Many designers like to nudge items around a page by using the arrow keys on their keyboard. In QuarkXPress, each tap of the arrow key moves the selected item(s) by one point (1 pt).

But if you hold down the Shift key while pressing an arrow key, the item will move 10 times that distance, or 10 pt. The Item Tool preference lets you change that setting, or change it back to the default of 10 pt:

But what if you need to move the item LESS THAN 1 pt? Just hold down the Option or Alt key while pressing the arrow keys. With each tap, you’ll move your selected item(s) by 1/10 pt (0.1 pt)!

Jay Nelson

Jay Nelson is the editorial director of PlanetQuark.com, and the editor and publisher of Design Tools Monthly. He’s also the author of the QuarkXPress 8 and QuarkXPress 7 training titles at Lynda.com, as well as the training videos Quark includes in the box with QuarkXPress 7 . In addition, Jay writes regularly for Macworld and Photoshop User magazines and speaks at industry events.