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How to Flow Text into Columns

Columns pour one continuous flow of text into 2 or 3 newspaper-style columns: the text fills the first column, then continues into the next. That makes them perfect for long lists, glossaries, indexes, and dense reference material in print. For separate side-by-side cells that each hold their own content, use grids instead.

How to Create Columns

  1. Click the containers icon in your editor toolbar
  2. Hover over Columns and pick 2 or 3 columns
  3. Click inside and add your content

Working with Columns

Unlike a grid, you don’t place content into individual columns. Type or paste one passage and Lacuna flows it through the columns automatically.

  • Change the count. Use the 2 / 3 buttons in the bottom toolbar.
  • Copy the whole block with the Copy columns button.
  • Remove columns keeps your content: the text unwraps back into normal paragraphs.

Columns Are a Print-First Feature

The amber chip on the block reads “Renders as 2 columns in print” (or 3) for a reason: your print-ready PDF and capable readers show the columns, but most e-readers do not support multi-column text. Kindle and other e-readers simply read the passage as ordinary single-column prose, in order, so nothing is lost. Design with print in mind and preview on different devices to see both renderings.

Customizing Your Columns

Click the pencil icon in the bottom toolbar to open the style panel. It has four tabs: Text, Colors, Border, and Spacing.

Text

  • Font. The font for text inside the columns. It starts on Inherit from Body so your columns match the rest of your book.
  • Size. The size of that text.
  • Line Spacing. The space between lines.

Under Rules:

  • Justify Text. Project Setting follows your book-wide justification, or force it On or Off for this block. Justified text usually looks best in narrow columns.
  • Even Column Heights. (Print only.) When on, text spreads across the columns so they end at about the same height. When off, each column fills to the bottom of the page before the next column starts.

Colors

  • Background. A fill color behind the whole block (leave on Transparent for none).
  • Text Color. The color of the text (leave on Inherit from Body to match your body text).

Border

  • Thickness. The outer border width on each side.
  • Line Style. Solid, Dashed, or Dotted. Shared by the outer border and the rule between columns, so the two always match.
  • Radius. How rounded the corners are.
  • Between Columns. The Thickness of the vertical rule drawn between the columns. Set it to 0 for no rule.

Spacing

  • Around Columns. The space on all four sides, outside the block.
  • Inside Columns. The padding inside the block.
  • Between Columns. The Gap between columns. Print and capable readers honor it; single-column readers ignore it.

Under Rules:

  • Trim Top Spacing on Page Start. (Print only.) When the block lands at the top of a new page, removes the space above it so it sits flush with the top margin.
  • Keep Lines Together. When on, the whole passage stays on one page and moves to the next page if it doesn’t fit, which can leave a large gap. When off, a long passage continues onto the next page.

Using Presets

Save and reuse column styles with presets, so every columned passage in your book looks consistent.