How to Add Answer Lines to Your Book
Line Rows are blank ruled lines your readers write on: answer lines in a workbook, fill-in lines in a journal or planner. Add them from the editor toolbar, set how many and how wide, and style them all at once.
How to add answer lines
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Click at the end of the paragraph the lines should follow.
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In the editor toolbar, open Containers and choose Line Rows. Or press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+RCtrl+Shift+R.
Three full-width lines appear, with their toolbar along the bottom.
To put lines beside a question, click in a table cell, a grid cell or a callout box first. A two-column table with the question on the left and the lines on the right makes a fill-in row.
How to change the number of lines and their width
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On the lines’ toolbar, click + or − in the line count (3 LINES to start), or type a number up to 500.
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Click the width (100 % to start) and choose how much of your text width the lines fill, from 10% to 100%.
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Narrower lines sit at the left. Click Align center or Align right to move them.
| On the lines’ toolbar | To |
|---|---|
| Preset | Choose these lines’ preset. |
| Edit line rows style (the pencil) | Open the Line Rows panel and style your lines. |
| The line count | Set 1 to 500 lines. |
| The width | Set how much of your text width the lines fill, 10% to 100%. |
| Align left, Align center, Align right | Place lines narrower than your text. |
| Keep lines together | Keep the lines on one page. |
| Copy line rows | Copy the lines with their settings, to paste anywhere in your book. |
| Remove line rows | Delete the lines. Ctrl/Cmd+Z⌘ Cmd+ZCtrl+Z brings them back. |
How to keep answer lines on one page
Lines split across two pages when they run out of room. To keep them whole, turn on Keep lines together on their toolbar: lines that don’t fit at the foot of a page move to the next one. It’s off for new lines, and you set it for each block of lines.
| Where | Lines kept together that don’t fit |
|---|---|
| Your print-ready PDF, Apple Books, NOOK | Move to the next page, whole. |
| Kindle, Kobo, Google Play Books | May split across two pages. |
The warning beside Keep lines together lists the same readers.
How to style your answer lines
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Click the pencil on the lines’ toolbar (Edit line rows style).
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Set the lines on the Lines tab and click Apply.
Every block of lines on the same preset changes with it. The editor always draws plain gray lines: your style shows in the print preview, the e-reader preview and your exported files. In the e-reader preview, point at the lines and click Edit to open the same panel.
| Lines tab | Sets |
|---|---|
| Row height | The room to write on each line, in em: 2 em is twice your text size. 2 em to start. |
| Thickness | How heavy each line is, 0.25 to 3 pt. 1 pt to start. |
| Line color | The lines’ color. Default follows your book’s Border color in print, and black when none is set. |
How to use presets for answer lines
Every block of lines uses the Default preset until you choose another, so styling one styles them all. To give some lines a look of their own, such as closer, finer lines for a journal, put them on another preset.
Make a preset for answer lines
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Open the Preset box on the lines’ toolbar and choose Create New Preset….
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Give it a name and click Create Group and Preset. The lines now use it.
A new preset starts from Lacuna’s standard lines (2 em rows, 1 pt thick, Default color), not from your Default. Click the pencil to style it. More on preset groups: Presets.
Choose a preset for answer lines
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Open the Preset box on the lines’ toolbar.
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Choose a preset. The lines take its look in print and in the previews.
How answer lines look in print and on e-readers
| Where | Your reader sees |
|---|---|
| Print-ready PDF | Ruled lines at your preset’s row height, thickness and color, ready to write on. |
| E-books | The same lines. Their rows grow with the reader’s text size. |
| DOCX | Real ruled lines in Word, at your row height and thickness, so someone can type on them. They always fill the text width. |
Readers can’t write on an e-reader. To keep answer lines out of your e-book, put them in a print-only device-specific block.
Questions
Can I make a printable workbook in Lacuna?
Yes. Import your Word document, add answer lines wherever your readers write, and generate a print-ready PDF for KDP, IngramSpark or any printer.
Why don’t my answer lines change in the editor?
The editor draws every block of lines the same plain way and shows only how many there are, their width and alignment. Your row height, thickness and color show in the previews and your exported files.
Can I open a book with answer lines in an older version of Lacuna?
No. Line rows need Lacuna 2.7.9 or newer. Lacuna 2.6.0 to 2.7.8 opens a section that has them blank, and saving it there loses that section’s text.