Chart typeTransparent fills

Area chart

Volume and its change over time.

An area chart is a line chart with the space below each line filled, which stresses volume. Fills are transparent so overlapping series stay visible.

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Area chart, DataInk for Adobe InDesign
Drawn as native InDesign objects: paths, rectangles and live text in your styles.

Plugin options

Options for this chart

  1. 1

    Fill opacity

    How transparent the filled areas are, so series behind stay readable.

  2. 2

    Line width and markers

    The outline of each area and optional markers on its points.

  3. 3

    Smooth curves

    Straight or smooth outlines.

  4. 4

    Axis and gridlines

    Gridline steps, tick marks, axis line and weights.

Also available for every chart

Colours and styles
DataInk object styles, one colour in tints or a swatch group of your document; your own paragraph styles for axis labels, values and legend.
Legend
Below or beside the chart, or as an InDesign table you style like any other.
Numbers
Number format of 14 locales, decimals, prefix and suffix (€, %, kg), compact numbers (12K).
Size
Width and height in your document's unit, or fit a frame you drew beforehand.
Data
Panel grid, large data editor, paste, Excel and CSV import, or a linked InDesign table.
Presets
Save the look, reuse it, and share it with your team as a file.

Editorial guide

When to use it

Typical use

Volumes over time, such as subscribers, production or visitors, when the size of the quantity matters as much as its trend.

Better avoided

Many series: overlapping fills turn muddy. Use lines instead.

Layout tips

  • Draw the larger series first so it sits behind.
  • Keep fills light, around 30 to 40% opacity.
  • Start the axis at zero: areas are read as quantities.

Data structure

Sample data

Periods in the first column, one series per further column.

Paste a table like this one, import it from Excel or CSV, or click in an InDesign table with the same layout.

YearPrint subscribersDigital subscribers
201914841
202013962
202113184
2022122103
2023115121
2024108138
2025101152

Other chart types

Previous chart: Line chartNext chart: Combo chart
Combo chartColumns and lines together, with a second axis.Pie chartParts of one total.Doughnut chartA pie with room in the middle for a key figure.Radial bar chartConcentric rings for progress and scores.TreemapRectangles sized by value, filling the whole frame.Radar chartProfiles across several criteria.

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