Using Tabs Properly in Illustrator
Many designers avoid the Tabs panel in Adobe Illustrator because it looks confusing, but it is the fastest way to align lists, tables of figures and price lists. This tip uses a top-ten list of countries by population to show how it works.
Step 1: Open the Tabs panel
Create a text box and paste your list. Select the text and go to Window > Type > Tabs. Click Clear All Tabs to start clean. If you resize the text box, click the magnet icon so the ruler snaps to the box again.
Step 2: Understand the four tab types
The panel offers left, centre, right and decimal justified tabs. Tab stops are placed on the strip above the ruler. For a three-column list you need three stops: before the number, between the number and the name, and between the name and the figure.
Step 3: Show hidden characters and clean up
Go to Type > Show Hidden Characters. Text copied from a website often carries stray tabs and spaces, and they will break the alignment. Delete them so each line is clean.
Step 4: Insert the tabs
Press Tab once before each number, once after it, and once after each name. Each press jumps the text to the next stop.
Step 5: Fix the alignment of numbers
Single and double digit numbers will not line up with a left tab. Select all the text, click the first tab stop and change it to a decimal justified tab so the numbers align on their right edge. Do the same for the population column with a decimal or right justified tab, and drag the stop outwards if you need more room. Always select all the text before moving a stop, or only one line changes.
Finish
Close the Tabs panel and turn off hidden characters. The list stays editable and every line follows the same stops.
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