Add margins to text and adjust the first baseline

Last updated on Sep 11, 2025

Learn how to add margins between text and its bounding box and adjust the position of the first line of text.

Select an area-type object using the Selection tool.

Select Type > Area Type Options.

In the Area Type Options dialog box, enter a value in the Inset Spacing field to define the margin between the text and the bounding box.

In the Offset section, select an option from the First Baseline dropdown:

  • Ascent: Aligns the top of lowercase letters to the top of the object.
  • Cap Height: Aligns uppercase letters to the top.
  • Leading: Uses the text's leading value as the offset.
  • x Height: Aligns the top of lowercase x to the top.
  • Em Box Height: Uses the font's em box height.
  • Fixed: Lets you specify a custom offset value.
  • Legacy: Uses Illustrator 10 or earlier alignment defaults.

Select Fixed and enter a value in the Min field to specify the exact distance from the top of the object.

Select OK to apply the changes.