Want your pages to look polished and pixel-perfect? The Deck Builder has built-in tools that align and space your modules for you, so you never have to nudge things into place by eye. This article covers the alignment toolbar, Tidy Up and Distribute, the red smart guides, and a few pro layout tricks.
Before You Start: Page Padding
Every page has a default padding of 40px on the top, bottom, left and right.
The padding area shows in a light red shade while you edit, so you can see when something is sitting in the margin.
The alignment tools respect this padding unless you choose otherwise (see below).
Align a Single Module
Click the module you want to move.
In the top right toolbar, open Align.
Choose what to align it to:
Page: aligns to the edge of the padding (recommended)
Page without padding: aligns to the very edge of the page
Pick an alignment:
Horizontal: Left, Center, Right
Vertical: Top, Middle, Bottom
Align Multiple Modules
Hold Shift and click each module you want to select, or click and drag across the page to select every module in that area.
Open Align and choose Relative to selection.
Pick any of the same six alignment options. Modules line up to the outer edge of your selection instead of the page.
Example: Align Left moves every selected module to the leftmost edge of the group.
Tip: Press Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Cmd + Z (Mac) to undo any alignment.
Tidy Up and Distribute
When you have multiple modules selected with Relative to selection, you get three more options:
Tidy Up: cleans up the whole layout in one click.
Best for grids with several rows and columns, or modules of different sizes.
Distribute horizontally: makes the gaps between modules equal from left to right.
Best for photos or icons in a row.
Distribute vertically: makes the gaps between modules equal from top to bottom.
Best for bullet points with icons or stacked photos.
These work on groups of groups too, so you can tidy up icons, photos or any other modules.
Use the Smart Guides
Red indicator lines and numbers appear as you drag modules around the page:
Red lines show when a module lines up with another module or with the page.
Center lines appear when a module is exactly centered on the page, horizontally or vertically.
Red numbers show matching distances. For example, if two gaps both read 9px, your spacing is even.
Rulers on the top and side of the page mark the halfway, one-third and one-quarter points.
Pro Layout Tips
Start with Quick Layouts
Building a page from scratch? Quick Layouts already respect the page padding and space everything evenly, so they're the fastest way to a clean page. See Managing Brochures: Creating a Custom Page for more.
Spacer rectangle trick for exact gaps
Use this when part of the page is taken up, like a colored strip down one side, and you want even spacing in the space that's left.
Press R to create a rectangle.
Set its width to match your padding (for example, 40px).
Place it between two modules to create an exact 40px gap.
Copy and paste it (Ctrl/Cmd + C, Ctrl/Cmd + V) to repeat the same gap between as many modules as you need.
Faster method for a row of modules
Place the far left and far right modules at the padding (for example, 40px from each edge).
Select all the modules in the row.
Click Distribute horizontally. The gaps in between become equal.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Select multiple modules: Shift + click
Select all modules in an area: Click and drag across the page
Undo: Ctrl/Cmd + Z
Create a rectangle: R
Copy / paste: Ctrl/Cmd + C, Ctrl/Cmd + V
Tip: Clicking and dragging works just like selecting multiple files on your desktop. Drag a box across the page, and every module it touches gets selected. It's the fastest way to grab a whole row or grid before using Align, Tidy Up or Distribute.
Questions about designing in the Deck Builder? Reach out to [email protected].