, baseline grid and paragraph styles already set up. Open it in Affinity (File › Open) or InDesign.

How to enter this in Affinity
  1. New document. Go to File › New. Set the unit to the one shown here, then enter Width and Height. Tick Facing pages if the card says Yes. In the Margins section, enter Top, Bottom, Inside and Outside (Left/Right for single pages). In the Bleed section, enter the bleed on all four sides. For a document you already have, use File › Document Setup….
  2. Columns and rows. Open the guides settings (View › Guides…, the Guides Manager). In Column guides, enter Columns, Column gutter, Rows and Row gutter. Make sure the guides use the margins, so they fill the text area and not the whole page. The option is labelled differently between versions, for example “Use margins” or “Include margins”.
  3. Baseline grid. Open View › Baseline Grid Manager…, switch the baseline grid on, set Spacing to the leading and the Start position to the value shown. The first line of text then sits exactly one line below the top margin.
  4. Text frames. Draw text frames so they snap to the column guides. In the Paragraph panel, set the leading to the same value as the baseline spacing and switch on Align to baseline grid.
  5. Shortcut: Skip steps 1–3 with Download IDML above, then open the file in Affinity with File › Open. Rows come in as ruler guides, because IDML has no row setting.
  6. Tip: Affinity accepts units in any number field. You can type 13pt into a field set to mm and it converts it for you. The copy buttons include the unit for that reason.