15th June 2000
Just as your remote control should be sitting parallel with the edge of your coffee table, images and text should be aligned perfectly in your documents. When objects and fields are just a few pixels off, they look sloppy and the results appear unrefined and unprofessional. Before you put your finger up to the screen, try turning on the 'Snap to Grid' option -- if your favorite program makes use of it. It's a feature that's often overlooked, but if you're not a perfectionist, you'd be wise to make use of it. That's what it's there for; to make your data look a lot better in the end. Whether you're in a graphics layout utility or word processor, when multiple objects need to be in the same respective spot, there's no easier way to get them there than by snapping them to a hidden grid. If a program doesn't contain such functionality, it should give you pixel locations which you can in turn use to perfect placement.