About neatlines

A neatline is a line around an Area that separates data from the rest of the surround. It is a line marking the boundary around the Area beyond which no data is displayed. Unlike the other surround elements, the neatline can only be used once in each Area. The neatline also serves as the frame of reference for positioning other surround elements.

To add a neatline to an Area, see Creating a surround. To open the Neatline Properties window, see Setting surround element properties.

The look of a neatline is determined by its:

  1. Setting the position of a neatline in relation to an area
  2. Specifying neatline boundaries
  3. Setting specific extents for a neatline
Parent topic: Working with surrounds
Previous topic: Setting surround element properties
Next topic: About borders

© PCI Geomatics Enterprises, Inc.®, 2026. All rights reserved.