Align Strokes?

InDesign lets you determine where the stroke is aligned on a box or shape. This may sound odd, but if you also use Photoshop and Illustrator, you’ll know that you can decide where the stroke sits on an object. You’ll find the Align Stroke options in the middle of the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke). By default, the stroke is centered on the path—for example, a 2-point stroke will have 1 point outside the box and 1 point inside the box. With thicker strokes, the placement can really matter. In the image above, there are three boxes that are the exact same size; the only difference is the alignment of the strokes. Because the strokes are set centered, inside, and outside, respectively, it gives the appearance of different-sized squares. It’s helpful to use these settings when you’re trying to get some precisely measured shapes. I pretty much use the Align Stroke to Inside option all the time to maintain the original size of my shapes, but that’s just a personal preference.