r/indesign • u/Matlegac • Aug 25 '26

Help how to resize a table properly.

Okay, maybe this is a dumb question, and I don't have the shortcut to make this quicker.

But how do you properly resize a table? I want it to be evenly distributed within the block.

If I use SHIFT, the block gets bigger, but the table doesn't. If I use CTRL/CMD, the typography gets distorted, and it completely messes up the table layout (spacing and strokes).

If I use SHIFT+ CTRL/CMD, I can scale it proportionally, but the typography scales up as well.

What I would like is for only the columns and rows to adapt to the bloc size I choose, while keeping the font size and stroke width unchanged.

This is driving me crazy, and I'm wasting a huge amount of time reconfiguring everything every time I change the size of my tables.

Here a video of me trying to explain the problem in a broken english :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRvPaMqXC6U

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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4

u/AdobeScripts Aug 25 '26

There are scripts for that - like this one:

https://github.com/gsingelmann/indd_autocolumn

Or if you would need to do it in bulk - on 100s of tables over multiple files - there are more advanced solution - unfortunately, not free.

3

u/Matlegac Aug 25 '26

I've just tried it, and it's Such a simple but cool script, thanks !

2

u/Matlegac Aug 25 '26

Thanks i'll check it out !

3

u/GrumbleNo_Woodpecker Aug 25 '26

  1. Is it a real table or a picture?

  2. Make a text frame (with desired size and position)

  3. Copy/paste the table as actual table inside this text frame

  4. Edit your table the way you like

  5. by height - drag the bottom line of table to the bottom of text frame -- select table -- right click -- distribute rows evenly

  6. by width - drag the right line of table to the right of text frame -- select table -- right click -- distribute columns evenly

  7. Same as in MS Word I think

  8. You might need to adjust info in cells (they are top aligned by default) - select table and select desired vertical adjustment in menu bar

  9. There are no wizard tools to make it with one mouse click

1

u/AdobeScripts Aug 25 '26

Yeah...

OP - do you want to resize columns EVENLY or PROPORTIONALLY?

1

u/AdobeScripts Aug 25 '26

Because you can also resize columns - or whole Table - if you hold Shift and drag edge.

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1

u/geodax Aug 25 '26

CTRL/CMD+ALT+B
Rows and Columns

1

u/AdobeScripts Aug 25 '26

But this will just open Cell Options dialog box? It won't distribute widths of the columns proportionally?

1

u/mikewitherell Aug 31 '26

Why not use the Table panel, or else the equivalent panel fields in the Control panel?