Adobe InDesign CC Help In Design (2014) And Tutorials 2014 En
User Manual: adobe InDesign - CC (2014) - Help and Tutorials Free User Guide for Adobe InDesign Software, Manual
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Adobe® InDesign® CC Help
June 2014
Legal notices
Legal notices
For legal notices, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/legalnotices/index.html.
Last updated 6/14/2014
iii
Contents
Chapter 1: What's New
New features summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2: Workspace and workflow
Create new documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Sync Settings using Adobe Creative Cloud
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Saving documents
Understanding a basic managed-file workflow
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Workspace basics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Default keyboard shortcuts
Working with files and templates
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Customize menus and keyboard shortcuts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Recovery and undo
Converting QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
Toolbox
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Sharing content
PageMaker menu commands
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Assignment packages
Adjusting your workflow
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Working with managed files
Viewing the workspace
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Creating and saving your own workspace
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Working with Tools
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Setting preferences
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Toolbox
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Chapter 3: Layout and design
Generate QR codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Footnotes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Creating type on a path
Linked content
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Add basic page numbering
About pages and spreads
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Liquid Layouts and Alternate Layouts | CC, CS6
Aligning and distributing objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Create new documents (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean only)
Creating text and text frames
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Creating book files
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Creating an index
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Creating a table of contents
Creating documents
Clipping paths
Linking Content
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Last updated 6/14/2014
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INDESIGN
Contents
Reviewing the Forms tools
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Testing a form in Acrobat
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Working with Frames
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Creating cross-references (video 5:45)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Formatting grids
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Frame grid properties
Generating image captions with metadata (PDF, 148 KB)
Grids
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects
Importing files from other applications
Layers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Grid Mode and Live Distribute (video 2:48)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Laying out frames and pages
Layout grids
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Live captions (video 3:04)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Making shiny graphics (PDF, 203 KB)
Managing documents with multiple page sizes (PDF, 136 KB)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Managing graphics links
Managing pages and spreads
Master pages
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Mini Bridge: Getting access to your assets (PDF, 180 KB)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Mixing page sizes with the new Page tool (video 8:03)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Numbering pages, chapters, and sections
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Paragraphs that span and split columns (video 2:01)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Reusing graphics and text
Rotating Spread view (video 3:31)
Ruler guides
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Rulers and measurement units
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Spanning and Splitting columns (video 6:15)
Text variables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Placing graphics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Transforming objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Understanding graphics formats
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Working with files and templates
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Working with frames and objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Chapter 4: Text
Threading text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Wrapping text around objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Arabic and Hebrew features | CC, CS6
Anchored objects
Find/Change
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Bullets and numbering
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Formatting CJK characters
Articles (CS5.5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Spell-checking and language dictionaries
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
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Text Frame fitting options | CC, CS6
Adding text to frames
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Editing text
Captions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Tracking and reviewing changes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Text variables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Adding editorial notes in InDesign
Glyphs and special characters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Linked stories (CS5.5)
Creating bullets and numbering (video 12:16)
Creating conditional text (video 6:48)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Creating footnotes (video 2:44)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Linking text stories (PDF, 217 KB)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Track text changes (video 2:01)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Working with markers
Chapter 5: Styles
Paragraph and character styles
Object styles
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Drop caps and nested styles
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Working with styles
Applying GREP styles (video 4:46)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Chapter 6: Typography
Using fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Formatting text
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Text composition
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Formatting characters
Aligning text
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Formatting paragraphs
Leading
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Tabs and indents
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Kerning and tracking
Document installed fonts (video 2:29)
Chapter 7: Tables
Table and cell styles
Creating tables
Formatting tables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Selecting and editing tables
Table strokes and fills
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Chapter 8: Interactivity
Hyperlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Forms | CC, CS6
Buttons
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Cross-references
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Interactive web documents for Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
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Animation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Dynamic PDF documents
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Structuring PDFs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Page transitions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Movies and sounds
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Bookmarks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Creating and editing motion presets (video 5:23)
Creating documents with Interactive features (video 8:06)
Creating interactive documents in a snap (PDF, 201 KB)
Creating multistate objects (PDF, 203 KB)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Creating rich interactive documents (PDF, 6.7 MB)
Exploring new FLA export options (video 6:26)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Chapter 9: Drawing and painting
Drawing with the Pen tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Drawing with lines and shapes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Editing paths
Understanding paths and shapes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Drawing with the Pencil tool
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Compound paths and shapes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Change corner appearance
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Applying line (stroke) settings
Chapter 10: Color
Applying color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Tints
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Mixing inks
Gradients
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Working with swatches
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
Using colors from imported graphics
Understanding spot and processcolors
Chapter 11: Transparency
Adding transparency effects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Flattening transparent artwork
Blending colors
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Chapter 12: Exporting and publishing
Export content for EPUB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Export content to HTML
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Exporting to Adobe PDF
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Export to JPEG format
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Export content for EPUB | CS6
Export content for EPUB | CS5.5
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Export content to HTML | CS6 & CS5.5
Exporting XML
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Adobe PDF options
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Build digital magazines with InDesign CS5.5 and Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (video 09:06)
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vii
INDESIGN
Contents
Adding audio and video content to EPUB (video 02:46)
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Controlling order of content export from InDesign to EPUB without changing your layout (video 04:54)
Creating covers and title pages for EPUB (video 05:50)
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Exporting documents to EPUB (PDF, 265 KB)
Exporting to EPUB for the Apple iBookstore (PDF, 2.5 MB)
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Setting object export options (PDF, 160 KB), CS5.5 and later
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Styles mapped to tags in InDesign for improved EPUB export (video 05:13)
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Using Object Export options to customize how objects and images export to EPUB ( video 05:18)
Chapter 13: Printing
Preflighting files before handoff
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Preparing to print separations
Printing booklets
Printing documents
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Creating PostScript and EPS files
Trap presets
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Trapping documents and books
Printing thumbnails and oversizeddocuments
Printing graphics and fonts
Overprinting
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Preparing PDFs for service providers
Printer’s marks and bleeds
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Adjusting ink options for trapping
Inks, separations, and screen frequency
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Printing booklets using your desktop printer
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Adobe Creative Suite 5/5.5 Printing Guide (PDF, 21 MB)
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Chapter 14: Digital publications
Digital Publishing Suite overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605
Applying guide-based Liquid Layout rules
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Applying object-based Liquid Layout rules
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Understanding Liquid Layout rules
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Using basic Liquid Layout rules: Scale, Recenter, and Based on Master
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Working with Alternate Layouts
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Folio Producer Tools (video 1:04)
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Chapter 15: Automation
Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607
Plug-ins
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Data merge
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Chapter 16: Accessibility
Creating accessible PDF documents (PDF, 2.6 MB)
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Chapter 17: System requirements
System requirements for Indesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
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Chapter 1: What's New
New features summary
Adobe InDesign CC 2014 ships with several new features and enhancements that enrich your publishing experience.
New features such as creating color groups, enhancements to EPUB, Behance integration, and footnotes enhancements
make your publishing experience exciting and more effective.
Seamless update
Shortcuts and preferences are retained when you update to the latest version of InDesign, ensuring that you can easily
and quickly get to work with the latest version.
• The InDesign preferences and presets from an earlier version are retained. You can also manually trigger local
migration of presets and preferences from Edit > Migrate Previous Local Settings.
• Previous version settings are migrated from Creative Cloud in the following scenarios:
• No local settings are available for migration
• No current version (10.0) settings are available on Creative Cloud
This ensures that you don’t have to change your settings every time you update InDesign CC. Once settings are
migrated, make sure that sync settings is initiated for the current version so that all the latest settings are now stored in
the cloud.
In application - What's New dialog
On the first installation of InDesign CC 2014, a What's new dialog greets you with content that provides information
about the new features in this release. Click a link to learn more about the feature.
EPUB enhancements
In this release, InDesign provides support for Fixed Layout EPUBs. You also get control over adding epub:type
markups. The enhancements made in this release also provide improved CSS support for table and cell styles. You can
update metadata in the fixed layout and reflowable layouts, in addition to, viewing the exported outputs in Viewing
Apps tabs.
Fixed Layout: InDesign now supports this format that is interesting and interactive. This format is used widely for
children's eBooks and for complex non-fiction like cookbooks and textbooks. Unlike standard eBooks, fixed layout
eBooks retain the same page layout and design, as their print book counterparts. You can export your InDesign
document to a fixed layout EPUB format. You can control the way the layout would appear on a digital reader using
this feature. Select File > Export > EPUB (Fixed Layout) from Save as type, to explore this format.
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What's New
EPUB Fixed Layout
Customizable object width and height in CSS: You can now customize the height and width of an object in a CSS file
in the Object Export Options dialog box (reflowable layout only).
New EPUB type markup: A new EPUB type helps improve the accessibility of components in EPUB export design.
This new epub:type (Object Export Options > EPUB and HTML) helps you define the elements in a publication and
design the intended reading order for the reader of the EPUB file.
Writing improved CSS for table and cells styles: Table and cell styles now get mapped appropriately to the CSS. If a
table is not used, InDesign creates no unnecessary CSS files.
Metadata: You can update the file info or metadata of your InDesign file and the same EPUB data gets populated in
both Reflowable/Fixed Layout tabs.
Viewing Apps (Export): A Viewing Apps tab has been introduced in both Reflowable and Fixed Layout EPUB export
options. Viewing Apps displays the applications that you can configure to open or view the EPUB files.
A. Add EPUB viewers in Viewing Apps tab
Many significant improvements and enhancements have been made to the EPUB capability of InDesign. (To see the list
of all changes, refer to InDesign_EPUB_Changes_CC_9.2_to_10.0 pdf .)
B. Select the viewer for EPUB output
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What's New
More Help topics
Export content to HTML
Improvements to tables
As part of enhancements to tables in InDesign, you now get the ability to simply drag-and-drop table rows and columns
from one position to another within the same table. Select the rows you want to copy or duplicate, hover over the
selected rows, a unique cursor indicating that the selection can be moved is displayed. The item row can be simply
dragged and dropped (or copied with an 'Alt' key pressed).
You can also copy the contents from header and footer rows to body rows (by pressing Alt/Opt key). Likewise, body
rows can also be duplicated and converted to header and footer rows.
For more information, see Creating tables.
Simplified working in tables
Color groups
You can now create and manage color groups in InDesign. Simply create Color Groups from the Swatches panel
through the new Color Group icon or from the flyout and context menu. You can also share the color groups with
another application using Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ase) files. For example, load color swatches from another project
in Illustrator.
Create and manage color swatches with color groups
For details, see Apply color.
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What's New
Enhanced search - Find Previous
In previous InDesign versions, users could only search in forward direction. It meant that if you skipped over an item
too fast and wanted to go back, the only way was to complete the find operation and start over again. This workflow
has been improved now.
The Find/Change dialog in InDesign now has two search direction buttons - Forward and Backward. As search forward
is enabled by default, you can switch to Backward to reverse the flow of the search. The new functionality helps you
search strings in Text, GREP, and Glyph tabs.
Enhanced Search
For more information, see Find/Change overview.
Behance integration
Showcase and discover creative work on Behance. As a member, you can create a portfolio of your work and broadcast
it widely and efficiently. Or, explore the latest creative work on a global scale by browsing featured or popular work
across fields.
You can upload spreads as work-in-progress to Behance directly from within InDesign. Spreads are converted to images
and shared on Behance for review and feedback.
At a time, you can upload only one spread from InDesign. To share a complete document, you can share as many times
as the number of spreads in the document. Each spread goes as a separate upload and posting on Behance.
For more information, see Share your InDesign work on Behance .
Share on Behance
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What's New
Improved packaging
From this release, you get the ability to include a PDF and IDML file in any package created from InDesign for
individual documents. An InDesign package now includes INDD, linked files, fonts, IDML, and a PDF (Print).
Enhanced data merge for QR code
Now, you can place a data source containing a QR code in a merged document. The QR code workflow is integrated
with the merged document. The following types of QR code can be linked via data merge in InDesign documents:
• Plain Text
• Web Hyperlink
• Text Message
• Email
• Business Card
Today, if you’re creating business cards for multiple people (in an organization, for example), you can use data merge.
If you want to add a QR code, you would have to manually create a QR code for every unique business card. With this
new update to data merge, you don't have to create a QR code manually for each card; the QR code can be automatically
created during the data merge.
For more information, see Generate QR codes
Footnote enhancements
You can now apply textwrap to an anchored or floating object that is part of a footnote. This enhancement works on
both rectangular and non-rectangular text frames.
If a floating object (not anchored or inline) on which textwrap is applied interacts with footnote text, text wrap takes
effect.
For more information, see
HiDPI support for Windows
InDesign now supports HiDPI for Microsoft Windows across a wide variety of DPI display settings. You can view sharp
and clear User Interface elements, visually appealing under various scaling factors. HiDPI support enables the display
of text and complex artwork in greater clarity, and in colors and hues that are more vibrant.
Scalable effects
Earlier, transparency effects applied on an object in InDesign did not scale with the object. Now, all effects get applied.
Effects such as drop shadows properly scale as you change the scale of an object or text. With the new Scalable Effects
feature, an option to scale the transparency effects while scaling an object has been added in the Control panel and
Transform panel flyout menus. You can activate scaling using this option.
For more information, see Scalability of an effect.
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What's New
Modernization - Changes to panels
Tool Hints panel
As part of modernization, the Tool Hints panel has been converted from Flash technology to HTML5. This panel
(Windows >Utilities >Tool Hints) displays information about tool name, toolhint, and tool icon of the selected tool. It
was earlier APE (Flash) based extension, the panel is now a CEP HTML5 based extension.
Background Tasks panel
The Background Tasks panel (Window > Utilities > Background Tasks) is used to monitor the progress of ongoing
background tasks. It also allows the user to cancel an ongoing background task. This panel was earlier APE (Flash)
based and has now been converted to run on the drover User Interface technology.
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Chapter 2: Workspace and workflow
Create new documents
Page design begins with the basics: starting a new document, setting up pages, and positioning margins and columns
or changing grid settings.
Create a new document
1 Choose File > New > Document.
The New Document dialog box combines the Document Setup and the Margins And Columns dialog boxes, so that
you can set up the page size, margins, and page columns all in one place. You can change these settings at any time.
2 Specify document setup options. (See New Document options .)
To specify the dimensions of the bleed and slug areas, click the Arrow button before the Bleed and Slug label. The
bleed and slug areas extend out from the edges of the defined Page Size. To make the bleed or slug areas extend
evenly on all sides, click the Make All Settings The Same icon
.
3 (Only in InDesign CC) Select the Preview checkbox to see how your new document will look like. Make necessary
changes if required.
4 Click OK to open the new document with the settings you specified.
To set default layout settings for all new documents, choose File > Document Setup or Layout > Margins And Columns,
and set options when no documents are open.
New Document options
Document Preset Choose a preset that you have saved earlier.
Intent If you are creating a document to be output to PDF or SWF for the web, choosing the Web option changes
several options in the dialog box, such as turning off Facing Pages, changing the orientation from portrait to landscape,
and using a page size based on monitor resolution. You can edit any of these settings after the document is created.
CS6 and later: Digital publishing intent has been added for publications aimed for the Digital Publishing Suite. You can
also change the intent of the document after it is created.
Number of pages Specify the number of pages to create in the new document.
Start Page # Specify which number the document starts on. If you specify an even number (such as 2) with Facing
Pages selected, the first spread in the document begins with a two-page spread. See Start a document with a two-page
spread .
Facing Pages Select this option to make left and right pages face each other in a double-page spread, such as for books
and magazines. Deselect this option to let each page stand alone, such as when you’re printing flyers or posters or when
you want objects to bleed in the binding.
After you’ve created a document, you can use the Pages panel to create spreads with more than two pages or force the
first two pages to open as a spread. (See Control spread pagination .)
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Workspace and workflow
Master Text Frame CS5.5 and earlier: Select this option to create a text frame the size of the area within the margin
guides, matching the column settings you specified. The master text frame is added to the A Master. (See Using text
frames on master pages.)
The Master Text Frame option is available only when you’ve chosen File > New > Document.
Primary Text Frame CS6 and later: select this option to add a primary text frame on the master page. When you apply
a new master page, the story in the primary text frame automatically flows into the primary text frame of the new
master page.
Page Size Choose a page size from the menu, or type values for Width and Height. Page size represents the final size
you want after bleeds or other marks outside the page are trimmed.
Orientation Click Portrait
(tall) or Landscape
(wide). These icons interact dynamically with the dimensions
you enter in Page Size. When Height is the larger value, the portrait icon is selected. When Width is the larger value,
the landscape icon is selected. Clicking the deselected icon switches the Height and Width values.
Tip: To specify the dimensions of the bleed and slug areas, click the Arrow button before the Bleed and Slug label in the
New Document dialog box. To make the bleed or slug areas extend evenly on all sides, click the Make All Settings The
Same icon
.
Bleed The Bleed area allows you to print objects that are arranged at the outer edge of the defined page size. For a page
of the required dimensions, if an object is positioned at its edge, some white may appear at the edge of the printed area
due to slight misalignment during printing or trimming. For this reason, you should position an object that is at the
edge of the page of the required dimensions a little beyond the edge, and trim after printing. Bleed area is shown by a
red line on the document. You can set bleed area settings from Bleed in the Print dialog box.
Slug The slug area is discarded when the document is trimmed to its final page size. The slug area holds printing
information, customized color bar information, or displays other instructions and descriptions for other information
in the document. Objects (including text frames) positioned in the slug area are printed but will disappear when the
document is trimmed to its final page size.
Objects outside the bleed or slug area (whichever extends farther) do not print.
Preview (Only in InDesign CC) Select this checkbox to see how your new document will look like. Make necessary
changes to the options if the preview is not as desired.
Note: You can also click the Save Document Preset icon to save document settings for future use.
Document window overview
Each page or spread in your document has its own pasteboard and guides, which are visible in Normal View mode. (To
switch to Normal View, choose View > Screen Mode > Normal.) The pasteboard is replaced with a gray background
when the document is viewed using one of the Preview modes. (See Preview documents.) You can change the color of
this preview background and guides in Guides & Pasteboard preferences.
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Workspace and workflow
Document and guides in Normal View Mode
A Spread (black lines) B Page (black lines) C Margin guides (magenta lines) D Column guides (violet lines) E Bleed area (red lines) F Slug area
(blue lines)
Document window notes:
• Lines of other colors are ruler guides which, when present, appear in the layer color when selected. See Layers .
• Column guides appear in front of margin guides. When a column guide is exactly in front of a margin guide, it hides
the margin guide.
Create custom page sizes
You can create custom page sizes that appear in the Page Size menu in the New Document dialog box.
1 Choose File > New > Document.
2 Choose Custom Page Size from the Page Size menu.
3 Type a name for the page size, specify page size settings, and then click Add.
The New Doc Sizes.txt file that lets you create custom page sizes in previous version of InDesign is not available in
InDesign CS5 or later.
Define document presets
You can save document settings for page size, columns, margins, and bleed and slug areas in a preset to save time and
ensure consistency when creating similar documents.
1 Choose File > Document Presets > Define.
2 Click New in the dialog box that appears.
3 Specify a name for the preset and select basic layout options in the New Document Preset dialog box. (See New
Document options for a description of each option.)
4 Click OK twice.
You can save a document preset to a separate file and distribute it to other users. To save and load document preset files,
use the Save and Load buttons in the Document Presets dialog box.
Create a document using a preset
1 Do one of the following:.
• Choose File > Document Preset > [name of preset]. (Hold down Shift while choosing the preset to create a new
document based on the preset without opening the New Document dialog box.)
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Workspace and workflow
• Choose File > New > Document, and then choose a preset from the Document Preset menu in the New
Document dialog box.
The New Document dialog box displays the preset layout options.
2 Make changes to the options (if desired) and click OK.
To skip the New Document dialog box, press the Shift key as you select a preset from the Document Preset menu.
More Help topics
Recommended workflow for InDesign documents
Use document templates
Add documents to a book file
Change document setup, margins, and columns
Sync Settings using Adobe Creative Cloud
Introduction
When you work on multiple computers, managing and syncing glyph sets, menu customizations, keyboard shortcuts,
custom workspaces, and PDF presets among the computers could be a chore.
The new Sync Settings feature enables individual users to sync their settings using Creative Cloud. If you use two
computers, for example, one at home and another at work, the Sync Settings feature makes it easy for you to keep those
settings synchronized on these two computers. Also, if you have replaced your old computer with a new one and have
reinstalled InDesign, you can get the application set up quickly with all your settings in place by just pressing a button.
Note: At any given time, you can activate InDesign on two computers only.
The syncing happens via your Adobe Creative Cloud account. All the settings are uploaded to Creative Cloud and then
are downloaded and applied on the other computer.
All sync operations are initiated by users. They cannot be scheduled or performed automatically (such as at launch or
during shutdown).
Prerequisites for this feature to work:
• Computers should be connected to the Internet.
• You have signed into your Adobe Creative Cloud account on both computers.
Sync settings at first launch
After installation, when you launch the application and create a document or open an existing document for the first
time, you will see a prompt asking whether you want to start the sync.
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• Click Sync Settings Now to initiate the sync.
• Click Disable Sync Settings to disable the feature.
• Click Advanced to open the Preferences dialog, where you can choose and customize what items are synchronize.
Using the sync settings feature
Do any one of the following:
• [Recommended] Click the Sync Settings icon (
window, and then click Sync Settings Now.
) at the lower-left corner of the InDesign active document
• ClickEdit (Mac:InDesign) > {AdobeID logged in} > Sync Settings Now.
Sync settings on successive launches
When you launch InDesign with prior sync information available, and create a document or open an existing document
for the first time, you will see a prompt asking whether you would like to sync the setting from the cloud. To initiate the
sync, click Sync Settings Now.
The settings are downloaded to your local computers and are updated in the application. If you change glyph sets,
keyboard shortcuts, custom workspaces, or PDF presets, you should initiate sync before you close the application. You
can see the sync status in the left-bottom corner of the document status bar. Click the Sync Settings icon (
) in the
status bar and then click Sync Settings Now.
Managing sync
What gets synced
• Workspaces
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• Menu sets
• PDF presets
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Glyphs sets
Choose what you want to sync
Navigate to the Preferences > Sync Settings tab:
• Click Edit (Mac: InDesign) > {AdobeID logged in} > Manage Sync Settings. or
• ClickEdit (Mac: InDesign) > Preferences > Sync Settings.
Select the checkboxes for the settings that you want to sync. You can also choose what to do in case of conflict.
Note: To sync your settings successfully, you must change the settings only from within the application. The sync settings
feature does not sync any file that is manually placed in a folder location.
Choose an option in case of conflict
There are situations when the system could detect sync conflicts. Sync conflicts occur when the system is unable to
determine whether you want a setting from Creative Cloud or from your local computer to be retained since both have
been changed after the last sync operation.
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Suppose that you change PDF presets on your work computer and sync settings to the Cloud. You then go home and
change the same presets on your home computer without syncing with the cloud first. Now since the settings in the
cloud and the settings on your home computer are both updated, conflict occurs when your try to sync. If you try to
sync in this state, you see a conflict prompt.
• Sync Local: Sync local settings on this computer to the cloud; overwrite the cloud version with the local version of
settings.
• Sync Cloud: Sync from the cloud to this local computer; ignore changes made to the local settings and replace them
with the settings in the cloud.
What’s not supported
• Keyboard shortcuts created for Windows will only sync with a Windows computer. Mac keyboard shortcuts will
only sync with a Mac computer.
• Assets saved to a custom location are not synced.
• Any modifications (for example: rearrangement of panel) made after creation of the Workspace will not be synced.
For Workspace syncing, first set up your working environment and then create a workspace and initiate the sync
process.
Saving documents
Save documents
Saving a document saves the current layout, references to source files, which page is currently displayed, and the zoom
level. Protect your work by saving often. You can save a file as any of the following:
• A regular document.
• A copy of the document, which creates a duplicate of the document under a different name, leaving the original
document active.
• A template, which normally opens as an untitled document. A template can contain settings, text, and graphics that
you preset as a starting point for other documents.
Saving a document also updates the metadata (or file information) that is part of the InDesign document. This
metadata includes a thumbnail preview, fonts used in the document, color swatches, and all metadata in the File Info
dialog box, all of which enable efficient searching. For example, you might want to search for all documents that use
a particular color.
You can view this metadata in Bridge and in the Advanced area of the File Info dialog box. You can control whether
to update the preview when you save by using a preference setting. The other metadata (fonts, colors, and links) are
updated whenever you save a document.
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The Save, Save As, and Save a Copy commands store documents in the InDesign file format. For information about
storing documents in other file formats, see the Index.
If you’re saving a document in order to bring it to a prepress service provider for final output, InDesign can
automatically collect all necessary files, such as linked graphics and fonts, in one folder. (See Package files.)
Note: The information entered in the File > File Info dialog box gets updated in the Metadata tab when you export an
EPUB in the following formats:
• Fixed Layout EPUB
• Reflowable EPUB
❖ Do one of the following:
• To save a document under a new name, choose File > Save As, specify a location and filename, and click Save.
The newly named file becomes the active document. Using the Save As command might reduce the file size.
• To save an existing document under the same name, choose File > Save.
• To save all open documents to their existing locations and filenames, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S (Windows) or
Command+Option+Shift+S (Mac OS).
• To save a copy of a document under a new name, choose File > Save a Copy, specify a location and filename, and
click Save. The saved copy does not become the active document.
Note: To avoid problems, avoid reserved characters that have special meanings in some operating systems. For example,
avoid filenames with spaces, tabs, or initial periods, or filenames that use these characters: / \ : ; * ? < > , $ %. Similarly,
avoid using characters with accents (such as ü, ñ, or é), even when using a non-English version of InDesign. Problems may
occur if the file is opened in a different platform.
If you have frequently work with several documents open at the same time and want to save them all at once, use a
keyboard shortcut. Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, choose Views, Navigation from the Product Area menu, and
select Save All in the Commands list. You can then edit or add a shortcut. You can use Quick Apply to specify the Save All
command.
Include previews in saved documents
Thumbnail previews of documents and templates provide easy identification of those files in Adobe Bridge and Adobe
Mini Bridge. A preview is created when you save a document or template. A document preview includes a JPEG image
of only the first spread; a template preview includes a JPEG image of each page in the template. You can control the size
of the preview and the number of pages to suit your needs. For example, Extra Large 1024x1024 enables you to quickly
scan the contents of a page at high-resolution before you open the file.
You can enable the option in Preferences or in the Save As dialog box. Because previews increase both file size and the
time it takes to save the document, you may prefer to enable the option on demand using the Save Asdialog box.
1 Do one of the following:
• To include a preview every time you save a document, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or
InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).
• To include a preview for a specific document, choose File >Save As.
• To include a preview for a specific document, choose File > Save Content As.
2 Select Always Save Preview Images With Documents.
3 If you are setting the preview using the Preferences dialog box, choose the number of preview pages from the Pages
menu, and choose an option from the Preview Size menu.
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Note: Selecting the preview option in the Save As dialog box also selects the option in the Preferences dialog box, and
uses the default Pages and Preview Size settings.
Save an InDesign Markup (IDML) document
In some cases you may want to save an InDesign in interchange markup format. It’s especially useful to save in this
format when you open a QuarkXPress or PageMaker publication in InDesign, when you open a document created in
a previous version of InDesign, or when you’re experiencing problems with your document, such as not being able to
delete color swatches.
1 Choose File > Save (CS6) or File > Export (CS5).
2 From the Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, choose InDesign Markup (IDML).
3 Click Save.
You can open the saved IDML file in InDesign CS5 and InDesign CS4 but not in any previous version of InDesign.
For information on using IDML for development purposes, see
www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_indesignmarkup_cs4_en.
Save backwards to the previous InDesign version
To open an InDesign CS6 document in InDesign CS5, in InDesign CS6, Save (File > Save) the document to the
InDesign Markup Language (IDML). (The IDML format replaces the Interchange INX format used for saving
backwards in previous versions.)
To open an InDesign CS5 document in InDesign CS4, in InDesign CS5, export (File > Export) the document to the
InDesign Markup Language (IDML). (The IDML format replaces the Interchange INX format used for saving
backwards in previous versions.)
Ensure that the computer running the previous version of InDesign is updated with the appropriate plug-ins so that it
can open the exported IDML file. The person running the previous version of InDesign can obtain the compatibility
plug-ins by choosing Help > Updates and following the prompts. Plug-ins can also be installed from the Adobe website:
Visit Product updates page on the Adobe website, and choose InDesign from the product list.
Opening a document in a previous version of InDesign is also referred to as “saving down.”
Note: Content created using features specific to the later version of InDesign may be modified or omitted when you open
the document in a previous version of InDesign.
1 Choose File > Save (CS6) or File > Export (CS5).
2 From the File Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, choose InDesign Markup (IDML).
3 Click Save.
You can open the .idml file in previous version of InDesign to convert it to an untitled InDesign document.
Note: To open the InDesign CS5 document in InDesign CS3, open the exported IDML file in InDesign CS4, save it and
export it to InDesign CS3 Interchange (INX), and then open the exported INX file in InDesign CS3. Make sure that all
InDesign versions are up to date.
Work with metadata
Metadata is a set of standardized information about a file, such as author name, resolution, color space, copyright, and
keywords applied to it. You can use metadata to streamline your workflow and organize your files.
About the XMP standard
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Metadata information is stored using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) standard, on which Adobe Bridge ,
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop are built. XMP is built on XML, and in most cases the
metadata is stored in the file. If it isn’t possible to store the information in the file, metadata is stored in a separate file
called a sidecar file. XMP facilitates the exchange of metadata between Adobe applications and across publishing
workflows. For example, you can save metadata from one file as a template, and then import the metadata into other
files.
Metadata that is stored in other formats, such as Exif, IPTC (IIM), GPS, and TIFF, is synchronized and described with
XMP so that it can be more easily viewed and managed. Other applications and features also use XMP to communicate
and store information such as version comments, which you can search using Adobe Bridge.
In most cases the metadata remains with the file even when the file format changes, for example, from PSD to JPG.
Metadata is also retained when files are placed in an Adobe document or project.
You can use the XMP Software Development Kit to customize the creation, processing, and interchange of metadata.
For example, you can use the XMP SDK to add fields to the File Infodialog box. For more information on XMP and the
XMP SDK, visit the Adobe website.
Working with metadata in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Creative Suite components
Many of the powerful Adobe Bridge features that allow you to organize, search, and keep track of your files and versions
depend on XMP metadata in your files. Adobe Bridge provides two ways of working with metadata: through the
Metadata panel and through the File Infodialog box (InDesign) or the Content File Info dialog box (InCopy).
In some cases, multiple views exist for the same metadata property. For example, a property may be labeled Author in
one view and Creator in another, but both refer to the same underlying property. Even if you customize these views for
specific workflows, they remain standardized through XMP.
Add metadata using the File Info dialog box
The File Info dialog box displays camera data, file properties, an edit history, copyright, and author information of the
current document. The File Info dialog box also displays custom metadata panels. You can add metadata directly in the
File Information dialog box. Any information you enter in a field overrides existing metadata and applies the new value
to all selected files.
1 Choose File > File Info (InDesign) or File > Content File Info (InCopy).
2 Select any of the following from the tabs at the top of the dialog box:
Use the Right and Left arrows to scroll the tabs, or click the down-pointing arrow and choose a category from the list.
Description Lets you enter document information about the file, such as document title, author, description, and
keywords that can be used to search for the document. To specify copyright information, select Copyrighted from
the Copyright Status pop-up menu. Then enter the copyright owner, notice text, and the URL of the person or
company holding the copyright.
IPTC Includes four areas: IPTC Content describes the visual content of the image. IPTC Contact lists the contact
information for the photographer. IPTC Image lists descriptive information for the image. IPTC Status lists
workflow and copyright information.
Camera Data Includes two areas: Camera Data 1 displays read-only information about the camera and settings used
to take the photo, such as make, model, shutter speed, and f-stop. Camera Data 2 lists read-only file information
about the photo, including pixel dimensions and resolution
Video Data Lists information about the video file, including video frame width and height, and lets you enter
information such as tape name and scene name.
Audio Data Lets you enter information about the audio file, including the title, artist, bit rate, and loop settings.
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Mobile SWF Lists information about mobile media files, including title, author, description, and content type.
Categories Lets you enter information based on Associated Presscategories.
Origin Lets you enter file information that is useful for news outlets, including when and where the file was created,
transmission information, special instructions, and headline information.
DICOM Lists patient, study, series, and equipment information for DICOM images.
History Displays Adobe Photoshop history log information for images saved with Photoshop. The History tab
appears only if Adobe Photoshop is installed.
Illustrator Lets you apply a document profile for print, web, or mobile output.
Advanced Displays fields and structures for storing metadata by using namespaces and properties, such as file
format and XMP, Exif, and PDF properties.
Raw Data Displays XMP text information about the file.
3 Type the information to add in any displayed field.
4 Click OK to apply the changes.
Export metadata as an XMP file
You can save metadata in an XMP file to share with other users. These XMP files can be used as templates for populating
InDesign documents and other documents created with XMP-enabled applications. Templates you export are stored in
a shared location that all XMP-enabled applications can access. They also appear in the pop-up menu at the bottom of
the File Infodialog box.
1 Choose File >File Info (InDesign) or File > Content File Info (InCopy).
2 Choose Export from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box.
3 Type a filename, choose a location for the file, and click Save.
To view metadata templates in Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS), click the pop-up menu at the bottom
of the File Info dialog box and choose Show Templates Folder.
Import metadata from an XMP file
When you import metadata into a document from an exported XMP template file, you can specify whether to clear all
metadata in the current document and add the new metadata, keep all but the matching metadata, or add matching
metadata to the existing metadata.
❖ Choose File >File Info (InDesign) or File > Content File Info (InCopy).
• Choose an XMP file from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box, select an import option, and click
OK.
• Choose Import from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box, select an import option, and click OK.
Then double-click the XMP template file you want to import.
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Edit metadata in image files
When you generate captions of placed images in InDesign, the metadata from the placed image is used. Although you
can edit the metadata of InDesign documents, you cannot edit the metadata of placed files in InDesign. Instead, change
the metadata of placed images using their original applications, using Finder or Explorer, or using Adobe Bridge or
Adobe Mini Bridge.
1 In InDesign, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the image, and then choose Edit Original.
You can also choose Edit With and then choose an application such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop.
2 In the original application, choose File > File Info.
3 Edit the metadata, and then click OK.
You can also select an image in Adobe Bridge and choose File > File Info to edit the image metadata. See Add metadata
using the File Info dialog box .
More Help topics
Use document templates
Recover documents
Print thumbnails
Work with metadata in Adobe
Understanding a basic managed-file workflow
For detailed information and instructions, click the links below.
Sharing content
The Adobe InCopy LiveEdit Workflow plug-ins let writers and editors develop copy in InCopy at the same time as
designers prepare layouts in Adobe InDesign. This workflow includes container files, called assignments, for grouping
related pieces of content, and file-locking and notification tools for sharing and updating files in InCopy or InDesign
over a shared network or in compressed packages that can be distributed via e-mail.
In the shared network workflow, InDesign users export text and graphics to a shared location on a file system, where
the files become available to InCopy users who will write and edit the content. Selected text frames and graphics frames
are either exported to the assignment or exported as separate InCopy files, where they become part of the managed
process and are linked to the InDesign document. These shared files are referred to as managed files. When users work
in the assignment file or in the InDesign file on a local server, changes to the associated layout or content are
communicated to all users involved in the workflow for that document.
Multiple InCopy or InDesign users can open the same content file simultaneously, and multiple InCopy users can open
the same assignment file simultaneously. However, only one user at a time can check out the InCopy file for editing.
Others can view the file on a read-only basis. The user who checks out a managed InCopy file can share his or her work
with other users by saving the file to the shared server or by returning the file to the InDesign user; however, other users
can’t make changes to the file until it’s checked back in. This system allows multiple users to access the same file but
prevents users from overwriting each other’s work.
For more information, see the InCopy LiveEdit Workflow guide (PDF) at www.adobe.com/go/learn_liveedit.
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Ways to work with content in InCopy
Content is either a body of text that flows through one or more frames, or an imported graphic. There are five basic
ways to work on content in InCopy: open an assignment file, open an assignment package, open a linked InCopy file,
open an InDesign file that has linked InCopy files, or compose content entirely in InCopy.
Open assignment files created in InDesign
InDesign users can create an assignment file and designate content for sharing. This method lets the InDesign user
associate related components (heading, body, graphics, captions, and so on), and then assign them to different InCopy
users for writing and editing. InCopy users open the assignment file and work on only the components assigned to
them. The live layout view shows how their edited copy relates to the InDesign layout, without opening the entire
InDesign document. However, if the layout changes, the InDesign user must update assignments to notify InCopy users
about the changes. You can share assignment files on a server or through assignment packages.
InDesign document (.indd) with assignment file (.icml) composed of three linked content files (.incx). Assignment and its components are listed
in Assignments panel and are opened in InCopy.
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Open assignment packages
The assignment packages workflow is especially useful when designers and writers are working on the same project but
don’t have access to a local server. In such cases, the InDesign user can create one or more packages and send the
compressed files to the assigned InCopy users via e-mail. InCopy users can open the assignment packages, edit the
contents, and return the packages to the InDesign user, who can then update the document.
Open linked InCopy files exported from InDesign
In certain workflows, InDesign users might export text and graphics as separate files, rather than wrapping them inside
an assignment file. Exporting separate files is useful if you work on unrelated graphics or bodies of text. However,
InCopy users aren’t able to see how the content fits within the InDesign layout.
InDesign document (.indd) with three linked but unassigned content files (.icml) opened in InCopy
Open InDesign documents that have linked InCopy files
To see all page items in the context of an entire layout, InCopy users can open and edit an InDesign document in
InCopy. This approach can be useful for editing and copyfitting if seeing the overall layout is important, or for editing
most of the stories in a document rather than a few. After the InCopy user edits the stories, the InDesign user can then
update the links to the modified files. If the InDesign user changes the layout, the InCopy user is notified when the
InDesign document is saved.
Compose content entirely in InCopy
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You can create content in InCopy that isn’t associated with an InDesign file. In these stand-alone documents, you can
type text, assign fonts and styles, and import graphics from other applications (such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe
Photoshop) to enhance the text. You can also assign tags for future XML use. This approach is a good option in an
editorial workflow where the content precedes the design. You can also set up and modify the text area, page size, and
orientation for stand-alone InCopy documents. But if the story is later linked to an InDesign document, the InDesign
settings override the settings used in InCopy.
Managed files
For a file to be managed, it must be added to an assignment file, exported from InDesign as InCopy content, or placed
as InCopy content into InDesign. Managed files communicate both content status and ownership. With managed files,
you can:
• Lock and unlock stories to help preserve file integrity.
• Notify InCopy users when the associated InDesign layout is outdated.
• Identify the user working on a file.
• Notify users when an InCopy content file is outdated, being used by someone, or available for editing. Notification
methods include alert messages, frame icons, status icons in the Links panel, and status icons in the Assignments
panel.
Read-only files
Once a content file becomes managed, it’s read-only to all users in the workflow at all times, except to the person who
has checked it out. The software creates a lock file (*.idlk) when a user checks out a content file, giving that user
exclusive editing control. Read-only files have the following characteristics:
• An InCopy user cannot manually format the text in it. However, if text has been assigned character or paragraph
styles, an InDesign user can change the definition of those styles, thereby changing the formatting of the text even
when the file is checked out to someone else. These style definition changes are reflected in the text once the
InDesign user updates the file.
• In general, neither an InCopy nor InDesign user can change objects, such as text and applied styles, in locked
InCopy content. Some objects, such as character and paragraph styles, are only used by the content. For example,
you can’t change how a character style is applied to objects in locked content, but you can change the character style
itself, thereby changing the appearance of the text.
• An InDesign user can change the margins and columns of the text content as well as the shape, location, and number
of text frames the story occupies.
• An InDesign user can change the geometry and formatting of a graphics frame without checking out the graphic.
An InCopy user cannot change a graphics frame or any formatting on the frame. However, both InDesign and
InCopy users have to check out the graphics frame in order to modify the graphic itself (for example, to rotate or
scale it).
Best practices for working with managed files
Use the following practices to make sure that you work with the most up-to-date content and don’t overwrite someone
else’s work:
• Store assignment files on a server where all team members have access. If team members don’t have access to a
server, you can create and distribute assignment packages.
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• When you create an assignment, a special folder is created to hold the assignment file and the content. Use these
assignment folders to maintain assignment and content files. They simplify managing the shared files across a
workgroup and help ensure that users open the correct files.
• In InCopy, open the assignment file instead of an individual InCopy story. That way, you can see the copyfit and
layout information in Galley and Layout views. If you export content without using assignment files, you can see
copyfit and layout information only by opening the InDesign file.
• As soon as you open an assignment file, open an InDesign document, or check out content in either InDesign or
InCopy; make sure that frame edges are showing (View > Extras > Show Frame Edges) so that you can see the frame
icons when they appear.
• In InDesign, if you must remove files from the workflow (because of a production deadline, for example), you can
unlink them or cancel an assignment package.
Managed-file workflow examples
When you establish workflow management between InCopy and InDesign, writers and editors can compose, rewrite,
expand, and edit documents at the same time that designers prepare the layout. Common workflows include managing
files on a local server, sharing files via e-mail packages, or using some combination of the two methods.
These workflows assume that you have a basic InDesign template with layout geometries, styles, and placeholder text.
Layout geometries include page dimensions as well as text and graphics frames. InCopy uses these items to show proper
copyfit information.
Local server workflow
1.In InDesign, create assignments and add content to them.
This step incorporates exported text and graphics frames into the managed process, where they become available to
InCopy users for writing and editing.
2.Make the assignment files available to InCopy users.
Save the files to a server that all workflow users have access to.
3.In InCopy, open the assignment file, and check out and edit a story or graphic.
In InCopy, the files containing content assigned to you appear in the Assignments panel. Whenever you save the file on
a local server, the changes are saved on the file system and anyone working on that document (the InDesign layout or
another managed content file in the document) receives notification of the changes. Those users can update the content
to view the latest changes. The content remains checked out to you until you check it in.
4.In InDesign, work on the layout.
Regardless of whether the content files are being edited in InCopy, InDesign users can work on the document layout;
they don’t have to check out the document. Whenever the InCopy user saves the checked-out content, the InDesign
user can update that content within the layout to see the latest revisions.
5.In InCopy, continue working.
When finished with your edits, check in the content. Other users are then able to check out the content and work on it.
If a user is modifying the layout in InDesign simultaneously, you can update and view the layout geometry as you work.
6.In InDesign, make sure that all the content is checked in.
The managed workflow makes it possible to know who has checked out files. After content files are checked in,
InDesign users can check out the files to finalize the layout as necessary.
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E-mail package workflow
1.In InDesign, create and send assignment packages.
Create assignment packages and assign contents to the appropriate InCopy users, and then send the packages to the
InCopy users. The packaged files are automatically checked out to help avoid editing conflicts.
2.In InCopy, open the assignment package, and check out and edit a story or graphic.
If you receive an assignment package in e-mail, double-click the package to open it in InCopy. Changes you make to
the file are saved only locally. Other users are not notified when you make changes.
3.In InDesign, work on the layout.
Regardless of whether the content files are packaged, InDesign users can work on the document layout; they don’t have
to check out the document. If you need to update the layout or assignments, you can send an updated package to the
InCopy users.
4.In InCopy, return the edited package.
When finished with your edits, check in the content and return the modified package. Other users are then able to
check out the content, view the latest revisions, and work on the file.
5.In InDesign, make sure that all the content is checked in.
The managed workflow makes it possible to know who has checked out files. After assignment packages are returned,
stories in assignment packages are checked in. InDesign users can check out the files to finalize the layout as necessary.
Enter user identification
All users in the workflow must have a user name. This identification reveals who has checked out a particular file and
makes this information available to other users. It’s also required in order to check out a file for editing.
If you’ve already specified a user name and want to change it, you must check in any content you have checked out.
Otherwise, changing user identification during an editing session would forfeit your ability to edit content that you
have checked out—it would be checked out to you under a different name.
User identification is application-specific; no single user can have multiple user identifications per application.
Note: The InCopy Notes and Track Changes features also use the specified name to identify the author of a note or a tracked
change.
1 Do either of the following:
• Choose File > User.
• Choose User from the Assignments panel menu.
2 Type a unique name and click OK.
If you forget to specify a user name using this method, you’re prompted to enter one when you attempt your first
workflow action.
Note: The Color pop-up menu in this dialog box is for identifying editorial notes and tracked changes. You can choose the
color now if you want, but it doesn’t affect anything you do in a managed workflow.
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Workflow icons
Icons can appear on text and graphics frames, the Assignments panel, and in the story bar (InCopy only). Edit status
icons appear next to the managed file in the Links panel and Assignments panel, and communicate content status. Icons
appear on frames that contain a linked InCopy story (in the Layout view in both InDesign and InCopy). These icons
also communicate content status and can be used to differentiate between managed and unmanaged content. The
associated tool tip indicates editing status and ownership. To view the frame icons, make sure that frame edges are
showing in InDesign and InCopy (View > Extras > Show Frame Edges).
Note: (InDesign) The InDesign document window must be in Normal Mode for the frame edges to show. (Click the Normal
Mode button at the lower left of the toolbox.)
Icon
Name
Location
Available
Assignments panel (InDesign and InCopy),
text frames, and graphics frames
In Use By [name]
Assignments panel, text frames, and graphics
frames
Editing
Assignments panel, text frames, and graphics
frames
Available And Out Of Date
Text and graphics frames
In Use By [name] And Out Of Date
Text and graphics frames
Editing And Out Of Date
Text and graphics frames
Out Of Date
Assignments panel
Text Content Out Of Date
Assignments panel and text frames
Text Content Up To Date
Assignments panel and text frames
Graphics Content Out Of Date
Assignments panel and graphics frames
Graphics Content Up To Date
Assignments panel and graphics frames
Packaged Content
Assignments panel
Note: The Out Of Date icon on the Available, In Use, Editing, Text Content, and Graphics Content icons indicates that the
content is out of date; that is, the version on the file system is newer than the version displayed on your computer.
More Help topics
Export content as separate InCopy files (InDesign)
Work with stand-alone documents
Unlink content files (InDesign)
Tracking and reviewing changes
Using editorial notes
Adding editorial notes in InDesign
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Workspace basics
Click the following links for more information.
Workspace overview
You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any
arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. The workspaces of the different applications in Adobe® Creative
Suite® 5 share the same appearance so that you can move between the applications easily. You can also adapt each
application to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own.
Although the default workspace layout varies in different products, you manipulate the elements much the same way
in all of them.
• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application
controls. On the Mac for certain products, you can show or hide it using the Window menu.
• The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements, and so on. Related tools are
grouped.
• The Control panel displays options for the currently selected tool. In Illustrator, the Control panel displays options
for the currently selected object. (In Adobe Photoshop® this is known as the Options bar. In Adobe Flash®, Adobe
Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Fireworks® this is known as the Property Inspector and includes properties of the
currently selected element.)
• The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be tabbed and, in certain cases,
grouped and docked.
• Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Examples include the Timeline in Flash, the Brush panel in
Illustrator, the Layers panel in Adobe Photoshop®, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be grouped,
stacked, or docked.
• The Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window that lets you treat the
application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all the elements
within it respond to each other so none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or when you
accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each
application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors.
If you are using a Mac and prefer the traditional, free-form user interface, you can turn off the Application frame.
In Adobe Illustrator®, for example, select Window > Application Frame to toggle it on or off. (In Flash, the
Application frame is on permanently for Mac, and Dreamweaver for Mac does not use an Application frame.)
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Default Illustrator workspace
A Tabbed Document windows B Application bar C Workspace switcher D Panel title bar E Control panel F Tools panel G Collapse To Icons
button H Four panel groups in vertical dock
Hide or show all panels
• (Illustrator, Adobe InCopy®, Adobe InDesign®, Photoshop, Fireworks)To hide or show all panels, including the Tools
panel and Control panel, press Tab.
• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel,
press Shift+Tab.
You can temporarily display hidden panels if Auto-Show Hidden Panels is selected in Interface preferences. It’s always
on in Illustrator. Move the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows®) or to the edge of the monitor (Mac
OS®) and hover over the strip that appears.
• (Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks) To hide or show all panels, press F4.
Display panel options
❖ Click the panel menu icon
in the upper-right corner of the panel.
You can open a panel menu even when the panel is minimized.
In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in panels and tool tips. In the Interface preferences, choose a
size from the UI Font Size menu.
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(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness
❖ In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control panel.
Reconfigure the Tools panel
You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns. (This feature is not
available in the Tools panel in Fireworks and Flash.)
In InDesign and InCopy, you also can switch from single-column to double-column (or single-row) display by setting
an option in Interface preferences.
❖ Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel.
Manage windows and panels
You can create a custom workspace by moving and manipulating Document windows and panels. You can also save
workspaces and switch among them. For Fireworks, renaming custom workspaces can lead to unexpected behavior.
Note: The following examples use Photoshop for demonstration purposes. The workspace behaves the same in all the
products.
Rearrange, dock, or float document windows
When you open more than one file, the Document windows are tabbed.
• To rearrange the order of tabbed Document windows, drag a window’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To undock (float or untab) a Document window from a group of windows, drag the window’s tab out of the group.
Note: In Photoshop you can also choose Window > Arrange > Float in Window to float a single Document window, or
Window > Arrange > Float All In Windows to float all of the Document windows at once. See tech note kb405298 for more
information.
Note: Dreamweaver does not support docking and undocking Document windows. Use the Document window’s Minimize
button to create floating windows (Windows), or choose Window > Tile Vertically to create side-by-side Document
windows. Search “Tile Vertically” in Dreamweaver Help for more information on this topic. The workflow is slightly
different for Macintosh users.
• To dock a Document window to a separate group of Document windows, drag the window into the group.
• To create groups of stacked or tiled documents, drag the window to one of the drop zones along the top, bottom, or
sides of another window. You can also select a layout for the group by using the Layout button on the Application bar.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality. However, your product may have Cascade and Tile commands in
the Window menu to help you lay out your documents.
• To switch to another document in a tabbed group when dragging a selection, drag the selection over the document’s
tab for a moment.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality.
Dock and undock panels
A dock is a collection of panels or panel groups displayed together, generally in a vertical orientation. You dock and
undock panels by moving them into and out of a dock.
• To dock a panel, drag it by its tab into the dock, at the top, bottom, or in between other panels.
• To dock a panel group, drag it by its title bar (the solid empty bar above the tabs) into the dock.
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• To remove a panel or panel group, drag it out of the dock by its tab or title bar. You can drag it into another dock or
make it free-floating.
Navigator panel being dragged out to new dock, indicated by blue vertical highlight
Navigator panel now in its own dock
You can prevent panels from filling all the space in a dock. Drag the bottom edge of the dock up so it no longer meets
the edge of the workspace.
Move panels
As you move panels, you see blue highlighted drop zones, areas where you can move the panel. For example, you can
move a panel up or down in a dock by dragging it to the narrow blue drop zone above or below another panel. If you
drag to an area that is not a drop zone, the panel floats freely in the workspace.
Note: The position of the mouse (rather than the position of the panel), activates the drop zone, so if you can’t see the drop
zone, try dragging the mouse to the place where the drop zone should be.
• To move a panel, drag it by its tab.
• To move a panel group, drag the title bar.
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Narrow blue drop zone indicates Color panel will be docked on its own above the Layers panel group.
A Title bar B Tab C Drop zone
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while moving a panel to prevent it from docking. Press Esc while moving
the panel to cancel the operation.
Add and remove panels
If you remove all panels from a dock, the dock disappears. You can create a dock by moving panels to the right edge of
the workspace until a drop zone appears.
• To remove a panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its tab and then select Close, or deselect it from
the Window menu.
• To add a panel, select it from the Window menu and dock it wherever you want.
Manipulate panel groups
• To move a panel into a group, drag the panel’s tab to the highlighted drop zone in the group.
Adding a panel to a panel group
• To rearrange panels in a group, drag a panel’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To remove a panel from a group so that it floats freely, drag the panel by its tab outside the group.
• To move a group, drag the title bar (the area above the tabs).
Stack floating panels
When you drag a panel out of its dock but not into a drop zone, the panel floats freely. The floating panel allows you to
position it anywhere in the workspace. You can stack floating panels or panel groups so that they move as a unit when
you drag the topmost title bar.
Free-floating stacked panels
• To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.
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• To change the stacking order, drag a panel up or down by its tab.
Note: Be sure to release the tab over the narrow drop zone between panels, rather than the broad drop zone in a title bar.
• To remove a panel or panel group from the stack, so that it floats by itself, drag it out by its tab or title bar.
Resize panels
• To minimize or maximize a panel, panel group, or stack of panels, double-click a tab. You can also double-click the
tab area (the empty space next to the tabs).
• To resize a panel, drag any side of the panel. Some panels, such as the Color panel in Photoshop, cannot be resized
by dragging.
Collapse and expand panel icons
You can collapse panels to icons to reduce clutter on the workspace. In some cases, panels are collapsed to icons in the
default workspace.
Panels collapsed to icons
Panels expanded from icons
• To collapse or expand all panel icons in a column, click the double arrow at the top of the dock.
• To expand a single panel icon, click it.
• To resize panel icons so that you see only the icons (and not the labels), adjust the width of the dock until the text
disappears. To display the icon text again, make the dock wider.
• To collapse an expanded panel back to its icon, click its tab, its icon, or the double arrow in the panel’s title bar.
In some products, if you select Auto-Collapse Icon Panels from the Interface or User Interface Options preferences, an
expanded panel icon collapses automatically when you click away from it.
• To add a floating panel or panel group to an icon dock, drag it in by its tab or title bar. (Panels are automatically
collapsed to icons when added to an icon dock.)
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• To move a panel icon (or panel icon group), drag the icon. You can drag panel icons up and down in the dock, into
other docks (where they appear in the panel style of that dock), or outside the dock (where they appear as floating
icons).
Save and switch workspaces
By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you
move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
Save a custom workspace
1 With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, do one of the following:
• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
• (Dreamweaver) Choose Window > Workspace Layout > New Workspace.
• (Flash) Choose New Workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
• (Fireworks) Choose Save Current from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
2 Type a name for the workspace.
3 (Photoshop, InDesign) Under Capture, select one or more options:
Panel Locations Saves the current panel locations (InDesign only).
Keyboard shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts (Photoshop only).
Menus or Menu Customization Saves the current set of menus.
Display or switch workspaces
❖ Select a workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
In Photoshop, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to each workspace to navigate among them quickly.
Delete a custom workspace
• Select Manage Workspaces from the workspace switcher in the Application bar, select the workspace, and then click
Delete. (The option is not available in Fireworks.)
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Delete Workspace from the workspace switcher.
• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Manage Workspaces, select the workspace, and then click the Delete
icon.
• (Photoshop, InDesign) Choose Window > Workspace >Delete Workspace, select the workspace, and then click
Delete.
Restore the default workspace
1 Select the Default or Essentials workspace from the workspace switcher in the application bar. For Fireworks, see
the article http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/workspace_manager_panel.html.
Note: In Dreamweaver, Designer is the default workspace.
2 For Fireworks (Windows), delete these folders:Windows
Vista\\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Fireworks CS4\ Windows XP\\Documents and
Settings\\Application Data\Adobe\Fireworks CS4
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3 (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Window > Workspace > Reset [Workspace Name].
(Photoshop) Restore a saved workspace arrangement
In Photoshop, workspaces automatically appear as you last arranged them, but you can restore the original, saved
arrangement of panels.
• To restore an individual workspace, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Workspace Name.
• To restore all the workspaces installed with Photoshop, click Restore Default Workspaces in the Interface
preferences.
To rearrange the order of workspaces in the application bar, drag them.
About view modes
You can change the visibility of the document window using the Mode buttons at the bottom of the toolbox or by
choosing commands from the View > Screen Mode menu. When the toolbox is displayed in a single column, you can
select view modes by clicking the current mode button and selecting a different mode from the menu that appears.
Normal Mode
Displays artwork in a standard window with all visible grids and guides showing, non-printing objects showing, and a
white pasteboard.
Preview Mode
Displays artwork as if it were output, with all non-printing elements suppressed (grids, guides, non-printing objects),
and the pasteboard set to the preview background color defined in Preferences.
Bleed Mode
Displays artwork as if it were output, with all non-printing elements suppressed (grids, guides, non-printing objects),
the pasteboard set to the preview background color defined in Preferences, and any printing elements within the
document's bleed area (defined in Document Setup) showing.
Slug Mode
Displays artwork as if it were output, with all non-printing elements suppressed (grids, guides, non-printing objects),
the pasteboard set to the preview background color defined in Preferences, and any printing elements within the
document's slug area (defined inDocument Setup) showing.
Presentation Mode
Displays artwork as if it were a slideshow presentation, with no menus, panels, or tools displayed. See Use Presentation
Mode.
Using the status bar
The status bar (at the lower left of a document window) shows information about the status of a file and lets you turn
to a different page. Click the status bar menu to do any of the following:
• Show the current file in the file system by choosing Reveal In Explorer (Windows®) or Reveal In Finder (Mac OS®).
• Show the current file in Adobe® Bridge® by choosing Reveal in Bridge.
• Show the current file in Adobe Mini Bridge by choosing Reveal in Mini Bridge.
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In Mac OS, you can display the zoom percentage in the status bar by hiding the application bar (Window > Application
Bar). In Windows, you cannot hide the application bar.
Control panel overview
The Control panel (Window > Control) offers quick access to options, commands, and other panels related to the
current page item or objects you select. By default, the Control panel is docked to the top of the document window;
however, you can dock it to the bottom of the window, convert it to a floating panel, or hide it altogether.
Options displayed in the Control panel vary depending on the type of object you select:
• When you select a frame, the Control panel displays options for resizing, repositioning, skewing, and rotating the
frame, or applying an object style.
• When you select text inside a frame, the Control panel displays either character or paragraph options. Click the
paragraph and character icons on the left side of the Control panel to determine whether paragraph or character
options are displayed. If your monitor size and resolution allows, the Control panel displays additional options. For
example, if the character icon is selected, all the character options are displayed, and some paragraph options appear
on the right of the Control panel. If you click the paragraph icon, all paragraph options are displayed, and some
character options appear on the right.
• When you select a table cell, the Control panel displays options for adjusting row and column dimensions, merging
cells, aligning text, and adding strokes.
As the options in the Control panel change, you can get more information about each option by using tool tips—pop-up
descriptions that appear when you hover over an icon or option label with the pointer.
Control panel with tool tip displayed
Control panel menu
To open dialog boxes associated with Control panel icons, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) as you click
a Control panel icon. For example, when a frame is selected, hold down Alt or Option and click the Rotation Angle icon
to open the Rotate dialog box.
Display the panel menu
❖ Click the icon
to the right of the Control panel.
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Dock or float the Control panel
❖ Do one of the following:
• Drag the vertical bar on the left side of the Control panel until the toolbar is docked to the top or bottom of the
application window (Windows) or screen (Mac OS).
• Choose Dock At Top, Dock At Bottom, or Float from the Control panel menu.
Customize the Control panel
1 Choose Customize from the Control panel menu locatedd on the right side of the Control panel.
2 Specify options that you want to display or hide, and then click OK.
About the Navigator panel
If you’re familiar with previous versions of InDesign, you may wonder why you can’t find the Navigator panel. The
Navigator panel does not appear in InDesign CS5. The Power Zoom feature effectively replaces the Navigator panel.
See Use power zoom.
Use context menus
Unlike the menus that appear at the top of your screen, context-sensitive menus display commands related to the active
tool or selection. You can use context menus as a quick way to choose commonly used commands.
1 Position the pointer over the document, object, or panel.
2 Click the right mouse button.
Note: (Mac OS) If you don’t have a two-button mouse, you can display a context menu by pressing the Control key as you
click with the mouse.
Change Interface preferences
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS).
2 Choose the settings you want to specify, and click OK.
Tool Tips Tool tips appear when you hold the mouse pointer over interface items such as tools in the toolbar and
options in the Control panel. Choose None to turn off tool tips.
Show Thumbnails On Place When you place a graphic, a thumbnail of the image appears in the loaded graphics cursor.
Similarly, a thumbnail of the first few lines of text appears in the loaded text cursor. Deselect this option if you don’t
want thumbnails to appear when placing graphics or text.
Show Transformation Values When you’re creating, sizing, or rotating an object, the cursor displays the [x,y]
coordinates, width and height, or rotation information.
Enable Multi-Touch Gestures Select this option to allow Windows and Mac OS multi-touch mouse gestures to work in
InDesign. For example, when you use the Magic Mouse in Mac OS, the swipe gesture scrolls up or down or moves to
the previous or next page or spread, and the rotate gesture rotates the spread.
Highlight Object Under Selection Tool Select this option to highlight the frame edges of objects when the direct
selection tool is moved over it.
Floating Tools Panel Specify whether the toolbar appears as a single column, double column, or single row.
Auto-Collapse Icon Panels When this option is selected, clicking the document window closes the open panel
automatically.
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Auto-Show Hidden Panels When you hide panels by pressing Tab, holding the mouse pointer over the side of the
document window temporarily reveals the panels if this option is selected. If this option is not selected, you must press
Tab again to display panels.
Open Documents As Tabs When this option is deselected, documents you create or open appear as floating windows
rather than tabbed windows.
Enable Floating Document Window Docking If this option is selected, you can dock floating documents with each
other as tabbed windows. If this option is deselected, floating document windows aren’t docked with other document
windows, unless you hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while dragging.
Hand Tool To control whether to greek text and images when you scroll a document, drag the Hand Tool slider to the
desired level of performance versus quality.
Live Screen Drawing Select an option to determine whether the image redraws as you drag an object. If Immediate is
selected, the image redraws while you drag. If Never is selected, dragging an image moves only the frame, and then
image is moved when you release the mouse button. If Delayed is selected, the image redraws only if you pause before
dragging. Delayed offers the same behavior as in InDesign CS4.
More Help topics
Using Adobe Bridge with InDesign
Adobe Version Cue
Keys for the Control panel
Default keyboard shortcuts
Adobe InDesign CS5 provides shortcuts to help you quickly work in documents without using the mouse. Many
keyboard shortcuts appear next to the command names in menus. You can use the default InDesign shortcut set, the
QuarkXPress 4.0 or Adobe PageMaker 7.0 shortcut set, or a shortcut set that you create. You can share shortcut shortcut
sets with others using InDesign on the same platform.
InDesign provides shortcuts to help you quickly work in documents without using the mouse. Many keyboard
shortcuts appear next to the command names in menus. You can use the default InDesign shortcut set or a shortcut set
that you create. You can share shortcut sets with others using InDesign on the same platform.
Keys for tools
You can generate a list of the current keyboard set by choosing Show Set in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box. This
option is especially useful for printing a copy of your custom shortcuts.
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Choose Window > Utilities > Tool Hints, and then select a tool to view its shortcuts and modifier keys.
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Tool
Windows
Mac OS
Selection tool
V, Esc
V, Esc
Direct Selection tool
A
A
Toggle Selection and Direct Selection tool
Ctrl+Tab
Command+Control+Tab
Page tool
Shift+P
Shift+P
Gap tool
U
U
Pen tool
P
P
Add Anchor Point tool
=
=
Add Anchor Point tool
=
= (on the numeric pad)
Delete Anchor Point tool
-
-
Delete Anchor Point tool
-
Convert Direction Point tool
Shift+C
Shift+C
Type tool
T
T
Type On A Path tool
Shift+T
Shift+T
Pencil tool (Note tool)
N
N
Line tool
\
\
Rectangle Frame tool
F
F
Rectangle tool
M
M
Ellipse tool
L
L
Rotate tool
R
R
Scale tool
S
S
Shear tool
O
O
Free Transform tool
E
E
Eyedropper tool
I
I
Measure tool
K
K
Gradient tool
G
G
Scissors tool
C
C
Hand tool
H
H
Temporarily selects Hand tool
Spacebar (Layout mode), Alt (Text mode), or
Alt+Spacebar (both)
Spacebar (Layout mode), Option (Text mode),
or Option+Spacebar (both)
Zoom tool
Z
Z
Temporarily selects Zoom In tool
Ctrl+Spacebar
Command+Spacebar
Toggle Fill and Stroke
X
X
Swap Fill and Stroke
Shift+X
Shift+X
Toggle between Formatting Affects Container J
and Formatting Affects Text
J
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Tool
Windows
Mac OS
Apply Color
, [comma]
, [comma]
Apply Gradient
. [period]
. [period]
Apply No Color
/
/
Switch between Normal View and Preview
Mode
W
W
Frame Grid tool (horizontal)
Y
Y
Frame Grid tool (vertical)
Q
Q
Gradient Feather tool
Shift+G
Shift+G
Keys for selecting and moving objects
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Temporarily select Selection or Direct
Selection tool (last used)
Any tool (except selection tools)+Ctrl
Any tool (except selection tools)+ Command
Temporarily select Group Selection tool
Direct Selection tool+Alt; or Pen, Add Anchor
Point, or Delete Anchor Point tool+Alt+Ctrl
Direct Selection tool+Option; or Pen, Add
Anchor Point, or Delete Anchor Point
tool+Option+Command
Select container of selected content
Esc or double-click
Esc or double-click
Select content of selected container
Shift+Esc or double-click
Shift+Esc or double-click
Add to or subtract from a selection of multiple Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection
tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click center
tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click center
objects
point)
point)
Duplicate selection
Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection
tool+ Option–drag*
tool+Alt–drag*
Duplicate and offset selection
Alt+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, or
Down Arrow key
Option+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, or
Down Arrow key
Duplicate and offset selection by 10 times**
Alt+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow,
Down Arrow key
Option+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up
Arrow, Down Arrow key
Move selection**
Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down
Arrow key
Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down
Arrow key
Move selection by 10th**
Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow,
Down arrow key
Command+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up
Arrow, Down arrow key
Move selection by 10 times**
Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow,
Down Arrow key
Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow,
Down Arrow key
Select master page item from document page Selection or Direct Selection tool+Ctrl+Shift–
click
Selection or Direct Selection tool+
Command+Shift–click
Select next object behind or in front
Selection tool+Command–click or Selection
tool+Option+ Command–click
Selection tool+Ctrl–click, or Selection
tool+Alt+Ctrl–click
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Result
Windows
Mac OS
Select next or previous frame in story
Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/ Alt+Ctrl+Page Up
Option+Command+Page Down/
Option+Command+Page Up
Select first or last frame in story
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Up
Shift+Option+Command+Page Down/
Shift+Option+Command+Page Up
*Press Shift to constrain movement to 45°
angles.
**Amount is set in Edit > Preferences > Units &
Increments (Windows) or InDesign >
Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).
Keys for transforming objects
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Duplicate and transform selection
Transformation tool+Alt–drag*
Transformation tool+Option–drag*
Display Transform tool dialog box
Select object+double-click Scale tool, Rotate
tool, or Shear tool in Toolbox
Select object+double-click Scale tool, Rotate
tool, or Shear tool in Toolbox
Decrease scale by 1%
Ctrl+,
Command+,
Decrease scale by 5%
Ctrl+Alt+,
Command+Option+,
Increase scale by 1%
Ctrl+.
Command+.
Increase scale by 5%
Ctrl+Alt+.
Command+Option+.
Resize frame and content
Selection tool+Ctrl–drag
Selection tool+Command–drag
Resize frame and content proportionately
Selection tool+Shift+Ctrl–drag
Selection tool+Shift+Command–drag
Constrain proportion
Ellipse tool, Polygon tool, or Rectangle
tool+Shift–drag
Ellipse tool, Polygon tool, or Rectangle
tool+Shift–drag
Switch image from High Quality Display to
Fast Display
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z
Command+Option+Shift+Z
*After you select a transformation tool, hold
down the mouse button, and then hold down
Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag.
Press Shift to constrain movement to 45°
angles.
Keys for editing paths and frames
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Temporarily select Convert Direction Point
tool
Direct Selection tool+Alt+Ctrl, or Pen tool+Alt Direct Selection tool+Option+ Command, or
Pen tool+Option
Temporarily switch between Add Anchor
Point and Delete Anchor Point tool
Alt
Option
Temporarily select Add Anchor Point tool
Scissors tool+Alt
Scissors tool+Option
Keep Pen tool selected when pointer is over
path or anchor point
Pen tool+Shift
Pen tool+Shift
Move anchor point and handles while
drawing
Pen tool+spacebar
Pen tool+spacebar
Display the Stroke panel
F10
Command+F10
Keys for tables
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Insert or delete rows or columns while
dragging
Begin dragging row or column border, and
then hold down Alt as you drag
Begin dragging row or column border, and
then hold down Option as you drag
Resize rows or columns without changing the Shift–drag interior row or column border
size of the table
Shift–drag interior row or column border
Resize rows or columns proportionally
Shift–drag right or bottom table border
Shift–drag right or bottom table border
Move to next/previous cell
Tab/Shift+Tab
Tab/Shift+Tab
Move to first/last cell in column
Alt+Page Up/ Alt+Page Down
Option+Page Up/ Option+Page Down
Move to first/last cell in row
Alt+Home/ Alt+End
Option+Home/ Option+End
Move to first/last row in frame
Page Up/Page Down
Page Up/Page Down
Move up/down one cell
Up Arrow/Down Arrow
Up Arrow/Down Arrow
Move left/right one cell
Left Arrow/Right Arrow
Left Arrow/Right Arrow
Select cell above/below the current cell
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Select cell to the right/left of the current cell
Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow
Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow
Start row on next column
Enter (numeric keypad)
Enter (numeric keypad)
Start row on next frame
Shift+Enter (numeric keypad)
Shift+Enter (numeric keypad)
Toggle between text selection and cell
selection
Esc
Esc
Keys for finding and changing text
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Insert selected text into Find What box
Ctrl+F1
Command+F1
Insert selected text into Find What box and
finds next
Shift+F1
Shift+F1
Find next occurrence of Find What text
Shift+F2 or Alt+Ctrl+F
Shift+F2 or Option+Command+F
Insert selected text into Change To box
Ctrl+F2
Command+F2
Replace selection with Change To text
Ctrl+F3
Command+F3
Keys for working with type
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Bold (only for fonts with bold face)
Shift+Ctrl+B
Shift+Command+B
Italic (only for fonts with italic face)
Shift+Ctrl+I
Shift+Command+I
Normal
Shift+Ctrl+Y
Shift+Command+Y
Underline
Shift+Ctrl+U
Shift+Command+U
Strikethrough
Shift+Ctrl+/
Control+Shift+Command+/
All caps (on/off)
Shift+Ctrl+K
Shift+Command+K
Asian language hyphenation
Shift+Ctrl+K
Shift+Command+K
Small caps (on/off)
Shift+Ctrl+H
Shift+Command+H
Tate-chu-yoko setting
Shift+Ctrl+H
Shift+Command+H
Superscript
Shift+Ctrl+(+) [plus sign]
Shift+Command+(+) [plus sign]
Subscript
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+(+) [plus sign]
Shift+Option+Command+(+) [plus sign]
Reset horizontal or vertical scale to 100%
Shift+Ctrl+X or Shift+Alt+Ctrl+X
Shift+Command+X or
Shift+Option+Command+X
Basic letter group setting or detail setting
Shift+Ctrl+X or Shift+Alt+Ctrl+X
Shift+Command+X or
Shift+Option+Command+X
Align left, right, or center
Shift+Ctrl+L, R, or C
Shift+Command+L, R, or C
Justify all lines
Shift+Ctrl+F (all lines) or J (all but last line)
Shift+Command+F (all lines) or J (all but last
line)
Align both ends or equal spacing
Shift+Ctrl+F (align both end) or J (equal
spacing)
Shift+Command+F (align both ends) or J
(equal spacing)
Increase or decrease point size*
Shift+Ctrl+> or <
Shift+Command+> or <
Increase or decrease point size by five times*
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+> or <
Shift+Command+ Option+> or <
Increase or decrease leading (horizontal text)* Alt+Up Arrow/ Alt+Down Arrow
Option+Up Arrow/ Option+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease leading (vertical text)*
Alt+Right Arrow/ Alt+Left Arrow
Option+Right Arrow/ Option+Left Arrow
Increase or decrease leading by five times
(horizontal text)*
Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow
Option+Command+Up Arrow/
Option+Command+Down Arrow
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Increase or decrease leading by five times
(vertical text)*
Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow
Option+Command+Right Arrow/
Option+Command+Left Arrow
Auto leading
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+A
Shift+Option+Command+A
Align to grid (on/off )
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+G
Shift+Option+Command+G
Auto-hyphenate (on/off )
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+H
Shift+Option+Command+H
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking
(horizontal text)
Alt+Left Arrow/Alt+Right Arrow
Option+Left Arrow/ Option+Right Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking
(vertical text)
Alt+Up Arrow/ Alt+Down Arrow
Option+Up Arrow/ Option+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by
five times (horizontal text)
Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow
Option+Command+Left Arrow/
Option+Command+Right Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by
five times (vertical text)
Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow
Option+Command+Up Arrow/
Option+Command+Down Arrow
Increase kerning between words*
Alt+Ctrl+\
Option+Command+\
Decrease kerning between words*
Alt+Ctrl+Backspace
Option+Command+Delete
Clear all manual kerning and reset tracking to Alt+Ctrl+Q
0
Option+Command+Q
Increase or decrease baseline shift**
(horizontal text)
Shift+Alt+Up Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Down Arrow
Shift+Option+Up Arrow/ hift+Option+Down
Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift** (vertical
text)
Shift+Alt+Right Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Left Arrow
Shift+Option+Right Arrow/
Shift+Option+Left Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift by five
times (horizontal text)
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow
Shift+Option+Command+Up Arrow/
Shift+Option+Command+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift by five
times (vertical text)
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow/
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow
Shift+Option+Command+Right Arrow/
hift+Option+Command+Left Arrow
Automatically flow story
Shift–click loaded text icon
Shift–click loaded text icon
Semi-automatically flow story
Alt–click loaded text icon
Option–click loaded text icon
Recompose all stories
Alt+Ctrl+/
Option+Command+/
Insert current page number
Alt+Ctrl+N
Option+Command+N
*Press Shift to increase or decrease kerning
between words by five times.
**Amount is set in Edit > Preferences > Units &
Increments (Windows) or InDesign >
Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).
Keys for navigating through and selecting text
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows Action
Mac OS Action
Move to right or left one character
Right Arrow/ Left Arrow
Right Arrow/ Left Arrow
Move up or down one line
Up Arrow/ Down Arrow
Up Arrow/ Down Arrow
Move to right or left one word
Ctrl+Right Arrow/ Ctrl+Left Arrow
Command+Right Arrow/ Command+Left
Arrow
Move to start or end of line
Home/End
Home/End
Move to previous or next paragraph
Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Ctrl+Down Arrow
Command+Up Arrow/ Command+Down
Arrow
Move to start or end of story
Ctrl+Home/ Ctrl+End
Command+Home/ Command+End
Select one word
Double-click word
Double-click word
Select one character right or left
Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow
Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow
Select one line above or below
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Select start or end of line
Shift+Home/ Shift+End
Shift+Home/ Shift+End
Select one paragraph
Triple-click or quadruple-click paragraph,
depending on Text Preferences setting
Triple-click or quadruple-click paragraph,
depending on Text Preferences setting
Select one paragraph before or after
Shift+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Shift+Ctrl+Down Arrow Shift+Command+Up Arrow/
Shift+Command+Down Arrow
Select current line
Shift+Ctrl+\
Shift+Command+\
Select characters from insertion point
Shift–click
Shift–click
Select start or end of story
Shift+Ctrl+Home/ Shift+Ctrl+End
Shift+Command+Home/
Shift+Command+End
Select all in story
Ctrl+A
Command+A
Select first/last frame
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Up/ Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Shift+Option+ Command+Page Up/
Shift+Option+ Command+Page Down
Down
Select previous/next frame
Alt+Ctrl+Page Up/ Alt+Ctrl+Page Down
Option+Command+Page Up/
Option+Command+Page Down
Delete word in front of insertion point (Story
Editor)
Ctrl+Backspace or Delete
Command+Delete or Del (numeric keypad)
Update missing font list
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+/
Command+Option+Shift+/
Keys for viewing documents and document workspaces
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Temporarily select Hand tool
Spacebar (with no text insertion point), Altdrag (with text insertion point), or
Alt+spacebar (in both text and non-text
modes)
Spacebar (with no text insertion point),
Option–drag (with text insertion point), or
Option+spacebar (in both text and nontext
modes)
Temporarily select Zoom In tool
Ctrl+spacebar
Command+spacebar
Temporarily select Zoom Out tool
Alt+Ctrl+spacebar or Alt+Zoom In tool
Option+Command+spacebar or
Option+Zoom Intool
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Zoom to 50%, 200%, or 400%
Ctrl+5, 2, or 4
Command+5, 2, or 4
Redraw screen
Shift+F5
Shift+F5
Open new default document
Ctrl+Alt+N
Command+Option+N
Switch between current and previous zoom
levels
Alt+Ctrl+2
Option+Command+2
Switch to next/previous document window
Ctrl+~ [tilde]/ Shift+Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+~
[tilde]
Command+F6 or Command+~ [tilde]/
Command+Shift+~ [tilde]
Scroll up/down one screen
Page Up/Page Down
Page Up/Page Down
Go back/forward to last-viewed page
Ctrl+Page Up/ Ctrl+Page Down
Command+Page Up/ Command+Page Down
Go to previous/next spread
Alt+Page Up/ Alt+Page Down
Option+Page Up/ Option+Page Down
Fit spread in window
Double-click Hand tool
Double-click Hand tool
Activate the Go To command
Ctrl+J
Command+J
Fit selection in window
Ctrl+Alt+(+) [plus sign]
Command+Option+(+) [plus sign]
Display the entire object
Ctrl+Alt+(+) [plus sign]
Command+Option+(+) [plus sign]
Go to master page while \ panel is closed
Ctrl+J, type prefix of master, press Enter
Command+J, type prefix of master, press
Return
Cycle through units of measurement
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+U
Shift+Option+Command+U
Snap guide to ruler increments
Shift–drag guide
Shift–drag guide
Switch between page and spread guides
(creation only)
Ctrl–drag guide
Command–drag guide
Temporarily turn on/off snap to
Control-drag object
Create vertical and horizontal ruler guides for Ctrl–drag from zero point
the spread
Command–drag from zero point
Select all guides
Alt+Ctrl+G
Option+Command+G
Lock or unlock zero point
Right-click zero point and choose an option
Control–click zero point and choose an option
Use current magnification for view threshold
of new guide
Alt–drag guide
Option–drag guide
Select buttons in alert dialog boxes
Press first letter of button name, if underlined Press first letter of button name
Show information on installed plug-ins and
InDesign components
Ctrl+Help > About Design
Command+InDesign menu > About InDesign
Keys for working with XML
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
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44
Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Expand/Collapse element
Right Arrow/Left Arrow
Right Arrow/Left Arrow
Expand/Collapse element and child elements Alt+Right Arrow/ Alt+Left Arrow
Option+Right Arrow/ Option+Left Arrow
Extend XML selection up/down
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Move XML selection up/down
Up Arrow/ Down Arrow
Up Arrow/ Down Arrow
Scroll structure pane up/down one screen
Page Up/ Page Down
Page Up/ Page Down
Select first/last XML node
Home/ End
Home/ End
Extend selection to first/last XML node
Shift+Home/ Shift+End
Shift+Home/ Shift+End
Go to previous/next validation error
Ctrl+Left Arrow/ Ctrl+Right Arrow
Command+Left Arrow/ Command+Right
Arrow
Automatically tag text frames and tables
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F7
Command+Option+Shift+F7
Keys for indexing
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Create index entry without dialog box
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+[
Shift+Command+Option+[
Open index entry dialog box
Ctrl+7
Command+7
Create proper name index entry (last name,
first name)
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+]
Shift+Command+Option+]
(alphanumeric only)
Keys for panels
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Delete without confirmation
Alt-click Delete icon
Option-click Delete icon
Create item and set options
Alt-click New button
Option-click New button
Apply value and keep focus on option
Shift+Enter
Shift+Enter
Activate last-used option in last-used panel
Ctrl+Alt+~ [tilde]
Command+Option+~ [tilde]
Select range of styles, layers, links, swatches,
or library objects in a panel
Shift-click
Shift-click
Select nonadjacent styles, layers, links,
swatches, or library objects in a panel
Ctrl-click
Command-click
Apply value and select next value
Tab
Tab
Move focus to selected object, text, or
window
Esc
Esc
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Show/Hide all panels, Toolbox, and Control
panel (with no insertion point)
Tab
Tab
Show/Hide all panels except the Toolbox and
Control panel (docked or not)
Shift+Tab
Shift+Tab
Open or close all stashed panels
Ctrl+Alt+Tab
Command+Option+Tab
Stash a panel group
Alt+drag any panel tab (in the group) to edge Option+drag any panel tab (in the group) to
edge of window
of screen
Select item by name
Alt+Ctrl-click in list, and then use keyboard to Option+Command-click in list and then use
select item by name
keyboard to select item by name
Open the Drop Shadow panel
Alt+Ctrl+M
Command+Option+M
Keys for the Control panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Toggle focus to/from Control panel
Ctrl+6
Command+6
Toggle Character/Paragraph text attributes
mode
Ctrl+Alt+7
Command+Option+7
Change reference point when proxy has focus Any key on the numeric keypad or keyboard
numbers
Any key on the numeric keypad or keyboard
numbers
Display the pop-up menu that has focus
Alt+Down Arrow
Open Units & Increments Preferences
Alt-click Kerning icon
Option-click Kerning icon
Open the Text Frame Options dialog box
Alt-click Number Of Columns icon
Option-click Number of Columns icon
Open the Move dialog box
Alt-click X or Y icon
Option-click X or Y icon
Open the Rotate dialog box
Alt-click Angle icon
Option-click Angle icon
Open the Scale dialog box
Alt-click X or Y Scale icon
Option-click X or Y Scale icon
Open the Shear dialog box
Alt-click Shear icon
Option-click Shear icon
Open Text Preferences
Alt-click Superscript, Subscript, or Small Caps
button
Option-click Superscript, Subscript, or Small
Caps button
Open the Underline Options dialog box
Alt-click Underline button
Option-click Underline button
Open the Strikethrough Options dialog box
Alt-click Strikethrough button
Option-click Strikethrough button
Open the Grids Preferences
Alt-click Align To Baseline Grid, or Do Not
Align To Baseline Grid button
Option-click Align To Baseline Grid, or Do Not
Align To Baseline Grid button
Open the Drop Caps & Nested Styles dialog
box
Alt-click Drop Cap Number Of Lines, or Drop
Cap One Or More Characters icon
Option-click Drop Cap Number Of Lines, or
Drop Cap One Or More Characters icon
Open the Justification dialog box
Alt-click Leading icon
Option-click Leading icon
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Open Named Grid dialog box
Double-click Named Grid icon
Double-click Named Grid icon
Open New Named Grid Options dialog box
Alt-click Named Grid icon
Option-click Named Grid icon
Open Frame Grid Options dialog box
Alt-click Number of characters Horizontal,
Number of Characters Vertical, Character Aki,
Line Aki, Vertical Scale, Horizontal Scale, Grid
View, Font Size, Number of Columns, or
Column Gutter icon
Option-click Number of characters Horizontal,
Number of Characters Vertical, Character Aki,
Line Aki, Vertical Scale, Horizontal Scale, Grid
View, Font Size, Number of Columns, or
Column Gutter icon
Keys for type panels and dialog boxes
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Open Justification dialog box
Alt+Ctrl+Shift+J
Option+Command+Shift+J
Open Paragraph Rules dialog box
Alt+Ctrl+J
Option+Command+J
Open Keep Options dialog box
Alt+Ctrl+K
Option+Command+K
Activate Character panel
Ctrl+T
Command+T
Activate Paragraph panel
Ctrl+Alt+T
Command+Option+T
Keys for the character and paragraph styles
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Make character style definition match text
Select text and press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+C
Select text and press
Shift+Option+Command+C
Make paragraph style definition match text
Select text and press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+R
Select text and press
Shift+Option+Command+R
Change options without applying style
Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click style
Shift+Option+Command-double-click style
Remove style and local formatting
Alt-click paragraph style name
Option-click paragraph style name
Clear overrides from paragraph style
Alt+Shift-click paragraph style name
Option+Shift-click paragraph style name
Show/hide Paragraph and Character Styles
panels, respectively
F11, Shift+F11
Command+F11, Command+Shift+F11
Keys for the Tabs panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Activate Tabs panel
Shift+Ctrl+T
Shift+Command+T
Switch between alignment options
Alt-click tab
Option-click tab
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Workspace and workflow
Keys for the Layers panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Select all objects on layer
Alt-click layer
Option-click layer
Copy selection to new layer
Alt-drag small square to new layer
Option-drag small square to new layer
Add new layer below selected layer
Ctrl-click Create New Layer
Command-click Create New Layer
Add new layer to the top of the layer list
Shift+Ctrl-click Create New Layer
Shift+Command-click Create New Layer
Add new layer to the top of the layer list and
open New Layer dialog box
Shift+Alt+Ctrl-click Create New Layer
Cmd+Option+Shift-click Create New Layer
Add new layer and open New Layer dialog box Alt-click Create New Layer
Option-click Create New Layer
Keys for the Pages panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Apply master to selected page
Alt-click master
Option-click master
Base another master page on selected master Alt-click the master you want to base the
selected master on
Option-click the master you want to base the
selected master on
Create master page
Ctrl-click Create New Page button
Command-click Create New Page button
Display Insert Pages dialog box
Alt-click New Page button
Option-click New Page button
Add new page after last page
Shift+Ctrl+P
Shift+Command+P
Keys for the Color panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Move color sliders in tandem
Shift-drag slider
Shift-drag slider
Select a color for the nonactive fill or stroke
Alt-click color bar
Option-click color bar
Switch between color modes (CMYK, RGB,
LAB)
Shift-click color bar
Shift-click color bar
Keys for using the Separations Preview panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
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48
Workspace and workflow
Result
Windows Action
Mac OS Action
Turn on Overprint preview
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Y
Command+Option+Shift+Y
Show all plates
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+~ [tilde]
Command+Option+Shift+~ [tilde]
Show Cyan plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+1
Command+Option+Shift+1
Show Magenta plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+2
Command+Option+Shift+2
Show Yellow plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+3
Command+Option+Shift+3
Show Black plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+4
Command+Option+Shift+4
Show 1st Spot plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+5
Command+Option+Shift+5
Show 2nd Spot plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+6
Command+Option+Shift+6
Show 3rd Spot plate
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+7
Command+Option+Shift+7
Keys for the Swatches panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Create new swatch based on the current
swatch
Alt-click New Swatch button
Option-click New Swatch button
Create spot color swatch based on the current Alt+Ctrl-click New Swatch button
swatch
Option+Command-click New Swatch button
Change options without applying swatch
Shift+Option+Command-double-click
swatch
Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click swatch
Keys for the Transform panel
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Windows
Mac OS
Apply value and copy object
Alt+Enter
Option+Enter
Apply width, height, or scale value
proportionally
Ctrl+Enter
Command+Enter
Keys for resolving conflicts between Mac OS 10.3x and 10.4
This table isn’t a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu
commands or tool tips.
Result
Mac OS
Open Preferences dialog box
Command+K
Open Paragraph Styles panel
Command+F11
Open Character Styles panel
Command+Shift+F11
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Workspace and workflow
Result
Mac OS
Open Swatches panel
F5
Open Pages panel
Command+F12
Minimize active application window
Command+M
Hide application
Command+H
More Help topics
Use keyboard shortcut sets
Working with files and templates
Recommended workflow for InDesign documents
You can improve performance and prevent many problems by establishing a good workflow to use with Adobe
InDesign.
Maintain a clean computer system
Over time, changes occur to software and hardware that can lead to performance loss and system problems.
Defragmenting the hard disk, removing older versions of software, updating device drivers, optimizing memory,
running virus protection utilities, and performing other maintenance tasks can prevent applications and files from
becoming damaged. Performing these tasks regularly helps ensure that InDesign opens, displays, and prints documents
as expected.
Create a project folder
Before you begin a project, determine which files you’ll need and how you’ll store them. If you’ve experienced problems
with broken links, consider storing your linked files in the same folder as your document. InDesign maintains links to
files you place in a document, but if a link is broken, InDesign looks for the file in the document’s folder. Storing a
document and its linked files in the same folder makes it easy to move them from one computer to another. Storing files
in one folder also ensures that InDesign finds the original graphics when printing a document. If InDesign cannot
locate a linked graphic, it won’t reflect changes you make to the original graphic, and it may print the graphic poorly or
not at all.
If your project consists of multiple documents (for example, chapters in a book), you may find it useful to create a
project folder that contains a folder for each document and its linked files.
Consider using a template
Use a template if you frequently create similar projects. Templates let you create consistent documents more quickly
while protecting the original file. For example, if you create a monthly newsletter, your template might include ruler
guides, page numbers, the newsletter masthead, and styles you want to use in each issue. (See Use document templates
.)
Open documents locally
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Workspace and workflow
Before you open a document stored on a network volume or on removable media, copy the document and any linked
graphics to your local hard disk. The slower access time and data transfer rate of a network volume or removable media
can cause data to become lost or corrupted, possibly damaging the document. However, be aware of overriding
someone else’s work if you copy the local files back to a network server.
Solve problems before converting a file
Damaged Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXPress® files usually remain damaged when opened in InDesign. If an error or
other unexpected behavior occurs with a converted file, open the original file in the source application and
troubleshoot it for damage.
If the converted file has problems, export it to IDML format, and then open the IDML file and save it as an InDesign
document.
Save documents
Save documents frequently, and create backup copies of important files. You can clear unnecessary data from a
document by using the Save As command. When you use the Save command, InDesign appends new information to
the document but doesn’t remove outdated data, such as information about a deleted graphic. When you use the Save
As command, however, InDesign completely rewrites the document, including only information about objects and
pages currently in the document. A document that contains only necessary data occupies less hard drive space and
redraws and prints more quickly.
Practice good design habits
• Create styles in a document. Creating styles with no documents open can cause duplicate styles to appear when you
create a new document. To share styles in documents, save the styles and load them.
• Use appropriate fonts. When choosing fonts for a document, consider how you intend to format and print the text.
InDesign works well with OpenType®, Type 1 (also called PostScript), and TrueType fonts. Damaged or poorly
constructed fonts can damage an InDesign document or cause it to print with unexpected results, so use reliable
fonts created by established font vendors. If you work with a service bureau, find out its font requirements.
• Avoid using too many text frames. Use as few text frames as possible to keep the document file size smaller and the
layout easier to manipulate.
Be smart with art
• Use the appropriate graphics file format. When you create graphics for a project, consider how you plan to print the
document. If you intend to print the document at a service bureau, ask the service bureau which graphic formats
work best with the output device it uses. The service bureau can also advise you on the optimal resolution for images.
• Store graphics externally. When you import a graphic file, InDesign creates a link to the graphic by default. Linking
helps minimize the file size of the document and improves the performance of InDesign. When you print the
document, the original graphic file must be available and linked. If InDesign can’t find the original, the graphic may
print as a low resolution preview or as a gray box.
Verify links and fonts before you print
To ensure that a document prints correctly, verify that all links are intact and all fonts are available. A link becomes
broken if you delete, move, or rename the original graphic. Use the Preflight and Package features before handing off
files to a service bureau.
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Open InDesign documents
In general, you open document and template files the same way you do in other programs. When you open an InDesign
template, it opens as a new, untitled document by default. Document files use the extension .indd, template files use the
extension .indt, snippet files use the extension .idms, library files use the extension .indl, interchange files use the
extension .inx, markup files use the extension .idml, and book files use the extension .indb.
You can also use the File > Open command to open files from earlier versions of InDesign, InDesign Interchange (.inx)
files, InDesign Markup (.idml) files, Adobe PageMaker 6.0 and later, QuarkXPress 3.3 and 4.1, and QuarkXPress
Passport 4.1 files. In addition, other software vendors may make plug-in software that lets you open other file formats.
To view additional information about an InDesign document, hold down Ctrl and choose Help > About InDesign
(Windows) or hold down Command and choose InDesign > About InDesign (Mac OS).
Use the Open command
1 Choose File > Open and select one or more documents.
2 Do one of the following, and then click Open:
• Select Normal (Windows) or Open Normal (Mac OS) to open the original document or a copy of a template.
• Select Original (Windows) or Open Original (Mac OS) to open an original document or template.
• Select Copy (Windows) or Open Copy (Mac OS) to open a copy of a document or template.
3 If a warning message appears telling you that the color settings in the document are different from the color settings
in the application, select an option, and click OK.
Note: Color warning messages are off by default, but you can show warnings if you change the default settings in the
Color Settings dialog box (Edit >Color Settings.)
4 If a warning message appears telling you that the document contains missing fonts, do one of the following:
• Click OK. InDesign will automatically format the text with a substitute.
• Click Find Font to search for and list fonts used throughout your document.
For more information on finding missing fonts, see Find and change fonts.
5 If a warning message appears telling you that the document contains missing or modified links, use the Links panel
to fix the links. See Update, restore, and replace links .
Open recent document
❖ Choose File > Open Recent, and select one of the documents you saved recently.
To specify how many recent documents are displayed, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows), or
InDesign > Preferences > File Handling, and then specify a number for Number Of Recent Items To Display. The
maximum number is 30.
Choosing word lists when opening documents
When opening a document, you may see an alert message asking if you want to use the word list in the document or
an exception word list in the user dictionary. An exception word list includes words that were added to the User
Dictionary while the document was worked on. If you know which exception word list you use, click its button. If you’re
not sure, click either button, choose Edit > Spelling > Dictionary to inspect the word lists, and then, if necessary, choose
Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS) to reset the word list used
for composition. See Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries.
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Convert earlier versions of InDesign documents
❖ To convert previous versions of InDesign documents to the current version, choose File > Open and open the file.
Keep in mind the following points:
• If you used third-party plug-ins to create an earlier version of a document, check with the manufacturer to make
sure that they are installed correctly for and are compatible with InDesign CS5 before you convert the document.
• When you convert a document, you may see an alert message asking if you want to use the exception word list
in the user dictionary or the one in the document. For information about this alert message, see Choosing word
lists when opening documents .
• Library files created in earlier versions of InDesign will open and convert in InDesign CS5, even if the library is
locked. You have to specify a name and location for the converted library files; the default naming convention is
filename-X.indl.
• Previous versions of InDesign can’t open latest InDesign documents directly. For example, to open an InDesign
CS5 document in InDesign CS4, you must do two things. First, choose File > Export in InDesign CS5 to save the
document in IDML format. Second, update InDesign CS4 with special plug-ins that let you open the IDML file.
(See Save backwards to the previous InDesign version.)
If you’re experiencing problems with a document that was created in a previous version of InDesign, use the Export
dialog box in InDesign CS5 to save the document in InDesign Markup (IDML) format. Then open the IDML file and
save it as an InDesign document.
Using Adobe Bridge with InDesign
Adobe Bridge is a cross-platform application included with AdobeCreative Suite components that helps you locate,
organize, and browse the assets you need to create print, web, video, and audio content. You can start Adobe Bridge
from any Creative Suitecomponent (except Adobe Acrobat®), and use it to access both Adobe and non-Adobe asset
types.
From Adobe Bridge, you can:
• Manage image, footage, and audio files: Preview, search, sort, and process files in Adobe Bridge without opening
individual applications. You can also edit metadata for files, and use Adobe Bridge to place files into your
documents, projects, or compositions.
• View the links inside an InDesign document as thumbnails while in Adobe Bridge, without actually having to open
the InDesign document in InDesign.
• Drag assets from Adobe Bridge into the InDesign document window, or drag assets from the document window
into Adobe Bridge to create snippets. See Use snippets .
• Perform automated tasks, such as batch commands.
• Synchronize color settings across color-managed Creative Suite components.
• Start a real-time web conference to share your desktop and review documents.
Adobe Version Cue
Adobe Version Cue® and Adobe Drive are not included in Adobe Creative Suite 5, nor any future version of the Creative
Suite. Adobe continues to invest in asset management enablement through open industry standards and partnerships.
For more information, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_vc_end_en.
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Use document templates
Templates are useful starting points for standard documents because you can preset them with layout, graphics, and
text. For example, if you prepare a monthly magazine, you can create a template that contains the layout of a typical
issue, including ruler guides, grids, master pages, custom styles and swatches, placeholder frames, layers, and any
standard graphics or text. That way you can simply open the template each month and import new content.
You create a template the same way you create a regular document; the only difference occurs when you save the
document. When you prepare a template for others to use, you may want to add a layer containing instructions about
the template; hide or delete the layer before printing the document. See Layers .
Note: For Chinese versions of InDesign, you can open specially designed templates that include custom mojikumi sets.
Save a document as a template
1 Choose File > Save As, and specify a location and filename.
2 Choose InDesign CS5 Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.
Start a new document from a template
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Locate and select a template.
3 Select Normal (Windows) or Open Normal (Mac OS), and then click Open.
4 Save the new document with its own name.
Edit an existing template
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Locate and select a template.
3 Select Original (Windows) or Open Original (Mac OS), and then click Open.
Reviewing InDesign documents
Adobe offers several methods for reviewing InDesign documents.
Tracking editing changes
As you or another person edits text, InDesign highlights added text and strikes through deleted text when Track
Changes is turned on. Use the Story Editor to view changes. The document owner can go through the edits and accept
or reject changes. See Tracking and reviewing changes .
Using Acrobat to review a PDF file
You can export the InDesign document to PDF and use Adobe Acrobat to set up an e-mail review or a shared review
on Acrobat.com or another server. Reviewers can add comments using the Sticky Note tool and other markup methods.
The document owner can then go through the PDF review comments and edit the original InDesign document. For
more information, see Acrobat Help.
Using CS Review
CS Review is an online subscription service that lets you share your designs on the web so that others can provide
immediate feedback. When you create a review using the CS Review panel, you upload one or more snapshots of the
file to the Acrobat.com workspace. Reviewers can then add comments.
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When you create a review, you can divide the review into parts that offer separate areas for review commenting. A
review can consist of parts from different files and applications. As the review progresses, you can add and remove
review parts as part of a dynamic review process.
Designing calendars and business cards from templates
One way to create a calendars, business cards, resumes or CVs, and other specialized documents is to use templates.
Adobe provides several templates at the Adobe Marketplace and Exchange site:
www.adobe.com/go/exchange
Use search to locate additional resources for specialty documents.
More Help topics
Save backwards to the previous InDesign version
Add documents to a book file
Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries
Save backwards to the previous InDesign version
Plug-ins
Reusing graphics and text
Adobe Bridge
Mini Bridge
CS Review
Customize menus and keyboard shortcuts
Customize menus
Hiding and colorizing menu commands is a way to remove menu clutter and emphasize commands you frequently use.
Note that hiding menu commands simply removes the menu command from view; it doesn’t disable any features. At
any time, you can view hidden commands by selecting the Show All Menu Items command at the bottom of a menu,
or you can choose Window > Workspace > Show Full Menus to show all the menus for the selected workspace. You can
include customized menus in workspaces you save.
You can customize the main menu, context menus, and panel menus. Context menus appear when you right-click
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an area. Panel menus appear when you click the icon in the upper right of a
panel.
Note: If you select a different workspace, such as Getting Started, some menu commands are hidden. To display menu
commands, choose Show All Menu Items at the bottom of the menu, or choose a different workspace, such as Advanced.
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Create a custom menu set
1 Choose Edit > Menus.
You cannot edit the default menu set.
2 Click Save As, type the name of the menu set, and click OK.
3 From the Category menu, choose Application Menus or Context & Panel Menus to determine which menus are
customized.
4 Click the arrows to the left of the menu categories to display subcategories or menu commands. For each command
you want to customize, click the eye icon under Visibility to show or hide the command; click None under Color to
select a color from the menu.
5 Click Save, and then click OK.
Select a custom menu set
1 Choose Edit > Menus.
2 Choose the menu set from the Set menu, and then click OK.
Edit or delete a custom menu set
1 Choose Edit > Menus.
2 Choose the menu set from the Set menu, and then do one of the following:
• To edit a menu set, change the visibility or color of menu commands, click Save, and then click OK.
• To delete a menu set, click Delete and then click Yes. If you’ve modified the menu set without saving it, you’re
prompted to save the current menu set. Click Yes to save the menu set, or click No to discard changes.
Show hidden menu items
• Choose Window > Workspace > Show Full Menus. This command turns on all menus for the selected workspace.
You can hide the menus again by resetting the workspace.
• Choose Show All Menu Items at the bottom of the menu that includes hidden commands.
Holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and clicking a menu name temporarily displays any menu
commands you’ve hidden by customizing menus.
Missing menu commands
If you can’t find a menu command, it may be hidden. If you select a workspace other than Advanced, some menu
commands are hidden. It’s also possible that you or someone else used the Menus command to hide menu items.
If you can’t find a command you’re looking for, try any of these techniques:
• Choose Show All Menu Items at the bottom of the menu.
• Choose Window > Workspace > Show Full Menus.
• Choose Window > Workspace, and select a different workspace (Advanced shows all menu items).
• Choose Edit > Menus, locate the menu command, and make sure it isn’t hidden.
If menu commands are still missing, try restoring preferences.
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Use keyboard shortcut sets
Tool tips provide an instantaneous reference for shortcuts. InDesign also provides a shortcut editor in which you can
view and generate a list of all shortcuts, and edit or create your own shortcuts. The shortcut editor includes all the
commands that accept shortcuts, but some of these commands are undefined in the Default shortcut set.
You can also associate keyboard shortcuts with paragraph or character styles (see Add paragraph and character styles)
or scripts.
Mike Witherell provides a reference guide of keyboard shortcuts on Free keyboard shortcuts (English only).
Change the active shortcut set
1 If you want the shortcut set to be active for all documents, make sure that no documents are open.
2 Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
3 Select a shortcut set in the Set menu. For example, select Shortcuts for QuarkXPress® 4.0.
4 Click OK.
View shortcuts
1 Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
2 For Set, select a shortcut set.
3 For Product Area, select the area containing the commands you want to view.
4 From Commands, select a command. The shortcut is displayed in the Current Shortcut section.
Generate a list of shortcuts for printing
1 Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
2 For Set, select a shortcut set.
3 Click Show Set.
A text file opens with all current and undefined shortcuts for that set.
Create a new shortcut set
1 Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
2 Click New Set.
3 Type a name for the new set, select a shortcut set in the Based On Set menu, and click OK.
Create or redefine a shortcut
1 Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
2 For Set, select a shortcut set or click New Set to create a new shortcut set.
Note: You cannot edit the Default or the QuarkXPress shortcut sets. Instead, create a new set based on one of these sets,
and then edit the new set.
3 For Product Area, select the area containing the command you want to define or redefine.
4 In the Commands list, select the command that you want to define or redefine.
5 In the New Shortcut box, press the keys for your new keyboard shortcut. If the key sequence is currently being used
for another command, InDesign displays that command under Current Shortcuts. You can choose to change the
original shortcut also, or try another shortcut.
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Note: Do not assign single-key shortcuts to menu commands, because they interfere with the typing of text. If an
insertion point is active when you type a single-key shortcut, InDesign actives the keyboard shortcut instead of inserting
the character in the text.
6 In the Context list, select the context in which you want the keyboard shortcut to function. The context ensures that
the shortcut performs the way you intended. For example, you can assign Ctrl+G to merge table cells (Table context)
and Ctrl+G to insert special characters (Text context).
Note: Assign shortcuts in the Default context when you want them to function regardless of the current state of the
document. Shortcuts you assign in other contexts, such as Table or Text, override shortcuts assigned in the Default
context.
7 Do one of the following:
• Click Assign to create a new shortcut where none currently exists.
• Click Assign to add another shortcut to a command. Menu commands can have multiple keyboard shortcuts.
8 Click OK to close the dialog box, or click Save to keep the dialog box open while you enter more shortcuts.
Copying keyboard shortcut sets
Keyboard shortcut sets (*.indk) are saved in two locations. The application preset shortcuts appear in the Presets folder
in the main application folder. The shortcut sets you create appear in the Shortcut Sets folder in the following locations:
Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\[version]\[language]InDesign
Shortcut Sets
Windows Vista and Windows 7
Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\InDesign Shortcut Sets
Mac OS Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/[version]/[language]/InDesign Shortcut Sets
If you created a keyboard shortcut set on one computer and want to use it on a different computer, copy the *.indk file
to the same location on the other computer.
You can move a keyboard set from the custom location to the application folder. Doing so makes the custom shortcuts
available to all the users sharing a computer. However, make sure that you do not have two sets with the same name,
one in each place. Make sure that the application keyboard sets and the custom sets have different names.
More Help topics
Save a custom workspace
Save a custom workspace
Restore all preferences and default settings
Default keyboard shortcuts
Scripting
Recovery and undo
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Recover documents
InDesign guards your data against unexpected power or system failures using an automatic recovery feature.
Automatically recovered data exists in a temporary file that is separate from the original document file on disk. Under
normal circumstances you don’t need to think about automatically recovered data, because any document updates
stored in the automatic recovery file are automatically added to the original document file when you choose the Save
or Save As command or exit from InDesign normally. Automatically recovered data is important only if you’re unable
to save successfully before an unexpected power or system failure.
Even though these features exist, you should save your files often and create backup files in case of unexpected power
or system failures.
Find recovered documents
1 Restart your computer.
2 Start InDesign.
If automatically recovered data exists, InDesign automatically displays the recovered document. The word
[Recovered] appears after the filename in the title bar of the document window to indicate that the document
contains unsaved changes that were automatically recovered.
Note: If InDesign fails after attempting to open a document using automatically recovered changes, the automatically
recovered data may be corrupted.
3 Do one of the following:
• To save the recovered data, choose File >Save As, specify a location and a new filename, and click Save. The Save
As command keeps the recovered version that includes the automatically recovered data; the word [Recovered]
disappears from the title bar.
• To discard automatically recovered changes and use the most recent version of the document that was explicitly
saved to disk before the failure occurred, close the file without saving it and open the file on disk, or choose File
> Revert.
Change the location of recovered documents
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).
2 Under Document Recovery Data, click Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
3 Specify the new location for the recovered document, click Select (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS), and then click
OK.
Undo mistakes
If necessary, you can cancel a lengthy operation before it’s completed, undo recent changes, or revert to a previously
saved version. You can undo or redo up to several hundred of the most recent actions (the amount is limited by the
amount of RAM available and the kinds of actions you performed). The series of actions is discarded when you choose
the Save As command, close a document, or when you exit from the program.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To undo the most recent change, choose Edit > Undo [action]. (You cannot undo certain actions, such as
scrolling.)
• To redo an action, choose Edit > Redo [action].
• To undo all changes made since the last time you saved the project, choose File > Revert (InDesign) or File >
Revert Content (InCopy).
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• To close a dialog box without applying changes, click Cancel.
Converting QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
Open QuarkXPress files in InDesign
InDesign can convert document and template files from QuarkXPress 3.3 or 4.1x. InDesign can also convert document
and template files from multi-language QuarkXPress Passport 4.1x files, so there is no longer any need to save these
files as single-language files first. (To convert documents created with QuarkXPress 5.0 or later, reopen the documents
in QuarkXPress and save them in 4.0 format.)
For more information, see the QuarkXPress Conversion Guide (PDF) at www.adobe.com/go/learn_quarkconv.
Open a QuarkXPress document or template
1 Make sure that the original application file is closed.
2 To ensure that all links are maintained, copy all linked files to the same QuarkXPress document folder.
3 In InDesign, choose File > Open.
4 In Windows, choose QuarkXPress (3.3-4.1x) or QuarkXPress Passport (4.1x) from the Files Of Type menu.
5 Select a file and click Open.
Note: If InDesign cannot convert a file or a specific part of a file, it displays a warning describing the reasons it cannot
convert it and the results of the conversion.
6 If a warning dialog box appears, do one of the following:
• Click Save to save a copy of the warnings as a text file, and then open the file in InDesign.
• Click Close to close the dialog box and open the file in InDesign.
7 To more accurately convert text wrap applied in QuarkXPress, do the following in InDesign:
• Select Text Wrap Only Affects Objects Beneath in the Composition area of the Preferences dialog box.
• Assign the Adobe Single-Line Composer in the Paragraph panel menu to one or more paragraphs.
If you’re experiencing problems with the converted QuarkXPress document, use the Export dialog box to save the
document in InDesign Markup (IDML) format. Then open the IDML file and save it as an InDesign document.
Save a QuarkXPress template as an InDesign template
1 Open the template in InDesign.
2 Choose File > Save As and specify a location and filename.
3 Choose InDesign Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.
What gets converted from QuarkXPress
When you open a QuarkXPress file, InDesign converts the original file information to native InDesign information:
• Text boxes are converted to InDesign text frames.
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To accurately convert text wrap applied in QuarkXPress, select Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath in the
Composition area of the Preferences dialog box.
• Styles are converted to InDesign styles.
• Because QuarkXPress uses different color profiles, they are ignored in InDesign.
• Text and graphics links are preserved and appear in the Links panel.
Note: Embedded graphics—those added to the original document using the Paste command—are not converted. For more
information on embedded graphics, see About links and embedded graphics.
InDesign does not support OLE or Quark XTensions. Consequently, when you open files that contain OLE or Quark
XTensions graphics, those graphics will not appear in the InDesign document. If your QuarkXPress document does not
convert, check the original and remove any objects that were created by an XTension; then save, and try to convert again.
• All master pages and layers are converted to InDesign masters and layers.
• All master-page objects, as well as QuarkXPress guides, are placed on the corresponding InDesign master pages.
• Grouped objects remain grouped except where nonprinting items are included in a group.
• All strokes and lines (including paragraph rules) are converted to the stroke styles they most closely resemble.
Custom strokes and dashes are converted to custom strokes and dashes in InDesign.
Colors are converted exactly to InDesign colors, except in the following situations:
• Multi-ink colors from QuarkXPress are mapped to mixed inks in InDesign, unless the multi-ink color does not
contain at least one spot color. In this case, the multi-ink color is converted to a process color instead.
• QuarkXPress 4.1 colors from the color library are converted based on their CMYK values.
• QuarkXPress 3.3 HSB colors are converted to RGB, and colors from the color library are converted based on their
CMYK values.
• QuarkXPress 4.1 HSB and LAB colors are converted to RGB, and colors from the color library are converted based
on their RGB/CMYK values.
For information about other conversion issues, check the support documents on the Adobe website at
www.adobe.com/support.
Convert PageMaker documents
InDesign can convert document and template files from Adobe PageMaker 6.0 and later. When you open a PageMaker
file, InDesign converts the original file information to native InDesign information. InDesign files are saved with an
.indd filename extension.
For more information, see the PageMaker Conversion Guide (PDF) at www.adobe.com/go/learn_pmconv.
Before opening the document in InDesign, you may want to do the following:
• If the PageMaker file or its linked graphics are located on a network server, floppy disk, or removable drive, it may
not open as expected if an interruption in data transfer occurs. To prevent data transfer problems, copy documents
and their links to the hard disk, preferably in the same folder where the PageMaker publication is stored, before
opening them in InDesign.
• You may want to use Save As in PageMaker to clear unnecessary hidden data.
• To ensure that all links are maintained, copy all linked files to the same folder where the PageMaker publication is
stored.
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• Make sure that all necessary fonts are available in InDesign.
• Repair broken graphics links in the PageMaker publication.
• If you have a problem converting a large PageMaker document, convert portions of the PageMaker file separately to
isolate the problem.
If you cannot open a corrupt PageMaker document in PageMaker, try opening it in InDesign. InDesign can recover most
documents that PageMaker cannot open.
Open a PageMaker document or template
1 Make sure that the original application file is closed.
2 In InDesign, choose File > Open.
3 In Windows, choose PageMaker (6.0-7.0) in the Files of Type menu.
4 Select a file and click Open.
Note: If InDesign cannot convert a file or a specific part of a file, it displays a warning describing the reasons it cannot
convert it and the results of the conversion attempt.
5 If a warning dialog box appears, do one of the following:
• Click Save to save a copy of the warnings as a text file, and then open the file in InDesign.
• Click Close to open the file in InDesign without saving the text file.
If you’re experiencing problems with the converted PageMaker document, use the Export dialog box to save the
document in InDesign Markup (IDML) format. Then open the IDML file and save it as an InDesign document.
Save a PageMaker template as an InDesign template
1 Open the template in InDesign.
2 Choose File > Save As and specify a location and filename.
3 Choose InDesign Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.
Common PageMaker conversion issues
Note the following:
• All master pages and layers are converted to InDesign masters and layers. Master pages in PageMaker convert to
master pages in InDesign and retain all objects including page numbering and guides. To maintain the order of
overlapping items, InDesign creates two layers when converting a PageMaker publication: Default and Master
Default. Master Default contains the Master page items.
• PageMaker document guides are placed on the Default layer in InDesign.
• All items on the PageMaker pasteboard appear on the pasteboard of the first spread in the InDesign document.
• All objects designated in PageMaker as Non-Printing are converted with Nonprinting selected in the InDesign
Attributes panel.
• Grouped objects remain grouped except where nonprinting items are included in a group.
Text and tables conversion issues
Note the following:
• Text is converted to InDesign text frames.
• Tables in PageMaker files are converted to InDesign tables.
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• Styles are converted to InDesign styles. The [No style] in PageMaker is the equivalent of [No Paragraph Style] in
InDesign. However, [No Paragraph Style] picks up the attributes of a named style if that style was selected before
any typing occurred in the PageMaker publication.
• InDesign uses the Adobe Paragraph Composer for all paragraphs, causing some text to reflow. You can assign the
Adobe Single-Line Composer to one or more paragraphs to create line breaks more similarly to the PageMaker
composition engine, but text may still reflow.
• InDesign uses only Baseline leading. Proportional and Top of Caps leading in PageMaker convert to Baseline
leading in InDesign, possibly resulting in text shifting.
• The First Baseline of converted text may appear different than text created in InDesign. The First Baseline of
converted text is set to Leading, but the First Baseline of text created in InDesign is set to Ascent by default.
• InDesign uses a different hyphenation method than PageMaker, so line breaks may be different.
• Shadow text converts as plain text. Outline text converts as text with a stroke of 0.25 inches and a fill of Paper.
Book, index, and TOC conversion issues
Note the following:
• InDesign ignores Booklists when opening PageMaker publications. If you want to open all the publications on a
Booklist together, run the Build Booklet plug-in in PageMaker with a layout of None selected so that the booked
publications are combined into one. Note that text blocks and frames will no longer be threaded.
• Index entries from a PageMaker publication appear in the InDesign Index panel. Text with cross-references that use
the See Herein or See Also Herein option are mapped as See or See Also.
• Table of Contents text converts as a Table of Contents, with PageMaker TOC Style available in the style pop-up menu
in the InDesign TOC dialog box.
Linking and embedding conversion issues
Note the following:
• Text and graphics links are preserved and appear in the Links panel.
• If InDesign cannot locate the original link to a graphic, a warning appears asking you to repair the link in
PageMaker.
• InDesign does not support OLE (object linking and embedding). Consequently, when you open files that contain
OLE graphics, those graphics will not appear in the InDesign document.
Color and trapping conversion issues
Note the following:
• Colors are converted exactly to InDesign colors. PageMaker HLS colors are converted to RGB colors, and colors
from other color libraries are converted based on their CMYK values.
• Tints are converted as percentages of the parent color. If the parent color isn’t in the Swatches panel, it’s added during
conversion. When an object with a tint is selected, the parent color is selected in the Swatches panel, and the tint
value appears in the pop-up menu.
• Color profiles for PageMaker files are converted directly. All Hexachrome colors are converted to RGB values.
Profiles that are not ICC-compliant are replaced using the default CMS settings and profiles you specified for
InDesign.
• All strokes and lines (including paragraph rules) are converted to the default stroke styles they most closely
resemble. Custom strokes and dashes are converted to custom strokes and dashes in InDesign.
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• InDesign does not support screen patterns or angles applied to TIFF images in Image Control; it drops these from
imported TIFF files.
• When Auto-Overprint Black Strokes or Fills (or both) is selected in the Trapping Preferences dialog box in
PageMaker, the setting carries over to InDesign, but Overprint Stroke or Overprint Fill is deselected in the Attributes
panel.
For information about other PageMaker conversion issues, check the support documents on the Adobe website.
More Help topics
PageMaker Conversion Guide
Toolbox
Toolbox overview
Some tools in the toolbox are for selecting, editing, and creating page elements. Other tools are for choosing type,
shapes, lines, and gradients. You can change the overall layout of the toolbox to fit your preferred window and panel
layout. By default, the toolbox appears as a single vertical column of tools. You can also set it up as a double vertical
column or as one horizontal row. However, you can’t rearrange the positions of individual tools in the toolbox. You can
drag the top of the toolbox to move it.
Select a tool from the default toolbox by clicking it. The toolbox also contains several hidden tools related to the visible
tools. Hidden tools are indicated by arrows to the right of the tool icons. Select a hidden tool by clicking and holding
the current tool in the toolbox and then selecting the tool that you want.
The name of the tool and its keyboard shortcut appear when you hold the pointer over the tool—this text is called the
tool tip. You can turn off tool tips by choosing None from the Tool Tips menu in Interface preferences.
Open the Tool Hints panel (choose Window > Utilities > Tool Hints) to see which shortcut and modifier keys work with
the selected tool.
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Note: Content Collector and Content Placer tools are not available in CS5.5 or earlier.
Display the toolbox
❖ Choose Window > Tools.
Display tool options
❖ Double-click a tool in the toolbox.
This procedure works only for some tools, such as the Eyedropper, Pencil, and Polygon tools.
Display and select hidden tools
1 In the toolbox, position the pointer over a tool that has hidden tools and hold down the mouse button.
2 When the hidden tools appear, select a tool.
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Hidden tools menu
Select tools temporarily
1 When one tool is selected, hold down the keyboard shortcut of a different tool.
2 With the keyboard shortcut still held down, perform an action.
3 Release the keyboard shortcut to return to the previous tool.
For example, if the Gap tool is selected, hold down the V key to temporarily use the Selection tool. When you release
the V key, the Gap tool is selected.
View tool hints
The Tool Hints panel describes how modifier keys work with the selected tool.
1 Choose Window > Utilities > Tool Hints to display the Tool Hints panel.
2 Select a tool in the toolbox to view a description of that tool and its modifier keys and shortcuts.
Change the toolbox layout
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS).
2 Choose a layout option from the Floating Tools Panel menu and click OK.
You can also click the double arrow icon at the top of the toolbox to change the toolbox layout.
Tools overview
Type tools Create and format type in standard or customized blocks or paths. (See Create text frames.)
Drawing tools Draw and style simple and complex objects, including rectangles, ellipses, polygons, freeform shapes.
(See Drawing .)
Selection tools Select (activate) objects, points, or lines. (See Selecting objects .)
Transform tools Reshape, reorient, and resize objects. (See Transforming objects .)
Navigation tools Move around in, control the view of, and measure distances in a document. (See Zoom in and outand
Rulers and measurement units .)
The Scissors tool Splits paths and frames. (See Split a path.)
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Gallery of selection tools
Selection tool lets you select entire
objects.
Direct Selection tool lets you select Page tool lets you create multiple
points on a path or contents within page sizes within a document.
a frame.
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Gap tool lets you adjust the space
between objects.
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Gallery of drawing and type tools
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Pen tool lets you draw straight and
curved paths.
Add Anchor Point tool lets you add
anchor points to a path.
Delete Anchor Point tool lets you
Convert Direction Point tool lets
remove anchor points from a path. you convert corner points and
smooth points.
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Type tool lets you create text frames Type on a Path tool lets you create
and select
and edit type on paths.
text.
Pencil tool lets you draw a freeform Smooth tool lets you remove excess
path.
angles from a path.
Vertical Type tools lets you create
vertical text frames and select text.
Erase tool lets you delete points on
a path.
Line tool lets you draw a line
segment.
Rectangle Frame tool lets you
create a square or rectangle
placeholder.
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Ellipse Frame tool lets you create a
circle or oval placeholder.
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Polygon Frame tool lets you create
a multi-sided shape placeholder.
Rectangle tool lets you create a
square or rectangle.
Ellipse tool lets you create a circle or Polygon tool lets you create multioval.
sided shape.
Gallery of transformation tools
Free Transform tool lets you rotate,
scale, or shear an object.
Rotate tool lets you rotate objects
around a fixed point.
Scale tool lets you resize objects
around a fixed point.
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Shear tool lets you skew objects
around a fixed point.
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Gallery of modification and navigation tools
Gradient Swatch tool lets you
adjust the beginning and ending
points and angle of gradients
within objects.
Eyedropper tool lets you sample
color or type attributes from objects
and apply them to other objects.
Gradient Feather tool lets you fade
an object into the background.
Measure tool measures the
distance between two points.
Scissors tool cuts paths at specified Hand tool moves the page view
within the document window.
points.
Zoom tool increases and decreases Note tool lets you add comments.
the view magnification in the
document window.
More Help topics
Selecting objects
Understanding paths and shapes
Transforming objects
Sharing content
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Exporting content from InDesign
Exporting content from InDesign to InCopy establishes a link between the two applications. You export InDesign text
frames, graphics frames, and their contents to InCopy using either of two methods:
• Create a container file (*.icma)—called an assignment—and add related groupings of document items (such as the
text and graphics of a story) to the assignment so they can be worked on together. Content within assignments is
exported as *.icml files.
• Export text and graphics frames separately (including placeholder frames) using the Edit > InCopy > Export menu
commands. Exported content is saved as *.icml files.
After content is exported, small icons appear at the top left of exported frames in InDesign and InCopy, and in the
Assignments panel. A link to the exported file appears in the Links panel. These icons indicate the status of managed
frames and they differentiate managed frames from those that aren’t part of the workflow. All exported content appears
in the Assignments panel. Content exported using the Export menu commands appears in the Unassigned InCopy
Content section of the Assignments panel list. While both methods establish a controlled connection between InCopy
content and an InDesign document, the primary method is to use assignment files.
Exporting content makes the content available for users to check out while maintaining a link to the original InDesign
document. (This link is made from within InDesign; you cannot create the link from InCopy.)
Once the content is exported, InCopy users can see (but not change) the page layouts, styles, and so forth as they appear
in the InDesign document.
Note: You can also create text or anchored graphics using InCopy and then place them in InDesign.
Assignments panel overview
The primary tool for working with assignments is the Assignments panel (Window > Assignments in InCopy, Window
> Editorial > Assignments in InDesign). The Assignments panel displays the files exported from the currently active
InDesign document, and an icon indicates their status. The Assignments panel menu also contains commands that
control import version and file-management functions between InCopy and InDesign. When you open an assignment
in InCopy, the assignment name and its contents appear in the Assignments panel. You can double-click text and
graphics frames in the Assignments panel to select them in the document window.
Note: All content exported to InCopy or added to an assignment is also listed in the Links panel. Although you can do some
workflow management tasks, such as checking out and checking in content, the recommended panel for these tasks is the
Assignments panel.
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InDesign Assignments panel
A InCopy content names B InDesign document name C Assignment Out Of Date status D Available And Text Up To Date status E In Use And
Text Out Of Date status F Editing And Text Up To Date status G Unassigned content H User name I Update Content button J Check Out/Check
In Selection button K New Assignment button L Delete Selected Assignments/Remove button
InCopy Assignments panel
A InCopy content names B Assignment Out Of Date status C Assignment name D Available And Text Up To Date status E In Use And Text
Out Of Date status F Editing And Text Up To Date status G User name H Update Design button I Update Content button J Check Out/Check
In Selection button
Assignment files
In InDesign, assignment files are containers for organizing collections of page items. For example, you might want to
select all the items in a story (headline, byline, copy, graphics, and captions), and then assign them to one InCopy user.
Adding those items to an assignment provides a convenient way for InCopy users to access only the content for which
they are responsible. Assignment files (*.icma) appear in the file system, in the InCopy story bar, and in status messages.
Only InDesign users can create assignment files; only InCopy users can open them.
When you create an assignment, a folder is created in the same location as the InDesign document by default. This
assignment folder includes the *.icma assignment files and a content subfolder that contains any exported InCopy story
files (in .icml format) that are part of images or other resources. Once the assignment is created, store the project folder
in a location where all users have access to it, or create and distribute an assignment package. If content is exported
before it’s added to an assignment, the files on disk are not moved to the content folder of the assignment file.
Assignment files include the following:
• Links or pointers to the associated page items, including placeholder frames. These elements let the InCopy user
open a single file in InCopy and have editorial access to multiple page items.
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• Any transformations on the graphics included in the assignment, such as moving, scaling, rotating, or shearing.
• Page geometry, so InCopy users can see the layout of the frame and its content that they’re editing without opening
the entire InDesign file.
• Color-coding of assigned frames in the document.
Illustration of page in InCopy showing page geometry and color coding
Create assignments and add content (InDesign)
Only InDesign users can create assignments and add content to them. There are several ways to create assignments.
The method you choose usually depends on whether you have content to add at the time you create the assignment.
• Create empty assignment files. From your InDesign document, you can create a series of empty assignments to act
as templates for content to come later.
• Create assignments and add content at the same time.
• Add content to an existing assignment file. You can add linked content—text and graphics that have already been
exported as InCopy content—or you can add selected page items to become linked InCopy content. If one or more
of the selected frames already contain InCopy content files, and none is part of an assignment, you can add them to
a new or existing assignment file.
By default, the assignment folder you create is saved in the same folder as the InDesign document. You can then place
this folder on a server or create and send a package.
Note: If you don’t want InCopy users to place and fit graphics, don’t add graphics frames to an assignment.
Create empty assignment files (InDesign)
1 In InDesign, save the document.
2 In the Assignments panel, choose New Assignment from the panel menu.
3 In the New Assignment dialog box, specify assignment file options and click OK.
Simultaneously create assignments and add content (InDesign)
1 In InDesign, create a document that has one or more text frames, graphics frames, or placeholder items, and then
save the document.
2 Select the text and graphics frames you want to add.
3 Do one of the following:
• From the Assignments panel menu, choose Add To Assignment, and then select New.
• Choose Edit > InCopy > Add [option] To Assignment > New.
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4 In the New Assignment dialog box, specify assignment file options and click OK.
The newly created assignment file includes any frames selected in the document window.
Add content to existing assignments (InDesign)
1 Save the InDesign document.
2 Select the text and graphics frames you want to add.
3 Do one of the following:
• From the Assignments panel menu, choose Add To Assignment, and then select the assignment.
• Drag content from the Unassigned InCopy Content section of the Assignments panel into an existing
assignment.
• Select page items with the Selection tool and drag them to an existing Assignment in the Assignments panel.
• Choose Edit > InCopy > Add [option] To Assignment, and then select the assignment.
4 Choose Update All Assignments from the Assignments panel menu to make the content files available to InCopy
users.
Note: You can add content only to assignments in the same document. However, you can import the same content into
multiple documents and add it to an assignment in each of those documents.
Assignment file options (InDesign)
When you create or modify an assignment file, you can set the following options:
Assignment Name The unique identification of the assignment in the Assignments panel, for example “Ocean article.”
This name must conform to the file naming conventions of the operating system.
Assigned To The unique identification of the user assigned to the files. The user’s name appears in parentheses
following the assignment name in the Assignments panel. Entering a name here is for informational purposes only; it
doesn’t grant special rights or permissions to the user.
Color Displays a list of colors for adding a distinctive highlight to the frames of the current assignment in the document
window, and to the assignment names in the Assignments panel. This color coding differentiates frames that belong to
one assignment from frames that belong to another, and it differentiates from unassigned frames. To toggle the display
of this color coding, choose View > Extras > Show/Hide Assigned Frames. In InCopy, the color coding is visible only
in Layout view.
Note: If toggling the display of assigned frames produces unexpected results, those frames might be tagged for XML and
View > Structure > Show Tagged Frames might be enabled. You cannot show assigned frames and tagged frames at the
same time.
Change Click the Change button to specify the location of the assignments folder. By default, the assignments folder is
created in the same location as the InDesign file.
Placeholder Frames Lets InCopy users see the text and graphics frames in the assignment as well as boxes (or other
shapes) representing all other frames on those InDesign pages. All frames and placeholders accurately reflect the size,
shape, and location of the InDesign originals. Placeholder frames are empty shapes that don’t show any of the content
in the InDesign document. The Placeholder Frames option provides the least amount of fidelity, and therefore provides
the fastest performance. In InCopy, the placeholder frames are visible only in Layout view. InCopy users cannot check
out and edit placeholder frames.
Assigned Spreads Lets InCopy users see all assigned frames, as well as the entire contents of other frames that aren’t
part of the assignment, on the same spread. In InCopy, content in frames outside an assignment isn’t editable and is
visible only in Layout view.
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All Spreads Exports all content in the InDesign document to the assignment file. This option provides the maximum
amount of fidelity; it also provides the slowest performance because the assignment file displays the design and layout
of every page, including pages not relevant to the section a user is editing.
Linked Image Files When Packaging Includes a copy of linked images in the assignment package. Selecting this option
gives InCopy users access to images but increases the package’s file size. InCopy users can include images while
returning a package.
Export content as separate InCopy files (InDesign)
If your workgroup prefers working with separate files rather than using assignments, you can export InCopy content
without using an assignments file. Compared with creating a single assignment file with references to multiple content
files and layout information, this method creates a separate file (.icml) for each text or graphics frame you specify in
the document. To see the context of the content you are editing, you must also open the associated InDesign document
(.indd).
Cater the InDesign document to suit your workflow needs. For example, if you want all of the editor’s comments to be
exported in a single file, create a layer for the editor to make comments. You can then export all the content on the
selected layer.
Note: A quick way to export content as separate InCopy files is to use the Selection tool to drag selected frames into the
Unassigned InCopy Content in the Assignments panel.
1 In InDesign, create a document with one or more text frames, graphics frames, or placeholder items.
2 Do either of the following:
• Select the text or graphics frame of a single story, or Shift-click to select multiple frames.
• Click an insertion point in a story, or select some text in a text frame.
3 Choose Edit > InCopy > Export, and then choose one of the following options:
Selection Exports all selected text and graphics frames.
Layer Exports all content on the selected layer.
All Stories Exports every story that has not been exported already.
All Graphics Exports every graphic that has not been exported already.
All Graphics And Stories Exports every story and graphic that has not been exported already.
If you export all content in the document, and then add more text or graphics frames to the same document, you
can save time exporting the new ones by using the Export > All Stories (or All Graphics or All Graphics And Stories)
command again. InDesign exports only the new content.
4 Enter a name and location for the files, and then click Save.
The file name you specify is used as a prefix for identifying each exported content file in the file system. If you export
multiple text frames, the first several characters of the text are automatically appended to the file name; for example,
“mystory-Upcoming cycling events.icml.” For multiple graphics frames, the file names are formed as “mystorygraphic,” “mystory-graphic-1,” and so on. The file name appears in the file system, in the InCopy story bar, and in
status messages.
5 When prompted, save your InDesign file.
The InCopy content is now managed, and is available to be checked out and edited by other users in the workflow.
Shared content appears in the Links panel just like imported graphics. If you move a shared file manually, you can use
the Links panel to update its link.
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When you export content, you see the Available icon
on the text frame (InDesign and InCopy), and in the
Assignments panel (InCopy). The word [Editing] appears in the story bar (InCopy).
More Help topics
Workflow icons
Placing InCopy files in InDesign documents
Relink missing assignment files (InDesign)
Best practices for working with managed files
PageMaker menu commands
Browse through these tables to learn where Adobe PageMaker commands are found in AdobeInDesign CS5.
PageMaker File menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
File > New
File > New > Document
File > Open
File > Open
File > Recent Publications
File > Open Recent (Windows®)
File > Close
File > Close
File > Save
File > Save
There is no preference in InDesign to Save
Smaller or Save Faster. Use Save to perform a
fast save and Save Asto compact a document
to the smallest possible size.
File > Save As
File > Save As
See note above.
File > Revert
File > Revert
InDesign does not revert to “mini-saved”
versions of a document as PageMaker does;
instead, InDesign offers unlimited levels of
Undo.
File > Place
File > Place
File > Acquire
No equivalent
File > Export
File > Export
File > Links Manager
Window > Links
File > Document Setup
File > Document Setup
File > Printer Styles
File > Print Presets
File > Print
File > Print
File > Preferences > General
Edit > Preferences (Windows) or InDesign >
Preferences (Mac OS)
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Additional information
Scan images using the software that came
with your scanner, and then place the images
in InDesign.
Equivalent settings can be found in
Composition, Units & Increments, Guides &
Pasteboard, and Display Performance
preferences.
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Workspace and workflow
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
File > Preferences > Online
No equivalent
You can drag objects from a web browser to
InDesign without configuring a proxy.
File > Preferences > Layout Adjustment
Layout > Layout Adjustment
You specify layout adjustment options and
enable layout adjustment at the same time.
Settings in InDesign match those in
PageMaker almost exactly. Ruler guides follow
their associated column or margin guides by
default. To change this, deselect Allow Ruler
Guides To Move.
File > Preferences > Trapping
Window > Output > Trap Presets
To specify trapping preferences, create a new
Trap preset.
File > Exit (Windows) or File > Quit (Mac OS)
File > Exit (Windows) or InDesign > Quit
InDesign (Mac OS)
PageMaker Edit menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Edit > Undo
Edit > Undo
InDesign allows unlimited levels of Undo.
Edit > Cut
Edit > Cut
Edit > Copy
Edit > Copy
Edit > Paste
Edit > Paste
Edit > Clear
Edit > Clear
Edit > Select All
Edit > Select All
Edit > Deselect All
Edit > Deselect All
Edit > Editions (Mac OS)
No equivalent
Edit > Paste Multiple
Edit > Step And Repeat
Edit > Paste Special
Edit > Paste Without Formatting
Edit > Insert Object (Windows)
File > Place
Edit > Edit Story
Edit > Edit In Story Editor
Edit > Edit Original
Edit > Edit Original
Edit > Show Clipboard (Mac OS)
No equivalent
Edit > Ruby/Tatechuyoko/Emphasis
Marks/Composite Glyphs
Ruby Placement and Spacing, Tate-chu-yoko,
and Kenten (for emphasis marks) appear on
the Character panel menu. Choose Type >
Glyphs to display the Glyphs panel.
Edit > Vertical Text
Type > Writing Direction > Horizontal or
Vertical
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InDesign does not support OLE; however, you
can set similar options in the Links panel.
InDesign does not support Publish/Subscribe;
however, you can set similar options in the
Links panel.
You can also choose Edit Original in the Links
panel menu.
You can use the Vertical Type tool in the
toolbox.
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Workspace and workflow
PageMaker Layout menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Layout > Go To Page
Layout > Go To Page
You can also double-click a page icon in the
Pages panel to jump to that page.
Layout > Insert Pages
Layout > Pages > Insert Pages
Layout > Remove Pages
Layout > Pages > Delete Pages
Layout > Sort Pages
Window > Pages
Layout > Go Back
Layout > Go Back
Layout > Go Forward
Layout > Go Forward
Layout > Column Guides
Layout > Margins And Columns
Layout > Copy Master Guides
No equivalent
Layout > Autoflow
Press Shift when a loaded text icon
Click and drag pages in the Pages panel to sort
them.
InDesign master guides from any given
master are always copied to pages that use
that master.
is
displayed.
You can flow text manually, automatically
(with autoflow), or semi-automatically.
PageMaker Type menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Type > Font
Type > Font
Type > Size
Type > Size
Type > Leading
Type > Character or Control panel in Character InDesign uses baseline leading by default, as
mode (Window > Control)
opposed to proportional leading, which is
PageMaker’s default.
Type > Type Style
Type > Character or Control panel in Character InDesign displays the type styles available for
mode (Window > Control)
the selected font. You can also use Quick
Apply.
Type > Expert Kerning
Type > Character or Control panel in Character Expert kerning in PageMaker is similar to
mode (Window > Control)
optical kerning in InDesign.
Type > Horizontal Scale
Control panel in Character mode (Window >
Control)
Type > Character
Type > Character
Type > Paragraph
Type > Paragraph
Type > Indents/Tabs
Type > Tabs
Type > Hyphenation
Type > Paragraph
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Additional information
Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph
panel menu.
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Workspace and workflow
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Type > Alignment
Type > Paragraph or Control panel in
Paragraph mode (Window > Control)
Type > Style
Type > Paragraph Styles or Type > Character
Styles
InDesign supports both paragraph and
character styles.
Type > Define Styles
Type > Paragraph Styles or Type > Character
Styles
Choose New Paragraph Style in the Paragraph
Styles panel to create a paragraph style.
Choose New Character Style in the Character
Styles panel to create a character style.
PageMaker Element menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Element > Fill
Window > Color > Swatches or Window >
Color > Color
InDesign does not support patterned fills. The
Swatches panel in InDesign is equivalent to
the Colors palette in PageMaker.
Element > Stroke
Window > Stroke
Choose a stroke style in the Stroke panel or
define a custom stroke style.
Element > Fill And Stroke
Window > Color > Swatches, Window >
Stroke, and Window > Output > Attributes
Create tints using the Swatches panel. Specify
overprinting in the Attributes panel.
Element > Frame > Attach Content
No equivalent
InDesign automatically creates a frame for
text files or graphics you import. To paste
content into an existing frame, select the
frame, and then place or paste the content
into it.
Element > Frame > Frame Options
Object > Text Frame Options (text frames
only) or Object > Fitting
For text frames, specify columns, vertical
alignment, and inset spacing in the Text
Frame Options dialog box. Set horizontal
alignment in the Paragraph panel (Type >
Paragraph). For graphics and text frames, use
subcommands on the Object > Fitting menu
to fit content to a frame (or vice versa).
Element > Frame > Change To Frame
Object > Content > [content type]
Element > Frame > Next Frame
View > Extras > Show Text Threads
Element > Frame > Previous Frame
View > Extras > Show Text Threads
Element > Frame > Remove From Threads
Double-click the in port or out port to break a
thread.
Element > Frame > Delete Content
Select content in the frame, and then press
Delete.
Element > Arrange
Object > Arrange
Element > Align Objects (Windows) or
Element > Align (Mac OS)
Window > Object & Layout > Align
Element > Text Wrap
Window > Text Wrap
Element > Group
Object > Group
Element > Ungroup
Object > Ungroup
Element > Lock Position
Object > Lock Position
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Select text with the Type tool. Select graphics
with the Direct Selection tool.
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Workspace and workflow
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Element > Unlock
Object > Unlock Position
Element > Mask
Object > Clipping Path
You can also mask a graphic by creating the
masking shape, copying the image you want
to mask, and then pasting it into the shape
(Edit > Paste Into), or by adjusting its graphics
frame.
Element > Unmask
Object > Clipping Path
See note above.
Element > Image > Image Control
No equivalent
Use the Edit Original command to change
image control settings in the original
application.
Element > Image > CMS Source
Object > Image Color Settings
Element > Image > Photoshop Effects
Object > Effects
Element > Polygon Settings
Double-click the Polygon tool in the Toolbox
Element > Rounded Corners
Object > Corner Options
Element > Link Info
Window > Links
Choose Link Information on the Links panel
menu.
Element > Link Options
Type Preferences or Window > Links
In File Handling Preferences, select or deselect
Create Links When Placing Text And
Spreadsheet Files. Or, on the Links panel
menu, choose Unlink.
Element > Non-Printing
Window > Output > Attributes
Element > Remove Transformation
No equivalent
PageMaker Utilities menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Utilities > Plug-ins
Help > Configure Plug-ins (Windows) or
InDesign > Configure Plug-ins (Mac OS)
Utilities > Find
Edit > Find/Change
You can perform Find/Change operations in
Layout view or Story Editor.
Utilities > Find Next
Edit > Find Next
See note above.
Utilities > Change
Edit > Find/Change
See note above.
Utilities > Spelling
Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling
You can check spelling in Layout view or Story
Editor.
Utilities > Book
File > New > Book
You add, delete, and sort documents in a book
using the Book panel.
Utilities > Index Entry
Window > Type & Tables > Index
To add an index entry, click the New button in
the Index panel.
Utilities > Show Index
Index panel in Reference mode (Window >
Type & Tables > Index)
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Additional information
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Workspace and workflow
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
Utilities > Create Index
Window > Type & Tables > Index
Choose Generate Index on the Index panel
menu.
Utilities > Create TOC
Layout > Table Of Contents
Utilities > Define Colors
Window > Color > Swatches
Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches
panel menu.
PageMaker View menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Additional information
View > Display Master Items
Choose Hide/Show Master Items from the
Pages panel menu
View > Display Non-Printing Items
Select Normal View Mode
in the Toolbox
to view nonprinting items. To hide
nonprinting items, select Preview Mode
.
You can also create a layer for objects you do
not want to print, and then show or hide that
layer when you print or export.
View > Zoom In
View > Zoom In
View > Zoom Out
View > Zoom Out
View > Actual Size
View > Actual Size
View > Fit In Window
View > Fit Page In Window or View > Fit
Spread In Window
View > Entire Pasteboard
View > Entire Pasteboard
View > Zoom To
Choose a magnification level from the Zoom
menu at the bottom of the document
window.
View > Hide/Show Rulers
View > Hide/Show Rulers
View > Snap To Rulers
No equivalent
View > Zero Lock
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac
OS) the zero point, and then choose Lock Zero
Point from the context menu that appears.
View > Hide/Show Guides
View > Grids & Guides > Hide/Show Guides
View > Snap To Guides
View > Grids & Guides > Snap To Guides
View > Lock Guides
View > Grids & Guides > Lock Guides And View
> Grids & Guides > Lock Column Guides
View > Clear Ruler Guides
Using InDesign keyboard shortcuts, Press
Ctrl+Alt+G (Windows) or
Command+Option+G (Mac OS) to select all
guides on the current spread, and then press
Delete.
View > Send Guides To Back
Select the Guides In Back option.
Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard
(Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Guides
& Pasteboard (Mac OS)
View > Hide/Show Scroll Bars
No equivalent
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PageMaker Window menu commands
PageMaker command
InDesign equivalent
Window > Arrange Icons (Windows)
No equivalent
Window > Tile
Window > Arrange > Tile
Window > Cascade
Window > Arrange > Cascade
Window > Hide/Show Tools
Window > Tools
Window > Hide/Show Control Palette
Window > Control
Window > Hide/Show Colors
Window > Color > Swatches or Window >
Color > Color
Window > Hide/Show Styles
Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles or
Character Styles
Window > Hide/Show Layers
Window > Layers
Window > Hide/Show Master Pages
Window > Pages
Window > Hide/Show Hyperlinks
Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks
Window > Plug-in Palettes
No equivalent
Window > [name of open document]
Window > [name of open document]
Additional information
Plug-ins appear as added options in InDesign
menus or panels, or in InDesign dialog boxes.
Assignment packages
Create and send packages (InDesign)
Under ideal circumstances, all InDesign and InCopy users on the team have access to a server where assignment files
are stored. However, if one or more users don’t have access to a common server, you can create and distribute
compressed assignment packages. After working on the assignment, the InCopy user repackages the assignment and
returns it to be integrated into the InDesign document. Package files created in InDesign include the .icap extension.
The return package files created in InCopy include the .idap extension.
There are two commands for packaging files: Package For InCopy and Package And Email. Use Package For InCopy to
create a compressed package that you can distribute manually; use Package And Email to create a compressed package
that is attached automatically to an e-mail message.
Note: Do not confuse an assignment package with the File > Package command in InDesign that lets you bundle and send
a document and its assets to a printer.
Create a package for manual distribution
1 Create an assignment and add the content you want to include in the package.
Only content that is checked in can be included in the packaged assignment. If any content is checked out, you’re
prompted to check in content.
2 In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package For InCopy from the panel menu.
3 Specify a name and location for the package file, and click Save.
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You can attach the package file to an e-mail message, upload it to an FTP server, or copy it to a disk or other external
media.
Note: Choosing Edit > Undo after you create a package cancels the package and unlocks the items in the assignment, but
it doesn’t delete the package file from your computer or unsend the e-mail.
Create a package for e-mail (InDesign)
1 Create an assignment and add the content you want to include in the package.
Only content that is checked in is included in the packaged assignment. If any content is checked out, you’re
prompted to check in content.
2 In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package For InCopy And Email from the panel menu.
A compressed assignment package is created and attached to an e-mail message of your default e-mail application.
Note: If you want to use a different e-mail application, change the default e-mail application. See your system
documentation for details.
3 Edit the e-mail message by adding a recipient and providing any instructions. Send the message.
All items in the assignment are checked out to the assigned user. However, the contents of the package itself aren’t
locked, so anyone can open the package and edit them.
Cancel a package
In some cases, the package you send isn’t returned. For example, the message may have gotten lost, or the recipient may
no longer work on the project. In such a situation, you can cancel a package.
1 In the Assignments panel, select the packaged assignment, and choose Cancel Package from the panel menu.
2 Click OK to cancel the package.
Canceling a package doesn’t remove the package file from your computer.
When a package is cancelled, the package’s contents are available for editing. Be aware that if someone returns a package
that has been cancelled, conflicts may occur.
Update a package
After you create a package, you may want to add, remove, or resize items.
1 Add, remove, or resize one or more stories to the packaged assignment.
2 Select the assignment in the Assignments panel, and do one of the following:
• Choose Update Package from the Assignments panel menu. Specify the name and location of the file. Make the
updated package available to users by placing it on a shared server or by e-mail. Remember to notify InCopy
users that the package has been updated.
• Choose Update Package And Email from the Assignments panel menu, and then send the message.
When InCopy users open the updated package, only new content is added automatically to the assignment; InCopy
users can decide whether to overwrite existing content, allowing them to preserve previous edits.
Receive packages (InCopy)
You may receive a package from an InDesign user who created the package or from an InCopy user who forwarded the
package to you. When you open an assignment package, the package is decompressed, and the contents are copied to
a new subfolder in an InCopy Assignments folder.
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Open a package (InCopy)
❖ To open an InCopy package (*.icap or *.incp), do any of the following:
• Launch the package using the e-mail application. For example, double-click the attachment file.
• Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click the file or drag it to the InCopy application
icon.
• In InCopy, choose File > Open, and double-click the packaged assignment file.
• In InCopy, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel menu, and then double-click the package file.
You can now edit the stories in the package. When you begin editing a story, you’re prompted to check out the contents
of the frame. When you’ve finished editing, save all content and return or forward the package.
Return or forward a package (InCopy)
After you open and edit a package, you can send it to another InCopy user or you can return it to the InDesign user
who created the package. Package files created for other InCopy users include the .icap extension; return package files
created for InDesign users include the .idap extension.
1 Edit and check in the content you want to include in the package.
2 From the Assignments panel menu, choose one of the following:
Forward For InCopy Create a package for another InCopy user. Specify the name and location of the package file,
and then make it available to the InCopy user.
Forward For InCopy And Email Create and send a package for another InCopy user via e-mail. The package appears
as an attachment in a new message in your default e-mail application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions,
and send the e-mail message.
Return For InDesign Create a package to return to the InDesign user.
Return For InDesign And Email Create and return a package to the InDesign user by e-mail. The package appears as
an attachment in a new message in your default e-mail application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions, and
send the e-mail message.
Receive return packages (InDesign)
❖ To open an InDesign package (*.idap or *.indp), do any of the following:
• Launch the package using the e-mail application. For example, double-click the attachment file.
• Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click the file or drag it to the InDesign application
icon.
• In InDesign, choose File > Open, and double-click the package file.
• In InDesign, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel menu, and then double-click the package file.
You’re prompted to update all links when opening the package. If a story has been modified since the assignment was
packaged, you can determine whether to update or unlink the content in the InDesign file. When the stories in the files
are returned and checked in, you can check out and edit the content.
More Help topics
Package files
Check in content
Save changes (InCopy)
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Update assignment files (InDesign)
Unlink content files (InDesign)
Adjusting your workflow
Move content between assignments (InDesign)
InDesign users can move content between existing assignments as well as from the Unassigned InCopy Content section
of the Assignments panel. You can also create a new assignment and move content to it.
1 Save the InDesign document.
2 In the Assignments panel, click the arrow to the left of the assignment name to display the contents of the
assignment.
3 Select an item in an assignment.
4 Do one of the following:
• Drag the content from one assignment to another.
• To move content to an existing assignment, choose Add To Assignment from the Assignments panel menu, and
then select the desired assignment.
• To create a new assignment as you move content, from the Assignments panel menu, choose Add To Assignment
> New, and then specify options in the New Assignment dialog box.
5 Choose Update All Assignments from the Assignments panel menu.
If the assignment lists are short, you might prefer dragging content items to and from assignments and the Unassigned
InCopy Content section.
Delete assignments (InDesign)
❖ In the Assignments panel, select one or more assignments and choose Delete Assignment in the panel menu.
Deleting assignments accomplishes the following:
• Removes the assignment data from the document.
• Deletes the assignment file from the file system.
• Removes the assignment name from the list.
• Moves any InCopy content to the Unassigned InCopy Content section in the Assignments panel.
Note: If an InCopy user has an assignment open when it is deleted in InDesign, an alert message notifies the InCopy user
that the assignment has been deleted. However, the content files are not deleted and can be updated without loss of changes.
Relink missing assignment files (InDesign)
If you move or delete an assignment file from disk, and then open the InDesign document from which it was created,
InDesign won’t know where the assignment file is located. You need to re-create the assignment file so InDesign can
find it.
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Re-create the assignment file in the original location
❖ In the Assignments panel, do one of the following:
• Select the missing assignment (it will still be listed in the panel) and choose Update Selected Assignments from
the panel menu.
• Choose Update All Assignments from the panel menu.
Change the assignment location
❖ To re-create the assignment file in a new location, do one of the following in the Assignments panel:
• Select the assignment and choose Change Assignment Location from the panel menu. Specify a location and
name for the new file.
• Double-click the assignment name. In the Assignment Options dialog box, click Change and specify a location
and name for the new file.
Correct mistakes
If you make a mistake, you can discard changes made since the last Save command and restore the content from the file
system.
Because InDesign automatically saves every editable InCopy content file when you save the InDesign document, the
Cancel Checkout command restores only versions since the last time the document was changed.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To undo the most recent change, choose Edit > Undo [action].
• To undo all changes made since the last time you saved the document, choose File > Revert Content.
• To undo changes since the last saved version and remove the lock file, select the content in the Assignments panel
and choose Cancel Check Out from the panel menu. This action makes the content read-only and available for
others to check out.
Overriding locked files (InDesign)
Users might not immediately realize how their actions affect others in the workflow, and might accidentally create
situations where conflicts exist between content status and ownership. If necessary, the InDesign user can resolve
conflicts by unlinking a locked file checked out to a different user and taking control over the file. Unlinking a file stores
the content in the InDesign document, but the content is no longer shared with InCopy.
Unlink content files (InDesign)
If necessary (because of a production deadline, for example), InDesign users can remove a content file from the
managed workflow and from the Links panel by unlinking it. If you want to make the content available again for editing,
you must reexport it as InCopy content using a different file name. This ensures that the old lock file won’t prevent users
from editing the file.
Note: Unlinking your own checked-out file removes it from the workflow and deletes the lock file from disk. You can reexport the content and overwrite the file name without conflict.
❖ To unlink an InCopy content file, select the file (.icml or .incx extension) in the Links panel and choose Unlink from
the panel menu. Unlinking embeds the content into the document and removes the link to the InCopy file on disk.
To relink the file, choose Edit > Undo Unlink.
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You can also unlink by deleting a frame, or using the InDesign Links panel to relink a content file to another file. You
can also select the story in the Assignments panel and drag it to the Trash icon.
Placing InCopy files in InDesign documents
Although a typical workflow begins in InDesign, where the basic layout and text and graphics placeholders are defined
and exported to InCopy, a different workflow can start with a stand-alone InCopy content file (.icml or .incx) that you
place in InDesign using the File > Place command.
Consider the following dependencies when you place InCopy content files in an InDesign document:
Styles If the InCopy text file has styles applied, they are added to the InDesign list of styles for the document. In the
event of a style-name conflict, InDesign overwrites the imported style with its existing style.
Layout You can create the basic layout geometry for the content in InDesign, and then create or import the text and
styles from a word-processing application. (Text files placed within InCopy are embedded in the InCopy document and
are not linked to any external file.)
Placing/Duplicating If you place an InCopy content file more than once, each instance of the content appears in the
InDesign Links panel, but they are all managed as one content file. The same is true for any exact copies of a content
file (by any means of duplication).
Note: If you copy and paste some, but not all, of the text in a managed InCopy content file, the result is a new content file
that is not connected to the original and has no link to any external file (InCopy or otherwise). The original and the pasted
portions can be edited independently of each other.
Updates/Management Once multiple instances of a managed content file are present in an InDesign document, they
behave as if they were open in two applications. For example, checking out one instance of the content file locks all other
instances so that you can edit only the checked-out instance. In this case, you would use the appropriate Update
command to refresh the other (open) instances of the content.
More Help topics
Update, restore, and replace links
Accidentally updating your work
Working with managed files
Open shared content
Only InCopy users can open assignment files (.inca). If an InCopy user opens an InDesign file that contains
assignments, the user will have access to all the managed content, regardless of assignments.
❖ Do one of the following.
• In InCopy, choose File > Open, select an assignment file (.icma or .inca), and click Open.
• In InDesign or InCopy, choose File > Open, select an InDesign file (.indd) that contains assigned content, and
click Open.
• Open an assignment package. See Receive packages (InCopy).
The assignment names and their contents appear in the Assignments panel.
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Check out content
When you check out an item, a hidden lock file (.idlk) is placed on the file system. Once the content is checked out, you
have exclusive control over its content, and others are locked out from making changes. You can check out InCopy
content only; you cannot check out InDesign documents with layout information.
If you attempt to close an InDesign document containing one or more InCopy content files that are checked out to you,
an alert message appears, prompting you to check in all content. If you close the document without checking in the
content files, they will still be checked out to you the next time you open the InDesign document. Saving the InDesign
document automatically saves every editable InCopy content file.
Check out content (InDesign)
❖ Do one of the following:
• In the layout, select the text or graphics frames to edit and choose Edit > InCopy > Check Out.
• In the Assignments panel, select the files and choose Check Out from the panel menu.
When you check out available content in InDesign, you see the Editing icon
on the InDesign frame. In InCopy, the
In Use icon
appears on the InCopy frame and in the Assignments panel if the assignment files are stored on a local
server.
Check out content (InCopy)
1 Do one of the following:
• If the content you want is part of an assignment, choose File > Open and select the assignment file (.icma or
.inca).
• If the content you want was exported as individual files, choose File > Open and select the InCopy file (.icml or
.incx). To see the layout so you can do copyfitting, select the InDesign document.
2 Do one of the following:
• To check out a single InCopy content file, choose File > Check Out.
• To check out all content in an assignment at once, select the assignment in the Assignments panel, and choose
Check Out from the panel menu.
• To check out individual items in an assignment, open the assignments list in the Assignments panel, select an
item or multiple items, and choose Check Out from the panel menu.
The Editing icon
appears next to the item or items in the Assignments panel, indicating that the content is
checked out to you for your exclusive use.
3 If prompted to update the content with changes, click OK.
When you check out available content in InCopy, you see the Editing icon
on the InCopy frame, and in the
Assignments panel. In InDesign, the In Use icon
appears on the InDesign frame.
Opening managed files (InCopy)
Opening a managed content file (.icml or .incx) directly in InCopy and working with it in Story view may be more
appropriate for quick writing and editing. You do not have to check out an individual managed file to edit it; InCopy
automatically checks it out. When you save and close the file, InCopy automatically checks in the content. The Save
commands are different when you open individual files.
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Update assignment files (InDesign)
You can save changes to assignments manually or when you close the current document. Updating an assignment file
is the only way to make layout changes available to InCopy users.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To update selected assignments, select them in the Assignments panel and choose Update Selected Assignments
from the Assignments panel menu.
• To update all out-of-date assignments in the current document, choose Update Out-Of-Date Assignments from
the Assignments panel menu. Only assignments that are out of date are updated.
• To update all assignments in the current document, choose Update All Assignments from the Assignments panel
menu.
Note: If an InCopy user has an assignment open when you update the assignment, the Out Of Date icon
to the assignment in the InCopy Assignments panel.
appears next
Update content
To make sure that you’re always working on the most up-to-date content, be sure to watch for Out Of Date icons in the
Assignments panel, and then update content accordingly. Updating an InCopy assignment file and its contents or
updating individual content files copies data from the latest file system copy so that the version displayed on your
computer matches the one on the file system. Updating does not require checking in or out and does not give you
editing rights. However, updating can cause problems if another user has deleted your lock.
Note: Updating content does not update content in assignment packages that have not been returned.
A typical updating workflow is as follows:
1 The InCopy user opens an assignment file or checks out an individual content file and edits the content.
2 The InCopy user saves the content file, which updates the copy on the file system, and continues working.
3 The InDesign user sees the Out Of Date icon
selection, and the In Use
the associated frame.
in both the Assignments panel and the Links panel next to the
and Text Content Out Of Date icon
or Graphics Content Out Of Date icon
on
Assignments panel with In Use and Out Of Date icons (left) and Layout with out-of-date content (right)
4 The InDesign user updates the content.
Update content while opening a managed document (InDesign)
1 Choose File > Open, locate the file you want to open, and click Open.
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2 Click Yes when prompted to update the document with the modified content on the file system.
3 Do one of the following:
• To let InDesign update the links, click Fix Links Automatically.
• To fix links manually, click Don’t Fix, and then, in the Links panel, select the file to update and choose Update
Link from the panel menu.
Update content while working (InDesign)
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select the text or graphics frames in the layout and choose Edit > InCopy > Update Content.
• Select the text or graphics frames in the Links panel, and click the Update Link button
Link from the Assignments panel menu.
or choose Update
Update content while working (InCopy)
❖ Do one of the following:
• Click an insertion point in the text frame to select it, and then choose File > Update Content.
• Select the content in the Assignments panel, and then click the Update Content button
Content from the Assignments panel menu.
or choose Update
You can also update content using the Links panel.
Accidentally updating your work
In most cases, the update commands are disabled for content you have checked out, because that content would always
be up to date. However, an undesirable situation can occur if a different user deletes the lock on checked-out content
(by dragging the lock file [.idlk] to the Recycle Bin [Windows] or Trash [Mac OS]), and modifies the content. In this
case, the update commands can become enabled even while the content is checked out to you, essentially allowing two
people to edit the content at the same time. Updating the content results in lost work. For best results, do not delete the
lock files.
Update the InDesign layout
InDesign users can modify the layout (for example, change the size or location of the text frames of a story) and save
the changes while InCopy users are modifying the text of these text frames. In a shared server workflow, the way InCopy
users are notified about layout changes depends on whether they have opened an assignment file or have checked out
individual content files and also opened the linked InDesign file.
Consider the following:
• If an InDesign user changes the layout of frames in an assignment, the user must update the assignment to make the
design changes available to InCopy users. InDesign does not automatically update assignment files when the
document is saved.
• Once the InDesign user updates the assignment stored on a shared server, the Out Of Date icon
appears next to
the assignment in the InCopy Assignments panel. The InCopy user must update the design to see the current layout.
• If an InDesign user changes the layout of exported content that is not part of an assignment, the Out Of Date icon
appears next to the InDesign document name in the Assignments panel, and the document title bar indicates the
layout is out-of-date. InCopy users can update the currently active InDesign document with the latest layout and
style changes.
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Updating the layout in InCopy is useful for copyfitting tasks, because the latest appearance and line breaks are visible
in Layout and Galley views.
❖ Do one of the following:
• If you have an assignment file open and the Assignments panel shows the Out Of Date icon
next to the
assignment name, click the Update Design button
, or choose File > Update Design. You cannot undo this
command.
• If you are not working with assignment files and you have more than one InDesign document open, select the
one you want to make active, and choose File > Update Design.
Check in content
When you check in a managed content file, you save it to a shared location on a file system where it can be checked out
by others for editing or other changes. Exporting a text or graphics frame from InDesign also checks it in automatically.
Although a checked-in file is available for editing, it is not actually editable until it is checked out (unless you edit the
content in stand-alone mode in InCopy). Checking in content relinquishes editing control, but does not close the file.
The content remains open on your screen, but in a read-only state.
The LiveEdit Workflow plug-ins do not create multiple file versions. Instead, files are overwritten when updated in
either InCopy or InDesign.
If you are working on an assignment package, return or forward the assignment package after checking it in.
Check in managed content (InDesign)
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select the content in the layout and choose Edit > InCopy > Check In.
• In the Assignments panel, select the content and choose Check In from the panel menu.
Check in managed content (InCopy)
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select the content in Layout view and choose File > Check In.
• In the Assignments panel, select the content and choose Check In from the panel menu.
Note: You can undo the most recent changes before you check in content.
When you check in a file, the Available icon appears on the text or graphics frame in the InDesign layout, in the
InCopy Layout view, in the Assignments panel, and in the story bar (InCopy).
Save changes (InDesign)
As you work on content you have checked out, you can save your changes and update the file-system copy.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To save the selected content without saving changes to the InDesign document or any of its linked files, select the
content in the layout and choose Edit > InCopy > Save Content.
• To save every content file checked out to you, choose File > Save. This type of save does not automatically update
assignment files or checked-out content files in InCopy. However, the checked-out files in InCopy will show the
Out Of Date icon
in the Assignments panel.
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• To save the InDesign document under a new name with links to any existing InCopy files, choose File > Save As.
This action causes the assignments in the InDesign file to appear as missing until they are updated.
• To save a copy of the currently active document, choose File > Save A Copy. You can choose to give the copy a
new name and location with links to any existing InCopy files.
Save changes (InCopy)
❖ Do one of the following:
• To save the InCopy file under the same name and location on the file system, choose File > Save Content. The
file is still checked out to you.
• To save the InCopy content file under a new name, choose File > Save Content As. The newly created content file
is not managed in the workflow. The Save Content As command is available only if you have opened the InCopy
content file (.icml or .incx) directly.
• To save a copy of the currently active InCopy content file, choose File > Save Content Copy. You can choose to
give the copy a new name and location. The saved copy is not managed in the workflow. The Save Content Copy
command is available only if you have opened the InCopy content file (.icml or .incx) directly.
• To save all currently open and checked-out InCopy content files, choose File > Save All Content. This saves all
files to their current locations. The Save All Content command is available only if you have opened an assignment
or InDesign file.
More Help topics
Assignment files
Managed files
Managed files
Managed files
Create and send packages (InDesign)
Links panel overview
Exporting content from InDesign
Work with stand-alone documents
Managed files
Viewing the workspace
Zoom in and out
Use the Zoom tool or the Zoom commands to magnify the size of documents.
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Zoom in or out
• To zoom in, select the Zoom tool
and click the area you want to magnify. Each click magnifies the view to the
next preset percentage, centering the display around the point you click. At maximum magnification, the center of
the Zoom tool appears blank. To zoom out, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the area you
want to reduce. Each click reduces the view.
• To magnify to the next preset percentage, activate the window you want to view and choose View > Zoom In. To
reduce the view to the previous preset percentage, choose View > Zoom Out.
• To set a specific magnification level, type or choose a level in the Zoom Level box in the application bar.
In Mac OS, you can display the zoom percentage in the status bar by hiding the application bar (Window > Application
Bar). In Windows, you cannot hide the application bar.
• To zoom in or out, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while using the mouse scroll wheel or sensor.
• To magnify by dragging, select the Zoom tool and drag around the area you want to magnify.
Use power zoom
Power zoom offers a quick way to scroll through your document pages. Using the grabber hand, you can use zoom in
or out and scroll through your entire document. This feature is especially useful for long documents.
You must be in Layout view to use power zoom.
1 Click the Hand tool
.
To activate the grabber hand, you can also hold down the spacebar or hold down Alt/Option while in text mode.
2 With the grabber hand active, click and hold down the mouse button.
The document zooms out so that you can see more of the spread. A red box indicates the view area.
3 With the mouse button still held down, drag the red box to scroll through the document pages. Press arrow keys or
use the mouse scroll wheel to change the size of the red box.
4 Release the mouse button to zoom in on the new area of the document.
The document window returns to its original zoom percentage or to the size of the red box.
Zoom to Actual Size
• Double-click the Zoom tool.
• Choose View > Actual Size.
• Type or choose a magnification level of 100 in the Zoom Level box in the application bar.
Adjust the view
Focus on the desired area of your document by fitting pages and spreads within the active window and by scrolling the
view.
Fit the page, spread, or pasteboard within the active window
• Choose View > Fit Page In Window.
• Choose View > Fit Spread In Window.
• Choose View > Entire Pasteboard.
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Scroll the view
You can easily adjust the degree to which pages or objects are centered in the document window. These techniques are
also useful for navigating between pages.
❖ Do any of the following:
• Select the Hand tool
from the Tools panel, and then click and drag in the document window. Holding down
Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and pressing the spacebar temporarily activates the Hand tool.
• Click the horizontal or vertical scroll bars or drag the scroll box.
• Press Page Up or Page Down.
• Use the mouse scroll wheel or sensor to scroll up and down. To pan left or right, press Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS) as you use the mouse scroll wheel or sensor.
Turn pages
InDesign makes it easy to jump from page to page in a document. For example, just as most web browsers provide Back
and Forward buttons to navigate through pages you’ve visited, InDesign keeps track of the order in which you’ve viewed
pages in a document.
❖ Do any of the following:
• To move through pages in the order in which you viewed them during the current session, choose Layout >Go
Back or Go Forward.
• To go to the next or previous page, click the Next Page button or Previous Page button at the bottom of the
document window, or choose Layout > Next Page or Previous Page.
Note: Page navigation controls are sensitive to R or L binding. If the document is read from right to left, for example,
becomes the Next Page button and becomes the Previous Page button.
• To go to the first or last page, click the First Spread button or Last Spread button
document window, or choose Layout > First Page or Last Page.
at the lower left of the
• To go to a specific page, choose Layout > Go To Page, specify the page number, and click OK. Or, click the
downward-facing arrow at the right of the page box, and then choose a page.
Choose page from page box to go to specific page
• To go to a master page, click in the page box at the lower left of the document window. Type the first few letters
of the master page name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). Or, in the Pages panel, double-click a
master page icon.
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Work with additional windows
You can open additional windows for the same document or for other InDesign documents. With additional windows,
you can compare different spreads simultaneously, especially spreads that aren’t adjacent. You can also display different
magnifications of the same page, so that you can work closely on details while watching how the changes affect the
overall layout. In addition, you can display a master page in one window, and pages based on it in other windows, to
see how editing the master page affects various parts of the document.
When you reopen the document, only the last-used window appears.
• To create a new window for the same document, choose Window > Arrange > New Window.
• To cascade or tile windows, choose Window > Arrange > Cascade to arrange all windows into a stack, with each
window offset slightly. Or, choose Window > Arrange > Tile to display all windows equally without overlapping.
• To activate a window, click the window tab or title bar. Or, choose the name of the view in the Window menu.
Multiple windows for a document are numbered in the order they were created.
• To close all windows for the active document, press Shift+Ctrl+W (Windows) or Shift+Command+W (Mac OS).
• To close all windows for all open documents, press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+W (Windows) or Shift+Command+Option+W
(Mac OS).
Use anti-aliasing for smoothing edges
Anti-aliasing smooths the jagged edges of type and bitmap images by softening the color transition between edge pixels
and background pixels. Since only the edge pixels change, no detail is lost.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Display Performance
(Mac OS).
2 From the Adjust View Settings menu, choose the view setting for which you want to turn on anti-aliasing.
You can enable or disable anti-aliasing for each of the view settings. For example, you can enable anti-aliasing for
High Quality view and disable it for Fast view.
3 Select Enable Anti-aliasing.
Greek type
When display capabilities are insufficient to show text at a small size, InDesign displays the text as a dimmed bar. This
behavior is called greeking type. Any type at or below the specified type size is replaced on-screen with non-letterforms
that act as placeholders.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Display Performance
(Mac OS).
2 From the Adjust View Settings menu, choose the view setting for which you want to change the Greek Type setting.
You can specify different Greek Type values for each of the view settings.
3 For Greek Type Below, type a value, and then click OK.
To control whether to greek text and images when you scroll a document, open the Interface section of the Preferences
dialog box, drag the Hand Tool slider to the desired level of performance versus quality, and then click OK.
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Calculate values in panels and dialog boxes
You can perform simple math in any numerical edit box. For example, if you want to move a selected object 3 units to
the right using the current measurement units, you don’t have to work out the new horizontal position—simply type
+3 after the current value in the Transform panel.
Panels use the measurement system selected in the Preferences dialog box; however, you can specify values in another
measurement instead.
1 In a text box that accepts numerical values, do one of the following:
• To replace the entire current value with a mathematical expression, select the entire current value.
• To use the current value as part of a mathematical expression, click before or after the current value.
2 Type a simple mathematical expression using a single mathematical operator, such as + (plus), - (minus), *
(multiplication), / (division), or % (percent).
For example, 0p0+3 or 5mm + 4.
3 Press Enter or Return to apply the calculation.
In the Control panel and the Transform panel, you can duplicate the selected object and apply the calculation to the
duplicate (instead of the original). Enter the calculation and press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return (Mac OS).
Enter values in panels and dialog boxes
Panels and dialog boxes use the measurement units and increments defined in the Edit > Preferences > Units &
Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS) dialog box. However, you can
specify values using any of the supported measurement units at any time by temporarily overriding the current
preference settings.
❖ Do any of the following:
• Type a value in the box, and then press Enter or Return.
• Drag the slider.
• Drag the dial.
• Click the arrow buttons in the panel to change the value.
• Click in the box and then use the up or down arrow keys on the keyboard to change the value.
• Select a value from the menu associated with the box.
Note: When you make a change using the arrow buttons, arrow keys, or pop-up menus, InDesign applies the change
immediately.
More Help topics
Keys for tools
Keys for viewing documents and document workspaces
Rulers and measurement units
Creating and saving your own workspace
Learn how to personalize the workspace
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Creating and saving your own workspace
Working with Tools
The InDesign toolbar contains a lot of tools, many of which are hidden or "nested" underneath the tools you see initially.
In this video you will see the primary tools used to select, rotate and size objects. You'll also learn how to use the Type
tool to edit text and create frames with or without borders, switch tools using your keyboard, and navigate with the
Hand and Zoom tools.
Working with Tools
Setting preferences
Setting preferences
Toolbox
Toolbox
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Chapter 3: Layout and design
Generate QR codes
About QR codes
QR codes are machine readable printed representation of data for various industry uses. It has now become common
in consumer advertising. A consumer with a Smartphone can install an app with a QR code scanner that can read and
decode the URL information and redirect the phone’s browser to a company website.
After scanning QR codes, users may receive text, add a business card contact to their devices, open a Web hyperlink,
or compose an email or text message.
Manage QR codes in InDesign
You can now generate and edit high quality independent QR code graphics from within InDesign. The generated QR
code is a high-fidelity graphic object that behaves exactly like native vector art in InDesign. You can easily scale the
object and fill it with colors. You can also apply effects, transparency, and printing attributes, such as overprinting, spot
inks, and trappings to the object. You can copy-paste the code graphic as a vector graphic object into a standard
graphics editor tool such as Adobe Illustrator.
Generate QR code
1 From the menu, choose Object > Generate QR Code. The Generate QR Code dialog box is displayed.
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The Generate/Edit QR Code dialog box has two tabs – Content and Color.
2 In the Content tab, select any one of the following data types in the Type drop-down list:
• Web Hyperlink
• Plain Text
• Text Message
• Email
• Business Card
Based on the selected type, one or more fields are displayed to provide the content for which you want to generate
the QR code.
3 The Color tab shows Swatch List. If you want to apply a specific color to the QR code, switch to the Color tab and
select a specific color. By default, the generated QR code is Black with transparent background.
4 Click OK.
5 If you have selected a Frame before generating the QR code, the code is placed directly in the selected Frame
replacing its content. If you have not selected a frame, the QR code is loaded on the Place Gun and you can place it
just like a traditional EPS object:
• Clicking inside the document places the object in its original/default size – 30 X 30 (cm units).
• Clicking into an existing frame places the code inside the frame with default size. (It replaces its existing content
if you click in the frame with the Alt key pressed.)
• Click and dragging draws a new frame with fixed aspect ratio and releasing the mouse places the code inside the
frame.
Once placed inside a document, the QR code is treated as a traditional EPS object, except that a tooltip appears on
hovering over the object, revealing the content details in the form of the embedded code.
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Edit the content and color of the QR code
1 Select the QR code object or the frame: double-click inside the frame.
2 From the menu, choose Object > Edit QR Code. You can also right-click and choose Edit QR Code in the context
menu.
3 The Edit QR Code dialog box is displayed with the existing content and color information.
4 In the Content tab, change the data type and content as appropriate.
5 To select a different color for the QR code, click Color tab and select an appropriate color.
6 Click OK.
Modify the QR code’s frame attribute
The default background of a QR code frame is transparent. However, you can change the Frame’s Fill and Stroke
attributes such as the Color, Line Style, and Thickness using the traditional controls.
Transform the QR code object
You can move, resize, or rotate the placed QR code object with the Selection tool. When you drag the frame’s box, only
the frame resizes. However, while dragging:
• If you press the Shift key, the aspect ratio of the frame is preserved.
• If you press the Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) key, both the frame and the content scales with preserved
aspect ratio.
• If you press the Shift plus Alt (on Windows) or Option (on Mac) keys, the frame scales from its center with
unpreserved aspect ratio. You can press the Shift key to preserve the aspect ratio.
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Footnotes
Create footnotes
A footnote consists of two linked parts: the footnote reference number that appears in text, and the footnote text that
appears at the bottom of the column. You can create footnotes or import them from Word or RTF documents.
Footnotes are automatically numbered as they are added to a document. Numbering restarts in each story. You can
control the numbering style, appearance, and layout of footnotes. You cannot add footnotes to tables or to footnote text.
The width of the footnote text is based on the width of the column containing the footnote reference marker.
You cannot create endnotes in InDesign. Endnotes in converted Microsoft Word documents are formatted as text, not
footnotes. For a workaround for creating endnotes, see the Endnotes in InDesign article by Bob Bringhurst.
Follow these steps to create footnotes:
1 Place the insertion point where you want the footnote reference number to appear.
2 Choose Type > Insert Footnote.
3 Type the footnote text.
Footnote added to document
A Reference number B Footnote text
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As you type, the footnote area expands while the text frame remains the same size. The footnote area continues to
expand upward until it reaches the line with the footnote reference. At that point, the footnote is split to the next text
frame column or threaded frame. If the footnote cannot be split and if more text is added than can fit in the footnote
area, the line containing the footnote reference is moved to the next column, or an overset icon appears. To fix this,
resize the frame or change the text formatting.
When the insertion point is in a footnote, you can choose Type > Go To Footnote Reference to return to where you were
typing. If you use this option frequently, consider creating a keyboard shortcut.
Change footnote numbering and layout
Changes you make to footnote numbering and layout affect existing footnotes and all new ones.
1 Choose Type > Document Footnote Options.
2 In the Numbering And Formatting tab, select options that determine the numbering scheme and formatting
appearance of the reference number and footnote text.
3 Click the Layout tab, and select options that control the look of the footnote section on the page.
4 Click OK.
Footnote numbering and formatting options
The following options appear in the Numbering And Formatting section of the Footnote Options dialog box:
Numbering Style Choose the numbering style for footnote reference numbers.
Start At Specify the number used for the first footnote in the story. Each story in a document begins with the same Start
At number. If you have multiple documents in a book with continued page numbering, start the footnote numbering
in each chapter to continue where the last chapter ends.
The Start At option is especially useful for documents in a book. Footnote numbering is not continued across
documents in a book.
Restart Numbering Every If you want numbering to restart within the document, select this option and choose Page,
Spread, or Section to determine when footnote numbering is restarted. Some numbering styles, such as asterisks (*),
work best when reset on every page.
Show Prefix/Suffix In Select this option to show prefixes or suffixes in the footnote reference, the footnote text, or both.
Prefixes appear before the number (such as [1) and suffixes appear after the number (such as 1]). This option is
especially useful for placing footnotes within characters, such as [1]. Type a character or characters or select an option
for Prefix, Suffix, or both. To select special characters, click the icons next to the Prefix and Suffix controls to display a
menu.
If the footnote reference number is spaced too close to the preceding text, adding one of the space characters as a prefix
improves the appearance. You can also apply a character style to the reference number.
Position This option determines the appearance of the footnote reference number, which is superscript by default. If
you prefer to format the number using a character style (such as a character style that includes OpenType superscript
settings), choose Apply Normal, and specify the character style.
Character Style Choose a character style to format the footnote reference number. For example, instead of using
superscript, select a character style at a normal position with an elevated baseline. The menu displays the character
styles available in the Character Styles panel.
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Paragraph Style Choose a paragraph style that formats the footnote text for all footnotes in the document. The menu
displays the paragraph styles available in the Paragraph Styles panel. By default, the [Basic Paragraph] style is used. Note
that the [Basic Paragraph] style may not have the same appearance as the default font settings for the document.
Separator The separator determines the white space that appears between the footnote number and the start of the
footnote text. To change the separator, first select or delete the existing separator, and then choose a new separator. You
can include multiple characters. To insert white space characters, use the appropriate metacharacter, such as ^m for em
space.
Footnote layout options
The following options appear in the Layout section of the Footnote Options dialog box:
Minimum Space Before First Footnote This option determines the minimum amount of space between the bottom of
the column and the first footnote line. You cannot use a negative value. Any Space Before setting in the footnote
paragraph is ignored.
Space Between Footnotes This option determines the distance between the last paragraph of one footnote and the first
paragraph of the next footnote in a column. You cannot use a negative value. The Space Before/Space After values in a
footnote’s paragraph apply only if the footnote includes multiple paragraphs.
First Baseline Offset This option determines the distance between the start of the footnote area (where the footnote
divider appears by default) and the first line of footnote text.
For information on the First Baseline options, see Change text frame properties.
Place End Of Story Footnotes At Bottom Of Text Select this option if you want the last column’s footnotes to appear just
below the text in the last frame of the story. If this option is not selected, any footnote in the last frame of the story
appears at the bottom of the column.
Allow Split Footnotes Select this option if you want footnotes to break across a column when the footnote exceeds the
amount of space available for it in that column. If splitting is not allowed, the line containing the footnote reference
number moves to the next column, or the text becomes overset.
Even when Allow Split Footnotes is turned on, you can prevent individual footnotes from splitting by placing the
insertion point in the footnote text. Select Keep Options from the Paragraph panel menu, and then select Keep Lines
Together and All Lines In Paragraph options. If the footnote contains multiple paragraphs, use the Keep With Next X Lines
option in the first paragraph of the footnote text. You can choose Type > Insert Break Character > Column Break to control
where the footnote is split.
Footnote split across column.
Rule Above Specify the location and appearance of the footnote divider line that appears above the footnote text. A
divider line (also called a “separator line”) also appears above any footnote text continued in a separate frame. The
options you select apply to either the First Footnote In Column or Continued Footnotes, whichever is selected in the
menu. These options are similar to those that appear when you specify a paragraph rule. If you want to remove the
footnote divider line, deselect Rule On.
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Work with footnote text
As you edit footnote text, note the following:
• When the insertion point is in footnote text, choosing Edit > Select All selects all the footnote text for that footnote,
but no other footnote or text.
• Use the arrow keys to navigate among footnotes.
• Footnote numbering is not continued across documents in a book. If you don’t want numbering to restart in each
document with the book, change the Start At value manually in each document after the editing is final.
• In Story Editor, you can click the footnote icon to expand or collapse a footnote. You can expand or collapse all
footnotes by choosing View > Story Editor > Expand All Footnotes or Collapse AllFootnotes.
• In Galley view or Story view, you can click the footnote icon to expand or collapse footnotes. You can expand or
collapse all footnotes by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (Mac OS) a footnote and choosing Expand All
Footnotes or Collapse All Footnotes.
• You can select and apply character and paragraph formatting to footnote text. You can also select and change the
appearance of the footnote reference number, but the recommended method is using the Document Footnote
Options dialog box.
• When you cut or copy text that includes the footnote reference number, the footnote text is also added to the
clipboard. If you copy the text to a different document, the footnotes in that text use the characteristics of the new
document’s numbering and layout appearance.
• If you accidentally delete the footnote number at the start of the footnote text, you can add it back. Place the
insertion point at the beginning of the footnote text, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS), and choose
Insert Special Character > Markers > Footnote Number.
• If you clear overrides and character styles on a paragraph that includes a footnote reference marker, the footnote
reference numbers lose the attributes you applied in the Document Footnote Options dialog box.
Textwrap with footnotes
You can apply textwrap to an anchored or floating object which is part of a footnote.
Internal text wrap of objects in footnotes
You can place an inline or anchored object on which textwrap is applied in a footnote. The text wraps around the object
and adjusts seamlessly around that object.
For internal textwrap, text will only wrap below the point where an object is anchored in a footnote.
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Internal Text Wrap
External text wrap of objects in footnotes
If a floating object (not inline or anchored) on which textwrap is applied interacts with footnotes text then text wrap
takes effect. The text adjusts dynamically around the object.
In the example shown below, the photograph is not part of the footnote, but the text adjusts seamlessly around the
object.
External Text Wrap
Footnotes in non-rectangular frames
For non-rectangular text frames, such as rounded corners, ovals, and circles, the footnotes remain within the bounds
of object shapes.
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Delete footnotes
To delete a footnote, select the footnote reference number that appears in the text, and then press Backspace or Delete.
If you delete only the footnote text, the footnote reference number and footnote structure remain.
More Help topics
Place (import) text
Overprint rules above footnotes
Creating type on a path
Create type on a path
You can format text to flow along the edge of an open or closed path of any shape. Apply options and effects to type on
a path: Slide it along the path, flip it over to the other side of the path, or use the shape of the path to distort the
characters. Type on a path has an in port and an out port just like other text frames, so you can thread text to and from it.
You can include only one line of type on a path, so any type that won’t fit on the path will be overset (hidden), unless
you’ve threaded it to another path or text frame. You can add inline or above line anchored objects to type on a path.
You can’t create type on a path using compound paths, such as those that result from using the Create Outlines
command.
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Type on a path
A Start bracket B In port C Center bracket D End bracket E Out port indicating threaded text
1 Select the Type On A Path tool
. (Click and hold the Type tool to display a menu containing the Type On A Path
tool.)
2 Position the pointer on the path until a small plus sign appears next to the pointer
, and then follow these steps:
• To type using default settings, click the path. An insertion point appears at the start of the path by default. If the
current default paragraph settings specify an indent, or any alignment other than left, the insertion point may
appear somewhere other than at the start of the path.
• To confine the text to a specific portion of the path, click the path where you would like the text to start, and drag
along the path to where you want the text to end, then release the mouse. (For information about changing the
start and end position of text, see Adjust the type on a path position .)
Changing location of type on path
Note: If neither clicking nor dragging seems to work, make sure that the small plus sign appears next to the Type On A
Path tool.
3 Type the text you want. If you clicked to place the insertion point on the path, type will appear along the entire length
of the path. If you dragged, type will appear only along the length you dragged.
Note: If the path was originally visible, it remains visible after you add type to it. To hide the path, select it with the Selection
or Direct Selection tool, and then apply a fill and stroke of None.
Edit or delete type on a path
You can apply character and paragraph options to type on a path. However, paragraph rules and paragraph spacing
options have no effect on type on a path. The alignment setting in the Paragraph panel controls the alignment of type
on a path.
Edit and format path-type characters
1 Using the Type On A Path tool, do one of the following:
• To add an insertion point, click between any two characters in the type on a path.
• To select characters, drag through the type on a path.
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2 Edit and format the text as needed.
Delete type from a path
1 Using the Selection tool
or Direct Selection tool
, select one or more type-on-a-path objects.
2 Choose Type > Type on a Path > Delete Type From Path.
If the path text is threaded, type moves to the next threaded text frame or type-on-a-path object. If the path text isn’t
threaded, text is deleted. The path remains, but loses any type-on-a-path attributes—all brackets, in and out ports, and
threading properties are removed.
Note: If the path’s fill and stroke are set to None, the path is invisible after you delete the type. To make the path visible,
press the D key immediately after you choose Type > Type on a Path > Delete Type From Path. This applies the default fill
and stroke to the selected path.
Tighten character spacing around sharp turns and acute angles
1 Using the Selection tool or the Type tool, select the type on a path.
2 Choose Type > Type on a Path > Options, or double-click the Type On A Path tool.
3 For Spacing, type a value in points. Higher values remove the extra space from between characters positioned on
sharp curves or angles.
Type on a path before (left) and after (right) applying spacing adjustment
Note: The Spacing value compensates for the way characters fan out around a curve or sharp angle. It has no effect on
characters positioned on straight segments. To change spacing of characters anywhere along the path, select them, and then
apply kerning or tracking.
Adjust the type on a path position
You can change the start or end position of type on a path, slide type, and change the path position in other ways.
Change the start or end position of type on a path
1 Using the Selection tool
, select the type on a path.
2 Position the pointer over the path type’s start or end bracket until a small icon appears next to the pointer
not position it over the bracket’s in port or out port.
Zoom in on the path to more easily select the bracket.
3 Drag the start or end bracket along the path.
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Position the pointer on start or end bracket, and then drag to reposition boundary of type on a path.
Note: If you apply a paragraph indent value, it’s measured from the start and end brackets.
Slide type along a path
1 Using the Selection tool
, select the type on a path.
2 Position the pointer over the path type’s center bracket until a center bracket icon appears next to the pointer
.
Zoom in on the path to more easily select the bracket.
3 Drag the center bracket along the path.
Note: The text won’t move if both the start and end brackets are at the ends of the path. To create some space for dragging
text, drag the start or end bracket away from the ends of the path.
Flip type on a path
1 Click the Selection tool
, and select the type on a path.
2 Position the pointer over the type’s center bracket until a center bracket icon appears next to the pointer
.
3 Drag the center bracket across the path.
Position pointer on center bracket, and then drag across path to flip type.
You can also flip type on a path using a dialog box. Using the Selection tool or the Type tool, select the type on a
path. Choose Type > Type on a Path > Options. Select the Flip option, and then click OK.
Apply an effect to type on a path
1 Using the Selection tool or the Type tool, select the type on a path.
2 Choose Type > Type on a Path > Options, or double-click the Type On A Path tool.
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3 Choose one of the following in the Effect menu, and then click OK:
• To keep the center of each character’s baseline parallel to the path’s tangent, choose Rainbow. This is the default
setting.
Type on a path effects
A Rainbow effect B Skew effect C 3D Ribbon effect D Stair Step effect E Gravity effect
• To keep characters’ vertical edges perfectly vertical regardless of the path shape, while letting characters’
horizontal edges follow the path, choose Skew. The resulting horizontal distortion is useful for text that appears
to follow waves or go around a cylinder, as on a beverage can label.
• To keep characters’ horizontal edges perfectly horizontal regardless of the path shape, while keeping each
character’s vertical edge perpendicular to the path, choose 3D Ribbon.
• To keep the left edge of each character’s baseline on the path without rotating any characters, choose Stair Step.
• To keep the center of each character’s baseline on the path while keeping each vertical edge in line with the path’s
center point, choose Gravity. You can control this option’s perspective effect by adjusting the arc of the text’s path.
Add anchored objects to type on a path
1 Using the Type tool or the Type On A Path tool, click an insertion point in the text where you want the anchor for
the object to appear.
2 Add the anchored object. You can add inline or above line anchored objects or frames to the path. (See Anchored
objects.)
Note: The options available for above line anchored objects in a text path differ slightly from options for anchored objects
in a regular text frame: the Alignment option is relative to the anchored object marker and the Space Before option is not
available.
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Linked content
Replicating content across various pages is no easy task; copy-pasting can be cumbersome and time consuming. Use
linked content features to manage multiple versions of content. You can place and link content within the same
document or even across different documents. Linked content makes it easier to support emerging workflows, where
for example, you design for vertical and horizontal layouts. Linked content also works well for traditional print and
publishing workflows, where you synchronize boilerplate text on different pages or documents.
Linked content behaves similar to traditional links. See Use the Links panel for an overview. You can designate an object
as parent, and then place it at other places as child objects. Whenever you update the parent object, the child objects
are flagged and you can update them to synchronize with the parent.
You can place and link objects using either the Content Collector tools , or choose Edit > Place and Link menu
command.
The
panel.
icon displays on the upper-left corner of linked object. The item is displayed as linked object in the Links
Content Collector tools
Content Collector and Placer tools let you duplicate page items and place them on open InDesign documents. As
content is collected, it is displayed in the Content Conveyor. Use Content Conveyor to easily and quickly place and link
multiple page items within and across open documents.
Click
in the toolbox to open the Content Conveyor.
• Use Content Collector
• Use Content Placer
tool to select an object and add it to the conveyor
to place page object on a page
Press B to toggle between Content Collector and Content Placer tool.
Content Conveyor
A Content Collector tool B Content placer tool C Create link D Map styles E Edit Custom Style Mapping F Place options G Browse H Collect
All Threaded Frames I Load Conveyor
Content Collector Use the Content Collector to add page items to the Content Conveyor.
Content Placer Use the Content Placer to place the items from the Content Conveyor to the document. When you
select this tool, the current item is added to the place gun.
Create Link Enable Create Link to link the placed item to the original location of the collected item. You can manage
the links using the Links panel.
Map Styles Map paragraph, character, table, or cell styles, between the original and placed items. By default, style
names are used for mapping. See Custom style mapping .
Edit Custom Style Mapping Define custom style mapping between the original and placed items. Map the styles to
automatically replace original styles in the placed item.
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Place Options Specify the Conveyor options while placing items.
• Remove items from the conveyor after you place them
• Place the current item multiple times. The item remains loaded in the place gun.
• Place the item and move to the next item. The item is however kept in the conveyor.
Browse Navigate through the items in the Content Conveyor.
Collect All Threaded Frames Enable this option to collect all threaded frames. The story and all frames are collected. If
this option is disabled, the story is collected in a single frame.
Load Conveyor Use
to load the conveyor with items.
• Selection: Use this option to load all selected items
• Pages: Use this option to load all items on the specified pages
• All: Use this option to load items from all pages and pasteboard
Enable Create Single set to group all the items in a single set.
You can collect individual page items, or collect related items as "sets." In some cases InDesign automatically creates
sets to preserve the relational integrity of the page items.
The following are a few method of collecting items as sets, some manual and some automatic:
• Marquee select a number of items
• Use the Load Conveyor option and then select range of pages or all document content or selected items and items
will be accordingly collected in a set.
• Collect an item that has related content such as a part of an interactive button that has other items and states
associated with it, it will collect all related items in a set (this set will always drop in one gesture)
• Collect a text box with threaded text spanning into other objects and ’collect All Threaded Text Frames’ checkbox is
checked on the conveyor, it will pick all threaded text boxes into a set.
Place and link
1 Select a page item by either selecting the frame or place the insertion cursor in the text. You can also select multiple
items by using Shift+Click.
2 Choose Edit > Place and Link. The cursor is loaded with the items, and the items display in the Content Conveyor.
3 Click on a page or draw a frame to place the linked item.
Specify link options
1 In the Links panel, select the linked item.
2 From the Links panel menu, choose Link Options.
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Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to change the Cancel button to Reset. Click Reset to revert to default
options.
3 Select the options as required:
Update Link When Saving Document Enable this option to update the link when you save the document.
Warn if Link Update Will Overwrite Local Edits Enable this option to show a warning message if updating the link
will overwrite any local edits made to the linked object.
Preserve Local Edits while Updating Object Links Select from the available categories to preserve local edits while
updating links.
Category
Examples
Appearance
Object style attributes such as Stroke, Fill, Effects. This excludes any
text or text frame related attributes, such as overprinting, nonprinting settings etc
Size and Shape
Height, width, transforms, text frame attributes, and other column
size attributes
Interactivity
Animation, object States, button actions
Frame Content
Image, video, content placed or pasted into frames, and effects
and settings applied directly to such objects.
Others
Attributes excluded from other categories, such as text wrap on
frames, object export options; text frame attributes such as ,
baseline options, auto-size options, vertical justification and so on.
Remove Forced Line Breaks from Story Enable to remove any forced line breaks in the story. Removing line breaks
lets the text reflow smoothly in the linked frame if it is resized or reformatted.
Define Custom Style Mapping Enable this option if you want to map styles, and automatically apply another style to
the linked content instead. See Custom style mapping .
To specify default link options, with all documents closed, open the links panel menu and choose Link Options.
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Custom Style Mapping
Text styles (paragraph, character, table, cell) or style groups can be mapped to different styles while linking. The
mapped styles are automatically applied to the linked content, instead of the original styles applied to the parent.
Custom style mapping comes in handy, for example, when you want to use sans serif fonts for digital and serif fonts for
print publications. Or if you want, vary the text style between the horizontal and vertical layouts.
To define custom style mapping, do one of the following:
• In the Link Options dialog box (Links panel > Link Options), enable Define Custom Style Mapping and then click
Settings.
• Click
in the Content Conveyor.
Custom Style Mapping
1 Select a source document and Style type.
2 Click New Syle Mapping.
3 Choose source and mapped styles or style groups from the list
Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to change the Cancel button to Reset. Click Reset to revert to default options.
Update a linked item
If an original item is modified,
following:
• Click
symbol displays over the frame and in the Links panel. To update do one of the
near the top-left of the frame
• In the Links panel, double-click
symbol
If you have made local edits to a child item, the edits are overwritten with content from the original item. If you set
Warn if Link Update Will Overwrite Local Edits, a warning message displays.
Use the Link Info pane to determine if you’ve made local edits to the story; story status displays “Text Modified” if you’ve
made local edits.
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Add basic page numbering
You can add a current page number marker to your pages to specify where a page number sits on a page and how it will
look. Because a page number marker updates automatically, the page number it displays is always correct—even as you
add, remove, or rearrange pages in the document. Page number markers can be formatted and styled as text.
Add a page number marker to a master page
Page number markers are commonly added to master pages. When master pages are applied to document pages, the
page numbering is updated automatically, similar to headers and footers.
Page number on master A (left) and page 5 based on same master (right)
If the automatic page number is on a master page, it displays the master page prefix. On a document page, the automatic
page number displays the page number. On a pasteboard, it displays PB.
1 In the Pages panel, double-click the master page to which you want to add your page number. To create master pages,
see Create masters.
2 Create a new text frame large enough to hold the longest page number and any text you want to appear next to it.
Position the text frame where you want the page number to appear.
If your document has facing pages, create separate text frames for the left and right master pages.
3 In the page number text frame, add any text that will come before or after the page number (such as “Page “).
4 Position the insertion point where you want the page number to appear, and then choose Type > Insert Special
Character > Markers > Current Page Number.
5 Apply the master page to the document pages on which you want the page numbering to appear. To apply master
pages, see Apply master pages.
To remove the page number from the first page in the document, you have two options. Either apply a different or the
None master, or override and delete the master text frame on the document page. Ctrl/Cmd+Shift-click a master text
frame to override it.
Change the page numbering style
By default, pages are numbered using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...); however, you can number pages using upper or
lowercase Roman (i, ii, iii...) or alphanumeric (a, b, c...) numbering. You can also number pages using preceding zeros.
Each part of the document that uses a different numbering style is called a section. For more information on sections,
see Define section numbering.
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In Japanese, Chinese, or Korean versions, by default, Arabic numerals are used for page numbers. However, if you use
the Numbering & Section Options command, you can specify the style of numbering, such as Roman numerals, Arabic
numerals, Kanji, and so on. The Style option allows you to select the number of digits in the page number, for example,
001 or 0001. Each part of the document that uses a different numbering style is called a section. For more information
on sections, see Define section numbering.
Use the Numbering & Section Options dialog box to change the page numbering style to use a different format. You
can also use this dialog box to restart page numbering or to start page numbering at a number you specify.
1 In the Pages panel, select the page where you want the new numbering style section to begin.
2 Choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options.
3 Specify options, and then click OK. See Document numbering options.
A section indicator icon
appears above the page icon in the Pages panel, indicating the start of a new section.
Note: If a number or letter appears before the current page number you inserted, it means a section prefix is included. If
you don’t want this prefix, deselect Include Prefix When Numbering Pages in the Numbering & Section Options dialog box.
Common page numbering tasks
InDesign offers several different features that help you create page numbering effects.
To do this:
Do this:
Add page numbering to documents in a book.
See Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book.
Add section numbers and chapter numbers.
See Add section and chapter numbering.
Create running headers or running footers that use text variables such See Create headers and footers and Text variables.
as the create date, filename, or the current heading or title.
Create a “Page x of y” effect in which x is the current page and y is the Insert a Current Page Number marker for x, and insert the Last Page
total number of pages.
Number text variable for y (choose Type > Text Variables > Insert
Variable > Last Page Number).
Create a “Continued on page x” story jump.
See Add automatic page numbers for story jumps.
About pages and spreads
When you select the Facing Pages option in the File > Document Setup dialog box, document pages are arranged in
spreads. A spread is a set of pages viewed together, such as the two pages visible whenever you open a book or magazine.
Every InDesign spread includes its own pasteboard, which is an area outside a page where you can store objects that
aren’t yet positioned on a page. Each spread’s pasteboard provides space to accommodate objects that bleed, or extend
past the edge of a page.
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Pages panel
A Page icons B Page with master “A” applied C Selected spread
When you set the Binding option to Right To Left in the Document Setup dialog box, numbers are attached to the page
icons from right to left in the Pages panel.
In a long document, you can move to a page quickly by choosing Layout > Go To Page.
Change the page and spread display
The Pages panel provides information about and control over pages, spreads, and masters (pages or spreads that
automatically format other pages or spreads). By default, the Pages panel displays thumbnail representations of each
page’s content.
1 If the Pages panel isn’t visible, choose Window > Pages.
2 Choose Panel Options in the Pages panel menu.
3 In the Icons section, specify which icons appear next to the page thumbnails in the Pages panel. These icons indicate
whether transparency or page transitions have been added to a spread, and whether the spread view is rotated.
4 In the Pages and Masters sections:
• Select an icon size for pages and masters.
• Select Show Vertically to display spreads in one vertical column. Deselect this option to allow spreads to be
displayed side-by-side.
• Select Show Thumbnails to display thumbnail representations of the content of each page or master. (This option
is not available if certain options are selected for Icon Size.)
5 In the Panel Layout section, select Pages On Top to display the page icon section above the master icon section, or
select Masters On Top to display the master icon section above the page icon section.
6 Choose an option in the Resize menu to control how the sections are displayed when you resize the panel:
• To resize both the Pages and Masters sections of the panel, choose Proportional.
• To maintain the size of the Pages section and resize only the Masters section, choose Pages Fixed.
• To maintain the size of the Masters section and resize only the Pages section, choose Masters Fixed.
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Target or select a page or spread
You either select or target pages or spreads, depending on the task you are performing. Some commands affect the
currently selected page or spread, while others affect the target page or spread. For example, you can drag ruler guides
only to the target page or spread, but page-related commands, such as Duplicate Spread or Delete Page, affect the page
or spread selected in the Pages panel. Targeting makes a page or spread active and is helpful when, for example, several
spreads are visible in the document window and you want to paste an object onto a specific spread.
❖ In the Pages panel:
• To both target and select a page or spread, double-click its icon or the page numbers under the icon. If the page
or spread is not visible in the document window, it shifts into view.
Tip: You can also both target and select a page or spread by clicking a page, any object on the page, or its
pasteboard in the document window.
The vertical ruler is dimmed alongside all but the targeted page or spread.
• To select a page, click its icon. (Don’t double-click unless you want to select it and move it into view.)
• To select a spread, click the page numbers under the spread icon.
Note: Some spread options, such as those in the Pages panel menu, are available only when an entire spread is selected.
Add new pages to a document
❖ Do any of the following:
• To add a page after the active page or spread, click the New Page button in the Pages panel or choose Layout >
Pages > Add Page. The new page uses the same master as the existing active page.
• To add multiple pages to the end of the document, choose File > Document Setup. In the Document Setup dialog
box, specify the total number of pages for the document. InDesign adds pages after the last page or spread.
• To add pages and specify the document master, choose Insert Pages from the Pages panel menu or choose Layout
> Pages > Insert Pages. Choose where the pages will be added and select a master to apply.
Create color labels for page thumbnails
You can assign colored labels to the page thumbnails in the Pages panel. For example, you can use color labels to indicate
the status of the pages, such as a green label for complete spreads, a yellow label for spreads being worked on, and a red
label for unstarted spreads.
1 In the Pages panel, select the pages to which you want to apply the color labels.
2 From the Pages panel menu, choose Color Label, and then choose the color to assign.
The color label appears below the thumbnail in the Pages panel.
Applying a color label to master pages affects all pages to which the master is applied. However, when you apply a color
label to individual document pages, the color label for the document pages is used. To use a color label for master pages,
select the document pages you want to change and choose Color Label > Use Master Color from the Pages panel menu.
Liquid Layouts and Alternate Layouts | CC, CS6
Alternate layouts and Liquid Layout page rules, give you the flexibility to efficiently design for multiple page sizes,
orientations, or aspect ratios.
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For publishing for multiple formats and sizes, you can choose a design strategy that suits a project best: Hand crafted,
semi-automated, or fully automated. The degree of design control decreases as you rely on automated workflows.
InDesign provides several enhancements for your adopted strategy to balance cost and control.
Note: Automatic Liquid Layout based-publishing is not possible yet, because of the unavailability of compliant viewer
technologies.
Recommended workflow
A Alternate layout workflow B Alternate layout and liquid page rules
STEP 1: Choose a target device and its corresponding dimension and orientation. Then create your primary layout for
all the pages.
STEP 2: Optionally, add Adobe Liquid Layout page rules to help adapt content to different aspect ratios and sizes.
Liquid page rules are useful if you're targeting multiple devices. Without Liquid page rules, you'll have to manually
create a unique layout for every possible size and orientation. See Liquid layouts .
STEP 3: Use the Create Alternate Layout feature to create new pages in the same document. Depending on your
primary layout and the Liquid page rules, you may need to manually tune the layout. Repeat this step for each new size
and orientation. See Alternate layouts .
Liquid layouts
Liquid layouts
Liquid layouts make it easier to design content for multiple page sizes, orientations, or devices. Apply liquid page rules
to determine how objects on a page are adapted when you create alternate layouts and change the size, orientation, or
aspect ratio.
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You can apply different rules to different pages, depending on the layout and the goals; only one liquid page rule can be
applied to a page at a time. Liquid Layout is a general term that covers a set of specific liquid page rules: scale, re-center,
guide-based, and object-based page rules.
Use Liquid page rules to adapt content for output sizes.
• To adapt layouts when creating new pages in the same document using alternate layouts.
• To adapt layouts when changing existing page sizes. This is more efficient than the previous Layout Adjustment
feature.
To apply a liquid page rule, select the Page tool
and click a page. Then choose a liquid page rule from the control
bar. You can also use the Layout > Liquid Layouts.
To preview the effects of the applied rule, use the Page tool to drag the page handles to resize the page. The page snaps
back to original size when you release it.
To resize the page, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and then drag. Using the mouse, however, to resize the page
could result in pages that are slightly off the intended size. Its more accurate to resize the page with the Height and Width
widgets in the control bar.
Liquid page rules
A Page tool B Liquid page rules from control bar C Page handles D Pins for object-based rules E Liquid Layout panel
More on Using Liquid Layout (video).
Liquid page rules
You can apply different rules to different pages. Only one liquid page rule can be applied to a page at a time.
What this video to discover how to apply None, Scale, and Recenter rules when resizing a layout. Also learn the
meaning behind "Based on Master." Using basic Liquid Layout rules: Scale, Recenter, and Based on Master.
Scale All content on the page is treated as a group, and as the page resizes, all the elements scale in proportion. The
result is similar to letterboxing or pillarboxing on HD television screens.
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Liquid page rules: Scale
Re-center All content on the page is automatically recentered no matter the width. Unlike Scale, the content remains
its original size. You can achieve a similar result to video production safe zones using the Re-center rule with careful
planning and layout.
Liquid page rules: Re-center
Guide-based Guides define a straight line across the page where content can adapt.
• Whitespace can be added
• Text frames are resized, and the text reflows (but not scale).
• Placed image frames are resized and the cropping boundary dimension of the containing frame resizes.
To add a liquid guide, first select the page tool, then pull out the guides from the ruler.
Guide-based rules are similar to 3-slice and 9-slice scaling in Illustrator, Fireworks, and Flash. Watch this video on
Applying guide-based Liquid Layout rules.
To convert a ruler guide to a liquid guide select the page tool and click the Convert to liquid guide icon on the guide.
The liquid guide is displayed as a dashed line, while a ruler guide is a solid line.
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Liquid page rules: Guide-based
Object-based You can specify liquid behavior for size and location relative to the page edge for each object, either fixed
or relative.
• Each side of an object's bounding box or frame can either be fixed, or relative to its corresponding page edge. For
example, the left side of the frame can have a relationship only with the left edge of the page.
• The height and width can either be fixed, or resizable relative to the page.
Watch this video on Applying object-based Liquid Layout rules.
Liquid page rules: Object-based
Alternate layouts
Use Alternate Layouts if you require different page sizes for print or digital publishing within the same document. You
can use it to create different sizes of a print advertisement. Or to design the horizontal and vertical layouts for devices
such as the Apple iPad or Android tablets.
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Alternate layouts and Pages panel
Used in combination with Liquid Layout, you can significantly reduce the amount of manual work required to re-layout
content for every new page size and orientation.
For a quick overview see Alternate Layouts (video).
Create Alternate Layouts
To create an alternate layout, do one of the following:
• Choose Layout > Create Alternate Layout
• Choose Create Alternate Layout from the Pages panel menu
Create Alternate Layouts
In the Create Alternate Layouts dialog box, specify the following options:
Name Enter the name of the alternate layout.
From Source Pages Select the source layout where your content is located.
Page Size Select a page size or enter a custom size for the alternate layout.
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Width and Height These fields display the size of the alternate layout. You can enter your own values, but that changes
the Page Size to custom.
Orientation Choose an orientation for the alternate layout. If you switch between Portrait and Landscape, the Height
and Width are updated.
Liquid Page Rule Choose a liquid page rule to apply to the alternate layout. Select Preserve Existing to inherit the liquid
page rules applied to the source pages. Select another rule to apply new liquid page rules.
Link Stories Enable this option to place objects and to link them to the original objects on the source layout. When you
update the original object, it is easier to manage updates for linked objects. See .
Copy Text Styles to New Style Group Enable this option to copy all text styles, and place them in a new group. This
option is useful if you need to vary the text styles between various layouts.
Smart Text Reflow Enable this option to remove any forced line breaks and other style overrides to the text.
Aligning and distributing objects
Align panel overview
You use the Align panel (Window > Object & Layout > Align) to align or distribute objects horizontally or vertically
along the selection, margins, page, or spread. Consider the following when working with the Align panel:
• The Align panel doesn’t affect objects to which you’ve applied the Lock Position command, and doesn’t change the
alignment of text paragraphs within their frames.
• Text alignment is not affected by the Align Objects options. (See Align or justify text.)
• You can use the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box (Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts) to create custom align and distribute
shortcuts. (Under Product Area, select Object Editing.)
Align panel
A Vertical alignment buttons B Vertical distribution buttons C Use Spacing distribution D Horizontal alignment buttons E Horizontal
distribution buttons F Alignment location options
Align or distribute objects
You can use the Align panel to align or space selected objects horizontally or vertically to the selection, margins, page,
or spread.
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Objects distributed horizontally to selection (top) and to margins (bottom)
1 Select the objects to align or distribute.
2 Choose Window > Object & Layout > Align to display the Align panel.
To show or hide additional panel options, choose Show Options or Hide Options from the panel menu.
3 From the menu at the bottom of the panel, specify whether you want to align or distribute objects based on the
selection, margins, page, or spread.
4 Do one of the following:
• To align objects, click the button for the type of alignment you want.
• To distribute objects, click the button for the type of distribution you want. For example, if you click the
Distribute Left Edges button when Align To Selection is turned on, InDesign makes sure that there is an equal
amount of space from left edge to left edge of each selected object.
Using the Distribute Horizontal Centers option for even spacing
A Creates even spacing between the centers of each object B Keeps the overall width the same as before the transformation
• To set the space between objects, either center to center or edge to matching edge, select Use Spacing under
Distribute Objects, and then type the amount of space you want to apply. Click a button to distribute the selected
objects along their horizontal or vertical axes.
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Using the Distribute Horizontal Centers option and adding a value for Use Spacing
A Spaces the objects evenly from their centers by a specified value B Changes the overall width of the objects as a whole
• To set the space between objects (facing edge to facing edge), under Distribute Spacing, select Use Spacing and
type the amount of space you want between the objects. (If Distribute Spacing is not visible, choose Show
Options in the Align Panel menu.) Then, click the Distribute Spacing button to distribute the objects along their
horizontal or vertical axes.
Using the Distribute Horizontal Space option and adding a value for Use Spacing
A Creates spaces of a specified value between each object B Changes the overall width of the objects as a whole
When you use spacing with vertical distribution, selected objects are spaced from top to bottom, starting with the topmost object. When you use spacing with horizontal distribution, selected objects are spaced from left to right, starting
from the left-most object.
You can also use the Smart Spacing feature to align or distribute objects while moving them. For example, if two vertical
objects are 12 points apart, moving a third object 12 points below the second object causes temporary guides to appear,
allowing you to snap the object into alignment.
Align objects using the Gap tool
The Gap tool provides a quick way to adjust the size of a gap between two or more objects. It also lets you resize several
objects that have commonly aligned edges simultaneously, while keeping the gaps between them fixed. It’s a one-step
way to adjust your layout by directly manipulating the space between objects.
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The Gap tool ignores locked objects and master page items.
1 Select the Gap tool
.
2 Move the pointer between two objects, and do any of the following actions:
• Drag to move the gap and resize all objects aligned along the gap.
• Shift-drag to move the gap between only the two nearest objects.
• Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) to resize the gap instead of moving it. Adding the Shift key
resizes the gap between only the two nearest objects.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to move the gap and objects in the same direction. Adding the
Shift key moves only the two nearest objects.
• Ctrl+Alt-drag (Windows) or Command+Option-drag (Mac OS) to resize the gap and move the objects. Adding
the Shift key to resize the gap and move only the two nearest objects.
To view hints on using the Gap tool, select the Gap tool and open the Tool Hints panel (Window > Utilities > Tool Hints).
Distribute objects using Live Distribute
When transforming multiple selected objects, you can resize the space between the selected objects proportionally
instead of resizing the actual objects. For example, if you want to change the spacing between five aligned rectangles,
you can do so without using any Distribute commands.
For a video on using Live Distribute, see https://tv.adobe.com/go/4949/.
1 Select the objects.
2 Start dragging a selection handle and hold down the Spacebar while dragging. Continue dragging to change the
spacing between the objects.
More Help topics
Use keyboard shortcut sets
Use smart guides
Create new documents (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
only)
Page design begins with the basics: starting a new document, setting up pages, and positioning margins and columns
or changing grid settings.
When creating a document you can select from two workflows, either Layout Grid or Margins and Columns.
note: Whichever workflow you select, the file type of the document will be exactly the same. You can view a layout grid
created in the document using Margins and Columns, or hide a document layout grid created using the Layout Grid
option by switching between views.
The workflow based on typesetting composition using Layout Grid is only available in Asian language versions. When
you select Layout Grid, a grid of squares will be displayed in the document. You can set the number of individual
squares (number of rows or characters) from the page size settings. Page margins will also be determined by this. By
using a layout grid you can position an object accurately on a page using grid cell units.
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The Margins and Columns workflow option is the same as in Western workflows. Western workflows are configured
from Margins and Columns, and objects are arranged on pages without layout grids. You can set the writing direction
to horizontal or vertical using either the Margins and Columns or Layout Grid workflow.
A document showing a layout grid (left) A document showing margins and columns (right)
Create a new document
1 Choose File > New > Document.
The New Document dialog box combines the Document Setup and the Margins And Columns dialog boxes, so that
you can set up the page size, margins, and page columns all in one place. You can change these settings at any time.
2 Specify document setup options. (See New Document options.)
To specify the dimensions of the bleed and slug areas, click More Options. The bleed and slug areas extend out from
the edges of the defined Page Size. To make the bleed or slug areas extend evenly on all sides, click the Make All
Settings The Same icon
.
3 Click OK to open a new document with the settings you specified.
Note: To set default layout settings for all new documents, choose File > Document Setup or Layout > Margins And
Columns, and set options when no documents are open.
Create a new document with a layout grid
1 Choose File > New > Document.
2 Change the number of pages, page size, and other options. To specify the dimensions of the bleed and slug areas,
click More Options.
3 Click Layout Grid Dialog, and then specify the layout grid settings. (See Layout Grid options .)
4 Click OK to open a new document with the settings you specified.
The layout grid is for layout purposes only. To add text to your document, add frame grids or text frames.
Create a new document with margins and columns
When creating a document with Western style workflow, use Margins and Columns. If the general layout settings such
as margins and number of columns in a document are already known, use the Margins and Columns dialog box as the
simplest method.
1 Choose File > New > Document.
2 Specify options using the New Document dialog box. Each option is the same as when creating a document using a
layout grid.
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3 Click Margins and Columns and select your options using the New Margins and Columns dialog box. The options
are the same as in the Margins and Columns dialog box. (See Change document setup, margins, and columns.)
4 Click OK.
Even when a document has been created using Margins and Columns, you can view its layout grid by choosing View >
Grids & Guides > Show Layout Grid, and you can modify the layout grid settings by choosing Layout > Layout Grid.
To set the default settings for all new documents, choose File > Document Setup, Layout > Margins and Columns, or
Layout > Layout Grid Settings, and set options when no documents are open.
New Document options
Document Preset Choose a preset that you have saver earlier.
Intent If you are creating a document to be output to PDF or SWF for the web, choosing the Web option changes
several options in the dialog box, such as turning off Facing Pages, changing the orientation from portrait to landscape,
and using a page size based on monitor resolution. You can edit any of these settings, but you cannot change the Intent
setting after the document is created.
CS6: Digital publishing intent has been added for publications aimed for the Digital Publishing Suite.
Number of pages Specify the number of pages to create in the new document.
Start Page # Specify which number the document starts on. If you specify an even number (such as 2) with Facing
Pages selected, the first spread in the document begins with a two-page spread. See Start a document with a two-page
spread .
Facing Pages Select this option to make left and right pages face each other in a double-page spread, such as for books
and magazines. Deselect this option to let each page stand alone, such as when you’re printing flyers or posters or when
you want objects to bleed in the binding.
After you’ve created a document, you can use the Pages panel to create spreads with more than two pages or force the
first two pages to open as a spread. (See Control spread pagination .)
Master Text Frame CS5.5 and earlier: Select this option to create a text frame the size of the area within the margin
guides, matching the column settings you specified. The master text frame is added to the A-Master. (See Using text
frames on master pages.)
The Master Text Frame option is available only when you’ve chosen File > New > Document.
Primary Text Frame CS6 only: select this option to add a primary text frame on the master page. When you apply a new
master page, the story in the primary text frame automatically flows into the primary text frame of the new master page.
Page Size Choose a page size from the menu, or type values for Width and Height. Page size represents the final size
you want after bleeds or other marks outside the page are trimmed.
Orientation Click Portrait
(tall) or Landscape
(wide). These icons interact dynamically with the dimensions
you enter in Page Size. When Height is the larger value, the portrait icon is selected. When Width is the larger value,
the landscape icon is selected. Clicking the deselected icon switches the Height and Width values.
Tip: To specify the dimensions of the bleed and slug areas, click More Options in the New Document dialog box. To make
the bleed or slug areas extend evenly on all sides, click the Make All Settings The Same icon
.
Bleed The Bleed area allows you to print objects that are arranged at the outer edge of the defined page size. For a page
of the required dimensions, if an object is positioned at its edge, some white may appear at the edge of the printed area
due to slight misalignment during printing or trimming. For this reason, you should position an object that is at the
edge of the page of the required dimensions a little beyond the edge, and trim after printing. Bleed area is shown by a
red line on the document. You can set bleed area settings from Bleed in the Print dialog box.
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Slug The slug area is discarded when the document is trimmed to its final page size. The slug area holds printing
information, customized color bar information, or displays other instructions and descriptions for other information
in the document. Objects (including text frames) positioned in the slug area are printed but will disappear when the
document is trimmed to its final page size.
Objects outside the bleed or slug area (whichever extends farther) do not print.
Note: You can also click the Save Document Preset icon to save document settings for future use.
Document window overview
Each page or spread in your document has its own pasteboard and guides, which are visible in Normal View mode. (To
switch to Normal View, choose View > Screen Mode > Normal.) The pasteboard is replaced with a gray background
when the document is viewed using one of the Preview modes. (See Preview documents.) You can change the color of
this preview background and guides in Guides & Pasteboard preferences.
Document and guides in Normal View Mode
A Spread (black lines) B Page (black lines) C Margin guides (magenta lines) D Column guides (violet lines) E Bleed area (red lines) F Slug area
(blue lines)
Document window notes:
• Lines of other colors are ruler guides which, when present, appear in the layer color when selected. See Layers .
• Column guides appear in front of margin guides. When a column guide is exactly in front of a margin guide, it hides
the margin guide.
Create custom page sizes
You can create custom page sizes that appear in the Page Size menu in the New Document dialog box.
1 Choose File > New > Document.
2 Choose Custom Page Size from the Page Size menu.
3 Type a name for the page size, specify page size settings, and then click Add.
The New Doc Sizes.txt file that lets you create custom page sizes in previous version of InDesign is not available in
InDesign CS5 or later.
Define document presets
You can save document settings for page size, columns, margins, and bleed and slug areas in a preset to save time and
ensure consistency when creating similar documents.
1 Choose File > Document Presets > Define.
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2 Click New in the dialog box that appears.
3 Specify a name for the preset and select basic layout options in the New Document Preset dialog box. (See New
Document optionsfor a description of each option.)
4 Click OK twice.
You can save a document preset to a separate file and distribute it to other users. To save and load document preset files,
use the Save and Load buttons in the Document Presets dialog box.
Create a document using a preset
1 Do one of the following:.
• Choose File > Document Preset > [name of preset]. (Hold down Shift while choosing the preset to create a new
document based on the preset without opening the New Document dialog box.)
• Choose File > New > Document, and then choose a preset from the Document Preset menu in the New
Document dialog box.
The New Document dialog box displays the preset layout options.
2 Make changes to the options (if desired) and click OK.
To skip the New Document dialog box, press the Shift key as you select a preset from the Document Preset menu.
More Help topics
Recommended workflow for InDesign documents
Use document templates
Add documents to a book file
Change document setup, margins, and columns
Creating text and text frames
Create text frames
Text in InDesign resides inside containers called text frames. (A text frame is similar to a text box in QuarkXPress and
a text block in Adobe PageMaker.)
There are two types of text frames: frame grids and plain text frames. Frame grids are the kind of text frames specific to
Asian-language composition in which character emboxes and spacing are displayed as grids. Empty text frames in
which no grid is displayed are plain text frames.
Like graphics frames, text frames can be moved, resized, and changed. The tool with which you select a text frame
determines the kind of changes you can make:
• Use the Type tool
• Use the Selection tool
to enter or edit text in a frame.
for general layout tasks such as positioning and sizing a frame.
• Use the Direct Selection tool
to alter a frame’s shape.
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• Use the Horizontal Grid tool
or the Vertical Grid tool
to create a frame grid. See Create frame grids .
• Use the Type tool
to create a plain text frame for horizontal text, and the Vertical Type tool
text frame for vertical text. Use the same tools to edit existing text in a frame.
to create a plain
Text frames can also be connected to other text frames so that the text in one frame can flow into another frame. Frames
that are connected in this way are threaded. Text that flows through one or more threaded frames is called a story. When
you place (import) a word-processing file, it comes into your document as a single story, regardless of the number of
frames it may occupy.
Text frames can have multiple columns. Text frames can be based on, yet independent of, page columns. In other words,
a two-column text frame can sit on a four-column page. Text frames can also be placed on master pages and still receive
text on document pages.
If you use the same type of text frame repeatedly, you can create an object style that includes text frame formatting such
as stroke and fill colors, text frame options, and text wrap and transparency effects.
When you place or paste text, you don’t need to create a text frame; InDesign automatically adds frames based on the
page’s column settings.
When text is pasted, a plain text frame is automatically created. You can also create an empty plain text frame manually
and input text.
❖ Do any of the following:
• Select the Type tool
, and then drag to define the width and height of a new text frame. Hold down Shift as
you drag to constrain the frame to a square. When you release the mouse button, a text insertion point appears
in the frame.
Dragging to create new text frame
• Using the Selection tool, click the in port or out port of another text frame, and then click or drag to create
another frame.
• Use the Place command to place a text file.
• Using the Type tool
, click inside any empty frame. If the Type Tool Converts Frames To Text Frames option
is selected in Type preferences, the empty frame is converted to a text frame.
Move and resize text frames
Use the Selection tool to move or resize text frames.
If you want to move or resize a text frame without switching from the Type tool
(Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then drag the frame.
Move a text frame
• Using the Selection tool, drag the frame.
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• Using the Type tool, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and drag the frame. When you release the
key, the Type tool is still selected.
Resize a text frame
❖ Do any of the following:
• To resize using the Type tool
, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and drag any frame
handle. If you hold down the mouse button for one second before you begin dragging, the text will recompose
while you resize the frame.
Note: If you click the text frame instead of dragging it, you’ll lose your text selection or insertion point location.
• To resize using the Selection tool , drag any of the frame handles on the frame’s border. Hold down Ctrl
(Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to scale the text within the frame. (See Scale type.)
• To quickly fit the frame to its content, use the Selection tool to select the text frame, and double-click any handle.
For example, if you double-click the center bottom handle, the bottom of the frame snaps to the bottom of the
text. If you double-click the center right handle, the height is preserved while the width narrows to fill the frame.
Tip: You can also double-click a handle on an overset text frame to expand the height or width to fit all text in
the frame. If a text frame includes more overset text than can reasonably fit on the page, the text frame isn’t
resized.
Double-click handle to resize text frame
• To fit the text frame to the content, select the frame using the Selection tool, and choose Object > Fitting > Fit
Frame to Content. The bottom of the text frame fits the contents of the text. If a text frame includes more overset
text than can reasonably fit on the page, the text frame isn’t resized.
• To resize using the Scale tool
, drag to resize the frame. (See Scale type.)
Using text frames on master pages
When you start a new document, you can select the Master Text Frame option so that an empty text frame is placed on
the document’s default master page. This frame has the column and margin attributes specified in the New Document
dialog box.
Follow these guidelines for using text frames on master pages:
• Set master text frames when you want each page in your document to contain a page-sized text frame into which
you can flow or type your text. If your document requires more variation, such as pages with different numbers of
frames or frames of different lengths, leave the Master Text Frame option deselected, and use the Type tool to create
text frames on masters.
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• Whether or not you select the Master Text Frame option, you can add text frames to a master page to act as
placeholders. You can thread these empty placeholder frames together to establish a flow.
• Flow text into master text frames using the same procedures you would use with frames created on document pages.
• If you need to type text in a master text frame on a document page, hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or
Command+Shift (Mac OS) as you click the text frame on the document page. Then click in the frame using the Type
tool and begin typing.
• You can use Smart Text Reflow to add or remove pages automatically as you type and edit text. By default, when you
type text at the end of a threaded text frame based on a master page, a new page is added, allowing you to continue
typing in the new text frame. You can edit Smart Text Reflow settings.
• If you change the page margins, text frames adjust to the new margins only if the Enable Layout Adjustment option
is selected.
• Selecting the Master Text Frame option does not affect whether new pages are added when you autoflow text.
Change text frame properties
Use Text Frame Options to change settings such as the number of columns in the frame, the vertical alignment of text
within the frame, or the inset spacing, which is the distance of the margins between the text and the frame.
Before (left) and after (right) setting inset and creating two columns in a text frame
If you need to use the same text frame properties for multiple text frames, create an object style that you can apply to
your text frames.
1 Using the Selection tool
, select a frame, or using the Type tool
, click inside the text frame or select text.
2 Choose Object > Text Frame Options, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and then double-click the
text frame using a selection tool.
3 Change text frame options, and then click OK.
These text frame options are available when you’re defining an object style for text boxes. See Object styles.
Add columns to a text frame
You can create columns within a text frame by using the Text Frame Options dialog box.
You cannot create columns of unequal width in a text frame. To create columns of unequal width or height, add
threaded text frames side-by-side on either a document page or a master page.
1 Using the Selection tool, select a frame, or using the Type tool, click inside the text frame or select text.
2 Choose Object > Text Frame Options.
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3 Specify the number of columns, the width of each column, and the spacing between each column (gutter) for the
text frame.
4 (Optional) Select Fixed Column Width to maintain column width when you resize the frame. If this option is
selected, resizing the frame can change the number of columns, but not their width.
Fixed column width
A Original 2-column text frame B Resized with Fixed Column Width deselected (still 2 columns) C Resized with Fixed Column Width
selected (4 columns)
5 (Optional) Select Balanced Columns to make text even at the bottom of a multi-column text frame.
Before and after balancing columns
Change text frame inset spacing (margins)
1 Using the Selection tool, select a frame, or using the Type tool, click inside the text frame or select text.
2 Choose Object > Text Frame Options.
3 In the Inset Spacing section on the General tab, type the offset distances you want for Top, Left, Bottom, and Right.
(Click the Make All Settings The Same icon
to use the same spacing on all sides.)
If the frame you’ve selected has a non-rectangular shape, the Top, Left, Bottom, and Right options are dimmed, and an
Inset option is available instead.
First baseline offset options
To change the first baseline options of a selected text frame, choose Object > Text Frame Options, and click the Baseline
Options tab. The following options appear in the Offset menu under First Baseline:
Ascent The height of the “d” character in the font falls below the top inset of the text frame.
Cap Height The top of uppercase letters touch the top inset of the text frame.
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Leading Use the text’s leading value as the distance between the baseline of the first line of text and the top inset of the
frame.
X Height The height of the “x” character in the font falls below the top inset of the frame.
Fixed Specify the distance between the baseline of the first line of text and the top inset of the frame.
Min Select a minimum value for the baseline offset. For example, if Leading is selected and you specify a minimum
value of 1p, InDesign uses the leading value only when it’s greater than 1 pica.
If you want to snap the top of the text frame to a grid, choose either Leading or Fixed so that you can control the location
of the first baseline of text in text frames.
Set baseline grids for a text frame
In some cases, you might want to use a baseline grid for a frame rather than for the entire document. Use the Text Frame
Options dialog box to apply a baseline grid to a text frame. When you set up a baseline grid for a text frame, note the
following:
• The document baseline grid doesn’t appear behind or in front of text frames that use their own baseline grids.
• If Grids In Back is selected in Grids Preferences, then frame-based baseline grids take precedence over documentbased baseline grids. If Grids In Back is not selected, then document-based baseline grids take precedence over
frame-based baseline grids.
1 Choose View > Grids & Guides > Show Baseline Grid to display all baseline grids, including those in a text frame.
2 Select the text frame or place the insertion in a text frame, and then choose Object > Text Frame Options.
If you want the baseline grid to apply to all frames in a thread (even if one or more threaded frames do not include
text), place the insertion point in text, choose Edit > Select All, and then apply the baseline grid settings in the Text
Frame Options dialog box.
3 Click the Baseline Options tab.
4 Under Baseline Grid, select Use Custom Baseline Grid, and do any of the following:
Start Type a value to offset the grid from the top of the page, the top margin of the page, the top of the frame, or the
top inset of the frame, depending on what you choose from the Relative To menu.
Relative To Specify whether you want the baseline grid to begin relative to the top of the page, the top margin of the
page, the top of the text frame, or the top of the text frame inset.
Increment Every Type a value for the spacing between grid lines. In most cases, type a value that equals your body
text leading, so that lines of text align perfectly to the grid.
Color Select a color for the grid lines, or choose (Layer Color) to use the same color as the layer on which the text
frame appears.
If you can’t see the baseline grid in a text frame, choose View > Grids & Guides > Show Baseline Grid to make sure that
baseline grids aren’t hidden. If the baseline grid still doesn’t appear, check the threshold for viewing baseline grids in the
Grids section of the Preferences dialog box. To see the grid, you might need to zoom in on the frame or reduce the threshold
level.
Determine word and character counts
1 Place the insertion point in a text frame to view counts for the entire thread of frames (the story), or select text to
view counts only for the selected text.
2 Choose Window > Info to display the Info panel.
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The Info panel displays the number of characters, words, lines, and paragraphs in a text frame. The position of the
insertion point within the text frame also appears.
Working with additional languages
You can assign languages to different text. Assigning the appropriate language to text is especially useful for spellchecking and hyphenating. (See Assign a language to text.)
If you need to work with Asian text, special versions of InDesign are available for Japanese, Simplified Chinese,
Traditional Chinese, and Korean. These versions let you create layout grids and frame grids for composing multibyte
characters, and they include a number of features for formatting multibyte text, along with additional fonts.
Similarly, a special version of InDesign is available for formatting Middle Eastern languages, such as Hebrew, Arabic,
Farsi, and Urdu, that use right-to-left text formatting. This version is called InDesign ME.
For more information on purchasing InDesign ME or an Asian-language version of InDesign, see the Adobe website.
More Help topics
Create named grid formats
Frame grid properties
Named Grids panel overview
Threading text
Place (import) text
Apply a named grid to a frame
Object styles
Override or detach master items
Use Smart Text Reflow
Master pages
Change frame grid properties
Change document setup, margins, and columns
Grids
Rotate half-width characters in vertical text
View or hide the frame grid character count
Info panel overview
Creating book files
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Create a book file
A book file is a collection of documents that can share styles, swatches, master pages, and other items. You can
sequentially number pages in booked documents, print selected documents in a book, or export them to PDF. One
document can belong to multiple book files.
One of the documents added to a book file is the style source. By default, the style source is the first document in the
book, but you can select a new style source at any time. When you synchronize documents in a book, the specified styles
and swatches from the style source replace those in other booked documents.
Michael Murphy provides a video tutorial about creating books at Book Basics.
1 Choose File > New > Book.
2 Type a name for the book, specify a location, and then click Save.
The Book panel appears. The book file is saved with the file name extension .indb.
3 Add documents to the book file.
Add documents to a book file
When you create a book file, it opens in the Book panel. The Book panel is the working area of a book file, where you
add, remove, or rearrange documents.
1 Choose Add Document in the Book panel menu, or click the plus button
at the bottom of the Book panel.
2 Select the Adobe InDesign document or documents you want to add, and then click Open.
You can drag and drop files onto the Book panel from an Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) window. You can
also drag a document from one book to another. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to copy the
document.
3 If you included documents created in earlier versions of InDesign, they will be converted to Adobe InDesign CS5
format when added to the book. In the Save As dialog box, specify a new name for the converted document (or leave
the name as is), and then click Save.
Note: You must convert Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXPress documents before adding them to the book file.
4 If necessary, change the order of the documents in the panel by dragging them up or down to the appropriate
locations in the list.
5 To designate a document as the style source, click the box next to the document’s name in the panel.
To open a document in a book file, double-click the document name in the Book panel.
Manage book files
Each open book file appears on its own tab in the Book panel. If multiple books are open at the same time, click a tab
to bring that book to the front and access its panel menu.
Icons in the Book panel indicate a document’s current status, such as open
, missing
(the document was moved,
renamed, or deleted), modified
(the document was edited or its page or section numbers changed while the book
was closed), or in use (if someone else has the document open in a managed workflow). No icon appears next to
closed documents.
To view the pathname of any document in a book, hold the mouse pointer over the document name until a tooltip
appears. Or, choose Document Information from the Book panel menu.
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Save a book file
Book files are separate from document files. For example, when you choose the Save Book command, InDesign saves
the changes to the book, not the documents in the book.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To save a book under a new name, choose Save Book As in the Book panel menu, specify a location and filename,
and click Save.
• To save an existing book under the same name, choose Save Book in the Book panel menu, or click the Save
button
at the bottom of the Book panel.
Note: If you are sharing book files over a server, make sure that you have a file management system in place so that you
don’t save over each other’s changes accidentally.
Close a book file
• To close a single book, choose Close Book in the book’s panel menu.
• To close all open books docked together in the same panel, click the close button on the Book panel’s title bar.
Remove book documents
1 Select the document in the Book panel.
2 Choose Remove Document in the Book panel menu.
Removing the document from the book file doesn’t delete the file on disk; the document is removed only from the book
file.
Replace book documents
1 Select the document in the Book panel.
2 Choose Replace Document in the Book panel menu, locate the document you want to replace it with, and then click
Open.
Open a book file in Explorer or Finder
1 In the books panel, select a document.
2 From the books panel menu, choose Reveal In Explorer (Windows) or Reveal In Finder (Mac OS).
A browser window opens that displays the selected file.
Synchronize book documents
When you synchronize documents in a book, the items you specify—styles, variables, master pages, trap presets, crossreference formats, conditional text settings, numbered lists, and swatches—are copied from the style source to the
specified documents in the book, replacing any items that have identical names.
If items in the style source are not found in the documents being synchronized, they are added. Items that are not
included in the style source are left as is in the documents being synchronized.
Select items to synchronize
1 Choose Synchronize Options in the Book panel menu.
2 Select the items you want to copy from the style source to other book documents.
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Be sure to select all styles included in the definition of other styles. For example, an object style may contain
paragraph and character styles, which in turn include swatches.
3 Select Smart Match Style Groups to avoid duplicating uniquely named styles that have been moved into or out of
style groups.
Suppose the style source includes a character style in a style group, and the documents being synchronized include
this same character style outside the style group. If this option is selected, the character style is moved into the style
group in synchronized documents.
If this option is not selected, a second instance of the character style is created in the style group with options that
match the style source. The character style outside the style group does not change.
Note: If a document contains multiple styles that have the same name (for example, Character Style 1 in a style group
and Character Style 1 outside of a style group), InDesign behaves as if the option is not selected. For best results, create
styles with unique names.
4 Click OK.
Synchronize documents in a book file
You can synchronize the book while documents in the book are closed. InDesign opens the closed documents, makes
any changes, and then saves and closes the documents. Documents that are open when you synchronize are changed
but not saved.
1 In the Book panel, click the blank box next to the document that you want to be the style source; the style source
icon
indicates which document is the style source.
Selected style source
2 Make sure that the items you want copied from the style source are selected in the Synchronize Options dialog box.
3 In the Book panel, select the documents you want to synchronize with the style source document. If no document
is selected, the entire book will be synchronized.
To make sure that no documents are selected, click the blank gray area below the booked documents—you may need
to scroll or resize the Book panel. You can also hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click a
selected document to deselect it.
4 Choose Synchronize Selected Documents or Synchronize Book from the Book panel menu, or click the Synchronize
button
at the bottom of the Book panel.
Note: Choosing Edit > Undo will undo changes only in documents that are open at the time synchronization occurs.
Synchronizing master pages
Master pages are synchronized in the same way as other items—master pages with the same name (such as A-Master)
as those in the style source are replaced. Synchronizing masters is useful for documents that use the same design
elements, such as running headers and footers. However, if you want to preserve page items on a master page in
documents other than the style source, either don’t synchronize master pages or create master pages with different
names.
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Any master page items that are overridden on document pages after you synchronize masters for the first time are
detached from the master. Therefore, if you plan on synchronizing master pages in your book, it’s a good idea to
synchronize all the documents in your book at the start of the design process. That way, overridden master page items
will maintain their connection to the master page and will continue to be updated from modified master page items in
the style source.
It’s also a good idea to synchronize master pages using only one style source. If you synchronize from a different style
source, overridden master page items may become detached from the master page. If you need to synchronize using a
different style source, deselect the Master Pages option in the Synchronize Options dialog box before doing so.
Convert book files from previous InDesign versions
You can convert a book file created in a previous version of InDesign by opening and saving it in InDesign CS5. When
you synchronize, update numbering, print, package, or export a converted book, the documents it contains are also
converted to InDesign CS5 format. You can decide whether you want to overwrite or keep the original document files.
Convert a book file for use with InDesign CS5
1 In InDesign CS5, choose File > Open.
2 Select the book file created in a previous version of InDesign and click OK.
A warning appears if the book file contains documents saved in a previous InDesign format.
3 Choose Save Book As from the Book panel menu. Specify a new name for the converted book file, and click Save.
Convert documents in a book file
1 Open the book file in InDesign CS5.
2 In the Book panel menu:
• If you want the original documents to be overwritten during conversion, select Automatic Document
Conversion.
• If you want to keep the original documents and save the converted documents with new names, deselect
Automatic Document Conversion. (The book list will be updated to include the converted files, not the
originals.)
3 Do any of the following to convert the documents:
• Choose Synchronize Book from the Book panel menu. (See Synchronize book documents .)
• Choose Update Numbering > Update All Numbers from the Book panel menu.
4 If Automatic Document Conversion is not selected, InDesign prompts you to save each converted document with a
new name.
Note: Documents are also converted when you print or export the book to Adobe PDF.
Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book
You can determine how pages, chapters, and paragraphs are numbered in a book. In a book file, the numbering styles
and starting numbers for pages and chapters are determined by each document’s settings in the Numbering & Section
Options dialog box or the Document Numbering Options dialog box. You can open one of these dialog boxes by
choosing Layout > Numbering & Section Options in the document or by choosing Document Numbering Options in
the Book panel menu.
For information on adding page numbering to a document, see Add basic page numbering .
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For numbered paragraphs (such as lists of figures), numbering is determined by the numbered list style definition
contained by the paragraph style.
The page range appears beside each document name in the Book panel. By default, InDesign updates page and section
numbering in the Book panel when you add or remove pages in booked documents, or when you make changes to the
book file, such as reordering, adding, or removing documents. If you turn off the setting to automatically update page
and section numbers, you can update numbering in a book manually.
If the book is updated and the numbering seems incorrect, the problem may be that absolute numbers are displayed
instead of section numbers in General preferences. See Display absolute or section numbering in the Pages panel .
If a document is missing or cannot be opened, the page range is shown as “?” from the place where the missing
document should be to the end of the book, indicating that the true page range is unknown. Remove or replace the
missing document before you update numbering. If the In Use icon appears, someone using a different computer has
opened the document in a managed workflow; the person must close the document before you can update numbering.
Change page and chapter numbering options for each document
1 Select the document in the Book panel.
2 Choose Document Numbering Options in the Book panel menu, or double-click the document’s page numbers in
the Book panel.
3 Specify the page, section, and chapter numbering options. (See Document numbering options .)
4 Click OK.
Note: If you specify a starting page number in a booked document instead of selecting Automatic Page Numbering, the
booked document will begin on the specified page; all subsequent documents in the book will be renumbered accordingly.
Start numbering on an odd or even page
You can start document numbering on odd- or even-numbered pages in booked documents.
1 Choose Book Page Numbering Options in the Book panel menu.
2 Choose Continue On Next Odd Page or Continue On Next Even Page.
3 Select Insert Blank Page to add a blank page to the end of any document in which the subsequent document must
begin on an odd- or even-numbered page, and then click OK.
Turn off automatic page numbering in a book
1 Choose Book Page Numbering Options from the Book panel menu.
2 Deselect Automatically Update Page & Section Numbers, and then click OK.
3 To update page numbering manually, choose Update Numbering > Update All Numbers in the Book panel menu.
You can also update only page and section numbers or only chapter and paragraph numbers.
Use sequential paragraph numbering in books
To use sequential paragraph numbering for lists of figures, tables, or other items, you first define a numbered list that
is used in a paragraph style. The numbered list you define determines whether paragraph numbering maintains
sequential numbering across documents in a book.
1 Open the document that is used as the style source for the book.
2 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
3 Click New to define a list or select an existing list and choose Edit.
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4 Select both Continue Numbers Across Stories and Continue Numbers From Previous Document In Book.
5 Click OK.
6 Define a paragraph style that uses a numbered list, and apply it to the text in each document that contains the list.
(See Create a paragraph style for running lists.)
To make sure the same numbered list setting is used across all documents in the book, select the Paragraph Styles and
Numbered Lists options in the Synchronize Options dialog box, and then synchronize the book.
Print or output a book file
One advantage of using a book file is that you can use a single command to output—for print, preflight, package, or
export to EPUB or PDF—selected booked documents or the entire book.
1 In the Book panel, do one of the following:
• To output specific documents, select the desired documents.
• To output the entire book, make sure no documents are selected.
2 Choose an output command (such as Print Book or Print Selected Documents) in the Book panel menu.
More Help topics
Add basic page numbering
Create a paragraph style for running lists
Print a document or book
Export content for EPUB (CS5)
Preflight books
Export to PDF for printing
Create interactive documents for PDF
Creating an index
About indexing
You can create a simple keyword index or a comprehensive, detailed guide to the information in your book. You can
create only one index for a document or book. To create an index, you first place index markers in the text. You associate
each index marker with the word, called a topic, that you want to appear in the index.
When you generate the index, each topic is listed, along with the page on which it was found. The topics are sorted
alphabetically, typically under section headings (A, B, C, and so on). An index entry consists of a topic (the term readers
look up) paired with either a page reference (page number or range) or a cross-reference. A cross-reference, preceded
by “See” or “See also,” points the reader to other entries in the index, rather than to a page number.
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Parts of an index
A Title B Section heading C Index entry D Subentry E Topic F Page reference G Cross-reference
Tips for creating an index
Creating a well-planned and complete index can help make the information in your document immediately accessible
to your readers. Here are a few guidelines to consider:
• Think about how you want your index to look. How many topic levels will it have? Will it refer the reader to other
related topics? Will a simple keyword index suffice, or do you want a more complex index with cross-references to
related topics and a well-researched list of equivalent terms?
• Anticipate the variety of ways by which your readers might look up information. For instance, one reader may search
for information on animals by looking under beasts; another may look for wildlife or fauna.
• Add index entries when the content of your document is fairly stable. If you delete large portions of your text later,
you may lose some of your indexing work.
• A well-planned index presents topics consistently. Common indexing problems include mixing uppercase and
lowercase (cats and Cats) and singular and plural forms (cat and cats). Use a topic list to keep terms consistent.
• Review your index several times before you generate the final index. Look for duplicate entries, weak subject areas,
misspellings, and inconsistencies in capitalization and wording; for example, InDesign treats Cheetah, cheetah, and
cheetahs as separate entries.
Workflow for creating an index
To create an index, follow these basic steps:
1. Create a topic list (optional) A topic list helps you maintain consistency in your index entries. (See Create a list of
topics for an index .)
2. Add index markers. Add index markers on the pages in your document that you want the index entries to refer to.
(See Add index entries .)
3. Generate the index. Generating the index creates a set of entries for markers and their accompanying page numbers.
(See Generate an index .)
4. Flow the index story. Use the loaded text cursor to flow the index into a text frame. In most cases, you’ll want the
index to start on a new page. After you flow the index, you can format the pages and index.
You’ll likely repeat these steps several times as you refine your index prior to publication.
Index panel overview
You create, edit, and preview the index using the Index panel (Window > Type & Tables > Index). The panel includes
two modes: Reference and Topic. In Reference mode, the preview area displays complete index entries for the current
document or book. In Topic mode, the preview area displays only topics, not page numbers or cross-references. Topic
mode is used primarily for creating the index structure, whereas Reference mode is where you add your index entries.
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In Reference mode, index entries are alphabetized and divided into sections by letter. Triangles next to entries let you
expand or collapse the entry to view subentries, page numbers, and cross-references.
The following codes appear in place of page references to indicate index entries that may not be included in the
generated index. You may need to choose Update Preview in the Index panel to view the codes.
PB Indicates index entries on the pasteboard. These entries will not appear in the generated index.
HL Indicates index entries on a hidden layer. When you generate the index, you have the option of including index
entries on a hidden layer.
HT Indicates index entries in a hidden condition. Index entries in hidden conditions are not included in the index.
PN Indicates index entries in overset text. When you include these entries in the generated index, they appear without
page numbers.
Master Indicates index entries on a master page. These entries will not appear in the generated index.
Click a triangle to expand or collapse an individual entry. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a triangle to
expand or collapse all subentries under an entry. Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a triangle to
expand or collapse all entries.
Choose Update Preview in the Index panel menu to update the preview area. This option is especially useful if you’ve
edited your document extensively or moved index markers in the document window.
Create a list of topics for an index
You can create or import a list of topics to use as a starting point when creating index entries. Later, when you add
entries to the index, you can select topics from the topic list (instead of typing them each time) to ensure that
information is indexed consistently throughout your document or book.
You create and edit a topic list using the Index panel in Topic mode. Note that Topic mode displays topics only; to
preview index entries, with their associated page numbers and cross-references, use Reference mode instead.
Index panel in Reference mode (left) and Topic mode (right)
Topics in the topic list appear in the New Page Reference dialog box as well. To create an index entry, simply select a
topic and then associate it with a page or cross-reference. Unused topics (those without page or cross-references) are
excluded when you generate an index.
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Creating a topic list before you add index entries is optional. Each time you create an index entry, its topic is
automatically added to the topic list for future use.
By default, topics you add to the Topics list do not appear in the Reference list, which displays only the topics that have
been associated with a page. However, to display the topics in the Reference list, you can choose Show Unused Topics
from the Index panel menu in Reference mode.
Add topics to the topics list
1 Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.
2 Select Topic.
3 Choose New Topic from the Index panel menu or click the Create New Index Entry icon at the bottom of the panel.
4 Do one of the following:
• Under Topic Levels, type the topic name (for example, animals) in the first box. To create a subtopic, type a name
(cats) in the second box. In this example, “cats” is indented under “animals.” To create a subtopic under the
subtopic, type a name (Calicos) in the third box, and so on.
• Select an existing topic. Enter subtopics in the second, third, and fourth boxes.
5 Click Add to add the topic, which will now appear in the New Topic dialog box as well as the Index panel.
6 Click Done when you’ve finished adding topics.
To delete a topic that you’ve just added, click Done, select the topic in the Index panel, and then click the Delete Selected
Entry button.
Import topics from another InDesign document
1 Choose Import Topics in the Index panel menu.
2 Select the document containing the index topics you want to import, and then click Open.
Edit an index topic
Use the Index panel to edit entries before or after you generate an index. Changes you make to your entries in the Index
panel will appear in the next index that you generate, but changes that you make to the generated index story will be
lost when you regenerate the index.
1 Open a document containing the index topics.
2 In the Index panel, select Topic.
3 In the preview area, double-click a topic to edit.
4 Edit the topic as desired, and then click OK.
Add index entries
You create index entries using the Index panel in Reference mode. An index entry consists of two parts: a topic and a
reference. Topics can be defined ahead of time using a topic list. References can be page numbers or cross-references to
other topics.
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Index panel in Reference mode
A Entry B Subentry C Page reference D Cross-reference
An index marker is inserted at the beginning of the word in which text is selected or at the insertion point. You can view
index markers by choosing Type > Show Hidden Characters.
Add an index entry
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point where you want the index marker to appear, or select text in the
document to use as the basis for an index reference.
When selected text contains inline graphics or special characters, some characters (such as index markers and inline
graphics) are stripped out in the Topic Level box. Other characters, such as em dashes and copyright symbols, are
converted to metacharacters (for example, ^_ or ^2).
2 Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.
3 Select Reference.
If entries added to the Topic list do not appear in the Reference, choose Show Unused Topics from the Index panel
menu. You can then use those topics when adding entries.
4 To view index entries from any open documents in a book file, select Book.
5 Choose New Page Reference in the Index panel menu. (If this command does not appear, make sure Reference is
selected and that there is an insertion point or text selection in the document.)
6 To add text to the Topic Levels box, do any of the following:
• To create a simple index entry (such as cats), type the entry in the first Topic Levels box. (If text was selected, that
text appears in the Topic Levels box.)
• To create entries and subentries, type the parent name (for this example, animals) in the first Topic Levels box,
and type subentries (cats and Calicos) in subsequent boxes. If necessary, click the up and down arrows to change
places with the item above or below the selected item.
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Index entry in the Topic Levels box (left) and resulting appearance in the Index (right)
• Double-click any topic in the list box at the bottom of the dialog box.
7 To change the way an entry is sorted in the final index, use the Sort By boxes. For example, to sort the topic de la
Vega under V (instead of D), you would type Vega in the Sort By box and de la Vega in the Topic Level box.
You can also select the sort order of numbers, symbols, and languages, and you can edit sort information for Chinese
characters. (See Change the sort order of indexes .)
8 Specify the type of index entry:
• To create index entries that have a page number or range (such as cats 82–87), choose an option that describes
the span of the entry in the Type pop-up menu. (See Page range options in indexes .)
• To create an index entry without a page number, choose Suppress Page Range in the Type menu. Although no
page number will appear in the generated index, the page number appears in parentheses in the Index panel.
• To create an index entry which refers to another entry, select one of the cross-reference options (such as See or
See also) from the Type pop-up menu, and input the entry name in the Referenced text box, or drag the existing
entry from the list at the bottom to the Referenced box. You can also customize the See and See also terms
displayed in the cross-reference entries by selecting Custom Cross Reference from the Type pop-up menu. (See
Add “See” or “See also” cross-references to an index .)
9 To add emphasis to a particular index entry, select Number Style Override, and then specify a character style.
10 To add an entry to the index, do any of the following:
• Click Add to add current entry and leave the dialog box open for additional entries.
• Click Add All to locate all instances of the selected text in the document window and create an index marker for
each one. Add All is available only if text in the document is selected.
• Click OK to add the index entry and close the dialog box.
Note: If you click Cancel after clicking Add, the entries you just added are not removed. Use the Undo command to
remove these entries.
11 To close the dialog box, click OK or Done.
Index a word, phrase, or list quickly
Using an indexing shortcut, you can quickly index individual words, a phrase, or a list of words or phrases. Adobe
InDesign recognizes two indexing shortcuts: one for standard index entries; the other for proper names. The proper
name shortcut creates index entries by reversing the order of a name so it is alphabetized by the last name. In this way,
you can list a name with the first name first, but have it appear in the index sorted by last name. For example, the name
James Paul Carter would appear in the index as Carter, James Paul.
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To prepare a list for indexing, separate each item you want to be indexed with any of the following: a return, a soft return
(Shift + Return key), a tab, a right-indent tab (Shift + Tab), a semicolon, or a comma. The indexing shortcut adds a
marker in front of each entry and places all the items into the index.
1 In the document window, select the word or words you want to index.
2 Do one of the following:
• For standard words or phrases, press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+[ (Windows) or Shift+Option+Command+[ (Mac OS).
• For proper names that you want indexed by the last name, press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+] (Windows) or
Shift+Option+Command+] (Mac OS).
An index marker using the default settings is added at the beginning of the selection or to the beginning of each
item selected.
To index compound last names or names with a title, include one or more nonbreaking spaces between the words.
For example, if you want to index “James Paul Carter Jr.” by “Carter” instead of “Jr.”, place a nonbreaking space
between “Carter” and “Jr.” (To insert a nonbreaking space, choose Type > Insert White Space >
Nonbreaking Space.)
When you select terms like kanji for which a yomi is required and set the index marker using a shortcut, the New
Page Reference dialog box will open automatically if the yomi has not been input, and the term selected will be
displayed in the Topic Levels dialog box. Input the yomi corresponding to the text input in the Topic Levels box in
the Yomi text box. When the same index entry appears on several pages, the yomi for all the index entries can be
changed in a single step. To change only the index entry selected, select the page number in the Index panel and Page
Reference Options from the Index panel menu.
Create a new entry from an existing one
Often, a subject you’re indexing appears in multiple places in a document or book. When this happens, you can create
multiple index entries based on other entries already in your index to ensure consistency.
1 In the document window, click an insertion point, or select text where the index marker will appear.
2 In the Index panel, select Reference, and scroll the preview area to the entry you want to copy.
3 Do one of the following:
• Drag an entry to the New Entry button
the selection.
to insert an index marker at the insertion point, or at the beginning of
• Select an entry in the panel preview area, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the
New Entry button. The New Page Reference dialog box appears, with information about the selected entry. Make
any changes, and then click Add or OK.
Alternatively, you can create a topic list, and then select topics from the list as you create index entries.
Index every occurrence of a word automatically
Using the Add All option is an effective way to index all occurrences of a specified term in a document or a book. When
you click Add All, InDesign creates index markers at every occurrence of the words selected in the document—not the
text specified in the dialog box. (You can later delete entries that point to less significant information.)
When searching for occurrences of the selected text, InDesign considers only whole words, and searches are casesensitive. For example, if cheetah is selected, cheetahs and Cheetah will not be indexed.
1 In the document window, select the text you want to search for.
2 In the Index panel, select Reference.
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3 To create index entries for any open documents in the book, select Book.
4 Choose New Page Reference in the Index panel menu.
5 Choose Add All. InDesign adds index markers to all text that matches the selected text, regardless of whether the
text has been indexed, so you may end up with multiple entries for the same word or phrase.
Edit an index entry
To change a topic (such as renaming it or applying a new sort order) and automatically update all entries that use that
topic, use the Index panel in Topic mode. To change one entry at a time, use Reference mode. In Reference mode, you
can also add cross-references or locate the index marker associated with a page reference.
1 Open the document containing the index entries.
2 In the Index panel, do one of the following:
• Select Topic to edit a topic and automatically update all entries using that topic.
• Select Reference to edit an individual entry.
3 In the preview area, select an entry or page reference. To select a page reference, select the page icon below the entry.
4 Double-click an entry or page reference to edit.
5 Edit the entry, and then click OK.
Page range options in indexes
You can create index entries that include a page range (such as cats 82–87) instead of a single page number. The Type
pop-up menu in the New Page Reference dialog box includes the following page-range options:
Current Page The page range does not extend beyond the current page.
To Next Style Change The page range extends from the index marker to the next change of paragraph style.
To Next Use Of Style The page range extends from the index marker to the page where the next occurrence of the
paragraph style specified in the adjacent paragraph style pop-up menu appears.
To End Of Story The page range extends from the index marker to the end of the current thread of text frames that
contain text.
To End Of Document The page range extends from the index marker to the end of the document.
To End Of Section The page range extends from the index marker to the end of the current section as defined in the
Pages panel. (See Document numbering options .)
For Next # Of Paragraphs The page range extends from the index marker to the end of the number of paragraphs
specified in the adjacent box, or to the end of as many paragraphs as exist.
For Next # Of Pages The page range extends from the index marker to the end of the number of pages specified in the
adjacent box, or to the end of as many pages as exist.
Suppress Page Range Turn off page range.
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Add “See” or “See also” cross-references to an index
Cross-references are index entries that point to related entries, instead of a page number. You create cross-references
using the Index panel. Cross-references can serve different purposes in an index:
• Cross-references associate common terms with equivalents used in your document or book. For example, Fauna.
See Animals. Entries with such cross-references do not contain page references; they simply point to equivalent
terms that are indexed more fully.
• Cross-references point to other entries related to, but not equivalent to, a topic. For example, Cats. See also Wildcats.
In this case, the index entry containing the cross-reference also contains page numbers and/or subentries that are
directly related to the entry’s topic.
Two types of cross-references
A.Cross-reference to related information (See also)B.Cross-reference to an equivalent term (See)
When you create a cross-reference in InDesign, you can also select a cross-reference prefix. “See” and “See also” are
static text. When you choose “See [also],” InDesign automatically assigns the correct prefix to the cross-reference each
time the index is generated:
• Entries with page numbers, subentries, or both are given “See also.”
• Entries without page numbers or subentries are given “See.”
Using the “See [also]” option frees you from the task of manually updating cross-references as the contents of your
index entries change.
1 Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index.
2 Select Reference.
3 (Optional) Select Book to view index entries from any open documents in a book file.
4 Choose New Page Reference in the Index panel menu.
5 Enter a topic or topics in the Topic Levels boxes.
6 In the Type menu, choose a cross-reference prefix (such as See also) from the bottom of the menu.
7 Type a topic in the Referenced box, or drag an existing topic from the topic list at the bottom.
8 Click Add to add the cross-reference to the index.
Cross-references appear in the Index panel and the generated index, but are not associated with index markers in the
document itself.
Cross-references with “See [also]” appear as “See [also]” in the Index panel; however, the correct prefix will appear in
the generated index story.
Generate an index
Once you’ve added index entries and previewed them in the Index panel, you’re ready to generate an index story to
place in your document for publication.
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An index story can appear as a separate document or in an existing document. When you generate an index story,
InDesign compiles index entries and updates page numbers across your document or book. If you add or delete index
entries or update numbering in your document, however, you’ll need to regenerate the index to update it.
If an index marker appears in overset text when you generate the index, you are asked if you would like to include these
markers in the index. If you click Yes, the entry appears in the index without a page number. If an index marker appears
in hidden conditional text, the entry is excluded from the index.
1 Do one of the following:
• If you’re creating an index for a single document, you may want to add a new page at the end of the document.
• If you’re creating an index for multiple documents in a book, create or open the document to be used for the
index, and make sure that it’s included in the book.
2 Choose Generate Index in the Index panel menu. Specify settings for the following options:
• For Title, type the text that will appear at the top of the index. To determine how the title is formatted, select a
style in the Title Style pop-up menu.
• Select Replace Existing Index to update an existing index. This option is dimmed if you haven’t generated an
index. Deselecting this options lets you create multiple indexes.
• Select Include Book Documents to create a single index for all documents in the current book list and to
renumber the book’s pages. Deselect this option if you want to generate an index for the current document only.
• Select Include Entries On Hidden Layers if you want index markers on hidden layers to be included in your
index.
• To view additional index options, click More Options.
3 Click OK. If Replace Existing Index is deselected, a loaded text icon appears. Place the index story as you would any
other text.
If you edit entries in the index story, these changes are overridden when you regenerate the index. For best results, edit
the index in the Index panel, and then generate the index again.
Index formatting options
When you click More Options in the Generate Index dialog box, formatting options appear that let you determine the
style and appearance of the generated index. InDesign includes a number of built-in paragraph and character styles that
you can select to format the generated index, or you can create and select your own styles. After you generate the index,
you can edit these styles in the Paragraph Styles and Character Styles panels.
Index with nested entries
A Title B Section heading C Level 1 entry D Level 2 subentry E Topic F Cross-reference
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To replace the entry separators (such as the values for Following Topic or Between Entries), select the existing separator
and then type or choose a replacement character.
Nested or Run-in Select Nested if you want the index formatted in the default style, with subentries nested under an
entry as separate indented paragraphs. Select Run-in if you want all levels of an entry to appear in a single paragraph.
The Between Entries option determines which character separates the entries.
Include Index Section Headings Select this option to generate section headings consisting of alphabet characters (A, B,
C, and so on) representing the section that follows.
Include Empty Index Sections Select this option to generate section headings for all letters of the alphabet, even if the
index lacks any first-level entries that begin with a particular letter.
Level Style For each index level, choose a paragraph style to be applied to each level of index entries. You can edit these
styles in the Paragraph Styles panel after you generate the index.
Section Heading Select the paragraph style that determines the appearance of the section headings (A, B, C, and so on)
in the generated index.
Page Number Select the character style that determines the appearance of the page numbers in the generated index.
This setting does not affect index entries you formatted using the Number Style Override option.
Note: If you want the page numbers in the index to include prefixes, as in B-1 or II-1, see Define section numbering.
Cross-reference Select the character style that determines the appearance of cross-reference prefixes (such as See and
See also) in the generated index.
Cross-referenced Topic Select the character style that determines the appearance of the topic being referred to (such as
beasts in See also beasts) in the generated index.
Following Topic Type or select a special character to separate the entry from the page number (such as Animals 38).
The default is two spaces. Determine formatting for this character by editing the corresponding Level Style, or by
selecting another.
Between Page Numbers Type or select a special character to separate one page number or range from another. The
default is a comma followed by an en space.
Between Entries If Run-in is selected, type or select a special character to determine how entries and subentries are
separated. If Nested is selected, this setting determines how two cross-references under a single entry are to be
separated.
Before Cross-reference Type or select a special character that appears between a reference and a cross-reference, as in
Animals. See also beasts. The default is a period followed by a space. Determine formatting for this character by
switching or editing the corresponding level style.
Page Range Type or select a special character to separate the first and last numbers in a page range (such as Animals
38–43). The default is an en dash. Determine formatting for this character by switching or editing the Page Number
style.
Entry End Type or select a special character to appear at the end of entries. If Run-in is selected, the specified character
appears at the end of the last cross-reference. The default is no character.
Change the sort order of indexes
You can change the sort order of languages and symbols. This is especially useful for Greek, Cyrillic, and Asian
languages. It’s also useful if you want to change where symbols appear in your index. If you want symbols at the end,
you can move the Symbol category to the bottom of the priority list.
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Changing the sort order affects the sort order in the Index panel and in the index stories that are generated afterwards.
You can create multiple indexes with different sort orders. For example, you can generate an index in German, change
the sort order, and then generate a separate index in Swedish — just make sure Replace Existing Index isn’t selected
when you generate the index.
1 Choose Sort Options from the Index panel menu.
2 Make sure the items you want sorted are selected.
3 To determine the type of language script used, click the item under Header Type and choose a different option from
the menu.
For example, for Cyrillic, you can choose Russian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, or Ukrainian. For Chinese, you can choose
Pinyin, which is primarily used for Simplified Chinese, or Stroke Count, which is primarily used for Traditional
Chinese.
4 To change the order of a language or symbol, select it in the list, and then click the Up or Down buttons in the lower
right part of the list.
Items that are higher on the list are sorted before lower items. Any characters from languages that aren’t included in
the Sort Options dialog box are sorted under symbols. For example, if you have Greek text in your document but
don’t include Greek under Sort Options, any indexed Greek text will appear under Symbols.
Sort order of Japanese and Korean indexes
When creating index entries for Asian languages, note the following:
• Asian languages use different sorting convention based on their specific typographic rules.
• When making an index for Japanese text, the yomi for index entries in the Topic Level box should be entered in the
Yomi box using full-width hiragana and katakana. It is not necessary to input the yomi for full-width hiragana,
katakana, alphanumeric characters, some symbols, half-width alphanumeric characters, or index entries that only
have symbols in the Yomi box. Entries input in the Topic Level box are sorted. In some cases, when full-width and
half-width symbols are mixed in an entry, sorting may not take place as expected. An appropriate, yomi should be
entered in these cases.
• Half-width katakana or kanji cannot be input in the Yomi text box. However, full-width symbols, such as
can be input.
and
,
• Hiragana and katakana are distinguished and hiragana is sorted before katakana. Upper- and lowercase alphabetic
characters are also distinguished, and uppercase characters are sorted before lowercase.
• If the same characters are input in the Topic Level box, they are handled as separate index entries if a different yomi
is entered. For example if “Cat” is input as an index entry with a reading of “Neko” in katakana, and then input a
second time with a reading of “Neko” in hiragana, two index items for “Cat” will be generated. This feature can also
be used to classify the same term under separate index topics. For example, when entering the term “The Cats” in
an index, if “Cats” is input in the Yomi text box and two index entries are created without any input, the term “The
Cats” will be generated under the T and C index topics.
• For Korean sort order, you can specify Korean Consonant or Korean Consonant Plus Vowel.
Sort order of Chinese indexes
You determine the sort order of Chinese characters in two places -- in the Sort Options dialog box, and in the Sort By
field when you create or edit an index entry.
Sort Options dialog box Choosing Sort Options from the Index panel menu lets you change the sort order and specify
whether to use Pinyin or Stroke Count.
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Sort By When you’re creating or editing an index entry, typing Chinese characters in the Topic Levels fields enables
you to edit Chinese sort information.
For Pinyin, if multiple words have the same Pinyin, the order is sorted by (1) tone and (2) stroke count in ascending
order. For Stroke Count, each character is sorted by (1) stroke count, (2) first stroke, and (3) second stroke. You can
either edit the sort information directly in the Sort By field, or you can click the arrow to the right of the Sort By field
to open either the Pinyin Entry dialog box or Stroke Count Entry dialog box. You can edit the fields and click OK.
Repeat this process for each topic level.
Manage an index
After you set up your index and add index markers to your document, you can manage your index in a variety of ways.
You can view all index topics in a book, remove topics from the Topic list that aren’t used in the Reference list, find
entries in either the Reference or Topics list, and remove index markers from the document.
View all index topics in a book
When the Book option is selected, the Index panel displays entries from the entire book, not just the current document.
1 Open the book file and all of the documents it contains.
2 Select Book at the top of the Index panel.
If others need to access documents in the book while the index is being created, you can create a master list of topics in
a separate document, and then import topics from the master list to each document in the book. Note that if the master
list changes, you will need to import topics to each document again.
When you are indexing a book with multiple documents, you can display the index topics for all the documents listed
by generating the book’s index, including all the documents. Then you don’t have to use Import Topics in the Index menu
to manually import the topics into each document.
Remove unused topics from the Topic list
Once you have created your index, you can delete topics that weren’t included in the index.
1 Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.
2 Choose Remove Unused Topics in the Index panel menu. All topics that do not have page numbers associated with
them are deleted.
Delete index markers
❖ Do either of the following:
• In the Index panel, select the entry or topic you want to delete. Click the Delete Selected Entry button
.
Note: If the selected entry is the heading for multiple subheadings, all subheadings are also deleted.
• In the document window, select the index marker and press Backspace or Delete.
Note: To view index markers in the document window, choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.
Find an index entry in the Index panel
1 Choose Show Find Field in the Index panel menu.
2 In the Find box, type the name of the entry you want to locate, and then click the Up Arrow or Down Arrow.
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Locate index markers in a document
1 Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to display index markers in the document window.
2 In the Index panel, click Reference, and then select the entry you want to locate.
3 Choose Go To Selected Marker in the Index panel menu. The insertion point appears to the right of the index
marker. You can then press Shift+Left Arrow to select the marker for cutting, copying, or deleting.
Capitalize index entries
The Capitalize dialog box provides a global solution for editing the capitalization of index entries so that you don’t have
to edit entries one by one. For example, if you’ve indexed some of your entries as lowercase (cats) and others as
uppercase (Cats), these entries will be considered separate topics. You can fix this problem by capitalizing selected
entries.
1 In the preview area of the Index panel, select an entry.
2 Choose Capitalize in the Index panel menu.
3 Select whether you want to capitalize only the selected topic, the selected topic and all subtopics, all Level 1 topics,
or all topics, and then click OK.
More Help topics
Working with markers
Cross-references
Working with markers
Creating a table of contents
About tables of contents
A table of contents (TOC) can list the contents of a book, magazine, or other publication; display a list of illustrations,
advertisers, or photo credits; or include other information to help readers find information in a document or book file.
One document may contain multiple tables of contents—for example, a list of chapters and a list of illustrations.
Each table of contents is a separate story consisting of a heading and a list of entries sorted either by page number or
alphabetically. Entries, including page numbers, are pulled directly from content in your document and can be updated
at any time—even across multiple documents in a book file.
The process for creating a table of contents requires three main steps. First, create and apply the paragraph styles you’ll
use as the basis for the TOC. Second, specify which styles are used in the TOC and how the TOC is formatted. Third,
flow the TOC into your document.
Table of contents entries can be automatically added to the Bookmarks panel for use in documents exported as Adobe
PDF.
Tips for planning a table of contents
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Consider the following when planning a table of contents:
• Some tables of contents are built from content that does not actually appear in the published document, such as a
list of advertisers in a magazine. To do this in InDesign, enter content on a hidden layer and include it when
generating a TOC.
• You can load TOC styles from other documents or books to build new tables of contents with the same settings and
formatting. (You might need to edit an imported TOC style if the names of paragraph styles in the document do not
match those in the source document.)
• You can create paragraph styles for the table of contents’ title and entries, including tab stops and leaders, if desired.
You can then apply these paragraph styles when you generate the table of contents.
• You can create character styles to format the page numbers and the characters separating them from the entries. For
example, if you want the page numbers to be in bold, create a character style that includes the bold attribute, and
then select that character style when you create the table of contents.
Creating tables of contents in books
For best results, be sure to do the following before creating a table of contents for a book:
• Before you create a table of contents, verify that the book list is complete, that all documents are listed in the correct
order, and that all headings have been formatted with the appropriate paragraph styles.
• Be sure to use paragraph styles consistently throughout the book. Avoid creating documents with styles that have
identical names but different definitions. If multiple styles have the same name but different style definitions,
InDesign uses the style definition in the current document (if a definition exists there), or the first occurrence of the
style in the book.
• If the necessary styles do not appear in the pop-up menus in the Table of Contents dialog box, you may need to
synchronize the book so that the styles are copied to the document containing the table of contents.
• If you want number prefixes (such as 1-1, 1-3, and so on) to appear in your table of contents, use section numbering
rather than chapter numbering. Section number prefixes can be included in a table of contents.
Generate a table of contents
Before you generate a table of contents, decide which paragraphs should be included (such as chapter titles and section
headings), and then define paragraph styles for each. Make sure that these styles are applied to all appropriate
paragraphs in the document or booked documents.
When you generate the table of contents, you can also use paragraph and character styles to format the table of contents.
Table of contents without paragraph styles (left) and with paragraph styles applied to entries (right)
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If paragraphs that are to be included in the table of contents appear in different stories on the same page, their order in
the TOC is determined by their position on the page.
1 Do one of the following:
• If you’re creating a table of contents for a single document, you may want to add a new page at the beginning of
the document.
• If you’re creating a table of contents for multiple documents in a book, create or open the document to be used
for the table of contents, make sure that it’s included in the book, and then open the book file.
2 Choose Layout > Table Of Contents.
If you’ve defined a TOC style that has the appropriate settings for your TOC, you can choose it from the TOC Style
menu.
3 In the Title box, type a title for your TOC (such as Contents or List of Figures). This title will appear at the top of the
table of contents. To format the title, choose a style from the Style menu.
4 Select Include Book Documents to create a single table of contents for all documents in the book list, and to
renumber the book’s pages. Deselect this option if you want to generate a table of contents for the current document
only. (This option is dimmed if the current document is not part of a book file.)
5 Determine which content you want to include in the table of contents by double-clicking paragraph styles in the
Other Styles list to add them to the Include Paragraph Styles list.
6 Select Replace Existing Table Of Contents to replace all existing table of contents stories in the document. Deselect
this option if you want to generate a new table of contents, such as a list of figures.
7 Specify options to determine how each paragraph style in the table of contents is formatted. (See Options for
formatting a table of contents .)
It’s a good idea to define a TOC style that contains the formatting and other options for your table of contents,
especially if you want to include multiple TOCs in your document. To do so, click Save Style. You can also create
TOC styles by choosing Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.
8 Click OK.
A loaded text cursor
appears. Before you click or drag, you can move to a different page or create a new page
without losing the loaded text.
9 Click or drag the loaded text cursor on a page to place the new table of contents story.
Note: Avoid threading the TOC frame to other text frames in the document. If you replace the existing TOC, the entire story
will be replaced by the updated TOC.
Create TOC styles for multiple lists
Use TOC styles if you need to create different tables of contents in your document or book. For example, you can use
one TOC style for a list of contents and another for a list of advertisers, illustrations, or photo credits. Create a TOC
style for each type of list.
Creating TOC styles are also useful if you want to use the same TOC formatting in another document.
Note: Don’t confuse TOC styles with paragraph styles that have a “TOC” prefix. TOC-prefixed paragraph styles (for
example “TOC title”) are used to format the table of contents entries themselves. In contrast, a TOC style is a collection of
settings used to automatically create a table of contents.
Create a TOC style
1 Choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.
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2 Click New.
3 Type a name for the TOC style you are creating.
4 In the Title box, type a title for your TOC (such as Contents or List of Figures). This title will appear at the top of the
table of contents. To specify a title style, choose a style from the Style menu.
5 From the Other Styles list, select the paragraph styles that represent content you want to include in the table of
contents, then click Add to add them to the Include Paragraph Styles list.
6 Specify options to determine how each paragraph style is formatted. (See Options for formatting a table of contents
.)
Import TOC styles from another document
1 Choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.
2 Click Load, select the InDesign file containing the TOC styles you want to copy, and then click Open.
3 Click OK.
Note: If the paragraph styles in your document do not match the paragraph styles in the TOC style you import, you’ll need
to edit the TOC style before generating a table of contents.
Options for formatting a table of contents
When generating or editing a table of contents, use these options to determine the appearance of the generated table of
contents text. Some of these options are available only when you click More Options in the dialog box.
Note: The settings in the Style section apply only to the style currently selected under Include Paragraph Styles. You can
specify different formatting options for each style.
Entry Style For each style in Include Paragraph Styles, choose a paragraph style to apply to the associated table of
contents entries.
Page Number You might want to create a character style that formats the page number. You can then select this style
in the Style pop-up list to the right of Page Number. (See Add paragraph and character styles.)
If you want the page numbers of the TOC to include prefixes, or to use a different numbering convention, see Define
section numbering .
Between Entry And Number Specify which characters you want between the table of contents entry and its page
number. The default is ^t, which tells InDesign to insert a tab. You can choose other special characters, such as Right
Indent Tab or Em Space, in the pop-up list. For a complete list of special characters and how to work with them, see
Insert glyphs and special characters.
Select the existing text in the box before you choose a different special character, to make sure that you don’t include
both characters.
You might want to create a character style that formats the space between the entry and the page number. You can then
select this style in the Style pop-up list to the right of Between Entry And Number. (See Add paragraph and character
styles.)
If the entry’s paragraph style includes a tab leader setting, and if the tab character (^t) is selected, a tab leader appears
in the generated table of contents. For more information, see Create TOC entries with tab leaders .
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You can specify a character that separates an entry and page number, as well as a style to apply to a character.
Sort Entries in Alphabetical Order Select this option to sort table of contents entries in the selected style alphabetically.
This option is useful for creating simple lists, such as lists of advertisers. Nested entries (Level 2 or 3) sort alphabetically
within their group (Level 1 or 2, respectively).
Note: The sort order for a table of contents is determined by the document’s default language setting. To change the default
language setting, make sure nothing is selected and then choose a language from the Language menu in the Character
panel.
Level By default, each item added to the Include Paragraph Styles box is set one level lower than the item immediately
above it. You can change this hierarchy by specifying a new level number for the selected paragraph style. This option
adjusts only the display in the dialog box. It has no effect on the final table of contents unless the list is alphabetized, in
which case the entries are sorted by level.
Create PDF Bookmarks Select this option if you want the table of contents entries to appear in the Bookmarks panel of
Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader® when the document is exported to PDF.
Run-in Select this option if you want all TOC entries to be run into a single paragraph. A semicolon followed by a space
(; ) separates the entries.
Include Text On Hidden Layers Select this option only if you want the paragraphs on hidden layers to be included in
your table of contents. This is useful when creating a list of advertisers or illustrations that may not appear as visible
text in the document itself. Deselect this option when you’ve used layers to store various versions or translations of the
same text.
Numbered Paragraphs If your table of contents includes a paragraph style that uses numbering, specify whether the
TOC entry includes the full paragraph (both number and text), only the numbers, or only the paragraph.
Frame Orientation Specify the writing direction for the text frame you will use to create a table of contents.
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Create TOC entries with tab leaders
Entries in a table of contents are often formatted with dots or tab leaders separating the entry from its associated page
number.
Table of contents with dot leaders
1 Create a paragraph style with a tab leader. (See Create a paragraph style with a tab leader .)
2 To update the table of contents settings, do one of the following:
• Choose Layout > Table Of Contents Style. Select a TOC style, and click Edit.
• Choose Layout > Table Of Contents (if you are not using a TOC style).
3 Under Include Paragraph Styles, select an item you want to appear with a tab leader in the table of contents.
4 For Entry Style, select the paragraph style that contains the tab leader.
5 Click More Options.
6 Verify that Between Entry And Number is set to ^t (representing a tab). Click OK or Save to exit.
7 Update the table of contents, if necessary, by choosing Layout > Update Table Of Contents. Otherwise, place the new
table of contents story.
Create a paragraph style with a tab leader
1 Choose Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles to display the Paragraph Styles panel.
2 In the Paragraph Styles panel, do one of the following:
• Double-click the name of the paragraph style applied to entries in your table of contents.
• From the panel menu, choose New Paragraph Style.
3 Enter a name, if necessary, for the paragraph style.
4 Click Tabs.
5 Select the right-justified tab icon
, and then click on the ruler to position the tab stop.
If the paragraphs you’re applying the style to include numbered list items, make sure that you include two tab
settings — the first for the indented number and the second for the tab leader.
6 For Leader, type a period (.).
7 Select other style options as desired, and click OK.
Update and edit a table of contents
The table of contents is like a snapshot of content in your document. If page numbers in your document change, or if
you edit headings or other elements associated with table of contents entries, you’ll need to regenerate the table of
contents to update it.
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Update a table of contents
1 Open the document containing the table of contents.
2 Do any of the following:
• To make changes to table of contents entries, edit your document or booked documents, not the table of contents
story itself.
• To change the formatting applied to the table of contents title, entries, or page numbers, edit the paragraph or
character styles associated with these elements.
• To change how pages are numbered (for example, 1, 2, 3 or i, ii, iii), change section numbering in the document
or book. (See Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book.)
• To specify a new title, include other paragraph styles in the table of contents, or further format table of contents
entries, edit the TOC style.
3 Select or place the insertion point in the text frame containing the table of contents, and then choose Layout >
Update Table Of Contents.
4 If you have multiple tables of contents in your document, such as a list of figures and a list of advertisers, select the
text frame containing a different list, and then choose Layout > Update Table Of Contents.
Editing a table of contents
If your table of contents requires editing, edit the actual paragraphs in the document—not the table of contents story—
and then generate a new table of contents. If you edit the table of contents story, you’ll lose your revisions when you
generate a new table of contents. For the same reason, you should edit the styles used to format the table of contents
entries, rather than formatting the table of contents directly.
More Help topics
Creating a Table of Contents video
Synchronize book documents
About character and paragraph styles
Edit character and paragraph styles
Creating documents
For detailed information and instructions, click the links below.
Customize the pasteboard and guides
You can control the colors used to display guides for page margins and columns, as well as the guides for the bleed and
slug areas on the pasteboard. To make it easier to distinguish between the Normal and Preview modes, you can change
the color of the preview background.
InDesign also lets you control how close an object needs to be to snap to a guide, whether guides should be displayed
in front of or behind objects, as well as the size of the pasteboard.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard
(Mac OS).
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2 Under Color, choose the desired colors from each of the following menus, or choose Custom to specify a custom
color using the color picker.
Margins Sets the color of the page margins.
Columns Sets the color of the column guides for the page.
Bleed Sets the color of the bleed area (which is set in theDocument Setup dialog box).
Slug Sets the color of the slug area (which is set in theDocument Setup dialog box).
Preview Background Sets the color of the pasteboard when in the Preview mode.
3 To set how close an object must be to snap to a guide or grid, specify a value in pixels for Snap To Zone.
4 To display guides behind objects, select Guides In Back.
5 To specify how far the pasteboard extends out from the page or spread (or the bleed or slug area, if specified), enter
values for Horizontal Margins and Vertical Margins.
6 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
You can change the on-screen color of your paper. With no text or objects selected, double-click the Paper color in the
Swatches panel (choose Window > Swatches). The Paper color appears on-screen only and does not affect output; it is
intended only to simulate designing for nonwhite paper.
Change document setup, margins, and columns
After you create a document, you may change your mind about how you want it set up. For example, you may want
single pages instead of facing pages, or you may want to change the page size or margin settings.
Change document setup
Changing options in the Document Setup dialog box affects every page in the document. If you change page size or
orientation after objects have been added to pages, you can use the Layout Adjustment feature to minimize the amount
of time needed for arranging existing objects. See About automatic layout adjustment .
1 Choose File > Document Setup.
2 Specify the document options, and then click OK. (See New Document options.)
Change page margin and column settings
You can change column and margin settings for pages and spreads. When you change the column and margin settings
on a master page, you change the setting for all pages to which the master is applied. Changing the columns and margins
of regular pages affects only those pages selected in the Pages panel.
Note: The Margins And Columns dialog box doesn’t alter columns inside text frames. Text frame columns exist only within
individual text frames, not on the page itself. You can set up columns within individual text frames by using the Text Frame
Options dialog box. (See Add columns to a text frame.) Text frame columns can also be affected by the Layout Adjustment
feature.
1 Do one of the following:
• To change margin and column settings for one spread or page, go to the spread you want to change, or select one
spread or page in the Pages panel.
• To change margin and column settings for multiple pages, select those pages in the Pages panel, or select a master
that controls the pages you want to change.
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2 Choose Layout > Margins And Columns, specify the following options, and then click OK.
Margins Type values to specify the distance between margin guides and each edge of the page. If Facing Pages is
selected in the New Document or Document Setup dialog box, the Left and Right margin option names change to
Inside and Outside, so that you can specify additional inside margin space to accommodate binding.
Columns Specify the number of columns.
Select Horizontal or Vertical to specify the column direction. This also sets the writing direction of the document
baseline grid.
Create unequal column widths
When you have more than one column on a page, the column guides in the middle appear in pairs. When you drag one
column guide, the pair moves. The space between the column guides is the gutter value you specified; the pair moves
together to maintain that value.
Note: You cannot create unequal column widths for columns in a text frame. Instead, created threaded, side-by-side text
frames with different column widths.
1 Go to the master or spread you want to change.
2 If column guides are locked, choose View > Grids & Guides > Lock Column Guides to deselect it.
3 Using the Selection tool
, drag a column guide. You can’t drag it past an adjacent column guide or beyond the edge
of the page.
Dragging a column guide to create unequal column widths
To create columns with unequal gutters, create evenly spaced ruler guides and then drag individual guides to the desired
location. (See Create ruler guides .)
More Help topics
Ruler guides
Clipping paths
Clipping paths
Clipping paths crop part of the artwork so that only a portion of the artwork appears through the shape or shapes you
create. You can create clipping paths to hide unwanted parts of an image, creating both a path for the image and a frame
for the graphic. By keeping the clipping path and graphics frame separate, you can freely modify the clipping path
without affecting the graphics frame by using the Direct Selection tool and other drawing tools in the toolbox.
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You can create clipping paths in the following ways:
• Place already-saved graphics with paths or alpha (mask) channels, which InDesign can use automatically. You can
add paths and alpha channels to graphics using a program such as Adobe Photoshop.
• Use the Detect Edges option in the Clipping Path command to generate a clipping path for a graphic that was saved
without one.
• Use the Pen tool to draw a path in the shape you want, and then use the Paste Into command to paste the graphic
into the path.
When you use one of InDesign’s automatic methods to generate a clipping path, the clipping path is attached to the
image, resulting in an image that is clipped by the path and cropped by the frame.
Note: The graphics frame displays the color of the layer it appears on, and the clipping path is drawn in the inverse color of
the layer. For example, if the layer color is blue, the graphics frame will appear as blue, and the clipping path will appear
as orange.
Crop using a graphic’s path or alpha channel
InDesign can crop an imported EPS, TIFF, or Photoshop graphic using the clipping path or alpha channel saved with
the file. When an imported graphic includes more than one path or alpha channel, you can choose which path or alpha
channel to use for the clipping path.
An alpha channel is an invisible channel that defines transparent areas of a graphic. It’s stored inside a graphic with the
RGB or CMYK channels. Alpha channels are commonly used in video-effects applications. InDesign automatically
recognizes Photoshop’s default transparency (the checkerboard background) as an alpha channel. If the graphic has an
opaque background, you must use Photoshop to remove the background, or create and save one or more alpha channels
with the graphic. You can create alpha channels using background-removal features in Adobe Photoshop, such as layer
masks, the Channels panel, the Background Eraser, or the Magic Eraser.
Results of using alpha channels and embedded paths
A Original graphic B Alpha channel C Placed graphic D Original graphic E Graphic with embedded path F Placed graphic
When you place a Photoshop file, the Image Import Options dialog box lets you choose to use the default clipping path
or select an alpha channel for clipping.
1 Select an imported graphic, and choose Object > Clipping Path.
2 In the Clipping Path dialog box, choose either Photoshop Path or Alpha Channel from the Type menu.
3 Choose the desired path or alpha channel from either the Path or Alpha menu.
Note: If the Alpha Channel menu command is not available, no alpha channels were saved with the graphic.
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4 To inset the clipping path, specify a value for Inset Frame.
5 To switch the visible and hidden areas, select Invert.
6 If you chose an alpha channel, specify any other desired clipping path options, and click OK.
To turn off the clipping path, select the imported graphic, and choose Object > Clipping Path. Choose None in the Type
menu, and click OK.
Create a clipping path automatically
If you want to remove the background from a graphic that wasn’t saved with a clipping path, you can do it automatically
using the Detect Edges option in the Clipping Path dialog box. The Detect Edges option hides the lightest or darkest
areas of a graphic, so it works best when the subject is set against a solid white or black background.
Good (left) and bad (right) candidates for automatic clipping path
1 Select an imported graphic, and choose Object > Clipping Path.
2 In the Clipping Path dialog box, choose Detect Edges in the Type menu. By default, the lightest tones are excluded;
to exclude the darkest tones, also select the Invert option.
3 Specify the clipping path options, and click OK.
Clipping path options
Threshold Specifies the darkest pixel value that will define the resulting clipping path. Increasing this value makes
more pixels transparent by extending the range of lightness values added to the hidden area, starting from 0 (white).
For example, if you want to remove a very light drop shadow when using Detect Edges, try increasing the Threshold
until the shadow disappears. If light pixels that should be visible are invisible, the Threshold is too high.
Threshold levels at 25 (left) and 55 (right)
Tolerance Specifies how similar a pixel’s lightness value can be to the Threshold value before the pixel is hidden by the
clipping path. Increasing the Tolerance value is useful for removing unwanted bumps caused by stray pixels that are
darker than, but close to the lightness value of, the Threshold value. Higher Tolerance values usually create a smoother,
looser clipping path, by increasing the range of values near the Tolerance value within which stray darker pixels are
included. Decreasing the Tolerance value is like tightening the clipping path around smaller variations in value. Lower
Tolerance values create a rougher clipping path by adding anchor points, which may make it harder to print the image.
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Tolerance levels at 0 (left) and 5 (right)
Inset Frame Shrinks the resulting clipping path relative to the clipping path defined by the Threshold and Tolerance
values. Unlike Threshold and Tolerance, the Inset Frame value does not take lightness values into account; instead, it
uniformly shrinks the shape of the clipping path. Adjusting the Inset Frame value slightly may help hide stray pixels
that could not be eliminated by using the Threshold and Tolerance values. Enter a negative value to make the resulting
clipping path larger than the clipping path defined by the Threshold and Tolerance values.
Inset frame at -0p1 (left) and 0p3 (right)
Invert Switches the visible and hidden areas, by starting the clipping path with the darkest tones.
Include Inside Edges Makes areas transparent if they exist inside the original clipping path, and if their lightness values
are within the Threshold and Tolerance ranges. By default, the Clipping Path command makes only the outer areas
transparent, so use Include Inside Edges to correctly represent “holes” in a graphic. This option works best when the
brightness levels of areas you want to make transparent don’t match any areas that must be visible. For example, if you
choose Include Inside Edges for a graphic of silver eyeglasses, and the lenses become transparent, very light areas of the
eyeglass frame may also become transparent. If areas become transparent when that wasn’t your intent, try adjusting
the Threshold, Tolerance, and Inset Frame values.
Restrict to Frame Creates a clipping path that stops at the visible edge of the graphic. This can result in a simpler path
when you use the graphic’s frame to crop the graphic.
Use High Resolution Image Calculates transparent areas using the actual file, for maximum precision. Deselect this
option to calculate transparency based on the screen display resolution, which is faster but less precise. This option isn’t
available if you chose Alpha Channel, because InDesign always uses an alpha channel at its actual resolution. (See
About transparency.)
Convert a clipping path to a graphics frame
• Choose Object > Clipping Path > Convert Clipping Path To Frame.
More Help topics
Create and edit alpha channel masks
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Linking Content
Watch this video tutorial to learn how to create and update links between objects in the same document and others.
Linking Content
Reviewing the Forms tools
An overview of the form field-related buttons, dialog boxes and menu commands in InDesign. Compare the old and
new ways of creating interactive forms.
Reviewing the Forms tools
Testing a form in Acrobat
This tutorial shows you how InDesign form fields look in Acrobat or Reader. Then, learn how to continue modifying
the interactive fields in Acrobat for additional functionality, and how the form performs in Acrobat.
Testing a form in Acrobat
Working with Frames
Everything that is placed into InDesign ends up in a frame. You can create frames from scratch, or if you "place"
(import) text or images into a document, InDesign automatically creates the frame for you.
Working with Frames
Creating cross-references (video 5:45)
Walk through the procedure of adding cross-references. Create cross-references that can be updated quickly when the
target text or pagination changes. Create a custom cross-reference format.
Creating cross-references (video 5:45)
Formatting grids
Formatting grids
Frame grid properties
Frame grid properties
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Layout and design
Generating image captions with metadata (PDF, 148 KB)
A short tutorial on how to work with medata and auto-generate captions for images in your layout.
Generating image captions with metadata (PDF, 148 KB)
Grid Mode and Live Distribute (video 2:48)
Watch how you can quickly create grids on the fly using design tools that are "gridified".
Grid Mode and Live Distribute (video 2:48)
Grids
Grids
Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects
Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects
Importing files from other applications
Importing files from other applications
Layers
Layers
Laying out frames and pages
Laying out frames and pages
Layout grids
Layout grids
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Layout and design
Live captions (video 3:04)
See how InDesign CS5 and later allow you to take advantage of metadata embedded in an image to create live captions
and then automatically and flexibly place them in your layout.
Live captions (video 3:04)
Making shiny graphics (PDF, 203 KB)
This tutorial shows you how to apply a shiny, glossy effect on objects in your layout.
Making shiny graphics (PDF, 203 KB)
Managing documents with multiple page sizes (PDF, 136
KB)
A short tutorial on how to manage documents with multiple page sizes, in InDesign CS5 and later.
Managing documents with multiple page sizes (PDF, 136 KB)
Managing graphics links
Managing graphics links
Managing pages and spreads
Managing pages and spreads
Master pages
Master pages
Mini Bridge: Getting access to your assets (PDF, 180 KB)
Use Bridge as a floating panel inside InDesign. yes Mini Bridge.
Mini Bridge: Getting access to your assets (PDF, 180 KB)
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Layout and design
Mixing page sizes with the new Page tool (video 8:03)
Create complete brochures and book covers along with text with the new ability to mix page sizes within a single file
Mixing page sizes with the new Page tool (video 8:03)
Numbering pages, chapters, and sections
Numbering pages, chapters, and sections
Paragraphs that span and split columns (video 2:01)
See how to build complex layouts in less clicks with paragraphs that span or split columns in InDesign CS5 and later.
Paragraphs that span and split columns (video 2:01)
Placing graphics
Placing graphics
Reusing graphics and text
Reusing graphics and text
Rotating Spread view (video 3:31)
When one or more objects on a page is rotated, learn how to rotate the spread view to make easy edits. Discover a
number of navigation tips to save time.
Rotating Spread view (video 3:31)
Ruler guides
Ruler guides
Rulers and measurement units
Rulers and measurement units
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Layout and design
Spanning and Splitting columns (video 6:15)
Set up spanning heads over any number of columns or split a group of columns into additional columns to save vertical
space.
Spanning and Splitting columns (video 6:15)
Text variables
Text variables
Transforming objects
Transforming objects
Understanding graphics formats
Understanding graphics formats
Working with files and templates
Working with files and templates
Working with frames and objects
Working with frames and objects
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Chapter 4: Text
Threading text
Thread text frames
The text in a frame can be independent of other frames, or it can flow between connected frames. To flow text between
connected frames (also called text boxes), you must first connect the frames. Connected frames can be on the same
page or spread, or on another page in the document. The process of connecting text among frames is called threading
text. It is also referred to as linking text frames or linking text boxes.
Each text frame contains an in port and an out port, which are used to make connections to other text frames. An empty
in port or out port indicates the beginning or end of a story, respectively. An arrow in a port indicates that the frame is
linked to another frame. A red plus sign (+) in an out port indicates that there is more text in the story to be placed but
no more text frames in which to place it. This remaining unseen text is called overset text.
Threaded frames
A In port at beginning of story B Out port indicating thread to next frame C Text thread D In port indicating thread from previous frame E Out
port indicating overset text
Choose View > Extras > Show Text Threads to see visual representatives of threaded frames. You can thread text frames
whether or not they contain text.
Add a new frame to the thread
1 Using the Selection tool
, select a text frame, and then click the in port or out port to load a text icon.
Clicking the in port lets you add a frame before the selected frame; clicking the out port lets you add a frame after
the selected frame.
2 Position the loaded text icon
where you want a new text frame to appear, and then click or drag to create a new
text frame.
When the loaded text icon is active, you can perform many actions, including turning pages, creating new pages, and
zooming in and out. If you start to thread two frames and change your mind, you can cancel the thread by clicking any
tool in the Toolbox. No text will be lost.
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Add an existing frame to the thread
1 Using the Selection tool, select a text frame, and then click the in port or the out port to load a text icon.
2 Position the loaded text icon over the frame you want to connect to. The loaded text icon changes to the thread icon.
Adding existing frame to thread
3 Click inside the second frame to thread it to the first.
When you thread a frame grid to a plain text frame or to another frame grid with different grid settings, the text frame
of the threaded frame is redefined to match the settings of the frame grid threaded from
You can add automatic “continued on” or “continued from” jump lines that track threaded stories as they jump from
frame to frame. (See Add automatic page numbers for story jumps .)
Add a frame inside a sequence of threaded frames
1 Using the Selection tool, click the out port at the point in the story where you want to add a frame. When you release
the mouse button, a loaded text icon appears.
2 Drag to create a new frame, or select a different text frame. InDesign threads the frame into the series of linked
frames containing the story.
Adding frame inside a thread (top) and result (bottom)
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Unthread text frames
When you unthread a text frame, you break the connection between the frame and all subsequent frames in the thread.
Any text that previously appeared in the frames becomes overset text (no text is deleted). All subsequent frames are
empty.
❖ Using the Selection tool, do one of the following:
• Double-click an in port or out port to break the connection between frames.
• Click an in port or an out port that represents a thread to another frame. For example, in a two-framed thread,
click either the out port of the first frame or the in port of the second frame. Position the loaded text icon over
the previous or next frame to display the unthread icon
. Click in the frame you want to remove from the
thread.
Removing frame from thread
To break one story into two stories, cut the text that needs to go in the second story, break the connection between the
frames, and then paste the text into the first frame of the second story.
Cut or delete threaded text frames
Whenever you cut or delete text frames, no text is deleted; the text remains in the thread.
Cut a frame from a thread
You can cut a frame from a thread and paste the frame elsewhere. The frame is removed with a copy of the text, but no
text is removed from the original story. When you cut and paste a series of threaded text frames at once, the pasted
frames maintain their connection to each other, but lose connection to any other frames in the original story.
1 Using the Selection tool, select one or more frames (Shift-click to select multiple objects).
2 Choose Edit > Cut. The frame disappears, and any text contained in it flows to the next frame in the story. When
you cut the last frame in a story, the text is stored as overset text in the previous frame.
3 If you want to use the disconnected frame elsewhere in your document, go to the page where you want the
disconnected text to appear and choose Edit > Paste.
Delete a frame from a thread
When you delete a text frame that is part of a thread, no text is deleted: it is overset or it flows into the next frame in
succession. If the text frame isn’t connected to any other frame, the frame and text are deleted.
1 To select the text frame, do one of the following:
• Using a selection tool, click the frame.
• Using the Type tool, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then click the frame.
2 Press Backspace or Delete.
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Flow text manually or automatically
Your pointer becomes a loaded text icon
after you place text or click an in port or out port. The loaded text icon lets
you flow text onto your pages. By holding down a modifier key, you can determine how the text is flowed. The loaded
text icon changes appearance, depending on where it is placed.
When you position the loaded text icon over a text frame, parentheses enclose the icon
loaded text icon next to a guide or grid snapping point, the black pointer becomes white
. When you position the
.
You can flow text using four methods:
Method
What it does
Manual text flow
Adds text one frame at a time. You must reload the text icon to
continue flowing text.
Semi-autoflow
by holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac
OS) when you click.
Autoflow
Adds pages and frames until all text is flowed into your document.
by Shift-clicking.
Fixed-page autoflow
Works like manual text flow, except that the pointer becomes a loaded
text icon each time the end of a frame is reached, until all text is flowed
into your document.
by holding down Shift+Alt (Windows) or
Flows all text into the document, adding frames as necessary without
adding pages. Any remaining text is overset.
Shift+Option (Mac OS) when you click.
To flow text in frames, InDesign detects horizontal or vertical type. When text is flowed with semi-automatic or
automatic flow, it is flowed according to the frame type and direction set in the Story panel. The icon gives users visual
feedback of which direction the text will flow.
Flow text manually
1 Use the Place command to select a file, or click the out port
of a selected text frame.
2 Do one of the following:
• Position the loaded text icon anywhere within an existing frame or path, and then click. The text flows into the
frame and any other frames linked to it. Note that text always starts filling the frame at the top of the leftmost
column, even when you click in a different column.
• Position the loaded text icon in a column to create a text frame the width of that column. The top of the frame
appears where you click.
• Drag the loaded text icon to create a text frame the width and height of the area you define.
3 If there is more text to be placed, click the out port and repeat steps 1 and 2 until all text has been placed.
Note: When you place text in a frame that is threaded to other frames, text autoflows through the threaded frames,
regardless of the text flow method you choose.
Flow text semi-automatically
❖ With a loaded text icon, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a page or frame.
The text flows one column at a time, as in manual flow, but the loaded text icon automatically reloads after each column
is placed.
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Flow text automatically
❖ With the loaded text icon displayed, hold down Shift as you do one of the following:
• Click the loaded text icon in a column to create a frame the width of that column. InDesign creates new text
frames and new document pages until all text is added to the document.
• Click inside a text frame that is based on a master text frame. The text autoflows into the document page frame
and generates new pages as needed, using the master frame’s attributes. (See About masters, stacking order, and
layers .)
Flow text automatically without adding pages
❖ With a loaded text icon, hold down Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS).
Use Smart Text Reflow
You can use the Smart Text Reflow feature to add or remove pages when you’re typing or editing text. This feature is
useful when you’re using InDesign as a text editor and you want a new page to be added whenever you type more text
than can fit on the current page. It’s also useful in avoiding overset text or empty pages for situations in which the text
flow changes due to editing text, showing or hiding conditional text, or making other changes to the text flow.
By default, Smart Text Reflow is limited to master text frames — text frames that are on a master page. If the document
includes facing pages, master text frames must appear on both left and right master pages, and the master text frames
must be threaded for Smart Text Reflow to work.
You can change settings to allow pages to be added or removed when working in text frames that aren’t based on master
pages. However, a text frame must be threaded to at least one other text frame on a different page for Smart Text Reflow
to work.
Smart Text Reflow settings appear in Type preferences. These settings apply to the current document. To change default
settings for all new documents, close all documents and specify the settings.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Smart Text Reflow.
3 Select any of the following options and then click OK.
Add Pages To Use this option to determine where the new page is created. For example, suppose you have a three-page
document with text frames on the first two pages and a full-page graphic on the third page. If you’re typing to the end
of page two, you can determine whether the new page is added before or after the full-page graphic on the third page.
Choose End Of Story to add a new page after the second page. Choose End Of Document to add a new page after the
page with the full-page graphic.
In a document with multiple sections, you can choose End Of Section to add the page at the end of the section.
Limit To Master Text Frames If this option is turned off, you can also add or remove pages when editing text frames that
aren’t based on master pages. To prevent unwanted text reflow from occurring, Smart Text Reflow takes effect only if
the text frame you’re editing is threaded to at least one other text frame on a different page.
note: When using Smart Text Reflow in text frames that aren’t based on master pages, pages are added with full-page,
single-column text frames, regardless of the attributes of the text frame to which the new frame is threaded.
Preserve Facing-Page Spreads This option determines whether facing-page spreads are preserved when text is
reflowed in the middle of a document. If this option is selected when text reflows in the middle of the document, a new
two-page spread is added. If this option is not selected, a single new page is added, and subsequent pages are “shuffled.”
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If your layout includes design elements specific to the right or left side of the spread, turn on this option. If your left
and right pages are interchangeable, you can turn off this option. This option is dimmed if the document does not have
facing pages.
Delete Empty Pages Select this option to delete pages when you edit text or hide conditions. Pages are deleted only if
the emptied text frame is the only object on the page.
To see how Smart Text Reflow can let you use InDesign as a text editor, create a document with Facing Pages turned
off and Master Text Frame selected. In Type preferences, make sure that Smart Text Reflow and Delete Empty Pages are
selected. On the first page, hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and click the master text frame
to override it. When you type enough text to fill this text frame, a new page and text frame is added automatically. If you
delete enough text, a page is removed.
Wrapping text around objects
Wrap text around objects
You can wrap text around any object, including text frames, imported images, and objects you draw in InDesign. When
you apply a text wrap to an object, InDesign creates a boundary around the object that repels text. The object that text
wraps around is called the wrap object. Text wrap is also referred to as runaround text.
Keep in mind that text wrap options apply to the object being wrapped, not the text itself. Any change to the wrap
boundary will remain if you move the wrap object near a different text frame.
InDesign Magazine provides an article about text wrap at Take Control of Text Wrap.
Wrap text around simple objects
1 To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.
2 Using the Selection tool
or Direct Selection tool
, select the object you want to wrap text around.
3 In the Text Wrap panel, click the desired wrap shape:
Wrap Around Bounding Box
Creates a rectangular wrap whose width and height are determined by the bounding box of the selected object,
including any offset distances you specify.
Wrap Around Object Shape
Also known as contour wrapping, creates a text wrap boundary that is the same shape as the frame you’ve selected
(plus or minus any offset distances you specify).
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Wrap Around Bounding Box setting (left) compared to Wrap Around Object Shape setting (right)
Jump Object
Keeps text from appearing in any available space to the right or left of the frame.
Jump To Next Column
Forces the surrounding paragraph to the top of the next column or text frame.
4 From the Wrap To menu, specify whether the wrap is applied to a specific side (such as the right side or largest area)
or towards or away from the spine. (If you don’t see the Wrap To menu, choose Show Options from the Text Wrap
panel menu.)
This option is available only if you selected Wrap Around Bounding Box or Wrap Around Object Shape.
Wrap To options
A Both right and left sides B Side towards spine C Side away from spine
5 Specify offset values. Positive values move the wrap away from the frame; negative values move the wrap within the
frame.
If you can’t get the text to wrap around an image, make sure that Ignore Text Wrap isn’t selected for the text frame that
doesn’t wrap. Also, if Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath is selected in Composition preferences, make sure that the
text frame is beneath the wrap object.
Text frames inside a group aren’t affected by a text wrap you apply to the group.
To set default text wrap options for all new objects, deselect all objects and then specify text wrap settings.
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Wrap text around imported images
To wrap text around an imported image, save the clipping path in the application where you created the image, if
possible. When you place the image in InDesign, select the Apply Photoshop Clipping Path option in the Image Import
Options dialog box.
1 To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.
2 Select an imported image, and in the Text Wrap panel, click Wrap Around Object Shape
.
3 Specify offset values. Positive values move the wrap away from the frame; negative values move the wrap within the
frame.
4 Choose Show Options from the Text Wrap panel menu to display additional options.
5 From the Type menu, choose a contour option:
Bounding BoxWraps text to the rectangle formed by the image’s height and width.Detect EdgesGenerates the
boundary using automatic edge detection. (To adjust edge detection, select the object and choose Object > Clipping
Path > Options.)Alpha ChannelGenerates the boundary from an alpha channel saved with the image. If this option
isn’t available, no alpha channels were saved with the image. InDesign recognizes the default transparency in Adobe
Photoshop (the checkerboard pattern) as an alpha channel; you must otherwise use Photoshop to delete the
background or create and save one or more alpha channels with the image.Photoshop PathGenerates the boundary
from a path saved with the image. Choose Photoshop Path, and then choose a path from the Path menu. If the
Photoshop Path option isn’t available, no named paths were saved with the image.Graphic FrameGenerates the
boundary from the container frame.Same As ClippingGenerates the boundary from the imported image’s clipping
path.
6 To let text appear inside “holes” of an image, such as the inside of a tire image, select Include Inside Edges.
Include Inside Edges off (left) and on (right)
Create an inverted text wrap
1 Using the Selection tool
or Direct Selection tool
, select an object, such as a compound path, that will allow text
to wrap inside it.
2 To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.
3 Apply a text wrap to an object, and select the Invert option. Invert is commonly used with the Object Shape text
wrap.
Object Shape text wrap (left) and with Invert option selected (right)
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Change the shape of a text wrap
1 Using the Direct Selection tool
, select an object that has a text wrap applied to it. If the text wrap boundary is the
same shape as the object, the boundary is superimposed on the object.
2 Do any of the following:
• To uniformly change the distance between the text and wrap object, specify offset values in the Text Wrap panel.
• To edit the text wrap boundary, use the Pen tool
and Direct Selection tool.
Editing text wrap boundary
If you manually change the shape of a text wrap path, User-Modified Path is selected in the Type menu and remains
dimmed in the menu. This indicates that the path of the shape has changed.
If you want to use the original clipping path rather than the edited text wrap boundary, choose Same As Clipping from
the Type menu in the Text Wrap panel.
Apply text wrap on master page items
If the Apply To Master Page Only option is selected, you must override a master page item on a document page to wrap
text around it. If this option is deselected, text on both master pages and document pages can wrap around the master
page items without the master page items being overridden.
1 Select the object on the master page.
2 From the Text Wrap panel menu, select or deselect Apply To Master Page Only.
This option is available only when an object on a master page is selected and has a wrap applied to it.
Wrapping text around anchored objects
If you apply text wrap to an anchored object, the wrap affects the lines of text in the story that follow the anchor marker.
However, the wrap doesn’t affect the line of text that includes the anchor marker or any lines before it.
When you paste an object as an inline object, its text wrap boundaries are preserved.
Suppress text wrap on hidden layers
When you hide a layer that contains a wrap object, the text frames on other layers wrap around the object, unless you
select the Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden option in the Layer Options dialog box. If this option is selected,
hiding a layer can cause text on other layers to be recomposed.
1 In the Layers panel, double-click the layer that contains the wrap object.
2 Select Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden.
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Justify text next to wrap objects
When you specify how text is justified next to wrap objects, the change applies to the entire document.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).
2 Select one of the following options, and click OK:
Justify Text Next To An Object
Justifies text next to wrap objects that separate a column of text. This setting takes effect only when the text wrap
completely interrupts lines of text so that each line is divided into two or more parts.
Note: Text adjacent to an object is aligned to the left or top of the object when set to Align Left, to the right or bottom
of the object when set to Align Right, or evenly aligned to both edges when set to Full Justify.
Justify Text Next To An Object
Skip By Leading
Moves wrapped text to the next available leading increment below a text-wrapped object. If this option isn’t selected,
lines of text may jump below an object in a way that prevents text from lining up with text in neighboring columns
or text frames. Selecting this option is especially useful when you want to make sure that the text aligns to the
baseline grid.
Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath
Text stacked above the wrapped object isn’t affected by the text wrap. Stacking order is determined by layer position
in the Layers panel and by the stacking order of objects on a layer.
Ignore text wrap in a text frame
In some cases, you’ll want to turn off text wrap in a text frame. For example, you may want one text frame to wrap
around an image, but you may want a different text frame to appear within the image.
1 Select the text frame, and choose Object > Text Frame Options.
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2 Select Ignore Text Wrap, and click OK.
More Help topics
Compound paths and shapes
About masks and alpha channels
Master pages
Arabic and Hebrew features | CC, CS6
New and improved features for working in Arabic and Hebrew are available in the Middle East and North African
edition of this software.
Adobe World-Ready Composers
Adobe World-Ready composers enable you to create content in middle-eastern languages. You can type in, and mix
between, Arabic, Hebrew, English, French, German, Russian, and other Latin languages.
You can choose between available composers from the Paragraph panel menu (Windows > Paragraph > panel menu).
For example, in InDesign, you can use the Adobe World-Ready Paragraph Composer. Or, in Illustrator, you can use the
Middle Eastern Single-line Composer.
Adobe World-Ready Composers
You can also save your files with Arabic and Hebrew names.
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Text direction
To create content in Arabic and Hebrew, you can make the right-to-left (RTL) direction the default text direction.
However, for documents that include left-to-right (LTR) text, you can now seamlessly switch between the two
directions.
Select the paragraph direction from the Paragraph panel.
Paragraph direction selection
If you have a mix of languages in the same paragraph, you can specify the direction of text at a character level. Also, to
insert dates or numbers, specify the direction of text at the character level.
From the Character panel menu, choose Character Direction and then select a direction.
Character direction
Story direction
When you're working with Arabic and Hebrew languages, the story generally flows from the right to the left. The first
column must be on right side of the frame, and subsequent columns are added to the left. If your layout contains mixed
content, then different stories need a different direction.
From the Story panel (Window > Type & Tables > Story), click a story direction.
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Story direction
Automatic Kashida insertion
In Arabic, text is justified by adding Kashidas. Kashidas are added to arabic characters to lengthen them. Whitespace
is not modified. Use automatic Kashida insertion to justify paragraphs of arabic text.
Select the paragraph and from the Paragraph panel (Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph), choose a setting from the
Insert Kashida drop-down list. The options available are: None, Short, Medium, Long, or Stylistic. Kashidas are only
inserted if the paragraph is justified. This setting is not applicable for paragraphs that have alignment settings.
To apply Kashidas to a group of characters, select the characters and choose Kashidas from the Character panel menu.
Automatic Kashidas
Ligatures
You can automatically apply ligatures to character pairs in Arabic and Hebrew. Ligatures are typographic replacement
characters for certain letter pairs if they are available in a given Open Type font.
When you choose Ligatures from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu, a standard ligature defined in the
font is produced.
1 Select text.
2 Choose Ligatures from the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu.
However, some Open Type fonts include more ornate, optional ligatures, which can be produced when you choose
Discretionary Ligatures. These ligatures are found at Character panel > OpenType > Discretionary Ligatures.
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Enable automatic ligatures
Diacritical marks
In the Arabic script, a diacritic or a diacritical mark is a glyph used to indicate consonant length or short vowels. A
diacritical mark is placed above or below the script. For better styling of text, or improved readability of certain fonts,
you can control the vertical or horizontal position of diacritical marks:
1 Select text that has diacritical marks
2 In the Character panel, modify the position of the diacritic marks relative to the script. Values you can change are,
Adjust Horizontal Diacritic Position, and the Adjust Vertical Diacritic Position.
Change the position of diacritical marks
Copy-paste from Microsoft Word
You can copy text from Microsoft Word, and paste it directly into a document. The pasted text's alignment and
direction is automatically set to that of the arabic or hebrew text.
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Default fonts
When you install a Middle Eastern or North African version, the default typing font is set to the installation-specific
language, by default. For example, if you have installed the English/Arabic-enabled version, the default typing font is
set to Adobe Arabic. Similarly, if you have installed the English/Hebrew-enabled version, the default typing font is set
to Adobe Hebrew (or Myriad Hebrew in Photoshop).
Legacy font support
Fonts that have been traditionally used (for example, AXT fonts) can continue to be used in this release of the software.
However, it is recommended that newer Open Type fonts be used for text-based elements.
Missing Glyph Protection (Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type) is enabled by default. Text is handled automatically,
where glyphs are not available in the font you are using.
Digit Types
When you are working in Arabic or Hebrew, you can select the type of digits you want to use. You can choose between
Arabic, Hindi, and Farsi.
By default, in Arabic, the Hindi version is auto-selected, and in case of Hebrew, the Arabic type digits are selected.
However, you can switch to Arabic digits, if necessary:
1 Select the digits in the text typed.
2 In the Character panel (Ctrl + T), use the Digits list to select the font that the digits must appear in.
You can ensure that Arabic digits are used by enabling the Use Native Digits when typing in Arabic Scripts option. To
use this option, choose Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type.
Digit type selection
Hyphenation
Sentences that have more words that can fit into one line of text automatically wrap into the next line. The type of text
justification when wrapping occurs sometimes causes unnecessary spaces to appear in the line that are not aesthetically
pleasing or linguistically correct. Hyphenation enables you to split the word at the end of a line, using a hyphen. This
fragmentation causes the sentence to wrap into the next line in a better way.
Mixed text: The Kashida insertion feature affects how hyphenation occurs in mixed text. When enabled, Kashidas are
inserted where applicable, and non-Arabic text is not hyphenated. When the Kashida feature is disabled, only nonArabic text is considered for hyphenation.
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Hebrew text: Hyphenation is allowed. To enable hyphenation and customize settings, choose Paragraph panel > Panel
menu > Hyphenation Settings.
Hyphenation options
Find and replace
Arabic and Hebrew users can perform full text search and replace. In addition to searching and replacing simple text,
you can also search and replace text with specific characteristics. These characteristics can include diacritical marks,
Kashidas, special characters (for example, Alef), digits in different languages (for example, digits in Hindi), and more.
To perform text find-and-replace:
• InDesign: Edit > Find/Change
In InDesign, you can use the Transliterate tab (Edit > Find/Change) to find and replace digits between Arabic, Hindi,
and Farsi. For example, you can find digits typed in Hindi and convert them to Arabic.
Glyphs
Arabic and Hebrew users can apply glyphs from the default character set. However, to browse, select, and apply a glyph
from the default character set or a different language set, use the Glyphs panel:
• InDesign: Window > Type & Tables > Glyphs
• Illustrator: Window > Type > Glyphs
Browse, select, and apply glyphs
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Justification Alternates
A font can have alternative shapes of certain letters of the alphabet. These variations of the font face for some letters are
generally available for stylistic or calligraphy purposes. In rare cases, justification alternates are used to justify and align
paragraphs for specific needs.
Justification alternates can be turned on at a paragraph level, where alternates are used wherever possible. You can also
turn on or off this feature at a character level. Justification alternates are available only in those fonts that have this
feature integrated. Therefore, the option to turn them on or off is available only for supported fonts.
Arabic fonts that contain justification alternates: Adobe Arabic, Myriad Arabic, and Adobe Naskh. Hebrew fonts that
contain justification alternates: Adobe Hebrew and Myriad Hebrew.
• InDesign
Paragraph-level: Window > Paragraph panel > panel menu > Justification, and then choose an option from the
Justification list.
Character-level: Window > Character panel > panel menu > Justification Alternate option.
• Photoshop
Character-level: Window > Character panel > Justification Alternates checkbox.
Special Middle East characters insertion
Some characters in Arabic and Hebrew are difficult to insert in text. Also, Arabic and Hebrew keyboard layouts make
it difficult to type or include these characters. To insert characters like a Hebrew apostrophe (Geresh) or Maqaf, select
a character from Character panel > panel menu > Insert Special ME Character.
Insert a special ME character
Table direction
Arabic and Hebrew users can set the direction of a table inserted in a document. Accordingly the order of cells and
columns, default language, and the alignment of text is set. For an Arabic user, the rightmost column is the first column,
and any additional columns are added beyond the leftmost column of the table. Table direction is also supported in the
Story Editor (Ctrl + Y).
To set the direction of a new table:
1 Click Table > Insert Table
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2 In the Insert Table dialog box, choose from the Direction list to select the table direction.
To change the direction of an existing table:
1 Place the cursor inside a table
2 Open the Table panel (Shift + F9), and click the Left-to-Right Table or Right-to-Left Table icons to set the direction
of the table.
For Right-to-Left tables, the Arabic and North African versions default to Arabic language. The Hebrew version is set
to Hebrew language. For Left-to-Right tables, the Arabic and Hebrew versions default to English language. The North
African version defaults to French.
Binding directions
Binding direction determines the edge along which a book is bound. Books written in a left-to-right language are leftbound. Documents written in right-to-left language are bound along the rightmost edge of the book.
Page layout of a right-bound book
Right to Left writing preferences
Neutral characters
The direction of some characters in Arabic and Hebrew can appear ambiguous. Lack of clarity about the direction of
characters can cause confusion in the direction and order of strings. To ensure that the direction of such characters is
clear and unambiguous:
1 Click Edit > Preferences > Right to Left
2 Select the Force Neutral Character Direction According to the Keyboard Input box.
Cursor Control
Arabic and Hebrew users can control the direction that the cursor moves, when they use the arrow keys on the
keyboard. This Cursor Movement list (Edit > Preferences > Right to Left) has two options that you can choose from:
• Visual: The cursor moves in the direction of the arrow key. When the right arrow is pressed, the cursor on the screen
moves to the right.
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• Logical: The cursor moves according to the direction of the language typed. In Arabic and Hebrew, when the right
arrow is pressed, the cursor moves left (to the next character in a right to left language).
Page and chapter numbering
Arabic and Hebrew users use the most commonly preferred numbering systems in the region. The most popular
numbering systems are:
• Arabic: Arabic Abjad and Alef-Ba-Tah
• French: Hebrew Biblical Standard and Hebrew Non-Standard Decimal
To select or change the numbering system, go to Layout > Numbering & Section Options, and then select from the Style
list.
Numbering pages, sections, and chapters
Writing direction in Gallery view and Story Editor
While in Arabic or Hebrew, you can indicate the direction in which you are writing. Go to Edit > Preferences > Story
Editor Display, and select the Indicate Writing Direction box, to enable this feature. When this feature is enabled, the
cursor has an arrow that indicates the direction of writing.
Diacritical coloring
In Arabic text, diacritical marks can be colored differently for stylistic or other purposes. For example, diacritical marks
can be lay emphasis on a particular aspect of a word or sentence. You can find and change the color of diacritical marks
using the Change Arabic Diacritic Color query.
1 Click Edit > Find/Change
2 From the Query list, select Change Arabic Diacritic Color
3 Use the Change, Change All, or Change/Find buttons to replace older diacritical marks with the new colored
diacritical marks.
You can modify and save the query as per your requirements.
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Anchored objects
About anchored objects
Anchored objects are items, such as images or text boxes, that are attached—or anchored—to specific text. The
anchored object travels with the text containing the anchor as the text reflows. Use anchored objects for all objects that
you want associated with a particular line or block of text, for example, sidebars and callouts, figures, or icons associated
with a specific word.
You can create an anchored object by pasting or placing an object (or frame) into text using the Type tool or by using
the Insert Anchored Object command. When you place the object, Adobe InDesign CS4 adds an anchor marker at the
insertion point. Anchored objects inherit the rotation and skew attributes of the text frame they’re anchored to—even
when the object is positioned outside of the text frame. You can select the object and change these attributes.
You can create anchored objects that use any of the following positions:
Inline Aligns the anchored object with the baseline of the insertion point. You can adjust the Y Offset to position the
object above or below the baseline. This is the default type of anchored object. In earlier versions of InDesign, these
objects were called inline graphics.
Above Line Places the anchored object above the line with the following choices of alignment: Left, Center, Right,
Towards Spine, Away From Spine, and (Text Alignment). Text Alignment is the alignment applied to the paragraph that
holds the anchor marker.
Custom Places the anchored object in the position that you define in the Anchored Object Options dialog box. You can
position the object anywhere inside or outside the text frame.
Note: You can use inline and above line positioned objects with type on a path. (See Add anchored objects to type on a
path.)
Sample document with anchored objects
A Inline position B Above line position (aligned left) C Custom position (aligned to the edge of the text frame)
For a video tutorial on working with anchored frames, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0073.
Tim Cole provided a shortcut on inserting anchored frames at Anchored Frames Productivity Shortcut.
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Create an anchored object
If an object isn’t available to place into the document (for example, sidebar text that is not written yet), you can create
an empty anchored frame as a placeholder for content you can add later. You can resize the anchored frame at any time
and the position settings for the frame update automatically.
1 Do one of the following:
• To add an anchored object, use the Type tool to position an insertion point where you want the object’s anchor
to appear, and then place or paste the object.
If the frame for the object is taller than the line of text in which it appears, text might overlap the imported image or
you might see increased space above the line. Consider selecting a different anchored object position, inserting a soft
or hard line break, resizing the inline object, or specifying a different leading value for the surrounding lines.
• To anchor an existing object, select it and choose Edit > Cut. Then, using the Type tool, position the insertion
point where you want the object to appear, and choose Edit >Paste. By default, the anchored object’s position is
inline.
• To add a placeholder frame for an object that isn’t available (for example, text you have yet to write for a sidebar),
use the Type tool to position the insertion point where you want the object’s anchor to appear; then choose
Object > Anchored Object > Insert.
You can anchor text characters by creating outlines of the text. Creating outlines automatically converts each
character of text to an inline anchored object.
2 To position the object, select it with a selection tool and choose Object > Anchored Object > Options. Specify
options as desired.
To bypass the Anchored Object dialog box, use the Insert Anchored Object/Go To Anchor Marker keyboard shortcut.
You’ll need to designate keys for this shortcut in the Keyboard Shortcut Editor (it’s listed in the Text and Tables area).
Pressing the shortcut twice deselects the object and positions the cursor back in the main text. (See Use keyboard shortcut
sets.)
Inserted Anchored Objects options
When you insert a placeholder for an anchored object, you can specify the following options for the contents:
Content Specifies the type of object the placeholder frame will contain.
Note: If you choose Text, an insertion point appears in the text frame; if you choose Graphic or Unassigned, InDesign selects
the object frame.
Object Style Specifies the style you want to use to format the object. If you have defined and saved object styles, they
will appear in this menu.
Paragraph Style Specifies the paragraph style you want to use to format the object. If you have defined and saved
paragraph styles, they will appear in this menu.
Note: If the object style has a paragraph style enabled and you choose a different style from the Paragraph Style menu, or
if you make changes to the Anchored Position options for a style, a plus sign (+) appears in the Object Style menu indicating
that overrides have been made.
Height and Width Specify the dimensions of the placeholder frame.
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Inline and Above Line position options
When you choose Inline or Above Line from the Position menu in the Anchored Object Options dialog box, the
following options are available for setting the position of the anchored object. (You can also access these options in the
Insert Anchored Object dialog box.)
Inline Aligns the bottom of the anchored object to the baseline. Inline objects are subject to certain constraints when
moving along the y axis: the top of the object can’t go below the bottom leading slug and the bottom of the object can’t
go above the top of the leading slug.
Y Offset Adjusts the position on the baseline. You can also use the mouse to drag the object vertically on the page.
Above Line Aligns the object above the text line containing the anchor marker and below the line of text above the
anchor marker.
Alignment Choose from the following options:
Left, Right, and Center Align the object within the text column. These options ignore indent values applied to the
paragraph and align the object within the entire column.
Towards Spine and Away From Spine Align the object left or right depending on the side of the spread the object is on.
These options ignore indent values applied to the paragraph and align the object within the entire column.
(Text Alignment) Aligns the object based on the alignment defined by the paragraph. This option uses the paragraph
indent values when aligning the object.
Space Before Specifies the position of the object relative to the bottom of the leading slug in the preceding line of text.
Positive values lower both the object and the text below it. Negative values move the text below the object up toward
the object. The maximum negative value is the height of the object.
Space After Specifies the position of the object relative to the cap-height of the first character in the line below the
object. A value of 0 aligns the bottom of the object to the cap-height position. Positive values move the text below the
object down (away from the bottom of the object). Negative values move the text below the object up (toward the
object).
Using the Space Before and Space After options
A A Space Before value of 0P10 moves the object and it’s associated text further away from the text line above it. B A Space After value of 0p10
moves the object and the text line above it further away from its associated text line (below).
Note: Anchored objects set to Above Line will always remain with the line that holds the anchor; the text won’t compose
such that the object is on the bottom of one page and the anchor marker’s line is at the top of the next page.
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Custom position options
You can use the following options when positioning a custom-positioned anchored object. You can specify these
options in the Insert Anchored Object dialog box or the Anchored Object Options dialog box. For step-by-step
instructions for using these options, see Position a custom-positioned anchored object .
Relative To Spine Specifies whether the object aligns relative to the document spine. When you select this option, the
Anchored Object Reference Point proxy displays as a two page spread. The two pages mirror each other. When selected,
objects positioned on one side of a spread, for instance the outside margin, remain on the outside margin even when
the text reflows to a facing page.
Using the Relative To Spine option
A Relative To Spine not selected: the object remains on the left side of the text frame when text reflows across to the right side of the spread.
B Relative To Spine selected: the object remains on the outside edge of the page when the text reflows to the right side of the spread.
Note: If, after you select Relative To Spine you adjust the X Offset value, the direction the object moves may change. This
change occurs because the direction of movement depends partly on the side of the spread the object is on.
Anchored Object Reference Point
Specifies the location on the object that you want to align to the location on the page (as specified by the Anchored
Position Reference Point). For example, if you want to align the right side of the object with a page item, such as a text
frame, click a rightmost point on this proxy. For more information on using this reference point, see Position a custompositioned anchored object .
Anchored Position Reference Point
Specifies the location on the page (as defined by the X and Y Relative To options), to which you want to align the object.
For example, if you choose Text Frame for X Relative To and Line (Baseline) for Y Relative To, this proxy represents the
horizontal area of the text frame and the vertical area of the text line containing the object’s anchor marker. If you click
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the leftmost point on this proxy, the object’s reference point
baseline of the text.
will align with the left edge of the text frame and the
Right side of object aligned with left side of text frame
Note: Depending on what you choose for X Relative To and Y Relative To, the Anchored Position Reference Point proxy
displays either three or nine positions. Line options, such as Line (Baseline) provide only three options—middle left, center,
and middle right—because the vertical positioning is established by the anchor marker in the text.
X Relative To Specifies what you want to use as the basis for horizontal alignment. For instance, Text Frame lets you
align the object to the left, center, or right side of the text frame. Where exactly it aligns horizontally depends on the
reference points you choose and any offset you specify for X Offset.
For example, if you want the object to appear in the page margin with its right edge flush with the page margin, choose
Page Margin for X Relative To and specify a rightmost point on the Anchored Object Reference Point proxy and a
leftmost point for the Anchored Position Reference Point proxy.
The X Relative To option
A. Aligning the right side of the object to the left side of the text frame B. Aligning the right side of the object
to the left side of the page margin
X Offset Moves the object left or right. Whether it moves to the left or right depends on the reference point. If aligning
to the center of the page item, positive values move the object to the right. The direction of movement also depends on
whether you’ve selected Relative To Spine.
Y Relative To Specifies what the object aligns with vertically. For example, Page Edge lets you use the edge of the page
as the basis for aligning the object to the top, center, or bottom of the page. The Anchored Position Reference Point
specifies if the object aligns to the top, center, or bottom of this page item. If you choose a line option, such as Line
(Baseline), the Anchored Position Reference Point displays only the middle horizontal row of points.
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The Y Relative To option
A Aligning the top of the object to the top page edge B Aligning the bottom of the object to the bottom the page edge
Y Offset Moves the object up or down. Positive values move the object downward.
Keep Within Top/Bottom Column Boundaries Keeps the object inside the text column if reflowing text would otherwise
cause it to move outside of the boundaries. In such instances, the bottom of the object will align to the bottom inset, or
the top of the object will align to the top inset. For example, an anchored object off to the side of a line of text and in
the middle of a column looks fine; however, without this option selected, if the anchored marker flows to the bottom
of the column, the object may drop below the column edge or partially off the page. When this option is selected, you
can’t drag the object above or below the column boundaries. If you resize the object, it will move back into alignment
with the top or bottom boundaries of the column, if necessary. This option is only available when you select a line
option, such as Line (Baseline) for Y Relative To.
Note: When InDesign overrides the object’s position to fall within the bounds of the column, the Y offset value you specify
appears in the dialog box with a plus sign (+).
Prevent Manual Positioning Ensures that you can’t move the anchored object by dragging or nudging it on the page.
Preview Displays the position adjustments on the page as you make them.
Position a custom-positioned anchored object
Note the following when using the Anchored Object Options dialog box to position custom-positioned anchored
objects.
• The custom position options include four main options: The two Reference Point proxies and the X and Y Relative
To menus. These options all work together to specify the object’s location. For instance, what you choose for X
Relative To and Y Relative To determines what the Anchored Position Reference Point represents—it could be a text
frame, a text line within a column, or an entire page. The following image represents how you can change the
location of the object by choosing a different reference point while leaving the X and Y Relative To options
unchanged.
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Changing the location of the anchored object (X Relative To set to Text Frame; Y Relative To set to Line (Baseline))
A. Choosing the lower right point on the Anchored Object proxy and left center point on Anchored Position proxy. B.
Changing Anchored Object proxy point to upper left corner and leaving the Anchored Position proxy point at center
left C. Leaving the Anchored Object proxy at top left and changing Anchored Position proxy point to center right
• To create an anchored object that maintains its position on the page (such as the top left corner) as text reflows and
moves only when the text reflows to another page, anchor the object to the page margins or page edges. For example,
set both X Relative To and Y Relative To to Page Margin, click the top left reference point for the object
and the
top left reference point for the page item
. As the text reflows, the object remains in the top left corner, within
the page margins. Only when the text line containing the anchor flows to another page does the object move—to
the top left corner of the next page.
Positioning anchored object to a specific location on the page
A. Position object using use Page Margin or Page Edge for X and Y Relative To B. When text reflows, object does not
follow text until text moves to another page
• To keep the object aligned with a specific line of text so that the object stays with that text when it reflows, choose a
Line option from the Y Relative To menu.
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• To keep the object within the text frame, but not with a specific line of text when text reflows, choose Text Frame
from the X Relative To menu.
• To align the object relative to the margin (for example, to create a sidebar that stays in the outside margin as the text
reflows from page to page), select Relative To Spine.
1 Select the object and choose Object > Anchored Object > Options.
2 From the Position menu, choose Custom.
To see the object move on the page as you specify options, select Preview at the bottom of the dialog box.
3 To keep the object on the same side of the page, relative to the document spine, select Relative To Spine. For example,
select this if you want the object to always appear in the outside margin, no matter what side of the spread it is on.
4 Click the point on the Anchored Object Reference Point proxy
that represents the point on the object that you
want to align to the page.
5 From the X Relative To menu, choose the page item that you want to use as the horizontal basis for alignment of the
object. For example, choose Text Frame to align the object to left, right, or center of the text frame.
6 From the Y Relative To menu, choose the page item that you want to use as the vertical basis for alignment of the
object. For example, if you want the object to align to the baseline of the text to which it’s anchored, choose Line
(Baseline).
7 Click the point on the Anchored Position Reference Point proxy
that represents where within the page items
chosen from the X and Y Relative To menus that you want to align the object.
8 Specify an X Offset or Y Offset to nudge or move the object away from the alignment point.
9 To ensure that the object does not extend below or above a column edge as text reflows, select Keep within
Top/Bottom Column Boundaries. This option is only available when you select a line option, such as Line (Baseline),
from the Y Relative To menu.
10 Click OK.
Working with anchored objects using drag-and-drop (CS5.5)
Working with anchored objects using drag-and-drop (CS5.5)
You can drag an existing object into a text frame to anchor it or move it. Use the Selection tool or Direct Selection
tool to select the object, and then drag the blue square near the upper-right corner of the text frame. Do one of the
following:
• To anchor an existing object, drag the blue square to the position where you want the object’s anchor to appear.
• To create an inline object, press Shift and drag the blue square to the position where you want the object to appear.
• To specify anchored object options, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag the blue square to the
position where you want the object’s anchor to appear.
Selecting and copying anchored objects
Using the Selection tool, you can select only one anchored object at a time. Using the Type tool, you can select a range
of text with multiple anchored object markers. When you select multiple anchor markers with the Type tool, you can
change the position options for all the anchored objects at once.
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Note: If you have more than one anchored object in the same position—for example, if one line of type holds the markers
for two anchored objects with the same anchoring attributes—the objects will overlap each other.
When you copy text containing an anchored object marker, you copy the anchored object as well. If you copy an
anchored object and paste it outside of text, the anchored object becomes an independent image that is not linked to
text.
View anchored object markers on the page
To view anchors and their relationship to the text on the page, you can display object markers. Use any of the following
methods:
• To view the anchor markers
in the text, choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.
• To view a dashed line from an anchor marker to its associated custom-positioned object, select the object and choose
View > Extras > Show Text Threads. The thread extends from the anchor marker to the current proxy point for the
anchored object.
• To view anchor symbols on anchored objects, choose View > Extras > Show Frame Edges. Viewing anchor
symbols is helpful when determining which objects are anchored.
Reposition an anchored object on the page manually
Moving a frame moves its anchored objects, unless the object is positioned relative to margins or pages.
Note: Before moving an anchored object, make sure that you deselect the Prevent Manual Positioning option for the object
in the Anchored Objects dialog box or choose Object > Unlock Position.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To move inline anchored objects, use the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool
drag vertically. You can move inline objects vertically only, not horizontally.
to select the object, and then
If you want to move an inline or above line object outside of the text frame, convert it to a custom-positioned object
and then move it as desired.
• To move inline anchored objects, use the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool to select the object, and then drag
vertically in horizontal frame or horizontally in a vertical frame. In horizontal text, you can move inline objects
vertically only, not horizontally. In vertical text, you can move inline objects horizontally only.
• To move an inline anchored object parallel to the baseline, place the insertion point before or after the object and
specify a new value for kerning.
If you want to move an inline or above line object outside of the text frame, convert it to a custom-positioned object
and then move it as desired.
To move custom-positioned anchored objects, use the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool to select the object, and
then drag vertically or horizontally.
You can also rotate and transform an anchored object. (See Transform objects and Rotate objects .)
Resize an anchored object
Before resizing an anchored object, make sure that you deselect the Prevent Manual Positioning option in the Anchored
Objects Options dialog box.
❖ Use the Selection tool
or Direct Selection tool
to select the object, and then drag the side or corner handle.
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Note: Vertically resizing inline or above line anchor markers might result in the object becoming overset. If the anchor
marker is overset, the object will be overset as well.
Resizing an anchored object might also reposition the object. For example, if you’ve aligned the right side of an object
to the left side of the text frame, and then you drag the object’s right side handle 1 pica to the left (away from the text
frame boundary), the object will resize and then move back 1 pica to the right.
Release an anchored object
If you no longer want an object to move relative to its associated text, you can release it to remove its anchor.
❖ Select the anchored object with a selection tool, and choose Object > Anchored Object > Release.
The object’s position on the page doesn’t move.
Note: Release doesn’t work for inline or above line objects. If you can’t use Release, select the anchored object and then
cut and paste it. You can also use the Type tool to select and cut the anchored object.
Find/Change
Find/Change overview
The Find/Change dialog box contains tabs that let you specify what you want to find and change.
Find/Change dialog box
A Find/Change tabs B Find a tab character C Replace with an em dash D Search options E Metacharacters menu F Forward and backward
search
Text Search for and change specific occurrences of characters, words, groups of words, or text formatted a certain way.
You can also search for and replace special characters such as symbols, markers, and white space characters. Wildcard
options help to broaden your search.
GREP Use advanced, pattern-based search techniques to search for and replace text and formatting.
Glyph Search for and replace glyphs using Unicode or GID/CID values, especially useful to search for and replace
glyphs in Asian languages.
Object Search for and replace formatting effects and attributes in objects and frames. For example, you can find objects
with a 4-pt stroke and replace the stroke with a drop shadow.
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Find and change text
If you want to list, find, and replace fonts in your document, you might want to use the Find Font command instead of
the Find/Change command.
Find and change text
1 To search a range of text or a story, select the text or place the insertion point in the story. To search more than one
document, open the documents.
2 Choose Edit > Find/Change, and then click the Text tab.
3 Specify the range of your search from the Search menu, and click icons to include locked layers, master pages,
footnotes, and other items in the search.
4 In the Find What box, describe what you want to search for:
• Type or paste the text you want to find.
• To search for or replace tabs, spaces, or other special characters, select a representative character (metacharacter)
from the pop-up menu to the right of the Find What box. You can also choose wildcard options such as Any Digit
or Any Character.
Use metacharacters to search for special characters, such as a tab.
• Use a predefined query to find and replace text. (See Find/change items using queries.)
5 In the Change To box, type or paste the replacement text. You can also select a representative character from the
pop-up menu to the right of the Change To box.
6 Click Find.
7 To continue searching, click Find Next, Change (to change the current occurrence), Change All (a message indicates
the total number of changes), or Change/Find (to change the current occurrence and search for the next one).
8 The Find/Change dialog in InDesign has two search direction buttons - Forward and Backward. As search Forward
is enabled by default, you can switch to Backward to reverse the flow of the search. The new functionality helps you
search strings in Text, GREP, and Glyph tabs.
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9 Click Done.
If you don’t get the search results you expected, make sure that you clear any formatting you may have included in a
previous search. You may also need to expand your search. For example, you may be searching only a selection or a
story instead of the document. Or, you may be searching for text that appears on an item, such as a locked layer,
footnote, or hidden conditional text, that is currently excluded from the search.
If you change your mind about replacing text, choose Edit > Undo Replace Text (or Undo Replace All Text).
To find the next occurrence of a previously searched-for phrase without having to open the Find/Change dialog box,
choose Edit > Find Next. In addition, previous search strings are stored in the Find/Change dialog box. You can select
a search string from the menu to the right of the option.
Find and change formatted text
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
2 If the Find Format and Change Format options don’t appear, click More Options. Vice-versa, you can click Fewer
Options to view lesser options.
3 Click the Find Format box, or click the Specify Attributes To Find icon
to the right of the Find Format Settings
section.
4 On the left side of the Find Format Settings dialog box, select a type of formatting, specify the format attributes, and
then click OK.
Some OpenType formatting options appear in both the OpenType Options and Basic Character Formats (Position
menu) sections. For information on OpenType and other formatting attributes, search for the related topic in
InDesign Help.
Note: To search for (or replace with) formatting only, leave the Find What or Change To box blank.
5 If you want to apply formatting to the text found, click the Change Format box, or click the Specify Attributes To
Change icon
in the Change Format Settings section. Then select a type of formatting, specify the format
attributes, and click OK.
6 Use the Find and Change buttons to format the text.
If you specify formatting for your search criteria, info icons appear above the Find What or Change To boxes. These
icons indicate that formatting attributes have been set and that the find or change operation will be restricted
accordingly.
To quickly remove all formatting attributes in the Find Format Settings or Change Format Settings sections, click the
Clear button.
Common Find/Change techniques
Wildcard searches Specify wildcards, such as Any Digit or Any White Space, to broaden your search. For example,
typing “s^?ng” in the Find What box searches for words beginning with an “s” and ending with “ng,” such as “sing,”
“sang,” “song,” and “sung.” You can either type wildcard characters or choose an option from the Wildcards submenu in
the pop-up menu next to the Find What text field.
Clipboard for metacharacter searches To search for metacharacters such as em dashes or bullet characters, you may
want to select the text first and paste it into the Find What box to spare the trouble of entering metacharacters. InDesign
automatically converts pasted special characters to their metacharacter equivalent.
Replace with clipboard contents You can replace search items with either formatted or unformatted content copied to
the clipboard. You can even replace text with a graphic you copied. Simply copy the item, and then, in the Find/Change
dialog box, choose an option from the Other submenu from the pop-up menu to the right of the Change To box.
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Find and remove unwanted text To remove unwanted text, define the text you want to remove in the Find What box
and leave the Change To box empty (make sure that no formatting is set in this box).
XML tagging You can apply XML tags to text you search for.
Search in forward or backward direction You can search in a forward or backward direction. This enables you to search
for text in case you skip the text when searching for it. So, searching in forward and backward directions helps find text
as compared to finding the search again.
Search options for finding and changing text
Search menu Contains options that determine the range of the search.
Documents
Search the entire document or All Documents to search all open documents.
Story
Search all text in the currently selected frame, including text in other threaded text frames and overset text. Select
Stories to search stories in all selected frames. This option appears only if a text frame is selected or an insertion point
is placed.
To End Of Story
Search from the insertion point. This option appears only if an insertion point is placed.
Selection
Search only selected text. This option appears only if text is selected.
Include Locked Layers
Searches for text on layers that have been locked using the Layer Options dialog box. You cannot replace text on locked
layers.
Include Locked Stories
Searches for text in stories that have been checked out as part of an InCopy workflow. You cannot replace text in locked
stories.
Include Hidden Layers
Searches for text on layers that have been hidden using the Layer Options dialog box. When text on a hidden layer is
found, you can see highlighting where the text appears, but you cannot see the text. You can replace text on hidden
layers.
Text in a hidden condition is always omitted from searching.
Include Master Pages
Searches for text on master pages.
Include Footnotes
Searches footnote text.
Case Sensitive
Searches for only the word or words that exactly match the capitalization of the text in the Find What box. For example,
a search for PrePress won’t find Prepress, prepress, or PREPRESS.
Whole Word
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Disregards search characters if they are part of another word. For example, if you search for any as a whole word,
InDesign disregards many.
Search using GREP expressions
On the GREP tab of the Find/Change dialog box, you can construct GREP expressions to find alphanumeric strings
and patterns in long documents or many open documents. You can enter the GREP metacharacters manually or choose
them from the Special Characters For Search list. GREP searches are case-sensitive by default.
InDesign Secrets provides a list of GREP resources at InDesign GREP.
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change, and click the GREP tab.
2 At the bottom of the dialog box, specify the range of your search from the Search menu, and click icons to include
locked layers, master pages, footnotes, and other items in the search.
3 In the Find What box, do any of the following to construct a GREP expression:
• Enter the search expression manually. (See Metacharacters for searching .)
• Click the Special Characters For Search icon to the right of the Find What option and choose options from the
Locations, Repeat, Match, Modifiers, and Posix submenus to help construct the search expression.
4 In the Change To box, type or paste the replacement text.
5 Click Find.
6 To continue searching, click Find Next, Change (to change the current occurrence), Change All (a message indicates
the total number of changes), or Change/Find (to change the current occurrence and search for the next one.
7 The Find/Change dialog in InDesign has two search direction buttons - Forward and Backward. As search Forward
is enabled by default, you can switch to Backward to reverse the flow of the search. The new functionality helps you
search strings in Text, GREP, and Glyph tabs.
You can also use GREP Styles to apply a character style to text that conforms to a GREP expression. In fact, the GREP
Styles dialog box is a good way to test your GREP expression. Add the examples you want to find to a paragraph, and
then specify a character style and GREP expression in the GREP Styles dialog box. When you turn on Preview, you can edit
the expression until it affects all your examples properly.
Tips for constructing GREP searches
Here are some tips for constructing GREP expressions.
• Many searches under the GREP tab are similar to those under the Text tab, but be aware that you need to insert
different codes depending on which tab you’re using. In general, the Text tab metacharacters begin with a ^ (such
as ^t for a tab) and GREP tab metacharacters begin with a \ (such as \t for a tab). However, not all metacharacters
follow this rule. For example, a paragraph return is ^p in the Text tab and \r in the GREP tab. For a list of the
metacharacters used for the Text and GREP tabs, see Metacharacters for searching .
• To search for a character that has symbolic meaning in GREP, enter a backslash (\) before the character to indicate
that the character that follows is literal. For example, a period ( . ) searches for any character in a GREP search; to
search for an actual period, enter “\.”
• Save the GREP search as a query if you intend to run it often or share it with someone else. (See Find/change items
using queries .)
• Use parentheses to divide your search into subexpressions. For example, if you want to search for “cat” or “cot,” you
can use the c(a|o)t string. Parentheses are especially useful to identify groupings. For example, searching for “the
(cat) and the (dog)” identifies “cat” as Found Text 1 and “dog” as Found Text 2. You can use the Found Text
expressions (such as $1 for Found Text 1) to change only part of the found text.
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GREP search examples
Follow these examples to learn how to take advantage of GREP expressions.
Example 1: Finding text within quotation marks
Suppose you want to search for any word enclosed in quotation marks (such as “Spain”), and you want to remove the
quotation marks and apply a style to the word (so that it becomes Spain instead of “Spain”). The expression (")(\w+)(")
includes three groupings, as indicated by parentheses ( ). The first and third groupings search for any quotation mark,
and the second grouping searches for one or more word characters.
You can use the Found Text expressions to refer to these groupings. For example, $0 refers to all found text, and $2 refers
to only the second grouping. By inserting $2 in the Change To field and specifying a character style in the Change
Format field, you can search for a word within quotation marks, and then replace the word with a character style.
Because only $2 is specified, the $1 and $3 groupings are removed. (Specifying $0 or $1$2$3 in the Change To field
would apply the character style to the quotation marks as well.)
GREP example
A Finds all word characters enclosed in quotation marks B The character style is applied to the second grouping (the word) while the first and
third groupings (open and close quotes) are removed C Character style specified
This example searches only for single words enclosed in quotation marks. If you want to search for phrases enclosed in
parentheses, add wildcard expressions, such as (\s*.*\w*\d*), which looks for spaces, characters, word characters, and
digits.
Example 2: Phone numbers
InDesign includes a number of search presets that you can choose from the Queries menu. For example, you can choose
the Phone Number Conversion query, which looks like this:
\(?(\d\d\d)\)?[-. ]?(\d\d\d)[-. ]?(\d\d\d\d)
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Phone numbers in the United States can appear in a variety of formats, such as 206-555-3982, (206) 555-3982,
206.555.3982, and 206 555 3982. This string looks for any of these variations. The first three digits (\d\d\d) of the phone
number may or may not be enclosed in parentheses, so a question mark appears after the parentheses: \(? and \)?. Note
that the backslash \ indicates that the actual parenthesis is being searched for and that it’s not part of a subexpression.
The brackets [ ] locate any character within them, so in this case, [-. ] finds either a hyphen, a period, or a space. The
question mark after the brackets indicate that the items within it are optional in the search. Finally, the digits are
enclosed in parentheses, which signify groupings that can be referred to in the Change To field.
You can edit the grouping references in the Change To field to suit your needs. For example, you could use these
expressions:
206.555.3982 = $1.$2.$3
206-555-3982 = $1-$2-$3
(206) 555-3982 = ($1) $2-$3
206 555 3982 = $1 $2 $3
Additional GREP examples
Experiment with the examples in this table to learn more about GREP searches.
Expression
Search string
Sample text
Matches (in bold)
Class of characters
[abc]
Maria cuenta bien.
Mariacuentabien.
[]
Finds the letter a, b, or c.
Beginning of paragraph
^~_.+
^
“We saw—or at least we think we
saw—a purple cow.”
This searches the beginning of the
paragraph (^) for an em dash (~_) —Konrad Yoes
followed by any character ( . ) one
or more times (+).
“We saw—or at least we think we
saw—a purple cow.”
Negative lookahead
InDesign (?!CS.*?)
(?!pattern)
The negative lookahead matches
the search string only if it is not
followed by the specified pattern.
Positive lookahead
InDesign (?=CS.*?)
(?=pattern)
The positive lookahead matches
the search string only if it is
followed by the specified pattern.
—Konrad Yoes
InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign
CS, and InDesign CS2
InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign
CS, and InDesign CS2
InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign
CS, and InDesign CS2
InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign
CS, and InDesign CS2
The quick brown fox jumps up
and down.
The quick brown fox jumps up
and down.
Use similar patterns for negative
lookbehinds (?
~>
Third Space
^3
~3
Quarter Space
^4
~4
Sixth Space
^%
~%
Flush Space
^f
~f
Hair Space
^|
~|
Nonbreaking Space
^s
~s
Nonbreaking Space (fixed width)
^S
~S
Thin Space
^<
~<
Figure Space
^/
~/
Punctuation Space
^.
~.
^ Clipboard Contents, Formatted
^c
~c
^ Clipboard Contents, Unformatted
^C
~C
Any Double Quotation Mark
"
"
Any Single Quotation Mark
'
'
Straight Double Quotation Mark
^"
~"
Double Left Quotation Mark
^{
~{
Double Right Quotation Mark
^}
~}
Straight Single Quotation Mark
^'
~'
Single Left Quotation Mark
^[
~[
Single Right Quotation Mark
^]
~]
Standard carriage return
^b
~b
Column Break
^M
~M
Frame Break
^R
~R
Page Break
^P
~P
Odd Page Break
^L
~L
Even Page Break
^E
~E
Discretionary Line Break
^k
~k
Right Indent Tab
^y
~y
Indent to Here
^i
~i
End Nested Style Here
^h
~h
Nonjoiner
^j
~j
* Running header (paragraph style) variable
^Y
~Y
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Character:
Text tab metacharacter:
GREP tab metacharacter:
* Running header (character style) variable
^Z
~Z
* Custom text variable
^u
~u
* Last page number variable
^T
~T
* Chapter number variable
^H
~H
* Creation date variable
^S
~S
* Modification date variable
^o
~o
* Output date variable
^D
~D
* File name variable
^l (lowercase L)
~l (lowercase L)
* Any Digit
^9
\d
* Any character that is not a digit
\D
* Any Letter
^$
[\l\u]
* Any Character
^?
. (inserts period in Change To)
* White Space (any space or tab)
^w
\s (Inserts space in Change To)
* Any character that is not a white space
\S
* Any word character
\w
* Any character that is not a word character
\W
* Any uppercase letter
\u
* Any character that is not an uppercase letter
\U
* Any lowercase letter
\l
* Any character that is not a lowercase letter
\L
^ All Found Text
$0
Found Text 1-9
$1 (specifies the number of the grouping
found, such as $3 for the third grouping;
groupings are enclosed in parentheses)
* Kanji
^K
~K
* Beginning of Word
\<
* End of Word
\>
* Word Boundary
\b
* Opposite of Word Boundary
\B
* Beginning of Paragraph
^
* End of Paragraph [location]
$
* Zero or One Time
?
* Zero or More Times
*
* One or More Times
+
* Zero or One Time (Shortest Match)
??
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Character:
Text tab metacharacter:
GREP tab metacharacter:
* Zero or More Times (Shortest Match)
*?
* One or More Times (Shortest Match)
+?
* Marking Subexpression
()
* Non-marking Subexpression
(?: )
* Character Set
[]
* Or
|
* Positive Lookbehind
(?<= )
* Negative Lookbehind
(? Find/Change.
2 Click the Object tab.
3 Click the Find Object Format box, or click the Specify Attributes To Find icon
.
4 On the left side of the Find Object Format Options dialog box, select a type of formatting, specify the format
attributes, and then click OK.
Make sure that the categories you want to search for are in the appropriate state. You can use one of three states for
each Effects category: turned on, turned off, or ignored. For example, setting Drop Shadow to On includes drop
shadow formatting in the search; setting Drop Shadow to Off searches for objects in which drop shadow formatting
is turned off; setting Drop Shadow to Ignore leaves drop shadows out of the search.
5 If you want to apply formatting to the object found, click the Change Object Format box, or click the Specify
Attributes To Change icon
in the Change Format Settings section. Then select a type of formatting, specify the
format attributes, and click OK.
6 Click the Find and Change buttons to format the objects.
Find and change glyphs
The Glyph section of the Find/Change dialog box is especially useful for replacing glyphs that share the same unicode
value with other similar glyphs, such as alternate glyphs.
InDesign Secrets provides a clear example about finding and changing glyphs at Finding and Changing Glyphs.
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
2 At the bottom of the dialog box, specify a range from the Search menu, and click icons to determine whether items
such as locked layers, master pages, and footnotes are included in the search.
3 Under Find Glyph, select the Font Family and Font Style in which the glyph is located.
The Font Family menu displays only those fonts that are applied to text in the current document. Fonts in unused
styles do not appear.
4 Do one of the following to enter the glyph you want to find in the Glyph box:
• Click the button beside the Glyph box, and then double-click a glyph on the panel. This panel works like the
Glyphs panel.
• Choose Unicode or GID/CID, and enter the code for the glyph.
You can use other methods to enter the glyph you want to find in the Glyph box. Select a glyph in the document
window and choose Load Selected Glyph In Find from the context menu, or select a glyph in the Glyphs panel and
choose Load Glyph In Find from the context menu.
5 Under Change Glyph, enter the replacement glyph by using the same techniques you use to enter the glyph you’re
searching for.
6 Click Find.
7 To continue searching, click Find Next, Change (to change the most recently found glyph), Change All (a message
indicates the total number of changes), or Change/Find (to change the current occurrence and search for the next
one).
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8 The Find/Change dialog in InDesign has two search direction buttons - Forward and Backward. As search Forward
is enabled by default, you can switch to Backward to reverse the flow of the search. The new functionality helps you
search strings in Text, GREP, and Glyph tabs.
9 Click Done.
Find and change fonts
Use the Find Font command to search for and list the fonts used throughout your document. You can then replace any
fonts (except those in imported graphics) with any other fonts available on your system. You can even replace a font
that’s part of a text style. Note the following:
• A font name is listed once for its use in the layout and listed each time in imported graphics. For example, if you use
the same font three times in the layout and three times in imported graphics, it will be listed in the Find Font dialog
box four times—once for all layout instances, and three more times for each imported graphic. If fonts are not
completely embedded in graphics, the font name may not be listed in the Find Font dialog box.
• Find Font is not available in a Story Editor window.
• The Find Font dialog box displays icons to indicate the kinds of fonts or font conditions, such as Type 1 fonts
imported images
, TrueType fonts
, OpenType fonts
, and missing fonts
.
,
• You can find and change composite fonts, but you cannot change component fonts that are part of composite fonts.
• Use the Type > Find Font command to help ensure consistent output by analyzing font usage on pages and in
imported graphics. To find and change specific text attributes, characters, or styles, use the Edit > Find/Change
command instead.
1 Choose Type > Find Font.
2 Select one or more font names in the Fonts In Document list.
3 Do one of the following:
• To find the first occurrence in the layout of the font selected in the list, click Find First. The text using that font
moves into view. The Find First button is unavailable if the selected font is used in an imported graphic or if you
selected multiple fonts in the list.
• To select an imported graphic that uses a font marked in the list by an imported image icon
, click Find
Graphic. The graphic also moves into view. The Find Graphic button isn’t available if the selected font is used
only in the layout or if you selected multiple fonts in the Fonts In Document list.
4 To see details about a selected font, click More Info. To hide the details, click Less Info. The Info area is blank if you
selected multiple fonts in the list.
A font may be listed as Unknown if the file of the selected graphic doesn’t supply information about it. Fonts in
bitmap graphics (such as TIFF images) won’t appear in the list at all because they aren’t true characters.
5 To replace a font, select the new font you want to use from the Replace With list, and do one of the following:
• To change just one occurrence of the selected font, click Change. This option is not available if multiple fonts are
selected.
• To change the font in that occurrence, and then find the next instance, click Change/Find. This option is not
available if multiple fonts are selected.
• To change all instances of the font selected in the list, click Change All. If you want any paragraph or character
style that includes the font being searched for to be redefined, select Redefine Style When Changing All.
When there are no more occurrences of a font in your file, its name is removed from the Fonts In Document list.
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Note: To change fonts in imported graphics, use the program that originally exported the graphic, and then replace the
graphic or update the link using the Links panel.
6 If you clicked Change, click Find Next to locate the next instance of the font.
7 Click Done.
You can open the Find Font dialog box while preflighting a document. In the Preflight dialog box, switch to the Fonts
tab and click Find Font.
To view the system folder in which a font appears, select the font in the Find Font dialog box and choose Reveal In
Explorer (Windows) or Reveal In Finder (Mac OS).
Find/change items using queries
You can find and change text, objects, and glyphs by using or constructing a query. A query is a defined find-and-change
operation. InDesign offers several preset queries for changing punctuation formats and other useful actions, such as
changing telephone number formats. By saving a query you constructed, you can run it again and share it with others.
Search using queries
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
2 Choose a query from the Query list.
The queries are grouped by type.
3 Specify a range to search on the Search menu.
The search range is not stored with the query.
4 Click Find.
5 To continue searching, click Find Next, Change (to change the most recently found text or punctuation mark),
Change All (a message indicates the total number of changes), or Change/Find (to change text or punctuation marks
and continue your search).
After you select a search query, you can adjust the settings to fine-tune your search.
Save queries
Save a query in the Find/Change dialog box if you want to run it again or share it with others. The names of queries you
save appear in the Query list in the Find/Change dialog box.
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
2 Select Text, GREP, or a different tab to undertake the search you want.
3 Below the Search menu, click icons to determine whether items such as locked layers, master pages, and footnotes
are included in the search.
These items are included in the saved query. However, the range of the search isn’t saved with the query.
4 Define the Find What and Change To fields. (See Metacharacters for searching and Search using GREP expressions
.)
5 Click the Save Query button in the Find/Change dialog box and enter a name for the query.
If you use the name of an existing query, you are asked to replace it. Click Yes if you want to update the existing query.
Delete queries
❖ Select it on the Query list and click the Delete Query button.
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Load queries
Customized queries are stored as XML files. The names of customized queries appear in the Query list in the
Find/Change dialog box.
❖ To load a query that was given to you so that it appears in the Query list, copy the query file to the appropriate
location:
Mac OS Users\[username]\Library\Preferences\Adobe InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Find-Change
Queries\[query type]
Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\FindChange Queries\[query type]
Windows Vista and Windows 7
Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Find-Change Queries\[query type]
More Help topics
Create GREP styles
Bullets and numbering
Create bulleted or numbered lists
In bulleted lists, each paragraph begins with a bullet character. In numbered lists, each paragraph begins with an
expression that includes a number or letter and a separator such as a period or parenthesis. The numbers in a numbered
list are updated automatically when you add or remove paragraphs in the list. You can change the type of bullet or
numbering style, the separator, the font attributes and character styles, and the type and amount of indent spacing.
You cannot use the Type tool to select the bullets or numbers in a list. Instead, edit their formatting and indent spacing
using the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, the Paragraph panel, or the Bullets And Numbering section of the
Paragraph Styles dialog box (if the bullets or numbers are part a style).
Bulleted list and numbered list
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A quick way to create a bulleted or numbered list is to type the list, select it, and then click the Bulleted List or
Numbered List button in the Control panel. These buttons let you turn the list on or off and switch between bullets and
numbers. You can also make bullets and numbering part of a paragraph style and construct lists by assigning styles to
paragraphs.
Note: Automatically generated bullet and number characters aren’t actually inserted in the text. Therefore, they cannot be
found during a text search or selected with the Type tool unless you convert them to text. In addition, bullets and numbering
don’t appear in the story editor window (except in the paragraph style column).
InDesign Docs provides a series of articles about using bullets and numbering to create outlines, multi-level lists, figure
captions, and numbered steps.
1 Select the set of paragraphs that will become the list, or click to place the insertion point where you want the list to
begin.
2 Do any of the following:
• Click the Bulleted List button
or the Numbered List button
in the Control panel (in Paragraph mode).
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while clicking a button to display the Bullets And Numbering
dialog box.
• Choose Bullets And Numbering from the Paragraph panel or Command panel. For List Type, choose either
Bullets or Numbers. Specify the settings you want, and then click OK.
• Apply a paragraph style that includes bullets or numbering.
3 To continue the list in the next paragraph, move the insertion point to the end of the list and press Enter or Return.
4 To end the list (or list segment, if the list is to be continued later in the story), click the Bulleted List or Numbered
List button in the Control panel again, or choose Bullets And Numbering from the Paragraph panel menu.
Format a bulleted or numbered list
1 Using the Type tool
, select the bulleted or numbered paragraphs you want to reformat.
2 Do any of the following to open the Bullets And Numbering dialog box:
• Choose Bullets And Numbering from the Control panel menu (in Paragraph mode) or the Paragraph panel
menu.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) either the Bulleted List button
.
or the Numbered List button
3 In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, do any of the following:
• Change the bullet character.
• Change the numbered list options.
• Choose a style for the numbers or bullets from the Character Style list.
4 To change the position of the bullet or number, specify any of the following:
Alignment Left-aligns, centers, or right-aligns the bullets or numbers within the horizontal space allotted for
numbers. (If this space is narrow, the difference between the three options is negligible.)
Left Indent Specifies how far the lines after the first line are indented.
First Line Indent Controls where the bullet or number is positioned.
Increase the First Line Indent value if you want the punctuation in long lists to be aligned. For example, if you want
“9.” and “10.” to be aligned on the period, change the Alignment to Right and gradually increase the first line indent
until the numbers align (make sure Preview is turned on).
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To create the hanging indent effect, specify a positive Left Indent value (such as 2p0), and then specify an equal
negative value (such as -2p0) for First Line Indent.
Position settings
Note: The Left Indent, First Line Indent, and Tab Position settings in the Bullets And Numbering dialog box are
paragraph attributes. For that reason, changing these settings in the Paragraph panel also changes bulleted and
numbered list formats.
Tab Position Activates the tab position to create space between the bullet or number and the start of the list item.
By default, bullets and numbers inherit some of their text formatting from the first character in the paragraph to which
they’re attached. If the first character in one paragraph is different from the first characters in other paragraphs, the
numbering or bullet character may appear inconsistent with the other list items. If this is not the formatting you desire,
create a character style for numbers or bullets and apply it to your list by using the Bullets And Numbering dialog box.
Italicized first word of step 3 causes numbering to be italicized as well, unless you create character style for numbers and apply it to list.
Change bullet characters
If you don’t want to use one of the existing bullet characters, you can add other bullet characters to the Bullet Character
grid. A bullet character that is available in one font may not be available in another font. You can choose whether the
font is remembered with any bullet character you add.
If you want to use a bullet found in a specific font (such as the pointing hand from Dingbats), be sure to set the bullet
to remember that font. If you use a basic bullet character, it’s probably best not to remember the font, because most fonts
have their own version of that bullet character. Depending on whether you select the Remember Font With Bullet
option, a bullet you add can reference either a Unicode value and a specific font family and style, or just a Unicode value.
Note: Bullets that reference only the Unicode value (without a remembered font) appear with a red “u” indicator.
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Bullets And Numbering dialog box
A Bullet without remembered font B Bullet with remembered font
Change the bullet character
1 On the Control panel menu or Paragraph panel menu, select Bullets And Numbering.
2 In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu.
3 Select a different bullet character, and then click OK.
Add a bullet character
1 In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu, then click Add.
2 Select the glyph that you want to use as the bullet character. (Different font families and font styles contain different
glyphs.)
3 If you want the new bullet to remember the currently chosen font and style, select Remember Font With Bullet.
4 Click Add.
Note: The list of bullet characters is stored in the document, like paragraph and character styles. When you paste or load
paragraph styles from another document, any bullet character used in those styles appears in the Bullets And Numbering
dialog box, along with the other bullets defined for the current document.
Remove a bullet character
1 In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu.
2 Select the bullet character you want to remove, and click Delete. (The first preset bullet character cannot be deleted.)
Change numbered list options
In a numbered list, the numbers are updated automatically when you add or remove paragraphs in the list. Paragraphs
that are part of the same list are numbered sequentially. These paragraphs do not have to be consecutive to one another
as long as you define a list for the paragraphs.
You can also create a multi-level list, in which list items are numbered in outline form and are indented by different
degrees.
1 Open the Bullets And Numbering dialog box.
2 Under Numbering Style, select the type of numbering you want to use from the Format menu.
3 In the Number box, use the default expression—period (.) and tab space (^t)—or construct a number expression of
your own. To enter a number expression, delete the period after the number metacharacter (^#) and do one of the
following:
• Type a character (such as a closing parenthesis) or more than one character in place of the period.
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Tip: You can also input a full-width separator instead of a half-width period separator, which is especially useful
for vertical text.
• Choose an item (such as Em Dash or Ellipses) from the Insert Special Character menu.
• Type a word or character before the number metacharacter. For example, to number questions in a list, you can
type the word Question.
4 Choose a character style for the expression. (The style you choose applies to the entire number expression, not just
to the number.)
5 For Mode, choose one of the following options:
Continue From Previous Number Numbers lists sequentially.
Start At Starts numbering at a number or other value that you enter in the text box. Enter a number, not a letter,
even if your list uses letters or Roman numerals for numbering.
6 Specify any other options, and then click OK.
Defining lists
A defined list can be interrupted by other paragraphs and lists, and can span different stories and different documents
in a book. For example, use defined lists to create a multi-level outline, or to create a running list of numbered table
names throughout your document. You can also define lists for separately numbered or bulleted items that are mixed
together. For example, in a list of questions and answers, define one list for numbering the questions and another for
numbering the answers.
Defined lists are often used to track paragraphs for numbering purposes. When you create a paragraph style for
numbering, you can assign the style to a defined list, and paragraphs are numbered in that style according to where they
appear in the defined list. The first paragraph to appear is given number 1 (“Table 1”), for example, and the next
paragraph is given number 2 (“Table 2”), even if it appears several pages later. Because both paragraphs belong to the
same defined list, they can be numbered consecutively no matter how far apart they are in the document or book.
Define a new list for each type of item you want to number—step-by-step instructions, tables, and figures, for example.
By defining multiple lists, you can interrupt one list with another and maintain number sequences in each list.
If list items appear in unthreaded frames on the same page, items are numbered in the order in which the text frames
are added to the page. To reorder the items, cut and paste the text frames one by one in the order in which you want
them to be listed.
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Defined lists let you interrupt one list with another.
Define a list
1 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
2 Click New in the Define Lists dialog box.
3 Enter a name for the list, choose whether you want to continue numbering across stories, and continue numbering
from previous documents in your book.
4 Click OK twice.
After you define a list, you can use it in a paragraph style, such as a style for tables, figures, or ordered lists, as well as
apply it by way of the Control panel and Paragraph panel.
Note: Some lists are defined automatically. For example, when you import a numbered list from a Microsoft Word
document, InDesign defines a list automatically for your document.
Edit a defined list
1 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
2 Select a list and click Edit.
3 Enter a new name for the list or change your selection of Continue Numbers options.
Paragraph styles that are assigned to the list are reassigned to the list under its new name.
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Delete a defined list
1 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
2 Select a list.
3 Click Delete, and then select a different list or the [Default] list to replace your list with.
Create a paragraph style for running lists
To create a running list—a list that is interrupted by other paragraphs or that spans multiple stories or documents—
create a paragraph style and apply the style to paragraphs that you want to be part of the list. For example, to create a
running list of the tables in your document, create a paragraph style called Tables, make a defined list part of the style,
and then apply the Tables paragraph style to all paragraphs you want in your Table list.
InDesign Docs provides a series of articles about using bullets and numbering to create figure captions and numbered
steps.
1 Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu.
2 Enter a style name.
3 On the left side of the New Paragraph Style dialog box, click Bullets And Numbering.
4 For List Type, select Bullets or Numbering.
5 If you are creating a style for numbered lists, choose a defined list from the List menu, or choose New List and define
the list.
6 Specify the bullet or numbering characteristics.
7 Use the Bullet or Number Position section of the New Paragraph Style dialog box to change the indent spacing. For
example, to create a hanging indent, type 2p for Left Indent and -2p for First Line Indent.
8 Specify other paragraph style attributes for the style, and then click OK.
Create multi-level lists
A multi-level list is a list that describes hierarchical relationships between the list paragraphs. These lists are also called
outline lists because they resemble outlines. The list’s numbering scheme (as well as indentations) show rank as well as
how items are subordinate to one another. You can tell where each paragraph fits in the list with respect to the
paragraphs before and after it. You can include up to nine levels in a multi-level list.
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Multi-level list with numbers and letters marking hierarchy levels
To create a multi-level list, define the list and then create a paragraph style for each level you want. For example, a list
with four levels requires four paragraph styles (each one assigned the same defined list). As you create each style, you
define its numbering format and paragraph formatting.
Gabriel Powell provides a video tutorial about creating outlines and multi-level lists at Creating an automatic numbered
list.
Bob Bringhurst provides a series of articles about using bullets and numbering to create outlines, multi-level lists, figure
captions, and numbered steps.
1 Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu.
2 Enter a style name.
3 If you already created a style for your multi-level list, choose the style you will assign to levels above this one from
the Based On menu; otherwise, choose No Paragraph Style or Basic Paragraph.
4 On the left side of the New Paragraph Style dialog box, click Bullets And Numbering.
5 Choose Numbers from the List Type menu.
6 Choose a list you defined from the List menu. If you haven’t yet defined your list, you can choose New List from the
menu and define it now.
7 In the Level box, enter a number that describes which level of the multi-level list you’re creating a style for.
8 From the Format menu, choose the type of numbering you want to use.
9 In the Number box, enter metacharacters or select metacharacters from the menus to describe the number
formatting you want for list items at this level.
• To include numbering prefixes from higher levels, enter text or click at the start of the Number box and choose
Insert Number Placeholder and then select a Level option (for example, Level 1), or enter ^ and then the list level
(for example, enter ^1). In a list with first levels numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on, and second levels numbered a, b, c,
and so on, including the first-level prefix in the second level renders second-level numbers as 1a, 1b, 1c; 2a, 2b,
2c; 3a, 3b, 3c.
• To create a number expression, enter punctuation, enter metacharacters, or select options on the Insert Special
Character list.
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10 Select Restart Numbers At This Level After to renumber beginning at 1 when a paragraph at this level appears after
a paragraph at a higher level; deselect this option to number paragraphs at this level consecutively throughout the
list without regard for where the paragraphs appear in the list hierarchy.
To restart numbers after a specific level or range of levels, type the level number or range (such as 2-4) in the Restart
Numbers At This Level After field.
11 In the Bullet or Number Position area, choose Indent or Tab Position options to indent list items at this level farther
than list items at higher levels. Indenting helps subordinate items in lists stand out.
12 Click OK.
In some cases, such as with numbered steps, you may want to restart numbering within the same story. To avoid
restarting the numbered list manually, create a separate style that’s identical to the Level 1 style with one exception. For
Mode, chose Start At, and then specify 1. Name this style something like “Level 1 Restart.”
Create running captions for figures and tables
Running captions number figures, tables, and other items consecutively in a document. For example, the first figure
caption starts with the words “Figure 1,” the second with “Figure 2,” and so on. To make sure that figures, tables, or
similar items are numbered consecutively, define a list for the item, and then create a paragraph style that includes the
list definition. You can also add descriptive words such as “Figure” or “Table” to the numbering scheme of the paragraph
style.
Bob Bringhurst provides an article about creating figure captions at Numbered Lists Part III - Figure Captions.
List items are numbered in the order in which they are added to the page. To reorder the items, cut and paste the items
one by one in the order in which you want them to be listed.
1 Create a new paragraph style and, in the Bullets And Numbering section of the Paragraph Style Options dialog box,
choose Numbers from the List Type menu.
2 Choose a defined list from the List menu (or choose New List to define a list).
3 Under Numbering Style, select the type of numbering you want to use from the Format menu.
For example, select the A, B, C, D... option to create a list for “Figure A,” “Figure B,” and so on.
4 In the Number box, enter a descriptive word and any spacing or punctuation (as needed) along with the numbering
metacharacters.
For example, to create a “Figure A” effect, enter the word “Figure” and a space before the numbering metacharacters
(such as Figure ^#.^t). This adds the word “Figure” followed by a sequential number (^#), a period, and a tab (^t).
Note: To include chapter numbers in running captions, choose Insert Number Placeholder > Chapter Number from the
Number list, or enter ^H where you want the chapter number to appear in the number scheme.
5 Finish creating the style and click OK.
After you create the style, apply it to text figure captions or table titles.
You can use the Table Of Contents feature to generate a list of tables or figures.
Restart or continue numbering for a list
InDesign offers commands for restarting a list and continuing a list:
Restarting a numbered list Place the insertion point in the paragraph and choose Restart Numbering from the context
menu or choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Restart Numbering. In normal lists, this command assigns the
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number 1 (or letter A) to a paragraph and makes it the first paragraph in a list. In multi-level lists, this command assigns
the first lower-level number to a nested paragraph.
Continuing a numbered list Choose Continue Numbering from the context menu or choose Type > Bulleted And
Numbered Lists > Continue Numbering. This command resumes numbering a list that was interrupted by
commentary, graphics, or nested list items. InDesign also offers commands for numbering lists that begin in one story
or book and cross into the next story or book.
Number a list from the previous or current story
Whether a list resumes numbering from the previous story or starts numbering anew in the current story depends on
how the list is defined.
1 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
2 Select a list and click the Edit button.
Don’t choose the Default list because it can’t run across stories.
3 Select Continue Numbers Across Stories to resume numbering the list from the previous story, or deselect this
option to start the list in the current story at 1 (or A).
4 Click OK twice.
Number a list from the previous or current document in a book
Whether a list resumes numbering from the previous document in a book or starts numbering anew in the current
document depends on how the list is defined.
1 Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.
2 Select a list and click the Edit button.
3 Select Continue Numbers From Previous Document In Book to resume numbering the list from the previous
document (you must choose Continue Numbers Across Stories to activate this option), or deselect this option to
start the list in the current document at 1 (or A).
4 Click OK twice.
To make sure that numbering is updated properly in a book, synchronize the documents in the book and choose Update
Numbering > Update All Numbers from the books panel menu.
Convert list bullets or numbers to text
1 Select the paragraphs containing the bulleted or numbered list.
2 Do one of the following:
• From the Paragraph panel menu, choose Convert Numbering To Text or Convert Bullets To Text.
• Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the selection, and then choose Convert Numbering To Text
or Convert Bullets To Text.
Note: To remove the list numbers or bullets, click the Numbered List button or Bulleted List button to unapply list
formatting to the selected text.
More Help topics
Add paragraph and character styles
Creating a table ofcontents
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Captions
Convert style bullets and numbering to text
Formatting CJK characters
Apply shatai to text
In traditional typesetting technology, characters were slanted by using a lens to distort the glyphs when being set on
film. This oblique style is known as shatai. Shatai is distinct from a simple slant of the glyphs, because it also scales the
glyphs. You can adjust the magnification or angle of text you want to slant from the center point, without changing the
height of the glyph, using the shatai feature in InDesign.
Shatai
A No scale applied B Magnification 30%, 45 shatai C Selecting the Adjust Tsume option D Selecting the Adjust Rotation option
1 Select text.
2 Select Shatai from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu.
3 Specify the following options, and click OK:
• Specify the degree of skew in Magnification (In traditional typesetting technology terms, 10% magnification is
lens 1, and 40% magnification is lens 4).
• Set the angle of obliqueness to 30, 45, or 60, in Angle.
• Select Adjust Rotation to rotate the glyphs, and display horizontal lines horizontally for horizontal text, and
vertical lines vertically for vertical text.
• Select Adjust Tsume to apply jidori.
You can fine tune the rotated oblique effect for individual characters, after applying shatai to text.
Rotate characters
1 Select the characters.
2 In the Character panel, type a value for Character Rotation
Specify a minus value to rotate the character to the
right (clockwise).
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Adjust aki before and after characters
1 Select opening parenthesis or closing parenthesis with the type tool.
2 Choose the amount of aki you want to add from the Mojikumi Before Character
or Mojikumi After Character
pop-up menu, in the Character panel.
For example, if you specify 2bu, half a full-width space is added, and if you specify 4bu, a quarter of a full-width space
is added. This aki will not be adjusted when the line is set to full justification. Adjusting aki is especially useful to
override Mojikumi Akiryo Settings for certain characters.
Adding aki before opening parenthesis
Use tate-chu-yoko
Using tate-chu-yoko (also known as kumimoji or renmoji) is an option to make a part of the text horizontal, in vertical
text. It is easier to read half-width characters such as numbers, dates, and short foreign words in a vertical text frame,
by rotating the text.
Before and after applying tate-chu-yoko
You can move text left, right, up, and down when you turn on the Tate-chu-yoko option. You can also set Auto Tatechu-yoko for special half-width characters. Auto Tate-chu-yoko is set in the paragraph attributes.
Use tsume or tracking in the Character panel to adjust the character spacing for Tate-chu-yoko.
Apply tate-chu-yoko
1 Select the text to which you want to apply tate-chu-yoko.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Tate-chu-yoko from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu.
• Choose Tate-chu-yoko Settings from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu, choose Tate-chu-yoko
in the Tate-chu-yoko dialog box, and click OK.
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If multiple instances of tate-chu-yoko appear next to each other, use the Non-joiner character to keep them separate.
Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Non-joiner.
Remove tate-chu-yoko
1 Select the text to which you want to apply tate-chu-yoko.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose and cancel Tate-chu-yoko from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu.
• Choose Tate-chu-yoko Settings from the Character panel menu, deselect Tate-chu-yoko in the Tate-chu-yoko
dialog box, and then click OK.
Change tate-chu-yoko settings
1 Choose Tate-chu-yoko Settings from the Character panel menu.
2 Specify a value for moving the text up or down in X Offset. If you specify a plus value, the text will move up, and if
you specify a minus value, it will move down.
3 Specify a value for moving the text left or right in Y Offset. If you specify a plus value, the text will move to the right,
and if you specify a minus value, it will move to the left.
Set Auto Tate-chu-yoko for specific paragraphs
1 Select the text to be set to Auto Tate-chu-yoko, or place the text insertion point in the paragraph.
2 Choose Auto Tate-chu-yoko from the Paragraph panel menu.
3 In KumiNumber, specify the number of successive half-width characters that you want to rotate to vertical
orientation. For example, if this is set to 2, the character string "123" will not rotate, while "12" will.
4 If you want to apply tate-chu-yoko to roman text, select Include Roman Characters, and click OK.
Add Ruby to text
In Japanese, Ruby (also known as furigana) is normally used to show the kanji yomi in hiragana. In Simplified Chinese,
Ruby is called Pinyin, while in Traditional Chinese, Ruby is called Chuyin. InDesign provides full support to Japanese
Ruby and limited support to Chinese Pinyin or Chuyin. You can adjust Ruby settings to specify Ruby location, size, or
color. Furthermore, when the ruby is longer than the parent you can specify the ruby distribution. You can also apply
tate-chu-yoko to Ruby.
Ruby on horizontal text (left), and ruby to the right of vertical text (right)
When the parent to which you want to attach ruby covers two lines, the ruby will follow when the parent moves to the
next line.
Note: In some instances, such as when applying a style that includes a variable, Ruby characters may be removed.
1 Select the text to which you want to attach ruby. You cannot attach ruby when there are forced line breaks in the
selected text.
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2 Select Ruby > Ruby from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu.
3 Enter the ruby characters in Ruby.
4 Change Ruby settings by clicking an option on the left side of the dialog box and specifying settings.
5 Click OK.
Ruby settings
The following options appear in the different panels of the Ruby dialog box.
Ruby Placement and Spacing
• From the Type menu, choose Per-Character or Group Ruby. When Per Character Ruby is selected, enter a half or
full width space when inputting Ruby characters to separate them in line with their parent characters. For
"hakunetsutou" for example, enter as "haku netsu tou" (example of a word composed of Japanese characters and its
phonetic spelling is given).
Ruby
• From the Alignment menu, specify the position of the Ruby characters. You can check the position with the graphic
shown in the sample field.
• To attach ruby above horizontal text or to the right of vertical text, select Above/Right, and to attach below
horizontal text or to the left of vertical text, select Below/Left in Placement.
• Specify the spacing between the ruby and the parent in XOffset and YOffset. When you enter a minus value, the
ruby moves closer to the parent.
Ruby Font and Size
• Select a font family and font style in Font.
• Specify the size of the ruby characters in Size. The default ruby size is half the size of the parent.
• Specify the scale for the height and width of the ruby characters in Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale.
• Select Use Open Type Pro Ruby Glyphs to use alternate glyphs for ruby (when possible). Specific kana characters
are available for some Open Type Pro fonts. When you select this option, the specific font for ruby characters, and
not the standard kana font, will be used.
• In KumiNumber, specify the number of successive half-width characters that you want to rotate to vertical
orientation. For example, if this is set to 2, the character string "123" will not rotate, while "12" will.
• Select Include Roman Characters to apply tate-chu-yoko to roman text.
• Select Scale to Fit to force the tate-chu-yoko to have the same dimensions (1 em x 1 em) in the ruby string, either
using an OpenType feature or scaling the glyphs.
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Adjustment When Ruby Is Longer Than Parent
• With Overhang, when the total Ruby width is greater than that of their parent characters, the specified Ruby will
overflow widthways into the space above characters either side of the parents. For Japanese, character types
compatible with Overhang comply with the JISx4051-1995 specification.
• Specify the parent character spacing necessary for attaching ruby in Spacing. When you select a different option, the
graphics displayed in the sample field are updated.
• To automatically adjust the ruby character width, select Char Width Scaling, and specify the compression scale for
the width of the ruby characters.
• Select Auto Align at Line Edges to align the parent with the start and end of the line.
Ruby Color
• Select a color swatch in the list box.
• Specify the degree of tinting and line weight, as necessary.
• Select Overprint Fill or Overprint Stroke to set filling or stroke overprint for ruby characters.
(See Determining when to overprint manually.)
Apply kenten
Kenten (also known as Boten) are points which you attach to text you want to highlight. You can select the type of points
from existing kenten forms, or specify customized kenten characters. You can also specify the position, scale, and color
by adjusting the kenten settings.
Small black circle kenten, black sesame kenten, and small white circle kenten applied to text
Apply kenten
1 Choose the characters you want to highlight.
2 Choose a kenten character, such as Fisheye or White Circle, from Kenten in the Character panel menu or Control
panel menu.
Change kenten settings and color
1 Choose Kenten > Kenten from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu.
2 For Kenten Settings, specify the options below:
Kenten Type Select a kenten character, such as Fisheye or White Circ le. Choose Custom to specify a custom
character. You can enter characters directly, or you can specify a character code value for the specified character set.
Position Specify the spacing between the kenten and characters.
Location Select Above/Right to attach kenten above horizontal text or to the right of vertical text, and Below/Left
to attach below horizontal text or to the left of vertical text.
Size Specify the size of the kenten character.
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Align Specify whether the kenten should be displayed in the center (Center) or to the left (Left) (above for vertical
text) of the character's embox.
H/Scale and V/Scale Specify the scale for the height and width of the kenten character.
3 To change the color of the kenten, choose Kenten Color from the list box, and then specify the options below:
• Select a color swatch from the list box.
• Specify the degree of tinting and line weight, as necessary.
• Select Overprint Fill or Overprint Stroke to set filling or stroke overprint for kenten characters.
(See Determining when to overprint manually.)
4 Click OK.
Align text of different sizes
You can specify how to align text to the largest characters in a line using the Character Alignment option, when
positioning characters of different sizes in 1 line. It is possible to align characters to the top, center or bottom of the
embox (right, center, and left for vertical frames), to the roman baseline, and to the top or bottom of the ICF box (right
or left for vertical frames). ICF (Ideographic Character Face) is the average height and width used by the font designer
to design the ideographic characters which comprise a font.
Align different sizes
A Align different size letters above full space letters B Align different size letters in the middle of full space letters C Align different size letters
below full space letters
Note: The Character Alignment option is not effective, even if applied, when all characters are the same size in a line.
1 Select a range of text or lines for the characters you want to align, or select a text frame using the selection tool.
2 Choose one of the following options from Character Alignment in the Character panel menu or Control panel
menu.
• Roman Baseline aligns the small characters in a line to the large character baseline grid.
• Embox Top/Right, Center, or Embox Bottom/Left align the small characters in a line to the specified position of
the large characters embox. In vertical text frames, Embox Top/Right aligns the text to the right of the embox,
and Embox Bottom/Left aligns the paragraph to the left of the embox.
• ICF Top/Right and ICF Bottom/Left align the small characters in a line to the ICF specified by the large
characters. In vertical text frames, ICF Top/Right aligns the text to the right of the ICF, and ICF Bottom/Left to
the left of the ICF.
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More Help topics
Change the text direction
Align paragraphs to a baseline grid
Articles (CS5.5)
Introduction to articles
Articles provide an easy way to create relationships among page items. These relationships can be used to define the
content to be exported to EPUB, HTML, or Accessible PDFs; and to define the order of the content. You can create
articles from a combination of existing page items within a layout, including images, graphics, or text. Once an article
has been created, page items can be added, removed, or reordered. Articles can be created manually by dragging one
or more page items to an article in the Articles panel.
You can also add bulk content to an article. Adding selected content to selected article, or adding an entire document
content to an article is supported.
Note: The XML structure panel provides another mechanism to decide the order of the content to be exported to the ePub,
HTML, and Accessible PDF exports workflows. The Articles panel is designed to be simpler, easier to use, and more
accessible, for people without XML skills. However, the ability to use the XML structure panel has not been removed; it is
now an option alongside the use of the Articles panel during the export process. See Structuring documents for XML .
Create an article and add content to it
1 Choose Window > Articles to open the Articles panel.
2 Select the page items to add to the article.
To create an empty article, don’t select a page item in the layout.
3 Do one of the following:
• Choose New Article from the Articles panel menu.
• Click Create New Article
at the bottom of the Articles panel.
• Drag story or page element to the Articles panel.
4 In the New Article dialog box, enter a name for the article.
5 Select Include When Exporting to add the article to the EPUB/HTML export output.
Add all page items in a document to an article
To add all the page items to an article:
1 Choose Window > Articles to open the Articles panel.
2 Select an article to add the items to. If you don’t select an article, a new article is created.
3 Press Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows) and then click the
4 If a New Article dialog box opens, enter a name for the article.
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5 Select Include When Exporting to add the article to the EPUB/HTML export.
If you’ve selected an article, choose Add Document Content to Selected Articles from the articles panel menu.
Managing articles
You can manage articles using the Articles panel. You can drag page elements into the Articles panel to add them to an
article. Drag items in the Articles panel to change the order, or move them from one article to another.
The Articles panel pop-up menu also provides options to manage content.
Include articles for export
You can create articles and select which articles to include while exporting to EPUB or HTML. By default, all articles
are selected for export.
To include an article while exporting, in the Articles panel, select the article and do one of the following:
• Select the check box next to the article.
• Choose Article Options from the Articles panel pop-up menu and then select Include When Exporting.
Spell-checking and language dictionaries
Check spelling
You can spell-check a selected range of text, in all of the text in a story, in all stories in a document, or in all stories in
all open documents. Misspelled or unknown words, words typed twice in a row (such as “the the”), and words with
possible capitalization errors are highlighted. In addition to checking the spelling in a document, you can also enable
dynamic spelling so that potentially misspelled words are underlined while you type.
When you check spelling, the dictionary for the languages you assigned to the text is used. You can quickly add words
to the dictionary.
Set spelling preferences
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Spelling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Spelling (Mac OS).
2 Do any of the following:
• Select Misspelled Words to find words that do not appear in the language dictionary.
• Select Repeated Words to find duplicate words such as “the the.”
• Select Uncapitalized Words to find words (such as “germany”) that appear in the dictionary only as capitalized
words (“Germany”).
• Select Uncapitalized Sentences to find uncapitalized words following periods, exclamation points, and question
marks.
3 Select Enable Dynamic Spelling to underline potentially misspelled words while you type.
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4 Specify the underline color of misspelled words (words not found in the user dictionaries), repeated words (such as
“the the”), uncapitalized words (such as “nigeria” instead of “Nigeria”), and uncapitalized sentences (sentences that
don’t begin with a capital letter).
Check spelling
1 If your document includes foreign-language text, select the text and use the Language menu on the Character panel
to specify the language for that text.
2 Choose Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling.
Spell-checking begins.
3 If you want to change the range of your spell-checking, do any of the following, and then click Start to begin checking
the spelling:
• Select Document to check the entire document.Select All Documents to check all open documents.
• Select Story to check all text in the currently selected frame, including text in other threaded text frames and
overset text. Select Stories to check stories in all selected frames.
• Select To End Of Story to check from the insertion point.
• Select Selection to check only selected text. This option is available only if text is selected.
4 When unfamiliar or misspelled words or other possible errors are displayed, choose an option:
• Click Skip to continue spell-checking without changing the highlighted word. Click Ignore All to ignore all
occurrences of the highlighted word, until InDesign is restarted.
• Select a word from the Suggested Corrections list or type the correct word in the Change To box, and then click
Change to change only that occurrence of the misspelled word. You can also click Change All to change all
occurrences of the misspelled word in your document.
• To add a word to a dictionary, select the dictionary from the Add To menu, and click Add.
• Click Dictionary to display the Dictionary dialog box, where you can specify the target dictionary and language,
and specify hyphenation breaks in the added word. If you want to add the word to all languages, choose All
Languages from the Language menu. Click Add.
Correct spelling errors as you type
By turning on Autocorrect, you can allow capitalization errors and common typing mistakes to be replaced while you
type. Before Autocorrect will work, you must create a list of commonly misspelled words and associate them with the
correct spelling.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Mac OS).
2 Choose Enable Autocorrect. (You can also choose Edit > Spelling > Autocorrect to turn this feature on or off
quickly.)
3 From the Language menu, choose which language the autocorrections are applied to.
4 To correct capitalization errors (such as typing “germany” instead of “Germany”), select Autocorrect Capitalization
Errors. You don’t need to add the capitalized words to the list of autocorrections.
5 To add a word that you commonly misspell, click Add, type the misspelled word (such as “teh”), type the correction
(such as “the”), and then click OK.
6 Continue to add words that you commonly misspell, and then click OK.
When you type any misspelled word you added to the list, the word is automatically replaced by the word you entered
as the correction.
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To remove autocorrect words you’ve added, select the word in the list and choose Remove. To edit autocorrect words,
select the word, click Edit, retype the correction, and click OK.
Use dynamic spelling
When dynamic spelling is enabled, you can correct spelling errors by using the context menu. Potentially misspelled
words are underlined (based on the dictionary associated with the language of the text). If you type text in different
languages, select the text and assign the correct language.
1 To enable dynamic spelling, choose Edit > Spelling > Dynamic Spelling.
Potentially misspelled words are underlined in your document.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the underlined word, and do one of the following:
• Select a suggested correction. If a word is repeated or needs to be capitalized, you can choose Delete Repeated
Word [word] or Capitalize [word].
• Select Add [word] To User Dictionary. This automatically adds the word to the current dictionary without
opening the Dictionary dialog box. The word remains unchanged in the text.
• Select Dictionary. This opens the Dictionary dialog box where you can select the Target dictionary, change
hyphenation breaks, and specify a language. If you want to add the word to all languages, choose All Languages
from the Language menu, and then click Add. The word is added to the selected dictionary and remains
unchanged in the text.
• Select Ignore All to ignore occurrences of this word in all documents. When InDesign is restarted, the word is
flagged again as a misspelling.
Note: If you select Ignore All and then decide that you don’t want to ignore that word after all, Choose Ignored Words from
the Dictionary List menu in the Dictionary dialog box and remove the word from the list.
Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries
InDesign uses Proximity dictionaries for most languages to verify spelling and to hyphenate words. You can add words
to each dictionary to customize it. You can assign different languages to text, and InDesign uses the appropriate
dictionary to handle spelling and hyphenation. You can create additional user dictionaries, and you can import or
export word lists saved in a plain text file.
When you customize the words in a dictionary, you actually create lists of added words (words that aren’t already in the
dictionary) and removed words (existing dictionary words that you want to be flagged as a potential misspelling). The
Dictionary dialog box lets you display and edit added words, removed words, and ignored words (words that are
ignored for the current session because you clicked Ignore All). You can add words that apply to all languages, which
is especially useful for last names, street names, and other items that aren’t specific to a language.
If you want to use the language dictionaries from a previous version of InDesign or InCopy, use your system Find
command to locate the user dictionary files (.udc), and then add them to your list of dictionaries in Dictionary
preferences.
Where dictionary words are stored
By default, hyphenation and spelling exceptions are located in user dictionary files stored outside the document on the
computer where InDesign is installed (dictionary file names end with a .clam or .not extension). However, you can also
store exception lists inside any InDesign document. In addition, you can store word lists in an external user dictionary,
in the document, or in both. The location of existing dictionaries appears in the Dictionary preferences.
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Storing hyphenation and spelling exceptions inside a document makes it easier to treat text consistently when you move
that document to other computers. For this reason, you can merge the user dictionary into the document in Dictionary
preferences. You can also control the location of exceptions from the Create Package Folder dialog box (see Package
files). In contrast, storing an exception list outside the document makes it easier to use the same list of exceptions for
multiple documents.
Note: If the user dictionary is merged into the exceptions list, the entire user dictionary is added to the document, even if
the words are not used, thereby increasing the document’s file size.
Applying languages to text
You can use the Language menu in the Character panel to apply a language to selected text. You can also specify a
default language for an entire document, or for all new documents. InDesign also includes a language locking feature
that prevents the language setting in Asian text from being changed when it is part of a selection and a non-Asian
language is chosen from the Language menu. (See Assign a language to text.)
Exception word lists
You can exclude words from being considered. For example, if you want to use an alternate spelling for a common word
such as “bicycle,” which you may need to spell in a different way for your company name or for a specific document,
add the word to the list of excluded words so that it will be flagged during a spell check. InDesign can maintain a
separate set of added and removed words for each installed language.
Create or add user dictionaries
You can create a user dictionary, or you can add user dictionaries from previous InDesign or InCopy versions, from
files that others have sent you, or from a server where your workgroup’s user dictionary is stored. The dictionary you
add is used for all your InDesign documents.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).
2 From the Language menu, choose the language with which you want to associate the dictionary.
3 Do one of the following:
• To create a new dictionary, click the New User Dictionary icon below the Language menu. Specify the name
and location of the user dictionary (which includes a .udc extension), and then click Save.
• To add an existing dictionary, click the Add User Dictionary icon
includes a .udc or .not extension, and then click Open.
, select the user dictionary file, which
Note: If you can’t find the dictionary file, you might want to use your system Find command to locate the .udc files (try
using *.udc), note the location, and then try again.
The dictionary is added to the list under the Language menu. You can add words to the dictionary when checking
spelling or by using the Dictionary dialog box.
Set the default language dictionary for the current document
You can change the default language dictionary for a document or for all new documents you create. Changing the
default dictionary in an existing document doesn’t affect text that has already been created or text that you type into an
existing text frame.
Use the Character Style or Paragraph Style panel to set a specific dictionary for a specific style. The Language menu
appears in the Advanced Character Formats section.
1 Open the document.
2 Select the Selection tool from the toolbar and make sure no items are selected in the document.
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3 Choose Type > Character.
4 Choose the desired dictionary from the Language menu on the Character panel. If you cannot see the language
option in the Character panel, select Show Options and then select your language from the list.
Set the default language dictionary for all new documents
1 Start InDesign, but do not open a document.
2 Choose Type > Character.
3 Choose the desired dictionary from the Language pop-up menu on the Character panel. If you cannot see the
language option in the Character panel, select Show Options and then select your language from the list.
Remove, relink, and reorder user dictionaries
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).
2 From the Language menu, choose the language to which the dictionary belongs.
3 Do any of the following:
• To remove a dictionary from the list, select it and click the Remove User Dictionary icon
least one dictionary per language.
. You must have at
• If the language dictionary includes a question mark icon next to it, select the dictionary, click the Relink User
Dictionary icon
, and then locate and open the user dictionary.
• To change the order of the user dictionaries, drag and drop them. The order of the dictionaries in the list is the
order in which the dictionaries are checked.
Add words to dictionaries
If, during a spell check, InDesign displays an unfamiliar word in the Check Spelling dialog box, select the dictionary
from the Add To menu, and then click Add. You can also use the Dictionary dialog box to let you specify the target
dictionary and language, and to indicate how words are added to an exception word list.
1 Choose Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary.
2 In the Language menu, choose a language. Each language contains at least one dictionary. If you want the word to
be added to all languages, choose All Languages.
3 In the Target menu, choose the dictionary where you want to store the word. The Target menu lets you store the
changes in an external user dictionary or in any open document.
4 In the Dictionary List menu, choose Added Words.
5 In the Word box, type or edit the word to be added to the word list.
6 Click Hyphenate to see the word’s default hyphenation. Tildes (~) indicate possible hyphenation points.
7 If you don’t like the hyphenation points, follow these guidelines to indicate your preferred hyphenation of the word:
• Type one tilde (~) to indicate the best possible hyphenation points, or the only acceptable hyphenation point, in
the word.
• Type two tildes (~~) to indicate your second choice.
• Type three tildes (~~~) to indicate a poor but acceptable hyphenation point.
• If you want the word never to be hyphenated, type a tilde before its first letter.
If you need to include an actual tilde in a word, type a backslash before the tilde (\~).
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8 Click Add, and then click Done. The word is added to the currently selected Dictionary List.
Note: Remember that hyphenation points interact with the hyphenation settings in your documents. As a result, the word
might not break where you expect it to. Control these settings by choosing Hyphenation in the Paragraph panel menu. (See
Hyphenate text.)
Remove or edit words in dictionaries
1 Choose Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary.
2 In the Language menu, choose a language.
3 In the Target menu, choose the dictionary from which you want to remove the word. The Target menu lets you
choose an external user dictionary or any open document.
4 In the Dictionary List menu, do one of the following:
• To modify the list of additions to the selected Target word list, choose Added Words.
• To modify the list of words that are flagged as misspelled, choose Removed Words.
• To modify the list of words that are being ignored during the current InDesign session, choose Ignored Words.
This list includes all the words for which you’ve chosen Ignore All.
5 In the word list, edit the word, or select the word and click Remove.
6 Click Done.
Export a word list
You can export word lists to a text file (.txt) and then import that list of words into a user dictionary in InDesign. The
words in the text file must be separated by a space, tab, or paragraph return. You can export added words and removed
words, but you cannot export ignored words, which are used only in the current session.
1 Choose Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary.
2 Choose the language from the Language menu and the dictionary from the Target menu that contains the list of
words you want to export.
3 Click Export, specify the file name and location, and then click Save.
The list of words is saved in a text file. You can edit this list of words in any text editor, and then import the word list.
You can also send the word list to others, who can import it into their user dictionaries.
Import a word list
1 Choose Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary.
2 Choose the language from the Language menu and the dictionary from the Target menu.
3 Click Import, locate the text file containing your list of spelling exceptions, and then click Open.
Change dictionary preferences
Use Dictionary preferences to specify how InDesign handles hyphenation and spelling dictionaries. Most languages in
InDesign use Proximity dictionaries to verify spelling and to hyphenate words. If you have installed hyphenation or
spelling components from a different company, you can select a different vendor for each installed language.
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Note: The Dictionary Preferences dialog box does not enable you to specify the language dictionary used for spell checking
or hyphenating text. This dialog box is used to specify which hyphenation and spelling plug-ins InDesign uses for the
language specified in the Language field. If you use only the default hyphenation and spelling plug-in, you don't need to
change any settings in the Dictionary Preferences dialog box. If you install a different spelling or hyphenation plug-in
provided by a third-party developer, it appears as an option in the Hyphenation Vendor and Spelling Vendor menus in this
dialog box. This would let you select one vendor's hyphenation or spelling engine for some languages and another vendor's
hyphenation or spelling engine for other languages.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).
2 For Language, specify the language for which you want to edit settings or change the hyphenation or spelling vendor.
3 Create, add, or remove user dictionaries. (See Create or add user dictionaries .)
4 If you have installed a hyphenation component from a company other than Adobe, select it in the Hyphenation
menu.
5 If you have installed a spelling dictionary component from a company other than Adobe, select it in the Spelling
menu.
6 In the Compose Using menu in the Hyphenation Exceptions menu, do one of the following:
• To compose text using the hyphenation exceptions list stored in the external user dictionary, choose User
Dictionary.
• To compose text using the hyphenation exceptions list stored inside the document, choose Document.
• To compose text using both lists, choose User Dictionary And Document. This is the default setting.
7 To add the exceptions list stored in the external user dictionary to the exceptions list stored within the document,
select Merge User Dictionary Into Document.
Note: If you work with many different partners or clients, you might want to deselect the Merge User Dictionary Into
Document option. For example, if you’re a service provider, you probably don’t want your user dictionary merged with
every customer’s file.
8 To recompose all stories when certain settings are changed, select Recompose All Stories When Modified. Selecting
this option recomposes stories when you change the Compose Using settings (see step 6) or when you use the
Dictionary command to add or remove words. Recomposing all stories can take some time, depending on the
amount of text in the document.
9 Click OK.
Using dictionaries in a workgroup
Make sure that each station in your workgroup has the same customized user dictionaries installed and added, so that
a document uses the same spelling and hyphenation rules regardless of who is working on it. You can either make sure
that everyone adds the same dictionaries to their computer, or you can share a user dictionary over the network server.
A lock icon indicates that a dictionary is locked and can be used, but not edited. When a user dictionary is stored on
a server, the first user to load the dictionary locks the file; all subsequent users see that the dictionary is locked. Files
can also be locked through the operating system, when the file is made read-only. If you share a user dictionary over
the network server, you may want to lock the file so that it’s read-only for all users, allowing only the administrator to
add words.
Make sure that everyone in the workgroup uses the customized user dictionary installed on the common network
workstation, and not the dictionary stored with a document. However, before you take a document to a service
provider, you might want to merge the user dictionary into the document.
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If you don’t share a customized user dictionary on a common network workstation, locate user dictionary files and copy
them from one workstation to another. The location of user dictionaries appear in the Dictionary preferences.
After you update a shared workstation’s user dictionary, the changes don’t appear in individual workstations until a user
restarts InDesign or presses Ctrl+Alt+/ (Windows) or Command+ Option+/ (Mac OS) to recompose all text.
More Help topics
Assign a language to text
Text Frame fitting options | CC, CS6
Flexible width columns
You can use the Flexible width option to adjust the number and width of columns as the text frame is resized. Columns
are automatically added or deleted when the maximum column width is reached as the text frame is resized.
A Original text frame B Text frame width increases C Column added to the Text Frame
Choose Flexible Width from the Columns drop down list in the Text Frame Options dialog box (Object > Text Frame
Options)
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Flexible width columns
Persistent text frame fitting options
Auto-size text frame options make it possible to set up a text frame so that it is automatically resized when you add,
delete, or edit text. To access the Auto-size options, do the following:
1 Select a text frame and choose Object > Text Frame Options
2 Click Auto-size.
Auto Size options
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3 Select an auto size option to apply when text is added or deleted:
• Off
• Height only
• Width only
• Height and Width
• Height and Width (Keep proportions)
4 From the anchor proxy, click a reference location to resize from. The anchor proxy also indicates how the text frame
resizes.
5 Specify the constraints for minimum height and weight, and line breaks.
Adding text to frames
Add text to a document
Add text to a document by typing or by pasting or placing text from a word-processing application. If your wordprocessing application supports drag-and-drop, you can also drag text into InDesign frames. For large blocks of text,
the Place command is an efficient, versatile way to add text to your document. InDesign supports a variety of wordprocessing, spreadsheet, and text file formats.
When you place or paste text, you do not need to create a text frame first; InDesign will create one for you automatically.
When you place text, you can select Show Import Options to determine whether the imported text maintains its styles
and formatting. Before you paste text, you can select All Information or Text Only under Clipboard Handling
Preferences to determine whether the pasted text includes additional information such as swatches and styles.
If the text you import into your document includes pink, green, or another color of highlighting, you likely have one or
more composition preference options turned on. Open the Composition section of the Preferences dialog box, and notice
which options are turned on under Highlight. For example, if the pasted text is formatted with fonts not available, the text
is highlighted in pink.
Type text in a document
1 To place the insertion point inside the text frame, do one of the following:
• Using the Type tool
, drag to create a new text frame, or click in an existing text frame.
• Using a selection tool, double-click inside an existing text frame. The Type tool is selected automatically.
2 Begin typing.
If you created a text frame on a master page, hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) as you
click in the frame on your document page. This makes a copy of the master page frame on the document page. You can
then use the Type tool to add text to the selected frame.
Type Asian text using inline input
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Advanced Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Use Inline Input For Non-Latin Text, and then click OK.
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You can use a system input method, if available, for adding 2-byte and 4-byte characters. This method is especially
useful for entering Asian characters.
Insert placeholder text
InDesign can add placeholder text that you can easily replace with real text later. Adding placeholder text can give you
a more complete sense of your document’s design.
1 Use the Selection tool to select one or more text frames, or use the Type tool to click in a text frame.
2 Choose Type > Fill With Placeholder Text.
If you add placeholder text to a frame that’s threaded to other frames, the placeholder text is added at the start of the
first text frame (if all frames are empty) or at the end of the existing text (if some text is already in the threaded frames),
through to the end of the last threaded frame.
To remove or replace placeholder text, double-click in any frame in the thread, choose Edit > Select All, and then delete
the text.
To change the text that is used as placeholder text, create a text file with the text you wish to use, name it Placeholder.txt,
and save it in the application folder.
Paste text
If the insertion point is not inside a text frame when you paste text into InDesign, a new plain text frame will be created.
If the insertion point is inside a text frame, the text will be pasted inside that frame. If you have text selected when you
paste, the pasted text will overwrite the selected text.
Paste text from another application
1 To preserve formatting and information such as styles and index markers, open the Clipboard Handling section of
the Preferences dialog box, and select All Information under Paste. To remove these items and other formatting
when pasting, select Text Only.
2 Cut or copy text in another application or in an InDesign document.
3 If you like, select text or click in a text frame. Otherwise, the text will be pasted into its own new frame.
4 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Paste. If the pasted text doesn’t include all the formatting, you may need to change settings in the
Import Options dialog box for RTF documents.
• Choose Edit > Paste Without Formatting. (Paste Without Formatting is dimmed if you paste text from another
application when Text Only is selected in Clipboard Handling Preferences.)
You can also drag text from another application and drop it into an InDesign document, or you can insert a text file or
word-processing file into an InDesign document directly from Windows Explorer or Mac OS Finder. The text will be
added to a new frame. Shift-dragging removes the formatting. The option you select in the Clipboard Handling section of
the Preferences dialog box determines whether information such as index markers and swatches is preserved.
Adjust spacing automatically when pasting text
When you paste text, spaces can be automatically added or removed, depending on the context. For example, if you cut
a word and then paste it between two words, a space appears before and after the word. If you paste that word at the
end of a sentence, before the period, a space is not added.
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Note: This feature is used primarily for working with Roman text. Also, this feature is available only when the Roman text
to be pasted is set to a Roman language in the Character panel.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Adjust Spacing Automatically When Cutting And Pasting Words, and then click OK.
Drag and drop text
You can use the mouse to drag and drop text in the Story Editor or in the Layout View. You can even drag text from the
Story Editor to the layout window (or vice versa), or into some dialog boxes such as Find/Change. Dragging the text
from a locked or checked-in story copies the text rather than moves it. You can also copy text or create a new frame
when dragging and dropping text.
Jeff Witchel provides a video tutorial about drag and drop at Using InDesign Drag and Drop Text.
1 To enable drag and drop, choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS),
select Enable In Layout View, Enable In Story Editor (InDesign), or Enable In Galley/Story View (InCopy), and then
click OK.
2 Select the text that you want to move or copy.
3 Hold the pointer over the selected text until the drag and drop icon
appears, and then drag the text.
As you drag, the selected text remains in place, but a vertical bar indicates where the text will appear when you
release the mouse button. The vertical bar appears in any text frame that you drag the mouse over.
4 Do any of the following:
• To drop the text in a new location, position the vertical bar where you would like the text to appear and release
the mouse button.
• To drop the text in a new frame, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) after you start dragging, and
then release the mouse button before releasing the key.
• To drop the text without formatting, hold down Shift after you start dragging, and then release the mouse button
before releasing the key.
• To copy the text, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you start dragging, and then release the
mouse button before releasing the key.
You can also use a combination of these modifier keys. For example, to copy unformatted text to a new frame, hold
down Alt+Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Option+Shift+Command (Mac OS) after you start dragging.
If the text you drop doesn’t have the proper spacing, select the Adjust Spacing Automatically option in Type Preferences.
Place (import) text
When you place a text or spreadsheet file, you can specify options to determine how the imported text is formatted.
1 (Optional) To create links to the files being placed, click File Handling in the Preferences dialog box and select
Create Links When Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files.
Selecting this option creates a link to the placed file. You can use the Links panel to update, relink, or remove links
to text files. However, if you format linked text in InDesign, the formatting may not be preserved when you update
the link. If this option isn’t selected, imported text and spreadsheet files are embedded (not linked).
2 Do one of the following:
• To create a new frame for the placed text, make sure that no insertion point is present and that no text or frames
are selected.
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• To add text to a frame, use the Type tool
to select text or place the insertion point.
• To replace the contents of an existing frame, use a selection tool to select the frame. If the frame is threaded, a
loaded text cursor appears.
If you accidentally replace a text file or graphic using this method, choose Edit > Undo Replace, and then click
or drag to create a text frame.
3 Choose File > Place.
4 Select Replace Selected Item if you want the imported file to replace the contents of a selected frame, to replace
selected text, or to be added to the text frame at the insertion point. Deselect this option to flow the imported file
into a new frame.
5 Select Show Import Options, and then double-click the file you want to import.
6 Set import options, and then click OK.
If you haven’t already designated an existing frame to receive text, the pointer becomes a loaded text icon, ready to flow
text wherever you click or drag.
The placed text frame can be converted into either a plain text frame or a frame grid, depending on the settings in the
Story panel. You can choose Type > Writing Direction > Horizontal or Vertical to determine the frame’s writing
direction. When text is placed in a frame grid, the document defaults set in the Grid tool apply to the frame grid. Apply
grid formatting as necessary.
If you receive an alert that the requested filter wasn’t found, you may be trying to place a file from a different wordprocessing application or from an earlier version of Microsoft® Word, such as Word 6. Open the file in its original
application and save it as RTF, which preserves most formatting.
If the imported Microsoft Excel document displays red dots in cells, adjust cell size or text attributes so that overset
content becomes visible. You can also place the file as unformatted tabbed text, and then convert the tabbed text to a
table.
About import filters
InDesign imports most character and paragraph formatting attributes from text files but ignores most page-layout
information, such as margin and column settings (which you can set in InDesign). Note the following:
• InDesign generally imports all formatting information specified in the word-processing application, except
information for word-processing features not available in InDesign.
• InDesign can add imported styles to its list of styles for the document. A disk icon
styles. (See Convert Word styles to InDesign styles.)
appears next to imported
• The import options appear when you select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box, or when you import an
Excel file. If Show Import Options is deselected, InDesign uses the import options last used for a similar document
type. The options you set remain in effect until you change them.
• If InDesign cannot find a filter that recognizes a file by either its file type or file extension, an alert message appears.
For best results in Windows, use the standard extension (such as .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .xls, or .xlsx) for the type of
file you’re importing. You may need to open the file in its original application and save it in a different format, such
as RTF or text-only.
For more information on import filters, see the Filters ReadMe PDF file at
www.adobe.com/go/lr_indesignfilters_cs5_en.
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Microsoft Word and RTF import options
If you select Show Import Options when placing a Word file or an RTF file, you can choose from these options:
Table Of Contents Text Imports the table of contents as part of the text in the story. These entries are imported as text
only.
Index Text Imports the index as part of the text in the story. These entries are imported as text only.
Footnotes Imports Word footnotes. Footnotes and references are preserved, but renumbered based on the document’s
footnote settings. If the Word footnotes are not imported properly, try saving the Word document in RTF format and
importing the RTF file.
Endnotes Imports endnotes as part of the text at the end of the story.
Use Typographer’s Quotes Ensures that imported text includes left and right quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophes (’)
instead of straight quotation marks (" ") and apostrophes (').
Remove Styles And Formatting From Text And Tables Removes formatting, such as typeface, type color, and type style,
from the imported text, including text in tables. Paragraph styles and inline graphics aren’t imported if this option is
selected.
Preserve Local Overrides When you choose to remove styles and formatting from text and tables, you can select
Preserve Local Overrides to maintain character formatting, such as bold and italics, that is applied to part of a
paragraph. Deselect this option to remove all formatting.
Convert Tables To When you choose to remove styles and formatting from text and tables, you can convert tables to
either basic, unformatted tables or unformatted, tab-delimited text.
If you want to import unformatted text and formatted tables, import the text without formatting, and then paste the
tables from Word into InDesign.
Preserve Styles And Formatting From Text And Tables Preserves the Word document’s formatting in the InDesign or
InCopy document. You can use the other options in the Formatting section to determine how styles and formatting are
preserved.
Manual Page Breaks Determines how page breaks from the Word file are formatted in InDesign or InCopy. Select
Preserve Page Breaks to use the same page breaks used in Word, or select Convert To Column Breaks or No Breaks.
Import Inline Graphics Preserves inline graphics from the Word document in InDesign.
Import Unused Styles Imports all styles from the Word document, even if the styles aren’t applied to text.
Convert Bullets & Numbers To Text Imports bullets and numbers as actual characters, preserving the look of the
paragraph. However, in numbered lists, the numbers are not automatically updated when the list items are changed.
Track Changes Selecting this option causes Track Changes markups from the Word document to appear in the
InDesign document. In InDesign, view track changes in Story Editor.
Import Styles Automatically Imports styles from the Word document into the InDesign or InCopy document. If a
yellow warning triangle appears next to Style Name Conflicts, then one or more paragraph or character styles from the
Word document have the same name as an InDesign style.
To determine how these style name conflicts are resolved, select an option from the Paragraph Style Conflicts and
Character Style Conflicts menu. Choosing Use InDesign Style Definition causes the imported style text to be formatted
based on the InDesign style. Choosing Redefine InDesign Style causes the imported style text to be formatted based on
the Word style, and changes existing InDesign text formatted with the Word style. Choosing Auto Rename causes the
imported Word styles to be renamed. For example, if InDesign and Word have a Subheading style, the imported Word
style is renamed Subheading_wrd_1 when Auto Rename is selected.
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Note: InDesign converts paragraph and character styles but not bulleted and numbered list styles.
Customize Style Import Lets you use the Style Mapping dialog box to select which InDesign style should be used for
each Word style in the imported document.
Save Preset Stores the current Word Import Options for later reuse. Specify the import options, click Save Preset, type
the name of the preset, and click OK. The next time you import a Word style, you can select the preset you created from
the Preset menu. Click Set As Default if you want the selected preset to be used as the default for future imports of Word
documents.
Text-file import options
If you select Show Import Options when placing a text file, you can choose from these options:
Character Set Specifies the computer language character set, such as ANSI, Unicode UTF8, or Windows CE, that was
used to create the text file. The default selection is the character set that corresponds to the default language and
platform of InDesign or InCopy.
Specifies the computer language character set, such as ANSI, Unicode UTF8, Shift JIS, or Chinese Big 5, that was used
to create the text file. The default selection is the character set that corresponds to the default language and platform of
InDesign or InCopy.
Platform Specifies whether the file was created in Windows or Mac OS.
Set Dictionary To Specifies the dictionary to be used by the imported text.
Extra Carriage Returns Specifies how extra paragraph returns are imported. Choose Remove At End Of Every Line or
Remove Between Paragraphs.
Replace Replaces the specified number of spaces with a tab.
Use Typographer’s Quotes Ensures that imported text includes left and right quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophes (’)
instead of straight quotation marks (" ") and apostrophes (').
Microsoft Excel import options
You can choose from these options when importing an Excel file:
Sheet Specifies the worksheet you want to import.
View Specifies whether to import any stored custom or personal views, or to ignore the views.
Cell Range Specifies the range of cells, using a colon (:) to designate the range (such as A1:G15). If there are named
ranges within the worksheet, these names appear in the Cell Range menu.
Import Hidden Cells Not Saved In View Includes any cells formatted as hidden cells in the Excel spreadsheet.
Table Specifies how the spreadsheet information appears in the document.
Formatted Table InDesign tries to preserve the same formatting used in Excel, although the formatting of text within
each cell may not be preserved. If the spreadsheet is linked rather than embedded, updating the link will override any
formatting applied to the table in InDesign.
Unformatted Table The table is imported without any formatting from the spreadsheet. When this option is selected,
you can apply a table style to the imported table. If you format text using paragraph and characters styles, the formatting
is preserved even if you update the link to the spreadsheet.
Unformatted Tabbed Text The table is imported as tab-delimited text, which you can then convert to a table in
InDesign or InCopy.
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Formatted Only Once InDesign preserves the same formatting used in Excel during the initial import. If the
spreadsheet is linked rather than embedded, formatting changes made to the spreadsheet are ignored in the linked table
when you update the link. This option isn’t available in InCopy.
Table Style Applies the table style you specify to the imported document. This option is available only if Unformatted
Table is selected.
Cell Alignment Specifies the cell alignment for the imported document.
Include Inline Graphics Preserves inline graphics from the Excel document in InDesign.
Number Of Decimal Places To Include Specifies the number of decimal places of spreadsheet figures.
Use Typographer’s Quotes Ensures that imported text includes left and right quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophes (’)
instead of straight quotation marks (" ") and apostrophes (').
Tagged-text import options
You can import (or export) a text file capable of taking advantage of InDesign formatting capabilities by using the
tagged text format. Tagged-text files are text files containing information describing the formatting you want InDesign
to apply. Properly tagged text can describe almost anything that can appear in an InDesign story, including all
paragraph-level attributes, character-level attributes, and special characters.
For information on specifying tags, view the Tagged Text PDF at www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_taggedtext_cs5_en
(PDF).
The following options are available when you import a tagged-text file and select Show Import Options in the Place
dialog box.
Use Typographer’s Quotes Ensures that imported text includes left and right quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophes (’)
instead of straight quotation marks (" ") and apostrophes (').
Remove Text Formatting Removes formatting, such as typeface, type color, and type style, from the imported text.
Resolve Text Style Conflicts Using Specifies which character or paragraph style to apply when there is a conflict
between the style in the tagged-text file and the style in the InDesign document. Select Publication Definition to use
the definition that already exists for that style in the InDesign document. Select Tagged File Definition to use the style
as defined in the tagged text.
Show List Of Problem Tags Before Place Displays a list of unrecognized tags. If a list appears, you can choose to cancel
or continue the import. If you continue, the file may not look as expected.
Save Word or RTF import options as presets
1 When placing a Word or RTF file, make sure that Show Import Options is selected, and choose Open.
2 In the Import Options dialog box, specify the desired settings.
3 Click Save Preset, type a preset name, and click OK.
4 (Optional) Click Set As Default to use the preset each time you import a file of that file type.
You can then select custom presets from the Preset menu in the Import Options dialog box whenever you open a Word
or RTF file.
Import Buzzword documents
Buzzword is a web-based text editor that lets users create and store text files on a web server. In InDesign CS5, you can
import and export text from Buzzword documents.
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When you import a Buzzword document, a URL-based link is created to the Buzzword document on the server. When
the Buzzword document is updated outside InDesign, you can use the Links panel to update the imported version in
InDesign. However, doing so removes any changes to the Buzzword text you’ve made in InDesign.
Note: The Acrobat.com Buzzword application is available only in English, French, and German.
1 Choose File > Place From Buzzword.
2 If you haven’t already signed in to CS Live, click Sign In, specify your e-mail address and password, and then click
Sign In.
Once you sign in, the Place Buzzword Documents dialog box displays a list of the Buzzword documents you can
import.
3 Select one or more documents you want to import, or paste the URL of the Buzzword document into the Paste URL
field.
4 Select any of the following options, and then click OK.
Show Import Options If you select this option, the Buzzword Import Options dialog box appears before you place
the file.
Replace Selected Item Select this option to replace the object currently selected in the document.
Link To Document Select this option to create a link between the Buzzword document and the placed text. If you
establish a link and update the Buzzword document, the Links panel indicates that the file has been modified. If you
update the link, the text in InDesign is updated. However, formatting changes you’ve made to this text in InDesign
are lost.
5 If you selected Show Import Options, specify settings in the Buzzword Import Options dialog box.
This dialog box includes most of the same options found in the RTF Import Options dialog box. See Microsoft Word
and RTF import options . Buzzword currently does not have a styles feature, so none of the style options are valid at
this time.
6 With the loaded text cursor, click or drag to create a text frame.
Link or embed imported text files
By default, text you place in InDesign is not linked to the original text file. However, if you select the Create Links When
Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files option in File Handling preferences before you place a file, the name of the text file
appears in the Links panel. You can use the Links panel to update and manage the file. When you update a linked text
file, any editing or formatting changes applied within InDesign are lost. Because of this risk, linked text files are not
automatically updated when the original file is edited. However, you can easily use the Links panel to update content
or to unlink (embed) the file.
1 Do one of the following:
• To apply this change to a document, open the document.
• To apply this change to any new document you create, close all documents.
2 Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).
3 To create links in placed files, select Create Links When Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files. If this option is turned
on, use the Links panel to update, relink, or remove links. If this option is turned off, text files are embedded (not
linked).
To unlink (embed) a linked text file, select the file in the Links panel, and then choose Unlink from the Links panel
menu.
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More Help topics
Work with missing fonts
Import grid formats from other documents
Flow text manually or automatically
Convert Word styles to InDesign styles
Work with missing fonts
Open QuarkXPress files in InDesign
Convert text frames and frame grids
Export content to Buzzword
Managing graphics links
Convert Word styles to InDesign styles
Editing text
Select text
❖ Using the Type tool, do one of the following:
• Drag the I-bar cursor over a character, word, or an entire text block to select it.
• Double-click a word to select it. Spaces next to the word are not selected.
• Triple-click anywhere in a line to select a line. If the Triple Click To Select A Line preferences option is deselected,
triple-clicking selects the entire paragraph.
• If the Triple Click To Select A Line option is selected, quadruple-click anywhere in a paragraph to select the entire
paragraph.
• Quintuple-click to select the entire story, or click anywhere in a story and choose Edit > Select All.
Note: If you select text that contains a note anchor, using any of the above procedures, the note and its contents are also
selected.
If you cannot select text in a frame, the text frame could be on a locked layer or on a master page. Try unlocking the
layer or going to the master page. The text frame may also be beneath another text frame or transparent object. See
Select text in a frame that is covered .
Change what triple-clicking does
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Triple Click To Select A Line to enable triple-clicking to select a line (this is the default). Deselect this option
if you want triple-clicking to select a paragraph.
Select text in a frame that is covered
1 Using the Selection tool
, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click to select the text frame.
2 Select the Type tool, and then click inside the text frame or select text.
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View hidden (nonprinting) characters
1 Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.
2 If hidden characters still do not appear, turn off preview mode. Choose View > Screen Mode > Normal and choose
View >Overprint Preview to deselect it.
Nonprinting characters such as those for spaces, tabs, ends of paragraphs, index markers, and ends of stories appear.
These special characters are visible only in a document window and a story editor window; they don’t print or output
to formats such as PDF and XML. The hidden characters appear in the same color as the layer color.
Nonprinting characters hidden (top) and visible (bottom)
Anne Marie Concepcion provides a comprehensive list of special characters at Free Guide to InDesign Special
Characters.
List of hidden characters
Hidden character
What it represents
End of Paragraph
Soft return (line break)
Space
End of Story
Discretionary Hyphen
Nonbreaking Hyphen
Tab
Right Indent Tab
Indent to Here
End Nested Style Here
Non-Joiner
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Ideographic Space
Em Space
En Space
Nonbreaking Space
Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width)
Hair Space
Sixth Space
Thin Space
Quarter Space
Third Space
Punctuation Space
Figure Space
Flush Space
Column Break
Frame Break
Page Break
Odd Page Break
Even Page Break
Forced Line Break
InCopy Note
InCopy Note (in Story Editor)
Position marker (InCopy only)
Index marker
Index marker (in Story Editor)
Hidden conditional text
Hidden conditional text (in Story Editor)
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Bookmark or hyperlink destination marker (often a text anchor)
Bookmark or hyperlink destination marker (in Story Editor)
Hyperlink destination (in Story Editor)
Cross-referenced paragraph
Cross-reference hyperlink (in Story Editor)
Anchored object
Anchored object (in Story Editor)
XML tag
XML tag (in Story Editor)
Footnote (in Story Editor)
Table (in Story Editor)
Variable (in Story Editor)
Index marker (in Story Editor)
Add column, frame, and page breaks
Control column, frame, and page breaks by inserting special break characters in the text.
1 Using the Type tool, click to place the insertion point where you want the break to occur.
2 Choose Type > Insert Break Character, and then choose a break option from the submenu.
You can also create breaks by using the Enter key on the numeric keypad. For a column break, press Enter; for a frame
break, press Shift+Enter; and for a page break, press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).
To remove a break character, choose Type > Show Hidden Characters so that you can see nonprinting characters, and
then select and delete the break character.
Note: If you create a break by changing paragraph settings (as in the Keep Options dialog box), the break precedes the
paragraph that contains the setting. If you create a break using a special character, the break occurs immediately after the
special character.
Break options
The following options appear on the Type > Insert Break Character menu:
Column break
Flows text to the next column in the current text frame. If the frame has only one column, the text goes to the next
threaded frame.
Frame break
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Flows text to the next threaded text frame, regardless of the current text frame’s column setup.
Page break
Flows text to the next page with a text frame threaded to the current text frame.
Odd page break
Flows text to the next odd-numbered page with a text frame threaded to the current text frame.
Even page break
Flows text to the next even-numbered page with a text frame threaded to the current text frame.
Paragraph Return
Inserts a paragraph return (the same as pressing Enter or Return).
Forced Line Break
Forces a line to break where the character is inserted, starting a new line without starting a new paragraph (the same as
pressing Shift+Enter or Shift+Return). A forced line break is also called a soft return.
Discretionary Line Break
Indicates where a line of text should break if the line needs to break. A discretionary line break is similar to a
discretionary hyphen, only no hyphen is added where the line breaks.
Related break options are available in the Keep Options dialog box and in the Paragraph Style Options dialog box.
Use the Story Editor
You can edit text in InDesign either on the layout page or in the story editor window. Writing and editing in a story
editor window allows the entire story to appear in the typeface, size, and spacing that you specify in Preferences,
without layout or formatting distractions. The Story Editor is also where you can view track changes to text.
Each story appears in a different story editor window. All the text in the story appears in the story editor, including
overset text. You can open several story editor windows simultaneously, including multiple instances of the same story.
A vertical depth ruler indicates how much text is filling the frame, and a line indicates where text is overset.
When you edit a story, changes are reflected in the layout window. Open stories are listed in the Window menu. You
cannot create a new story in a story editor window.
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Story Editor window
A Paragraph styles B Drag divider to adjust column width C Vertical depth ruler D Overset text indicator
You can view and edit tables in Story Editor, where text is displayed in sequential columns and rows for easy editing.
Quickly expand or collapse tables, and decide whether to view them by row or column.
The Story Editor also displays text that has been added, removed, or edited if you turn on Track Changes. See Tracking
and reviewing changes .
Open the Story Editor
1 Select the text frame, click an insertion point in the text frame, or select multiple frames from different stories.
2 Choose Edit > Edit In Story Editor.
To open another instance of the same story editor window, make the story editor active, and choose Window > Arrange
> New Window.
Return to the layout window
❖ In Story Editor, do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Edit In Layout. When you use this method, the layout view displays the same text selection or
insertion-point location as last appeared in the story editor, and the story window remains open but moves
behind the layout window.
• Click in the layout window. The story window remains open but moves behind the layout window.
• Close the story editor window.
• Choose the document name from the bottom of the Window menu.
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Show or hide Story Editor items
You can show or hide the style name column and the depth ruler, expand or collapse footnotes, and show or hide
paragraph break marks to indicate the start of new paragraphs. These settings affect all open story editor windows, as
well as all subsequently opened windows.
• With the story editor active, choose View > Story Editor > Show Style Name Column or Hide Style Name Column.
You can also adjust the width of the style name column by dragging the vertical bar. Subsequent story editor
windows have the same column width.
• With the Story Editor active, choose View > Story Editor > Show Depth Ruler or Hide Depth Ruler.
• With the Story Editor active, choose View > Story Editor > Expand All Footnotes or Collapse AllFootnotes.
• With the Story Editor active, choose View > Story Editor > Show Paragraph Break Marks or Hide Paragraph Break
Marks.
Story Editor preferences
Use Story Editor Display preferences to change the appearance of the Story Editor. Although the Story Editor
suppresses all but the most basic text styling attributes, some objects and attributes are represented, including the
following:
Attribute
Icon
Table
Inline objects
XML tags
Variables
Hyperlink sources
Hyperlink anchors
Cross-reference
Hidden conditional text
Note
Footnotes
Index markers
Deleted text
Added text
Moved text
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Text Display Options Choose a display font, size, line spacing, text color, and background. You can also specify a
different theme, such as selecting Classic System to view yellow text on a black background. These settings affect the
display of text in the story editor window, not how they appear in layout view.
Enable Anti-Aliasing Smooth the jagged edges of type, and choose the Type of anti-aliasing: LCD Optimized, Soft, or
the Default setting, which uses shades of gray to smooth text. LCD Optimized uses colors, rather than shades of gray,
to smooth text, and works best on light-colored backgrounds with black text. Soft uses shades of gray, but produces a
lighter, fuzzier appearance than Default.
Cursor Options Change the appearance of the text cursor. For example, select Blink if you want the cursor to blink.
Text from inline frames does not appear in the parent story editor window, but it can appear in its own story editor
window.
Use conditional text
Conditional text is a way to create different versions of the same document. After you create conditions, you apply them
to ranges of text. You can then create different versions of documents by showing and hiding conditions. For example,
if you’re creating a computer manual, you can create separate conditions for Mac OS and Windows. Before you print
the Mac OS version of the user guide, you can show all text to which the “Mac” condition is applied and hide all text to
which the “Windows” condition is applied. You can then reverse the condition states for printing the user guide for
Windows.
Conditional text shown
A All conditions shown B Conditional indicators
Conditional text hidden
A “Mac” condition hidden B Hidden condition symbols
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Conditions can be applied only to text. You can make anchored objects conditional, but only by selecting the anchored
object marker. You can apply conditions to text within table cells, but you cannot apply conditions to table cells,
columns, or rows. You cannot apply conditions to text in locked InCopy stories.
Planning conditional documents
When planning a project with conditional text, examine the nature of the material and look at how several people can
take turns working with it if the document is handed off. Plan to treat conditional text consistently to make the
document easier to use and maintain. Use the following guidelines.
Number of versions Define how many versions your finished project will contain. For example, if you’re creating a
manual that describes a program that runs on both Windows and Mac OS platforms, you might want to produce at least
two versions: a Windows version and a Mac OS version. If you want to produce these versions with editorial comments
sprinkled in the text during the review process, you’ll want even more versions: Mac OS with comments, Mac OS
without comments, Windows with comments, and Windows without comments.
For documents with many conditions, you can define condition sets that can be applied to the document for quick
versioning.
Number of condition tags required Decide how many condition tags you need to produce the desired versions. A
version of a document is defined by a unique set of condition tags. For example, a version of a finished Windows manual
might be defined by having a Windows condition tag showing, a Mac OS condition tag hidden, and a Comments
condition tag hidden. In this example, you would need to decide whether to use one condition tag for Windows
comments and another for Mac OS comments, or whether to use a single condition tag for both Windows and Mac OS
comments.
Organization of content Evaluate the extent to which the document can be conditional and how you can organize the
material to simplify development and maintenance. For example, you might be able to organize a book so that
conditional text is limited to a few documents. Or you might choose to keep versions of a particular chapter in separate
files rather than in conditional text, and then use a different book file for each version of the book.
In some instances, such as when working with multiple languages, you may want to create separate layers that you can
show or hide rather than using conditions, with each layer including text from a different language.
Tagging strategy Determine the smallest unit of conditional text. For example, if a document will be translated to
another language, a whole sentence should be the smallest amount of text you make conditional. Because word order
often changes during translation, using conditional text for part of a sentence could complicate translation.
Inconsistency in applying conditions to spaces and punctuation can result in extra spacing or misspelled words. Decide
whether to make spaces and punctuation conditional. If conditional text begins or ends with punctuation, make the
punctuation conditional too. This makes the text easier to read when you're viewing more than one version.
To avoid word spacing problems, such as having an unconditional space followed by a conditional space, set standards
for handling spaces following conditional text (either always conditional or always unconditional).
To avoid confusion, decide the order in which conditional text will appear and use this order throughout the document.
Indexes and cross-references When indexing a document, pay attention to whether index markers are placed inside or
outside conditional text. Keep in mind that index markers in hidden conditional text are not included in the generated
index.
If you create a cross-reference to conditional text, make sure that the source text has the same condition. For example,
if you add a cross-reference in a “Windows” paragraph and the text anchor appears in a “Mac” condition, the crossreference is unresolved when the “Mac” condition is hidden. “HT” appears next to the cross-reference in the Hyperlinks
panel.
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If you create a cross-reference to a paragraph in which some text is conditional and then change the visibility settings
of that condition, update the cross-reference.
Create conditions
Conditions you create are saved in the current document. If no documents are open when you create a condition, that
condition appears in all new documents you create.
You can make conditional text easy to identify by specifying condition indicators, such as wavy red underlines.
1 Choose Window > Type & Tables > Conditional Text to display the Conditional Text panel.
2 Choose New Condition from the Conditional Text panel menu, and type a name for the condition.
3 In the Indicator group, specify the appearance of the indicator to which the condition is applied.
By default, indicators (such as wavy red lines) are set to appear in the document but not be printed or output. You
can choose an option from the Indicators menu in the Conditional Text panel to hide indicators or to print and
output them, which can be useful for review purposes.
4 Click OK.
Apply conditions to text
You can apply multiple conditions to the same text. By default, condition indicators identify conditional text. However,
if indicators are hidden, you can use the Conditional Text panel to determine which conditions have been applied to
the current text. A solid check mark indicates the condition is applied to the current text. A dim check mark indicates
that the condition is applied only to part of the selection.
1 Select the text to which you want to apply the condition.
2 In the Conditional Text panel (Windows > Type & Tables > Conditional Text), do any of the following:
• To apply a condition, click the condition, or click the box next to the condition name.
• To apply a condition and remove other conditions applied to the text, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac
OS) a condition.
• To remove a condition, click the box next to the condition name to remove the check mark. Or, click
[Unconditional] to remove all conditions from the selected text.
Note: You cannot apply keyboard shortcuts to specific conditions. However, you can apply conditions using Quick Apply.
Show or hide conditions
When you hide a condition, all text to which that condition is applied is hidden. Hiding conditions often causes the
page numbering to change in a document or book. You can use the Smart Text Reflow feature to add and remove pages
automatically as you hide and show conditions.
Hidden conditional text is generally ignored in the document. For example, hidden text is not printed or exported,
index markers in hidden conditional text are not included in a generated index, and hidden conditional text is not
included when searching or spell-checking text.
When you hide a condition, the hidden text is stored in a hidden condition symbol
. If you select text that contains
a hidden condition symbol and try to delete it, InDesign prompts you to confirm that you want to delete the hidden
conditional text. You cannot apply other conditions, styles, or formatting to hidden conditional text.
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If text has several conditions applied to it and at least one of those conditions is shown while another is hidden, the text
is not hidden.
• To show or hide individual conditions, click the visibility box next to a condition name. The eye icon indicates the
condition is shown.
• To show or hide all conditions, choose Show All or Hide All from the Conditional Text panel menu.
Use condition sets
A condition set captures the visibility settings for all conditions so that you can quickly apply different document
renditions. For example, suppose you have a complex document with platform conditions for Mac OS, Windows XP,
Vista, UNIX , language conditions for English, French, German, and Spanish, and editorial conditions such as Editorial
Review and Internal Comments. For reviewing the Vista version in French, you can create a set that shows only the
Vista, French, and Editorial Review conditions, and hides all the rest.
While sets aren’t necessary to do this, they help you quickly and reliably change different condition visibility settings.
1 Apply conditions to text as necessary.
2 If the Set menu doesn’t appear in the Conditional Text panel, choose Show Options from the Conditional Text panel
menu.
3 In the Conditional Text panel, make the conditions visible or hidden as needed.
4 Choose Create New Set from the Set menu, specify a name for the set, and click OK.
The new set becomes the active set.
5 Do any of the following:
• To apply the condition set to a document, choose the condition set name from the Set menu.
• To override a condition set, select the set to make it active, and change the visibility setting of any condition. A
plus sign (+) appears next to the condition set. Choose the condition set again to remove overrides. Choose
Redefine “[Condition Set]” to update the condition set with the new visibility settings.
• To delete a condition set, select the condition set, and then choose Delete “[Condition Set].” Deleting a condition
set does not delete the set’s conditions, nor does it remove the conditions from wherever they are applied.
Manage conditions
❖ Do any of the following:
Delete a condition Select a condition and click the Delete Condition icon at the bottom of the Conditional Text
panel. Specify a condition to replace the deleted condition and click OK. The condition you specify is applied to all
text to which the deleted condition was applied.
To delete multiple conditions, Shift-click to select contiguous conditions, or Ctrl-click (Windows) or Commandclick (Mac OS) to select non-contiguous conditions, and then click the Delete Condition icon.
Remove a condition from text Removing a condition tag from text is different from deleting a tag from a document.
When you remove a tag from text, the tag remains in the document so it can be applied again later.
To remove a condition from text, select the text and click the box next to the condition to remove the check mark,
or click [Unconditional] to remove all conditions from the selected text.
Load (import) conditions Choose Load Conditions (to load only conditions) or Load Conditions And Sets from the
Conditional Text panel menu. Select the InDesign document from which you want to import the conditions, and
click Open. Loaded conditions and sets replace any condition or set that has an identical name.
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You cannot load conditions from an InCopy file in InDesign, but you can load conditions from an InDesign file in
both InDesign and InCopy.
Loaded sets ignore the visibility settings of the conditions currently in the Conditional Text panel.
Synchronize conditions in a book To make sure you’re using the same conditions in all documents in a book, create
the conditions you want in the style source document, select Conditional Text Settings in the Synchronize Options
dialog box, and then synchronize the book.
Show or hide condition indicators Choose Show or Hide from the Indicators menu in the Conditional Text panel to
show or hide condition indicators. If you’re showing one version and want to see which areas are conditional, show
the condition indicators. If you find the condition indicators distracting while viewing the layout, hide the condition
indicators. Choose Show And Print if you want the condition indicators to be printed and output.
Change a condition name In the Conditional Text panel, click a condition, pause, and then click the condition name
to select it. Type a different name.
Edit condition indicators In the Conditional Text panel, double-click a condition, or select a condition and choose
Condition Options from the panel menu. Specify indicator settings, and click OK.
Find and change conditional text
Use the Find/Change dialog box to find text to which one or more conditions have been applied and replace it with one
or more other conditions.
1 Show any conditional text you want included in the search.
Hidden text is excluded from the search.
2 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
3 If the Find Format and Change Format boxes don’t appear at the bottom of the dialog box, click More Options.
4 Click the Find Format box to display the Find Format Settings dialog box. Under Conditions, select [Any Condition]
to search for text in which any conditon is applied, [Unconditional] to search for text in which no condition is
applied, or select the specific condition or conditions you want to search for. Click OK.
This feature finds text that perfectly matches the selected conditions. For example, if you select both Condition 1
and Condition 2, text to which only one of the conditions are applied isn’t found, nor is text found to which these
two conditions and another is applied.
5 Click the Change Format box to display the Change Format Settings dialog box. Specify the different formatting
option, such as a condition or a character style, and then click OK.
If you select the Conditions section in the Change Format Settings dialog box, the [Any Condition] makes no
changes to the found conditional text. This option is useful if you want to apply different formatting, such as a
character style. Select [Unconditional] to remove all conditions from the found text. If you select a specific
condition, specify whether you want it to replace any condition applied to the found text or be added to it.
6 Click Find, and then use the Change, Change/Find, or Change All buttons to replace the condition.
More Help topics
Keys for navigating through and selecting text
Ways to control paragraph breaks
Working with tables in Story Editor
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Tracking and reviewing changes
Use Smart Text Reflow
Captions
A caption is descriptive text that appears below an image. InDesign provides several methods for creating captions that
display the image metadata you specify. InDesign provides a special caption variable that displays the specified
metadata of an image. If a text frame containing the variable is next to or grouped with the image, the variable displays
the metadata of that image. You can generate a caption from an existing image or while placing it, and you can create a
text frame that contains a caption variable.
For video tutorials on generating captions from metadata, see http://tv.adobe.com/go/4958/.
Caption generated from image metadata
Generate a caption from an image
When you generate a caption from an existing image, you can generate either a static caption, which can be modified
only manually, or a live caption, which is updated if the image or the image metadata changes. For example, if you move
a live caption next to a different image, the caption displays metadata from the different image.
When you choose Generate Live Caption, a new variable is generated automatically based on the current caption
settings. For example, if the Description metadata type is selected in the Caption Setup dialog box, a variable called
“Live Metadata Caption: Description” is created.
1 To determine the content and appearance of the caption you generate, choose Object > Captions > Caption Settings,
and specify settings. See Specify caption setup options .
2 Choose Object > Captions > Generate Live Caption or Generate Static Caption.
Note: When you generate a live caption that displays a long string of text, such as a Description, the caption does not break
across lines because it is a variable. If a caption is compressed into a single line, consider converting a live caption to a static
caption. To convert a live caption to a static caption, select the live caption and choose Object > Captions > Convert To
Static Caption.
You can also generate a static caption while placing an image. In the Place dialog box, select Create Static Captions, and
then place the caption text frame after placing the image.
Specify caption setup options
Use the Captions Settings dialog box to determine the content and formatting of captions you generate. These captions
affect only future captions you generate, not existing captions.
1 Choose Object > Captions > Caption Settings.
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2 Choose the metadata you want to include, and specify the text that appears before and after the metadata.
3 To include multiple rows of metadata, click the plus sign icon.
4 Specify the following options, and click OK.
Text Before / Text After The text that appears before or after the specified metadata.
Metadata Choose the metadata option, such as Description or City, from the list.
Alignment Specify where to place the caption in relation to the image.
Offset Specify how far apart the caption text is from the edge of the text frame next to the image.
Paragraph Style Specify a paragraph style to apply to the caption text. If you want the caption to include automatic
numbering, such as “Figure 1,” “Figure 2,” and so on, include the numbering in the paragraph style. See Create
running captions for figures and tables.
Layer Specify to which layer the caption belongs.
Group Caption With Image Indicate whether the image frame and caption text frame are grouped.
Create captions using variables
When a text frame containing a caption variable is adjacent to or grouped with an image, the caption variable displays
the metadata of that image.
Caption variables
A Text frame with caption variable not next to image B Text frame moved next to image
1 If necessary, define the caption variable you want to use. See Define caption variables .
2 Create the text frame to be used for the caption.
3 With the insertion point in the text frame, choose Type > Text Variables > Insert Variable, and then choose the
caption variable you want to include. Insert as many caption variables as needed.
4 Move the caption text frame next to an image frame, or group the caption text frame with the image frame.
If the caption variable is blank, edit the image metadata, and then use the Links panel to update the image. To edit image
metadata, see Edit metadata in image files.
Define caption variables
Caption variables are updated automatically when a text frame containing a caption variable is moved next to an image.
By default, the Name metadata is used for the variable type when you choose Type > Text Variables > Insert Variable >
Image Name. You can edit the Image Name variable, or you can create new variables that specify image metadata.
1 Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.
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2 Choose New to create a variable or Edit to edit an existing variable.
3 For Type, select Metadata Caption.
4 Choose an option from the Metadata menu.
5 Specify text that appears before or after the metadata, and then choose OK.
Tracking and reviewing changes
Track changes
A valuable feature is the ability to track changes made to a story by each contributor in the writing and editing process.
Whenever anyone adds, deletes, or moves text within an existing story, the change is marked in the Story Editor in
InDesign or the Galley and Story views in InCopy. You can then accept or reject the changes.
Use the Track Changes panel in InDesign or the Track Changes toolbar in InCopy to turn Track Changes on or off and
to show, hide, accept, or reject changes made by contributors.
Change tracking shown in Story Editor (InDesign)
A Change bars B Added text C Deleted text D Moved text (from) E Moved text (to)
Turn on change tracking
1 Choose Window > Editorial > Track Changes to open the Track Changes panel (InDesign), or choose Window >
Track Changes to open the Track Changes toolbar (InCopy).
2 With the insertion point in text, do any of the following:
• To enable change-tracking in only the current story, click the Enable Track Changes In Current Story icon
.
• (InDesign) To enable tracking in all stories, choose Enable Track Changes In All Stories from the Track Changes
panel menu.
• (InCopy) To enable tracking in all open stories in a multistory document, choose Changes > Enable Tracking In
All Stories.
3 Add, delete, or move text within the story as needed.
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How change tracking is displayed
When Track Changes is turned on, each change is marked by default as follows in Story Editor (InDesign) or in Galley
and Story views (InCopy):
The Track Changes section of the Preferences dialog box lets you choose a color to identify your changes. It also lets you
select which changes (adding, deleting, or moving text) you want tracked and the appearance of tracking.
Added text Highlighted.
Deleted text Highlighted and marked with a strikethrough.
Moved (cut-and-pasted) text Highlighted and marked with a strikethrough in its original location; highlighted and
boxed in the new location.
Note: If you cut text from one document and paste it into another, it is displayed as deleted text in the document of its
original location and as added text in its new location.
Copied text Highlighted in the new location. The original text is unchanged.
Change bars A change bar is a vertical line that appears to the left of a line of text that has been changed. You can choose
whether to show or hide change bars as you work. You can also specify what color to use for displaying the change bars.
Show or hide changes
When changes are hidden, the text appears as it would with the change-tracking feature turned off. That is, added text
is visible, deleted text is invisible, and moved or pasted text appears where it has been inserted.
(InDesign) When change-tracking is turned on, editing is tracked regardless of whether you work in Story Editor or in
the document layout. You can view changes only in Story Editor, not in the layout.
(InCopy) When change-tracking is turned on, editing is tracked regardless of whether you work in Galley, Story, or
Layout view. You can view changes only in the Galley and Story views, not the Layout view.
❖ In the Track Changes panel (InDesign) or the Track Changes toolbar (InCopy), click the Show/Hide Changes button
.
Turn off change tracking
❖ With the insertion point in text, do any of the following:
• To disable change-tracking in only the current story, click the Disable Track Changes In Current Story icon
.
• (InDesign) To disable tracking in all stories, choose Disable Track Changes In All Stories from the Track Changes
panel menu.
• (InCopy) To disable tracking in all open stories in a multistory document, choose Changes > Disable Tracking
In All Stories.
Note: If you disable tracking, no further changes are tracked. Previously tracked changes are not affected.
View change information in the Track Changes panel
1 Choose Window > Track Changes.
2 Click the insertion point in a change. The Track Changes panel displays the date, time, and other change
information.
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Accept and reject changes
When changes have been made to a story, whether by you or by others, the change-tracking feature enables you to
review all changes and decide whether to incorporate them into the story. You can accept or reject single changes, only
portions of a tracked change, or all changes at once.
When you accept a change, it becomes a normal part of the text flow and is no longer highlighted as a change. When
you reject a change, the text reverts to how it was before the change was made.
1 In Story Editor (InDesign) or Galley or Story view (InCopy), position the insertion point at the beginning of the
story.
2 In the Track Changes panel (InDesign) or the Track Changes toolbar (InCopy), click the Next Change button
.
3 Do any of the following:
• To accept the highlighted change and incorporate it into the text flow, click the Accept Change button .
• To reject the change and revert to the original text, click the Reject Change button .
To accept or reject the highlighted change and go to the next change, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS)
the Accept Change or Reject Change button.
• To move back to the previous change or skip over a change and go to the next one, click the Previous Change
button
or Next Change button
.
• To accept or reject all changes without reviewing, click the Accept All Changes In Story button
All Changes In Story button
.
or the Reject
• To accept or reject all changes in the story or in the document, or to accept or reject all changes by a certain
participant, choose the appropriate option from the Track Changes panel menu (InDesign) or from the Changes
menu (InCopy).
Note: If you change your mind about accepting or rejecting a change, you can undo the change by choosing Edit > Undo or
pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac OS).
Choosing an Accept All Changes or Reject All Changes command also applies to hidden conditional text.
Set Track Changes preferences
Preference settings let you control many tracking options. You can choose a color to identify your changes and select
what changes you want tracked: adding, deleting, or moving text. You can also set the appearance of each type of
tracked change, and you can have changes identified with colored change bars in the margins.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Track Changes (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Track Changes (Mac OS).
2 Select each type of change that you want to track.
3 For each type of change, specify the text color, background color, and marking method.
4 Select Prevent Duplicate User Colors to ensure that all users are assigned different colors.
5 To show change bars, select the Change Bars option. Choose a color from the Change Bar Color menu, and specify
whether you want change bars to appear in the left or right margin.
6 Select Include Deleted Text When Spellchecking if you want to spell-check text marked to be deleted.
7 Click OK.
Change the user name and color
1 Choose File > User.
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2 Specify the user name and color to be used for change-tracking and notes, and then click OK.
More Help topics
Adding editorial notes in InDesign
Text variables
Create and edit text variables
A text variable is an item you insert in your document that varies according to the context. For example, the Last Page
Number variable displays the page number of the last page of the document. If you add or remove pages, the variable
is updated accordingly.
InDesign includes several preset text variables that you can insert in your document. You can edit the format of these
variables, or you can create your own. Some variables, such as Running Header and Chapter Number, are especially
useful for adding to master pages to ensure consistent formatting and numbering. Other variables, such as Creation
Date and File Name, are useful for adding to the slug area for printing.
Note: Adding too much text to a variable may cause overset or compressed text. Variable text does not break across lines.
Create or edit text variables
The options available for creating the variable depend on the type of variable you specify. For example, if you choose
the Chapter Number type, you can specify text to appear both before and after the number, and you can specify the
numbering style. You can create several different variables based on the same variable type. For example, you can create
one variable that displays “Chapter 1” and another that displays “Ch. 1.”
Similarly, if you choose the Running Header type, you can specify which style is used as the basis for the header, and
you can select options for deleting end punctuation and changing the case.
1 If you want to create text variables for use in all new documents you create, close all documents. Otherwise, the text
variables you create appear only in the current document.
2 Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.
3 Click New, or select an existing variable and click Edit.
4 Type a name for the variable, such as “Full Chapter” or “Running Title.”
5 From the Type menu, choose a variable type, specify the options for that type, and then click OK.
Different options are available depending on the variable type you select.
Text Before / Text After For all variable types (except Custom Text), you can specify text that will be added before or
after the variable. For example, you can add the word “of ” before the Last Page Number variable and the phrase
“total pages” after the variable to create an “of 12 total pages” effect. You can also paste text into the boxes, but special
characters such as tabs and auto page numbers are stripped out. To insert special characters, click the triangle to the
right of the text box.
Style For all numbered variable types, you can specify the numbering style. If [Current Numbering Style] is
selected, the variable uses the same numbering style selected in the document’s Numbering & Section Options
dialog box.
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Variable types
Chapter Number
A variable created with the Chapter Number type inserts the chapter number. You can insert text before or after the
chapter number, and you can specify a numbering style.
If the document’s chapter number is set to continue from the previous document in the book, you may need to update
the book’s numbering in order for the appropriate chapter number to appear.
Creation Date, Modification Date, and Output Date
Creation Date inserts the date or time the document is first saved; Modification Date inserts the date or time the
document was last saved to disk; Output Date inserts the date or time the document starts a print job, exports to PDF,
or packages the document. You can insert text before and after the date, and you can modify the date format for all date
variables.
Date Format You can type date formats directly into the Date Format box, or you can choose format options by clicking
the triangle to the right of the box. For example, the date format “MM/dd/yy” displays as 12/22/07. By changing the
format to “MMM. d, yyyy” the date will display as Dec. 22, 2007.
Date variables use the language applied to text. For example, the creation date may appear in Spanish text as “01
diciembre 2007” and in German as “01 Dezember 2007.”
Abbreviation
Description
Example
M
Month number, no leading zero
8
MM
Month number, leading zero
08
MMM
Abbreviated month name
Aug
MMMM
Full month name
August
d
Day number, no leading zero
5
dd
Day number, leading zero
05
E
Weekday name, abbreviated
Fri
EEEE
Full weekday name
Friday
yy or YY
Year number, last two digits
07
y (Y) or yyyy (YYYY)
Full year number
2007
G or GGGG
Era, abbreviated or expanded
AD or Anno Domini
h
Hour, no leading zero
4
hh
Hour, leading zero
04
H
Hour, no leading zero, 24-hour format
16
HH
Hour, leading zero, 24-hour format
16
m
Minute, no leading zero
7
mm
Minute leading zero
07
s
Second, no leading zero
7
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Abbreviation
Description
Example
ss
Second, leading zero
07
a
AM or PM, two characters
PM
z or zzzz
Time zone, abbreviated or expanded
PST or Pacific Standard Time
File Name
This variable inserts the name of the current file into the document. It’s commonly added to the slug area of the
document for printing or used in headers and footers. In addition to Text Before and Text After, you can choose the
following options.
Include Entire Folder Path Select to include the full folder path with the file name. The standard path conventions for
either Windows or Mac OS are used.
Include File Extension Select to include the file name extension.
The File Name variable is updated whenever you save the file with a new name or to a new location. The path or
extension does not appear in the document until it’s saved.
Image Name
The Image Name variable is useful for generating automatic captions from metadata. The Image Name variable
includes a Metadata Caption variable type. If a text frame containing this variable is adjacent to or grouped with an
image, the variable displays the metadata of that image. You can edit the Image Name variable to determine which
metadata field is used.
See Define caption variables.
Last Page Number
The Last Page Number type is useful for adding the total number of pages in a document to headers and footers using
the common “Page 3 of 12” format. In this case, the number 12 is generated by the Last Page Number, and it’s updated
whenever pages are added or removed. You can insert text before or after the last page number, and you can specify a
numbering style. From the Scope menu, choose an option to determine whether the last page number in the section or
document is used.
Note that the Last Page Number variable does not count the pages in the document.
Running Header (Paragraph or Character Style)
The Running Header variables insert the first or last occurrence on the page of the text to which the specified style is
applied. If no text on the page is formatted with the specified style, the text from a previous page is used.
See Create variables for running headers and footers .
Custom Text
This variable is commonly used for inserting placeholder text, or a text string that may need to be changed quickly. For
example, if you’re working on a project that uses a code name for a company, you can create a custom text variable for
the code name. When you are able to use the real company name, you can simply change the variable to update all the
occurrences.
To insert special characters in a text variable, click the triangle to the right of the text box.
Insert text variables
1 Place the insertion point where you want the variable to appear.
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2 Choose Type > Text Variables > Insert Variable, and then choose the variable you want to insert.
The variable appears on the page as if you’d typed it in the document. For example, the Creation Date variable might
appear as December 22, 2007. If you choose Type > Show Hidden Characters, the variable instance is surrounded by a
box using the current layer color.
Note: Text variables do not break across lines.
Delete, convert, and import text variables
Use the Text Variables dialog box to delete, convert, and import text variables.
Delete text variables
If you want to delete an instance of a text variable inserted in a document, simply select the variable and press Backspace
or Delete. You can also delete the variable itself. When you do so, you can decide how to replace the variables inserted
in the document.
1 Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.
2 Select the variable, and then click Delete.
3 Specify how the variable will be replaced by specifying a different variable, converting the variable instances to text,
or deleting the variable instances altogether.
Convert text variables to text
• To convert a single instance, select the text variable in the document window, and then choose Type > Text Variables
> Convert Variable To Text.
• To convert all instances of the text variable in the document, choose Type > Text Variables > Define, select the
variable, and then click Convert To Text.
Import text variables from another document
1 Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.
2 Click Load, and then double-click the document that has the variables you want to import.
3 In the Load Text Variables dialog box, make sure that a check mark appears next to the variables you want to import.
If any existing variable has the same name as one of the imported variables, choose one of the following options
under Conflict With Existing Text Variable, and then click OK:
Use Incoming Definition Overwrites the existing variable with the loaded variable and applies its new attributes to
all text in the current document that used the old variable. The definitions of the incoming and existing variables
are displayed at the bottom of the Load Text Variables dialog box so that you can view a comparison.
Auto-Rename Renames the loaded variable.
4 Choose OK, and then click Done.
You can also copy variables to other documents when you synchronize a book file.
More Help topics
Create headers and footers
Define caption variables
Create variables for running headers and footers
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Adding editorial notes in InDesign
The Notes feature in InDesign uses the workflow user names to identify the author of a note or a tracked change. Notes
and tracked changes are color-coded for each user as defined in Notes preferences in InDesign or the User dialog box
in InCopy (File > User).
Notes can appear only in text. In InDesign, they can be printed only from the Story Editor, and they cannot be exported
to PDF.
Add editorial notes
When you add editorial notes to managed content in InDesign, these notes become available to others in the workflow.
The notes are primarily intended to be used with an InCopy workflow, but you can take advantage of them in InDesign.
For example, you can place text in notes that you might want to put into a story later. In InCopy, when you export to
Adobe PDF, notes can be converted to PDF comments.
1 Using the Type tool, click where you want to place the note, and choose Type > Notes > New Note.
When editing in Story Editor, bookends appear. In Layout view, the Notes panel appears.
2 Type your note between the note bookends, or type your note in the Notes panel.
You can add as many notes as you want in any location. However, you cannot create a note within another note.
To show or hide notes, choose View > Extras > Show Notes or Hide Notes.
Use Notes mode
Notes Mode is a convenient way to add, split, or delete notes, depending on where the insertion point is located or what
text is selected.
1 Do any of the following:
• To create a new note, place the insertion point in text.
• To convert text to a note, select the text.
• To split a note, place the insertion point inside a note.
• To convert the note to text, select the note bookends (in Story Editor).
• To move the insertion point out of a note, place the insertion point at the beginning or end of the note.
2 Choose Type > Notes > Notes Mode.
Manage notes
A note anchor marks the location of a note. The Notes panel displays the contents of the note, along with specific
information about the note.
• To convert text to a note, select text and choose Type > Notes > Convert To Note. A new note is created. The selected
text is removed from the body of the story and pasted into the new note. The note anchor or bookend is located
where the text you selected was cut.
• To convert a note to text, select the text in the Notes panel that you want to add to the text of the document. Or, in
Story Editor, select the text in the inline note. Then choose Type > Notes > Convert To Text.
• To split a note, place the insertion point in the note where you want it to be split and choose Type > Notes > Split
Note.
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• To navigate among notes, click the insertion point in the story and choose Type > Notes > Previous Note or Notes
> Next Note.
Edit Notes preferences
Preferences settings let you set the color for note anchors, bookends, and backgrounds when inline in the Story Editor.
You can also choose to display note info as a tool tip, as well as choose whether to include note content in Find/Change
operations and spell checking in the Story Editor.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Notes (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Notes (Mac OS).
2 Select a color for note anchors and note bookends from the Note Color menu. Select [User Color] to use the color
specified in the User dialog box. This is especially useful if more than one person is working on the file.
3 Select Show Note Tool Tips to display note information and some or all of the note content as a tool tip when the
mouse pointer hovers over a note anchor in Layout view or a note bookend in Story Editor.
4 Specify whether you want to include inline note content when using the Find/Change and Spell Check commands
(in Story Editor only).
Note: In Layout view, you cannot use the Find/Change and Spell Check commands to search for the contents of notes,
regardless of the settings in the Preferences dialog box. However, Change All does edit the contents of notes.
5 Select either [None] or [Note Color] (the color you chose in step 2) to use for the background color of an inline note.
6 Click OK.
More Help topics
Enter user identification
Glyphs and special characters
Glyphs panel overview
Enter glyphs by way of the Glyphs panel. The panel initially shows glyphs in the font where the cursor is located, but
you can view a different font, view a type style in the font (for example, Light, Regular, or Bold), and make the panel
display a subset of glyphs in the font (for example, math symbols, numbers, or punctuation symbols).
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Glyphs panel
A Show subset of glyphs B Tool tip C Font list D Font style
By moving the pointer over a glyph, you can read its CID/GID value, Unicode value, and name in a tool tip.
Open the Glyphs panel
❖ Choose Type > Glyphs or Window > Type & Tables > Glyphs.
Change the Glyphs panel view
• Click the cycle widget (it’s located to the left of the word “Glyphs” on the Glyphs panel) to change views of the panel.
Clicking the widget presents these views in succession: the collapsed panel, the entire panel, and the panel without
recently used glyphs.
• Click the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons in the lower-right corner of the Glyphs panel.
• Resize the Glyphs panel by dragging the lower-right corner.
Filter the glyphs that appear
❖ Do one of the following on the Show list to determine which glyphs appear on the Glyphs panel:
• Choose Entire Font to display all glyphs available in the font.
• Choose an option below Entire Font to narrow the list to a subset of glyphs. For example, Punctuation displays
only punctuation glyphs; Math Symbols narrows the choices to mathematical symbols.
Sort glyphs in the Glyphs panel
❖ Choose By CID / GID or By Unicode to determine how glyphs are sorted in the Glyphs panel.
Insert glyphs and special characters
A glyph is a specific form of a character. For example, in certain fonts, the capital letter A is available in several forms,
such as swash and small cap. You can use the Glyphs panel to locate any glyph in a font.
OpenType fonts such as Adobe Caslon™ Pro provide multiple glyphs for many standard characters. Use the Glyphs
panel when you want to insert these alternate glyphs in your document. You can also use the Glyphs panel to view and
insert OpenType attributes such as ornaments, swashes, fractions, and ligatures.
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Insert special characters
You can insert common characters such as em dashes and en dashes, registered trademark symbols, and ellipses.
1 Using the Type tool, position the insertion point where you want to insert a character.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character, and then select an option from any of the categories in the menu.
If special characters that you use repeatedly do not appear on the list of special characters, add them to a glyph set that
you create.
Insert a glyph from a specified font
1 Using the Type tool, click to place the insertion point where you want to enter a character.
2 Choose Type > Glyphs to display the Glyphs panel.
3 To display a different set of characters in the Glyphs panel, do any of the following:
• Select a different font and type style, if available. From the Show menu, choose Entire Font. Or, if you selected an
OpenType font, choose from a number of OpenType categories.
• Choose a custom glyph set from the Show menu. (See Create and edit custom glyph sets .)
4 Scroll through the display of characters until you see the glyph you want to insert. If you selected an OpenType font,
you can display a pop-up menu of alternate glyphs by clicking and holding the glyph box.
5 Double-click the character you want to insert. The character appears at the text insertion point.
Insert a recently used glyph
InDesign tracks the previous 35 distinct glyphs you inserted and makes them available under Recently Used in the first
row of the Glyphs panel (you have to expand the panel to see all 35 glyphs on the first row).
❖ Do one of the following:
• Double-click a glyph under Recently Used.
• Choose Recent Glyphs on the Show list to display all recently used glyphs in the main body of the Glyphs panel,
and then double-click a glyph.
Clear recently used glyphs
• To clear a selected glyph from the Recently Used section, right-click (Windows®) or Control-click (Mac OS) a glyph
in the Recently Used section, and then choose Delete Glyph From Recently Used.
• To clear all recently used glyphs, choose Clear All Recently Used.
Replace a character with an alternate glyph
When a character includes alternate glyphs, it appears in the Glyphs panel with a triangle icon in the lower-right corner.
You can click and hold the character in the Glyphs panel to display a pop-up menu of the alternate glyphs, or you can
display alternate glyphs in the Glyphs panel.
Selecting alternate glyphs in OpenType font
1 Choose Type > Glyphs to display the Glyphs panel.
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2 Select Alternates For Selection from the Show list.
3 Using the Type tool, select a character in your document.
4 Do one of the following to replace the selected character in the document:
• Double-click a glyph in the Glyphs panel.
• Select a glyph on the menu.
Display OpenType glyph attributes in the Glyphs panel
For easy selection, the Glyphs panel allows you to display characters for only the selected OpenType attributes. You can
select various options from the Show menu in the Glyphs panel.
Note: Do not confuse these options with those that appear on the Glyphs panel menu, which let you apply forms to selected
text. (See Apply OpenType font attributes .)
Show menu options in the Glyphs panel
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Show menu options in the Glyphs panel
1 In the Glyphs panel, choose an OpenType font from the font list.
2 Choose an option from the Show menu.
The options displayed vary depending on which font is selected. For information on applying OpenType font attributes,
see Apply OpenType font attributes . For more information on OpenType fonts, see www.adobe.com/go/opentype.
Highlight alternate glyphs in the text
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).
2 Select Substituted Glyphs, and then click OK. Substituted glyphs in the text are highlighted in nonprinting yellow.
Create and edit custom glyph sets
A glyph set is a named collection of glyphs from one or more fonts. Saving commonly used glyphs in a glyph set prevents
you from having to look for them each time you need to use them. Glyph sets are not attached to any particular
document; they are stored with other InDesign preferences in a separate file that can be shared.
You can determine whether the font is remembered with the added glyph. Remembering fonts is useful, for example,
when you are working with dingbat characters that may not appear in other fonts. If a glyph’s font is remembered, but
the font is missing, the font’s square appears in pink in the Glyphs panel and the Edit Glyph Set dialog box. If a font is
not remembered with an added glyph, a “u” appears next to the glyph, indicating that the font’s unicode value
determines the appearance of the glyph.
Create a custom glyph set
1 Choose Type > Glyphs.
2 Do one of the following:
• From the Glyphs panel menu, choose New Glyph Set.
• Open the context menu on the Glyphs panel and choose New Glyph Set.
3 Type the name of the glyph set.
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4 Choose the insert order in which glyphs will be added to the glyph set, and click OK:
Insert At Front Each new glyph is listed first in the set.
Append At End Each new glyph is listed last in the set.
Unicode Order All glyphs are listed by the order of their unicode values.
5 To add glyphs to the custom set, select the font containing the glyph at the bottom of the Glyphs panel, click the
glyph to select it, and then choose the name of the custom glyph set from the Add To Glyph Set menu on the Glyphs
panel menu.
View a custom glyph set
❖ Do one of the following on the Glyphs panel:
• Choose the glyph set on the Show list.
• On the Glyphs panel menu, choose View Glyph Set, and then the name of the glyph set.
Edit custom glyph sets
1 Choose Edit Glyph Set from the Glyph panel menu, and then choose the custom glyph set.
2 Select the glyph you want to edit, do any of the following, and then click OK:
• To bind the glyph to its font, select Remember Font With Glyph. A glyph that remembers its font ignores the font
applied to the selected text in the document when the glyph is inserted into that text. It also ignores the font
specified in the Glyph panel itself. If you deselect this option, the Unicode value of the current font is used.
• To view additional glyphs, choose a different font or style. If the glyph is not defined with a font, you cannot select
a different font.
• To remove a glyph from the custom glyph set, choose Delete From Set.
• To change the order in which glyphs are added to the set, choose an Insert Order option. Unicode Order is not
available if Insert At Front or Append At End was selected when the glyph set was created.
Delete glyphs from custom glyph sets
1 In the Glyphs panel, choose the Custom Glyph Set from the Show menu.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a glyph, and then choose Delete Glyph From Set.
Delete custom glyph sets
1 Do one of the following:
• From the Glyphs panel menu, choose Delete Glyph Set.
• From the context menu, choose Delete Glyph Set.
2 Click the name of a custom glyph set.
3 Click Yes to confirm.
Save and load glyph sets
Custom glyph sets are stored in files kept in the Glyph Sets folder, a subfolder of the Presets folder. You can copy glyph
set files to other computers and in so doing make custom glyph sets available to others. Copy glyph set files to and from
these folders to share them with others:
Mac OS Users\[username]\Library\Preferences\Adobe InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Glyph Sets
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Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Glyph
Sets
Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Glyph
Sets
Use quotation marks
You can specify different quotation marks for different languages. These quotation mark characters appear
automatically during typing if the Use Typographer’s Quotes option is selected in the Type section of the Preferences
dialog box.
Specify which quotation marks to use
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).
2 Choose a language from the Language menu.
3 Do any of the following, and then click OK:
• For Double Quotes, select a pair of quotation marks, or type the pair of characters you want to use.
• For Single Quotes, select a pair of quotation marks, or type the pair of characters you want to use.
Insert straight quotation marks
❖ Do one of the following:
• Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Quotation Marks > Straight Double Quotation Marks or Straight
Single Quotation Mark (Apostrophe).
• Deselect the Use Typographer’s Quotes option in the Type section of the Preferences dialog box, and then type
the quotation mark or apostrophe.
• Press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+' (Windows) or Shift+Command+Option+' (Mac OS) to switch between turning on and
off the Use Typographer’s Quotes preferences option.
The character frequently used to indicate feet, arcminutes, or minutes of time is the prime mark. It looks like a slanted
apostrophe. The character frequently used to indicate inches, arcseconds, or seconds of time is the double prime mark.
These symbols are different from apostrophes and double quotation marks. Some fonts include the prime and double prime
marks. Use the Glyphs panel to insert these marks. If the font doesn’t have a prime or double prime mark, insert the straight
quotation mark, and italicize it.
Insert white space characters
A white space character is a blank space that appears between characters. You can use white-space characters for many
different purposes, such as preventing two words from being broken at the end of a line.
1 Using the Type tool, position the insertion point where you want to insert a certain amount of white space.
2 Choose Type > Insert White Space, and then select one of the spacing options (such as Em Space) in the context
menu.
Representative symbols of the white-space characters appear when you choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.
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White space options
The following options appear on the Type > Insert White Space menu:
Ideographic Space
This is a space that is based on a full-width character in Asian languages. It wraps to the next line as with other fullwidth characters.
Em Space
Equal in width to the size of the type. In 12-point type, an em space is 12 points wide.
En Space
One-half the width of an em space.
Nonbreaking Space
The same flexible width as pressing the spacebar, but it prevents the line from being broken at the space character.
Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width)
A fixed width space prevents the line from being broken at the space character, but does not expand or compress in
justified text. The fixed width space is identical to the Nonbreaking Space character inserted in InDesign CS2.
Third Space
One-third the width of an em space.
Quarter Space
One-fourth the width of an em space.
Sixth Space
One-sixth the width of an em space.
Flush Space
Adds a variable amount of space to the last line of a fully justified paragraph, useful for justifying text in the last line.
(See Change Justification settings.)
Hair Space
One-twenty-fourth the width of an em space.
Thin Space
One-eighth the width of an em space. You may want to use a thin space on either side of an em dash or en dash.
Figure Space
Same width as a number in the typeface. Use a figure space to help align numbers in financial tables.
Punctuation Space
Same width as an exclamation point, period, or colon in the typeface.
About Adobe SING Glyphlet Manager
The Adobe SING Glyphlet Manager is a utility for installing and searching for glyphlets. It is not included in Adobe
Creative Suite 5.
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More Help topics
OpenType fonts
Create hanging punctuation
Linked stories (CS5.5)
Replicating content across various pages is no easy task; copy-pasting is error prone and time consuming. Use linked
stories to manage multiple versions of a story or text content in the same document. Linked stories make it easier to
support emerging workflows, where for example, you need to design for vertical and horizontal layouts. Linked stories
also work well for traditional print and publishing workflows, where you might need to synchronize boilerplate text on
different pages.
Linked stories behave similar to traditional links. You can designate a story as the parent, and then place the same story
at other places in the document as child stories. Whenever you update the parent story, the child stories are flagged in
the Links panel and you can update them to synchronize with the parent story. You can create linked stories using
regular stories or text on path stories. Anchored objects inside stories are also supported.
Linked stories remain in sync when you update any applied styles InDesign styles.
Linked stories are flagged as out of sync in the Links panel, even though there are no visible changes. Global changes
in the document that causes InDesign to recompose the stories, flags the links. These global changes may be due to
updates to options or definitions of the following:
• Footnotes
• Text variables
• Conditional text
• Swatches
• XML Tags
• Named grids
Additionally, if you replace all fonts, or replace all instances of an object, InDesign recomposes all the stories, and flags
the links.
Create a linked story
1 Select a story by either selecting the text frame or place the insertion cursor in the text. You can also select multiple
stories by using Shift+Click if you’re selecting text frames.
2 Choose Edit > Place and Link Story. The cursor is loaded with the story.
3 Click in an existing empty text frame or draw a frame to place the linked story.
The
icon displays on the upper-left corner of linked story. The story is displayed as linked story in the Links panel.
By default, the name of the story in the Links panel is created using the first few characters of the original story.
You can also change the default name of linked story through Layers panel.
Specify linked story options
1 In the Links panel, select the linked story.
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2 From the Links panel menu, choose Linked Story Options.
3 Select the options as required:
• Update Link When Saving Document
• Warn if Link Update will Overwrite Local Edits
• Remove Forced Line Breaks
Tip: To specify default story options, with all documents closed, open the links panel menu and choose Linked Story
Options.
Tip: To specify Linked Story Options while creating linked stories, press the Shift key when you choose Edit > Place
and Link Story.
Update a linked story
If an original story is edited, the Links panel displays
❖ In the Links panel, double-click
next to the linked story.
to update the child story.
If you have made local edits to a child story, the edits are overwritten with content from the original story. If you set
Warn if Link Update Will Overwrite Local Edits, a warning message displays.
Use the Link Info pane to determine if you’ve made local edits to the story; story status displays “Text Modified” if you’ve
made local edits.
Edit original story
If you’re working on a linked story, and need to go to the original story, do the following:
1 In the Links panel, select the linked story.
2 Click
or choose Edit Original from the Links panel menu (
).
Focus shifts to the page that contains the original story.
Creating bullets and numbering (video 12:16)
See how to create bullets and add them to your layout.
Creating bullets and numbering (video 12:16)
Creating conditional text (video 6:48)
Learn how to use conditional text in InDesign.
Creating conditional text (video 6:48)
Creating footnotes (video 2:44)
In this short video, learn the essentials of adding footnotes.
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Creating footnotes (video 2:44)
Linking text stories (PDF, 217 KB)
A short tutorial on the Place and Link Story feature in InDesign CS5.5.
Linking text stories (PDF, 217 KB)
Track text changes (video 2:01)
Learn how to collaborate with even greater efficiency using new Track Text Changes in InDesign CS5 and later.
Track text changes (video 2:01)
Working with markers
Working with markers
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Chapter 5: Styles
Paragraph and character styles
About character and paragraph styles
A character style is a collection of character formatting attributes that can be applied to text in a single step. A paragraph
style includes both character and paragraph formatting attributes, and can be applied to a paragraph or range of
paragraphs. Paragraph styles and character styles are found on separate panels. Paragraph and characters styles are
sometimes called text styles.
A named grid format can be applied to a frame grid in the Frame Grid format settings. (See Named Grids panel
overview .) You can also use create an object style with grid characteristics. (See About object styles.)
When you change the formatting of a style, all text to which the style has been applied will be updated with the new
format.
You can create, edit, and delete styles in stand-alone Adobe InCopy documents or in InCopy content that is linked to
an Adobe InDesign CS4 document. When the contents are updated in InDesign, new styles are added to the InDesign
document, but any style modifications made in InCopy will be overridden by the InDesign style. For linked content, it
is usually best to manage your styles in InDesign.
[Basic Paragraph] styles
By default, each new document contains a [Basic Paragraph] style that is applied to text you type. You can edit this style,
but you can’t rename or delete it. You can rename and delete styles that you create. You can also select a different default
style to apply to text.
Character style attributes
Unlike paragraph styles, character styles do not include all the formatting attributes of selected text. Instead, when you
create a character style, InDesign makes only those attributes that are different from the formatting of the selected text
part of the style. That way, you can create a character style that, when applied to text, changes only some attributes, such
as the font family and size, ignoring all other character attributes. If you want other attributes to be part of the style, add
them when editing the style.
Next Style
You can automatically apply styles as you type text. If, for example, your document’s design calls for the style “body text”
to follow a heading style named “heading 1,” you can set the Next Style option for “heading 1” to “body text.” After
you’ve typed a paragraph styled with “heading 1,” pressing Enter or Return starts a new paragraph styled with “body
text.”
If you use the context menu when applying a style to two or more paragraphs, you can cause the parent style to be
applied to the first paragraph and the Next Style to be applied to the additional paragraphs. (See Apply styles .)
To use the Next Style feature, choose a style from the Next Style menu when you’re creating or editing a style.
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Jeff Witchel provides a video tutorial about using the Next Style feature at Using the Next Style feature.
Styles panel overview
Use the Character Styles panel to create, name, and apply character styles to text within a paragraph; use the Paragraph
Styles panel to create, name, and apply paragraph styles to entire paragraphs. Styles are saved with a document and
display in the panel each time you open that document.
When you select text or position the insertion point, any style that has been applied to that text is highlighted in either
of the Styles panels, unless the style is in a collapsed style group. If you select a range of text that contains multiple styles,
no style is highlighted in the Styles panel. If you select a range of text to which multiple styles are applied, the Styles
panel displays “(Mixed).”
Open the Paragraph Styles panel
❖ Choose Type > Paragraph Styles, or click the Paragraph Styles tab, which appears by default on the right side of the
application window.
Open the Character Styles panel
❖ Choose Type > Character Styles, or click the Character Styles tab on the right side of the application window.
Add paragraph and character styles
If the styles you want already exist in another InDesign, InCopy, or word-processing document, you can import those
styles for use in your current document. If you are working with a stand-alone story, you can also define character and
paragraph styles in InCopy.
Define paragraph or character styles
1 If you want to base a new style on the formatting of existing text, select that text or place the insertion point in it.
If a group is selected in the Styles panel, the new style will be part of that group.
2 Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu, or choose New Character Style from the
Character Styles panel menu.
3 For Style Name, type a name for your new style.
4 For Based On, select which style the current style is based on.
Note: The Based On option lets you link styles to each other, so that changes in one style ripple through the styles that
are based on it. By default, new styles are based on [No Paragraph Style] for paragraph styles or [None] for character
styles, or on the style of any currently selected text.
5 For Next Style (Paragraph Styles panel only), specify which style is applied after the current style when you press
Enter or Return.
6 To add a keyboard shortcut, position the insertion point in the Shortcut box, and make sure Num Lock is turned
on. Then hold down any combination of Shift, Alt, and Ctrl (Windows), or Shift, Option, and Command (Mac OS),
and press a number on the numeric keypad. You cannot use letters or non-keypad numbers for defining style
shortcuts. If your keyboard does not have a Num Lock key, you cannot add keyboard shortcuts to styles.
7 If you want the new style to be applied to the selected text, select Apply Style To Selection.
8 To specify the formatting attributes, click a category (such as Basic Character Formats) on the left, and specify the
attributes you want to add to your style.
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When specifying a Character Color in the Style Options dialog box, you can create a new color by double-clicking
the fill or stroke box.
9 For character styles, attributes you do not specify are ignored; when the style is applied, text will retain the paragraph
style formatting for that attribute. To remove an attribute setting from a character style:
• From a setting’s menu, choose (Ignore).
• In a text box, delete the option text.
• In a check box, click until you see a small box (Windows) or a hyphen (-) (Mac OS).
• For a character color, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click the color swatch.
10 When you’ve finished specifying the formatting attributes, click OK.
Styles you create appear only in the current document. If no document is open, the styles you create will appear in all
new documents.
Base one paragraph or character style on another
Many document designs feature hierarchies of styles sharing certain attributes. The headings and subheads, for
example, often use the same font. You can easily create links between similar styles by creating a base, or parent, style.
When you edit the parent style, the child styles will change as well. You can then edit the child styles to distinguish them
from the parent style.
To create a style that’s nearly identical to another style, but without the parent-child relationship, use the Duplicate Style
command and then edit the copy.
1 Create a new style.
2 In the New Paragraph Style or New Character Style dialog box, select the parent style in the Based On menu. The
new style becomes the child style.
By default, new styles are based on [No Paragraph Style] or [None], or on the style of any currently selected text.
3 Specify formatting in the new style to distinguish it from the style on which it’s based. For example, you might want
to make the font used in a subheading slightly smaller than the one used in the heading (parent) style.
If you make changes to the formatting of a child style and decide you want to start over, click Reset To Base. That restores
the child style’s formatting to be identical to the style on which it’s based. Then you can specify new formatting. Similarly,
if you change the Based On style of the child style, the child style definition is updated to match its new parent style.
Import styles from other documents
You can import paragraph and character styles from another InDesign document (any version) into the active
document. During import, you can determine which styles are loaded and what should occur if a loaded style has the
same name as a style in the current document. You can also import styles from an InCopy document.
You can import paragraph styles and character styles from an InDesign or InCopy document into a stand-alone InCopy
document or InCopy content that is linked to InDesign. You can determine which styles are loaded, and what should
occur if a loaded style has the same name as a style in the current document.
Note: If you import styles into linked content, new styles are added to the InDesign document when the content is updated,
and any style with a name conflict is overridden by the InDesign style with the same name.
1 In the Character Styles or Paragraph Styles panel, do one of the following:
• Choose Load Character Styles or Load Paragraph Styles in the Styles panel menu.
• Choose Load All Text Styles in the Styles panel menu to load both character and paragraph styles.
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2 Double-click the InDesign document containing the styles you want to import.
3 In the Load Styles dialog box, make sure that a check mark appears next to the styles you want to import. If any
existing style has the same name as one of the imported styles, choose one of the following options under Conflict
With Existing Style, and then click OK:
Use Incoming Style Definition Overwrites the existing style with the loaded style and applies its new attributes to all
text in the current document that used the old style. The definitions of the incoming and existing styles are displayed
at the bottom of the Load Styles dialog box so that you can view a comparison.
Auto-Rename Renames the loaded style. For example, if both documents have a Subheading style, the loaded style
is renamed “Subheading copy” in the current document.
You can also use the Books feature to share styles. (See Synchronize book documents.)
Map styles to export tags | CC, CS6, CS5.5
Introduction to export tags
Use Export Tagging to define how text with InDesign styles is marked up in HTML, EPUB, or tagged PDF output.
You can also specify CSS class names to add to the exported content. In EPUB/HTML export, CSS classes can be used
to differentiate between slight variations in styling. It is not required that you enter a class name - InDesign
automatically generates one based on the Style Name.
You cannot preview Export Tagging within the InDesign layout, as it only impacts the exported EPUB, HTML, or PDF
file.
Edit All Export Tags lets you efficiently view and modify the mappings in a single dialog box.
Define style-tag mapping
1 For the style to map, open the paragraph, character, or Object Style Options dialog box.
2 Click Export Tagging in the left pane, and do one of the following:
• Choose a Tag to map for EPUB and HTML output.
• Specify a Class to map for EPUB and HTML output. Class names are used to generate style definitions for default
tags.
• If you want to include this style in the CSS, select the Emit CSS checkbox. If you don’t select the checkbox, no
CSS class will be generated for this style. If you have two or more styles having the same class assigned, InDesign
displays an error/warning message while exporting. This option is available only in InDesign CC.
• Choose a Tag to map for PDF output. This option is available only for paragraph styles.
Edit all export tags
You can view and modify all export tags together in a single window.
1 Select Edit All Export Tags in the Paragraph, Character, or Object style panel menu.
2 Click EPUB and HTML, or PDF.
3 Click the tag corresponding to the style. It gets converted to a list; choose the new value.
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Convert Word styles to InDesign styles
While importing a Microsoft Word document into InDesign or InCopy, you can map each style used in Word to a
corresponding style in InDesign or InCopy. By doing so, you specify which styles format the imported text. A disk icon
appears next to each imported Word style until you edit the style in InDesign or InCopy.
1 Do one of the following:
• To add the Word document to existing text in InDesign or InCopy, choose File > Place. Select Show Import
Options, and then double-click the Word document.
• To open the Word document in a stand-alone InCopy document, start InCopy, choose File > Open, and then
double-click the Word file.
2 Select Preserve Styles And Formatting From Text And Tables.
3 Select Customized Style Import, and then click Style Mapping.
4 In the Style Mapping dialog box, select the Word style, and then select an option from the menu under InDesign
style. You can choose the following options:
• If there is no style name conflict, choose New Paragraph Style, New Character Style, or choose an existing
InDesign style.
• If there is a style name conflict, choose Redefine InDesign Style to format the imported style text with the Word
style. Choose an existing InDesign style to format the imported style text with the InDesign style. Choose Auto
Rename to rename the Word style.
5 Click OK to close the Style Mapping dialog box, and then click OK to import the document.
Apply styles
By default, applying a paragraph style won’t remove any existing character formatting or character styles applied to part
of a paragraph, although you have the option of removing existing formatting when you apply a style. A plus sign (+)
appears next to the current paragraph style in the Styles panel if the selected text uses a character or paragraph style and
also uses additional formatting that isn’t part of the applied style. Such additional formatting is called an override or
local formatting.
Character styles remove or reset character attributes of existing text if those attributes are defined by the style.
Apply a character style
1 Select the characters to which you want to apply the style.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the character style name in the Character Styles panel.
• Select the character style name from the drop-down list in the Control panel.
• Press the keyboard shortcut you assigned to the style. (Make sure that Num Lock is on.)
Apply a paragraph style
1 Click in a paragraph, or select all or part of the paragraphs to which you want to apply the style.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the paragraph style name in the Paragraph Styles panel.
• Select the paragraph style name from the menu in the Control panel.
• Press the keyboard shortcut you assigned to the style. (Make sure that Num Lock is on.)
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3 If any unwanted formatting remains in the text, choose Clear Overrides from the Paragraph Styles panel.
Apply sequential styles to multiple paragraphs
The Next Style option specifies which style will be automatically applied when you press Enter or Return after applying
a particular style. It also lets you apply different styles to multiple paragraphs in a single action.
For example, suppose you have three styles for formatting a newspaper column: Title, Byline, and Body. Title uses Byline
for Next Style, Byline uses Body for Next Style, and Body uses [Same Style] for Next Style. If you select an entire article,
including the title, the author’s byline, and the paragraphs in the article, and then apply the Title style using the special
“Next Style” command in the context menu, the article’s first paragraph will be formatted with the Title style, the second
paragraph will be formatted with the Byline style, and all other paragraphs will be formatted with the Body style.
Before and after applying a style with Next Style.
1 Select the paragraphs to which you want to apply the styles.
2 In the Paragraph Styles panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the parent style, and then choose
Apply [Style Name] Then Next Style.
If the text includes formatting overrides or character styles, the context menu also lets you remove overrides, character
styles, or both.
Edit character and paragraph styles
One of the advantages of using styles is that when you change the definition of a style, all of the text formatted with that
style changes to match the new style definition.
Note: If you edit styles in InCopy content that’s linked to an InDesign document, the modifications are overridden when
the linked content is updated.
Edit a style using the dialog box
1 Do one of the following:
• If you don’t want the style to be applied to selected text, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the
style name in the Styles panel, and choose Edit [style name].
• In the Styles panel, double-click the style name, or select the style and choose Style Options in the Styles panel
menu. Note that this applies the style to any selected text or text frame or, if no text or text frame is selected, sets
the style as the default style for any text you type in new frames.
2 Adjust settings in the dialog box, and then click OK.
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Redefine a style to match selected text
After you apply a style, you can override any of its settings. If you decide you like the changes you made, you can
redefine the style so that it matches the formatting of the text you changed.
Note: If you redefine styles in InCopy content linked to an InDesign document, the modifications are overridden when the
linked content is updated.
1 Using the Type tool
, select the text formatted with the style you want to redefine.
2 Make changes to the paragraph or character attributes as necessary.
3 Choose Redefine Style in the Styles panel menu.
Delete character or paragraph styles
When you delete a style, you can select a different style to replace it, and you can choose whether to preserve the
formatting. When you delete a style group, you delete all styles within the group. You are prompted to replace each style
in the group one at a time.
1 Select the style name in the Styles panel.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Delete Style in the panel menu or click the Delete icon
at the bottom of the panel.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the style, and then choose Delete Style. This method is
especially useful for deleting a style without applying it to text.
3 In the Delete Paragraph Style dialog box, select the style to replace it.
If you select [No Paragraph Style] to replace a paragraph style or [None] to replace a character style, select Preserve
Formatting to keep the formatting of text to which the style is applied. The text preserves its formatting but is no
longer associated with a style.
4 Click OK.
To delete all unused styles, choose Select All Unused in the Styles panel menu, and then click the Delete icon. When you
delete an unused style, you are not prompted to replace the style.
Override character and paragraph styles
When you apply a paragraph style, character styles and other previous formatting remain intact. After you apply a style,
you can override any of its settings by applying formatting that’s not part of the style. When formatting that is not part
of a style is applied to text with that style applied, it is called an override or local formatting. When you select text with
an override, a plus sign (+) appears next to the style name. In character styles, an override is displayed only if the applied
attribute is part of the style. For example, if a character style only changes text color, applying a different font size to the
text does not appear as an override.
You can clear character styles and formatting overrides when you apply a style. You can also clear overrides from a
paragraph to which a style has been applied.
If a style has a plus sign (+) next to it, hold the mouse pointer over the style to view a description of the override
attributes.
Preserve or remove overrides when applying paragraph styles
• To apply a paragraph style and preserve character styles, but remove overrides, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac OS) as you click the name of the style in the Paragraph Styles panel.
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• To apply a paragraph style and remove both character styles and overrides, hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or
Option+Shift (Mac OS) as you click the name of the style in the Paragraph Styles panel.
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the style in the Paragraph Styles panel, and then choose an option
from the context menu. You can then clear overrides, character styles, or both while applying the style.
Clear paragraph style overrides
1 Select the text containing the overrides. You can even select multiple paragraphs with different styles.
2 In the Paragraph Styles panel, do any of the following:
• To remove paragraph and character formatting, click the Clear Overrides icon
from the Paragraph Styles panel.
, or choose Clear Overrides
• To remove character overrides, but preserve paragraph formatting overrides, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS) as you click the Clear Overrides icon.
• To remove paragraph-level overrides, but preserve character-level overrides, in the Paragraph Styles panel, hold
down Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (Mac OS) as you click the Clear Overrides icon.
Note: When you clear overrides, paragraph-level overrides are removed from the entire paragraph, even if only part of
the paragraph is selected. Character-level overrides are removed only from the selection.
Clearing overrides does not remove character style formatting. To remove character style formatting, select the text
containing the character style, and then click [None] in the Character Styles panel.
Break the link between text and its style
When you break the link between text and its style, the text retains its current formatting. However, future changes to
that style will not be reflected in the text that was separated from the style.
1 Select the text that is marked with the style that you want to break from.
2 Choose Break Link To Style from the Styles panel menu.
If no text is selected when you choose Break Link To Style, any new text you type uses the same formatting as the
selected style, but no style is assigned to that text.
Convert style bullets and numbering to text
When you create a style that adds bullets or numbering to paragraphs, these bullets and numbers may be lost if the text
is copied or exported to a different application. To avoid this problem, convert the style bullets or numbering to text.
Note: If you convert style bullets in an InCopy story linked to an InDesign layout, the change may be overridden when the
content is updated in InDesign.
1 In the Paragraph Styles panel, select the style that contains the bullets and numbering.
2 In the Paragraph Styles panel menu, choose Convert “[style]” Bullets and Numbering to Text.
If you convert bullets and numbering to text in a style on which another style is based (a parent style), the bullets and
numbering in the child style are also converted to text.
After you convert numbering to text, you may need to update numbers manually if you edit the text.
Find and replace character and paragraph styles
Use the Find/Change dialog box to find instances of a particular style and replace it with another.
1 Choose Edit > Find/Change.
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2 For Search, select Document to change the style throughout the document.
3 Leave the Find What and Change To options blank. If the Find Format and Change Format boxes don’t appear at
the bottom of the dialog box, click More Options.
4 Click the Find Format box to display the Find Format Settings dialog box. Under Style Options, select the character
or paragraph style you want to search for, and then click OK.
5 Click the Change Format box to display the Change Format Settings dialog box. Under Style Options, select the
replacement character or paragraph style, and then click OK.
6 Click Find, and then use the Change, Change/Find, or Change All buttons to replace the style.
More Help topics
Group styles
Create nested styles
Create named grid formats
Duplicate styles or style groups
Place (import) text
Paste text
Use Quick Apply
Group styles
Create a paragraph style for running lists
Find and change text
Find and change fonts
Object styles
About object styles
Just as you use paragraph and character styles to quickly format text, you can use object styles to quickly format graphics
and frames. Object styles include settings for stroke, color, transparency, drop shadows, paragraph styles, text wrap, and
more. You can assign different transparency effects for the object, fill, stroke, and text.
You can apply object styles to objects, groups, and frames (including text frames). A style can either clear and replace
all object settings or it can replace only specific settings, leaving other settings unchanged. You control which settings
the style affects by including or excluding a category of settings in the definition.
You can also apply object styles to frame grids. By default, any frame grid you create uses the [Basic Grid] object style.
You can edit the [Basic Grid] style or you can apply other object styles to the grid. When you create or edit an object
style for a frame grid, use the Story Options section to specify writing direction, frame type, and named grid.
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When creating styles, you might find that several styles share some of the same characteristics. Rather than setting those
characteristics each time you define the next style, you can base one object style on another. When you change the base
style, any shared attributes that appear in the “parent” style change in the “child” style as well.
Object Styles panel overview
Use the Object Styles panel to create, edit, and apply object styles. For each new document, the panel initially lists a
default set of object styles. Object styles are saved with a document and display in the panel each time you open that
document. The Text Frame icon marks the default style for text frames; the Graphics Frame icon marks the
default style for graphics frames and drawn shapes.
Use the Object Styles panel to create, name, and apply object styles. For each new document, the panel initially lists a
default set of object styles. Object styles are saved with a document and display in the panel each time you open that
document. The Text Frame icon marks the default style for text frames; the Graphics Frame icon marks the
default style for graphic frames; the Grid icon
marks the default style for frame grids.
Open the Object Style panel
❖ Choose Window > Styles > Object Styles.
Change how object styles are listed in the panel
• Select Small Panel Rows from the panel menu to display a more condensed version of the object styles.
• Drag the object style to a different position. When a black line appears in the desired position, release the mouse
button.
• Select Sort By Name from the panel menu to list the object styles in alphabetical order.
Define object styles
You can define a style based on the settings you’ve already applied to an object, or you can create a style from scratch
or based on another style.
1 Select the object or text frame that uses the settings you want the object style to include.
2 Choose New Object Style from the Object Styles panel menu, or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the
Create New Style button.
3 In the New Object Style dialog box, type a name for the style.
4 To base the style on another style, choose a style for Based On.
Note: The Based On option lets you link styles to each other, so that changes in one style ripple through the styles that
are based on it. If you make changes to the formatting of a child style and decide you want to start over, click Reset To
Base. That restores the child style’s formatting to be identical to the style on which it’s based.
5 To add a keyboard shortcut, position the insertion point in the Shortcut box, and make sure Num Lock is turned
on. Then hold down any combination of Shift, Alt, and Ctrl (Windows) or Shift, Option, and Command (Mac OS),
and press a number on the numeric keypad. You cannot use letters or non-keypad numbers for defining style
shortcuts.
6 Under Basic Attributes, select any additional categories that contain options you want to define, and set the options
as desired. Click the check box to the left of each category to indicate whether it should be included or ignored in
the style.
Use the Story Options category to specify the writing direction, frame type, and named grid of a grid object style.
The named grid stores frame grid settings that can be applied to any frame grid.
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7 To apply effects, choose an option in Effects For (Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text), and then select categories of effects
and specify their settings. You can specify different effects for each category. Indicate which Effects categories should
be turned on, turned off, or ignored in the style.
8 Under Export Options, select an option and specify export parameters for the option. You can define Alt text for
placed images and graphics. For tagged PDFs, you can apply tags and actual text settings. For HTML and EPUB
layouts, you can specify different conversion settings on each object so that they render well on different screen sizes
and pixel densities.
Note: Object export options are used to specify export parameters required when you export to different formats such
as EPUB, HTML, or accessible PDFs. Object export options are applied to both text frames and graphic frames, as well
as groups. See Object export options .
9 Click OK.
Object style categories
If you want the style to apply only certain attributes, leaving any other settings untouched, make sure that the categories
you want the style to control are in the appropriate state. You can use any of three states for each category: turned on,
turned off, or ignored. For example, checking the Drop Shadow box will include drop shadow formatting in the object
style. Deselecting the Drop Shadow box will indicate that drop shadow is turned off as part of the style — any drop
shadow applied to an object appears as an override. Setting the Drop Shadow box to “ignore” (a small box in Windows
or a hyphen in Mac OS) will leave drop shadow out of the style, so any drop shadow applied to the style does not appear
as an override.
Object style categories
A Turned on B Ignored C Turned off
Note: Categories in which the settings can be turned on or off individually, such as Fill, Stroke, and Transparency, have only
two states. They can either be turned on or ignored.
The Paragraph Styles category is ignored by default, even if you’re creating a text frame. This category is applicable only
if the object is an unthreaded text frame.
Apply object styles
If you apply an object style to a group of objects, the object style is applied to each object in the group. To apply an object
style to a group of objects, nest the objects within a frame. (The Edit > Paste Into command is one way to paste an object
into a frame.)
1 Select an object, frame, or group.
2 Click an object style in the Control panel or the Object Styles panel to apply a style.
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If you choose Clear Overrides When Applying Style from the Object Styles panel, clicking an object style clears
overrides by default. If this option is not selected, you can Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the object
style to clear overrides while applying the style.
You can also drag an object style onto an object to apply the style without first selecting the object.
If a group is selected when you apply an object style, the style is applied to each object in the group.
Once you apply a style, you can apply other settings to the object as needed. Although you may override a setting
defined in the style, you do not lose the connection to the style.
Use default object styles
For each new document, the Object Styles panel lists a default set of object styles. Whenever you create an object, an
object style is applied to it. By default, if you create a text frame, the [Basic Text Frame] object style is applied. If you
draw a path or shape, the [Basic Graphics Frame] object style is applied. If you place an image or draw a placeholder
shape that has an X in it, the [None] object style is applied. You can select a different object style to use as the default
for text frames and graphics frames.
For each new document, the Object Styles panel lists a default set of object styles. Whenever you create an object, an
object style is applied to it. By default, if you create a text frame, the [Basic Text Frame] object style is applied. If you
place an image or draw a path or shape, the [Basic Graphics Frame] object style is applied. If you create a frame grid,
the [Basic Grid] object style is applied. If you draw a placeholder shape that has an X in it, the [None] object style is
applied. You can select a different object style to use as the default for each of these object types.
• To change the default style for a text frame, choose Default Text Frame Style from the Object Styles panel menu, and
then select the object style.
• To change the default style for a graphics frame, choose Default Graphics Frame Style from the Object Styles panel
menu, and then select the object style.
• Graphic placeholder frames (with an X in them), always use the [None] style as default. You cannot specify an object
style as default.
• To change the default style for a grid frame, choose Default Grid Style from the Object Styles panel menu, and then
select the object style.
• To change the default style for any object type, drag the icon that marks the default object type from one object style
to another.
Note: If you select an object style when no frame is selected, that object style becomes the new default object style for text
or graphics, depending on which tool is selected in the toolbox.
Note: If you select an object style when no frame is selected, that object style becomes the new default object style for text,
graphics, or grid frames, depending on which tool is selected in the toolbox.
You can edit the [Basic] styles, but you cannot delete them.
Clear object style overrides
When formatting is applied to an object that differs from part of the style definition applied to that object, it is called
an override. When you select an object with an override, a plus sign (+) appears next to the style name.
Use the Clear Overrides command to override any formatting that is either turned on or off in the object style; use the
Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style to clear ignored attributes.
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Clear object style overrides
1 Select an object or group that you want to change.
2 In the Object Styles panel, click the Clear Overrides button
at the bottom of the Object Styles panel.
An override is displayed only if the applied attribute is part of the style.
Clear attributes ignored in an object style
You may want to remove attributes from an object, even if those attributes are ignored in a style. For example, if the Fill
category is ignored in an object style and you apply a red fill to a frame to which the object style is applied, choosing
Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style removes the red fill.
Note: If an object style category is turned off (unchecked) rather than ignored, use the Clear Overrides command to
override the style.
1 Select an object or group that you want to change.
2 In the Object Styles panel, click the Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style button
at the bottom of the Object
Styles panel.
Break the link to an object style
You can break the link between an object and the style applied to it. The object will retain the same attributes, but will
no longer change if the style is changed.
1 Select the object that has the object style applied to it.
2 Choose Break Link To Style from the Object Styles panel menu.
If you don’t want to retain the formatting of the object style, choose [None] in the Object Styles panel.
Rename an object style
1 Make sure no objects are currently selected so that a style isn’t mistakenly applied.
2 In the Object Styles panel, double-click the object style you want to rename.
3 In the Object Style Options dialog box, type a new name for the style, and click OK.
You can also edit an object style directly in the panel. Click the style, pause, and then click again to edit the style name.
Edit object styles
1 Do one of the following:
• If you don’t want the style to be applied to the selected frame or set as the default, right-click (Windows) or
Control-click (Mac OS) the style name in the Object Styles panel, and choose Edit [style name].
• In the Object Styles panel, double-click the style name, or select the style and choose Style Options in the Styles
panel menu. Note that this applies the style to any selected object or sets it as the default object type.
2 In the Object Style Options dialog box, select the category that contains the options you want to change, and change
the desired settings.
3 Determine whether object style categories are turned on, turned off, or ignored.
4 Click OK.
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Delete an object style
1 In the Object Styles panel, select an object style.
2 Choose Delete Style from the panel menu or drag the style to the Delete icon at the bottom of the Object Styles panel.
3 If you delete a style that is applied to objects or on which other styles are based, you will be prompted to specify a
replacement style in the Delete Object Style dialog box. Do one of the following:
• To restyle objects that currently use the deleted style, choose the style you want to apply to the objects and click
OK.
• To leave objects unchanged, choose [None], make sure Preserve Formatting is checked, and click OK. Any
objects that use the deleted style retain the same attributes, but are no longer associated with a style.
• To remove all attribute settings you’ve applied, choose [None], deselect Preserve Formatting, and click OK.
Note: To delete all styles not applied to objects, chooseSelect All Unused from the Object Styles panel menu, and then click
the Delete icon.
Redefine an object style
After you apply an object style, you can override any of its settings. If you decide you like the changes you made to a
particular object, you can redefine the style so that it matches the formatting of the object you changed. Be aware that
the Redefine Object Style command redefines only categories that are turned on or turned off, but not categories that
are ignored. If the object includes additional settings, you’ll need to add those settings separately to the style, or simply
create a new object style.
1 Select an object that is using the style you want to change.
2 Adjust the desired appearance attributes.
3 In the Object Styles panel, choose Redefine Style from the Object Styles panel menu.
The object style definition changes to match the override settings you applied. All occurrences of the object style in the
document are updated to use the new settings.
Note: If the Redefine Object Style option is not available, the attributes you set are not part of the object style definition. To
change the style definition directly, choose Object Style Options instead, or create a new style from the object.
Import object styles
You can import styles from other documents. In addition to object styles themselves, InDesign imports any swatches,
custom strokes, character styles, or paragraph styles that are used in the styles. If a swatch, stroke, or paragraph style
that you import has the same name but different values than an existing swatch or style, InDesign renames it.
If the object styles you import include named grids, these grids are also imported.
1 Select Load Object Styles from the Object Styles panel menu.
2 Select the file from which you want to import object styles, and click Open.
3 In the Load Styles dialog box, make sure that a check mark appears next to the styles you want to import. If there is
a style name conflict, choose one of the following options under Conflict With Existing Style, and then click OK:
Use Incoming Style Definition Overwrites the existing style with the loaded style and applies its new attributes to all
objects in the current document that used the old style. The definitions of the incoming and existing styles are
displayed at the bottom of the Load Styles dialog box so that you can view a comparison.
Auto-Rename Renames the loaded style.
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The object styles appear in the Object Styles panel.
More Help topics
Apply a named grid toa frame
Use Quick Apply
Drop caps and nested styles
There are three main ways to use Drop Caps and Nested Styles feature: to apply a character style to a drop cap, to apply
a nested style to text at the beginning of a paragraph, and to apply a nested line style to one or more lines in a paragraph.
Apply a character style to a drop cap
You can apply a character style to the drop-cap character or characters in a paragraph. For example, if you want a dropcap character to have a different color and font than the rest of the paragraph, you can define a character style that has
these attributes. Then you can either apply the character style directly to a paragraph, or you can nest the character style
in a paragraph style.
Drop cap formatted automatically by nested character style
1 Create a character style that has the formatting you want to use for the drop-cap character.
2 Do one of the following:
• To apply the drop cap to a single paragraph, choose Drop Caps And Nested Styles from the Paragraph panel
menu.
• To nest the character style in a paragraph style, double-click the paragraph style, and then click Drop Caps And
Nested Styles.
3 Specify the number of drop-cap lines and characters, and then choose the character style.
4 If the drop cap is aligned too far away from the left edge, select Align Left Edge.
Selecting this option uses the original left side bearing of the drop-cap character rather than the larger value. It’s
particularly useful for drop caps formatted in sans serif fonts.
5 If the drop cap character overlaps the text below it, select Scale For Descenders.
6 Click OK.
If you want to apply a different nested style to any characters after the drop cap, use the New Nested Style option. (See
Create nested styles .)
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Create nested styles
You can specify character-level formatting for one or more ranges of text within a paragraph or line. You can also set
up two or more nested styles to work together, one taking over where the previous one ends. For paragraphs with
repetitive and predictable formatting, you can even loop back to the first style in the sequence.
Nested styles are especially useful for run-in headings. For example, you can apply one character style to the first letter
in a paragraph and another character style that takes effect through the first colon (:). For each nested style, you can
define a character that ends the style, such as a tab character or the end of a word.
In this example, the Number character style formats the first word, and the Run-in character style formats text through the first colon.
Michael Murphy provides an article on nested styles at InDesign's Nested Styles Auto-Format Multiple Paragraphs. He
also provides a series of video tutorials that starts at Nested Style Sheets.
Create one or more nested styles
1 Create one or more character styles that you want to use to format text.
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2 Do one of the following:
• To add nested styles to a paragraph style, double-click the paragraph style, and then click Drop Caps And Nested
Styles.
• To add nested styles to a single paragraph, choose Drop Caps And Nested Styles from the Paragraph panel menu.
Note: For best results, apply nested styles as part of paragraph styles. If you apply nested styles as local overrides to a
paragraph, subsequent editing or formatting changes in the nested style can produce unexpected character formatting
in the styled text.
3 Click New Nested Style one or more times.
4 Do any of the following for each style, and then click OK:
• Click the character style area, and then select a character style to determine the appearance of that section of the
paragraph. If you haven’t created a character style, choose New Character Style and specify the formatting you
want to use.
• Specify the item that ends the character style formatting. You can also type the character, such as a colon (:) or a
specific letter or number. You cannot type a word.
• Specify how many instances of the selected item (such as characters, words, or sentences) are required.
• Choose Through or Up To. Choosing Through includes the character that ends the nested style, while choosing
Up To formats only those characters that precede this character.
• Select a style and click the up button or down button to change the order of the styles in the list. The order
of the styles determines the sequence in which the formatting is applied. The formatting defined by the second
style begins where the formatting of the first style concludes. If you apply a character style to the drop cap, the
drop-cap character style acts as the first nested style.
Create nested line styles
You can apply a character style to a specified number of lines in a paragraph. As with nested styles, you can set up two
or more nested line styles to work together, and you can create a repeating sequence.
Attributes applied by nested line styles can co-exist with attributes applied by nested styles. For example, a nested line
style can apply a color while a nested style can apply italics. If both set conflicting settings of the same attribute, such
as red and blue, the nested style takes precedence over the nested line style.
1 Create one or more character styles that you want to use to format text.
2 Do one of the following:
• To add nested line styles to a paragraph style, double-click the paragraph style, and then click Drop Caps And
Nested Styles.
• To add nested line styles to a single paragraph, choose Drop Caps And Nested Styles from the Paragraph panel
menu.
3 Click New Nested Line Style one or more times.
4 Click the character style area, and then select a character style to determine the appearance of that section. If you
haven’t created a character style, choose New Character Style and specify the formatting you want to use.
5 Specify the number of paragraph lines you want the character style to affect.
Select a style and click the up button or down button to change the order of the styles in the list. The order
determines the sequence in which the formatting is applied.
6 Click OK.
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Loop through nested styles
You can repeat a series of two or more nested styles throughout a paragraph. A simple example would be to alternate
red and green words in a paragraph. Or, in nested line styles you could alternate red and green lines in a paragraph. The
repeating pattern remains intact even if you add or remove words in the paragraph.
1 Create the character styles you want to use.
2 Edit or create a paragraph style, or place the insertion point in the paragraph you want to format.
3 In the Drop Caps And Nested Styles section or dialog box, click New Nested Style (or New Nested Line Style) at least
twice and choose settings for each style.
4 Do either of the following:
• For nested styles, click New Nested Style again, choose [Repeat] in the character style area, and specify how many
nested styles will be repeated.
• For nested line styles, click New Nested Line Style again, choose [Repeat] in the character style area, and specify
how many lines will be repeated.
In some cases, you may want to skip the first style or styles. For example, an events calendar paragraph may include
“This Week’s Events” followed by days of the week and their events. In this case, you could create five nested styles:
one for “This Week’s Events,” one each for the day, event, and event time, and a final style with a [Repeat] value of
3, thereby excluding the first nested style from the loop.
The [Repeat] item should be the last in the list. Any nested style below [Repeat] is ignored.
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Looping through nested styles
5 Click OK.
Nested style character style options
To determine how a nested character style ends, select any of the following:
If you don’t want the character to be included in the nested style formatted, choose Up To instead of Through when you
define the nested style.
Sentences Periods, question marks, and exclamation points indicate the end of a sentence. If a quotation mark follows
the punctuation, it is included as part of the sentence.
Words Any space or white space character indicates the end of a word.
Characters Any character other than zero-width markers (for anchors, index markers, XML tags and so on) is
included.
Note: If you select Characters, you can also type a character, such as a colon or a period, to end the nested style. If you type
multiple characters, any of those characters will end the style. For example, if your run-in headings end with a hyphen,
colon, or question mark, you can type -:? to end the nested style where any of these characters appears.
Letters Any character that does not include punctuation, white space, digits, and symbols.
Digits The Arabic numerals 0–9 are included.
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End Nested Style Character Extends the nested style up to or through the appearance of the End Nested Style character
you insert. To insert this character, choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > End Nested Style Here.
Tab Characters Extends the nested style up to or through the tab character (not the tab setting).
Forced Line Break Extends the nested style up to or through the forced line break. (Choose Type > Insert Break
Character > Forced Line Break.)
Indent To Here Character Extends the nested style up to or through the Indent To Here character. (Choose Type >
Insert Special Character > Other > Indent To Here.)
Em Spaces, En Spaces, or Non-breaking Spaces Extends the nested style up to or through the space character. (Choose
Type > Insert White Space > [space character].)
Anchored Object Marker Extends the nested style up to or through an inline graphic marker, which appears where an
inline graphic is inserted.
Auto Page Number / Section Marker Extends the nested style up to or through the page number or section name
marker.
End a nested style
In most cases, a nested style ends where the condition of the defined style is met, such as after three words or where a
period appears. However, you can also end a nested style before the condition is met using the End Nested Style Here
character.
1 Place the insertion point where you want the nested style to end.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > End Nested Style Here.
This character ends the nested style at that point, regardless of the nested style definition.
Remove the formatting of a nested style
• In the Drop Caps And Nested Styles dialog box, or in the Drop Caps And Nested Styles section of the Paragraph
Style Options dialog box, select the nested style and click Delete.
• Apply a different paragraph style.
Create GREP styles
GREP is an advanced, pattern-based search technique. You can use GREP styles to apply a character style to text that
conforms to the GREP expression you specify. For example, suppose you want to apply a character style to all the phone
numbers in text. When you create a GREP style, you select the character style and specify the GREP expression. All
paragraph text that matches the GREP expression is formatted with the character style.
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Using GREP style to format phone numbers with a character style
A Character style B GREP expression
David Blatner provides real-world examples of GREP styles at 5 Cool Things You Can Do with GREP Styles. Cari
Jansen provides a four-part series about GREP styles that begins at Introducing GREP Styles.
1 Do one of the following:
• To apply GREP styling to individual paragraphs, select the paragraphs and choose Grep Styles from the
Paragraph or Control panel menu.
• To use GREP styles in a paragraph style, create or edit a paragraph style, and click the GREP Styling tab on the
left side of the Paragraph Style Options dialog box.
2 Click New GREP Style.
3 Click to the right of Apply Style, and then specify a character style. If you haven’t created a character style to use,
choose New Character Style and specify the formatting you want to use.
4 Click to the right of To Text and do any of the following to construct a GREP expression:
• Enter the search expression manually. (See Metacharacters for searching.)
• Click the Special Characters For Search icon to the right of the To Text field. Choose options from the Locations,
Repeat, Match, Modifiers, and Posix submenus to help construct the GREP expression.
5 Click OK.
More Help topics
Use drop caps
Search using GREP expressions
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Working with styles
Duplicate styles or style groups
❖ Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a style or style group in the Styles panel, and then choose
Duplicate Style.
A new style or group appears in the Styles panel, with the same name followed by “copy.” If you duplicated a group
of styles, the style names within the new group remain the same.
You can also duplicate styles by copying them to another group.
Group styles
You can organize styles by grouping them into separate folders in the Character Styles, Paragraph Styles, Object Styles,
Table Styles, and Cell Styles panels. You can even nest groups within groups. Styles do not need to be in a group; you
can add them to a group or to the root level of the panel.
Create a style group
1 In the Styles panel:
• To create the group at the root level, deselect all styles.
• To create a group within a group, select and open a group.
• To include existing styles in the group, select the styles.
2 Choose New Style Group from the Styles panel menu, or choose New Group From Styles to move the selected styles
into the new group.
3 Type the name of the group and click OK.
4 To move a style into the group, drag the style over the style group. When the style group is highlighted, release the
mouse button.
Copy styles to a group
When you copy a style to a different group, the styles are not linked. Even though they have the same name, editing one
style does not change the attributes of the other style.
1 Select the style or group you want to copy.
2 Choose Copy To Group from the Styles panel menu.
3 Select the group (or [Root] level) that you want to copy the styles or group to, and then click OK.
If the group already contains style names identical to those being copied, incoming styles are renamed.
Expand or collapse style groups
• To expand or collapse only one group, click the triangle icon next to it.
• To expand or collapse the group and all its subgroups, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the
triangle icon.
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Delete style groups
Deleting a style group deletes the group and everything inside it, including styles and other groups.
1 Select the group you want to delete.
2 Choose Delete Style Group from the Styles panel menu, and then click Yes.
3 For each style in the group, specify a replacement style or choose [None], and then click OK.
If you want to use the same replacement style for all styles, select Apply To All.
If you cancel the replacement of any style, the group is not deleted. You can recover deleted styles by choosing Edit >
Undo Delete Styles.
Move and reorder styles
By default, styles you create appear at the bottom of the style group or panel.
• To alphabetize all groups and styles within groups, choose Sort By Name from the Styles panel menu.
• To move a single style, drag it to a new location. A black line indicates where the style will be moved to; a highlighted
group folder indicates that the style will be added to that group.
Applying GREP styles (video 4:46)
This video tutorial shows you how to apply a character style to any text that matches the GREP expression you specify.
Make the GREP style part of a paragraph style.
Applying GREP styles (video 4:46)
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Chapter 6: Typography
Using fonts
About fonts
A font is a complete set of characters—letters, numbers, and symbols—that share a common weight, width, and style,
such as 10-pt Adobe Garamond Bold.
Typefaces (often called type families or font families) are collections of fonts that share an overall appearance, and are
designed to be used together, such as Adobe Garamond.
A type style is a variant version of an individual font in a font family. Typically, the Roman or Plain (the actual name
varies from family to family) member of a font family is the base font, which may include type styles such as regular,
bold, semibold, italic, and bold italic.
Adobe Typekit
All InDesign subscriptions include an Adobe Typekit Portfolio plan, which includes a library of fonts which can be
synced to your desktop and used with InDesign and any other desktop applications. For more information on how to
sync desktop fonts with Typekit, click here.
Installing fonts
For information on installing and activating fonts to be used in all applications, see your system documentation or your
font manager documentation.
You can make fonts available in InDesign by copying the font files into the Fonts folder inside the InDesign application
folder on your hard drive. However, fonts in this Fonts folder are available only to InDesign.
If two or more fonts are active in InDesign and use the same family name but have different Adobe PostScript names,
the fonts are available in InDesign. Duplicate fonts are listed in the menus with their font technologies abbreviated in
parentheses. For example, a Helvetica TrueType font appears as “Helvetica (TT),” a Helvetica PostScript Type 1 font
appears as “Helvetica (T1),” and a Helvetica OpenType font appears as “Helvetica (OTF).” If two fonts have the same
PostScript name and one includes .dfont in its name, the other font is used.
Apply a font to text
When you specify a font, you can select the font family and its type style independently. When you change from one
font family to another, InDesign attempts to match the current style with the style available in the new font family. For
example, Arial Bold would change to Times Bold when you change from Arial to Times.
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When you apply a bold or italic style to type, InDesign applies the typeface style specified by the font. In most cases,
the specific version of bold or italic is applied as expected. However, some fonts may apply a bold or italic variation that
isn’t exactly labeled bold or italic, respectively. For example, some font designers specify that when you apply bold to a
font, the semibold variation is applied.
1 Select the text you want to change.
2 Do any of the following:
• In the Character panel or Control panel, select a font in the Font Family menu or a style in the Type Style menu.
(In Mac OS, you can select type styles in the Font Family submenus.)
• In the Character panel or Control panel, click in front of the font family name or type style name (or double-click
its first word) and type in the first few characters of the name you want. As you type, InDesign displays font
family or type style names that match the characters you’ve typed.
• Choose a font in the Type > Font menu. Note that you choose both a font family and a type style when you use
this menu.
Specify a typeface size
By default, typeface size is measured in points (a point equals 1/72 of an inch). You can specify any typeface size from
0.1 to 1296 points, in 0.001-point increments.
Note: In Fireworks, the typeface size is measured in pixels by default.
1 Select the characters or type objects you want to change. If you don’t select any text, the typeface size applies to new
text you create.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the Character panel or Control bar set the Font Size option.
• Choose a size from the Type > Size menu. Choosing Other lets you type a new size in the Character panel.
You can change the unit of measurement for type in the Preferences dialog box. This option is not available in
Fireworks.
Previewing fonts
You can view samples of a font in the font family and font style menus in the Character panel and other areas in the
application from where you can choose fonts. The following icons are used to indicate different kinds of fonts:
• OpenType
• Type 1
• TrueType
• Multiple Master
• Composite
You can turn off the preview feature or change the point size of the font names or font samples in Type preferences.
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OpenType fonts
OpenType fonts use a single font file for both Windows® and Macintosh® computers, so you can move files from one
platform to another without worrying about font substitution and other problems that cause text to reflow. They may
include a number of features, such as swashes and discretionary ligatures, that aren’t available in current PostScript and
TrueType fonts.
OpenType fonts display the
icon.
When working with an OpenType font, you can automatically substitute alternate glyphs, such as ligatures, small
capitals, fractions, and old style proportional figures, in your text.
Regular (left) and OpenType (right) fonts
A Ordinals B Discretionary ligatures C Swashes
OpenType fonts may include an expanded character set and layout features to provide richer linguistic support and
advanced typographic control. OpenType fonts from Adobe that include support for central European (CE) languages
include the word “Pro,” as part of the font name in application font menus. OpenType fonts that don’t contain central
European language support are labeled “Standard,” and have an “Std” suffix. All OpenType fonts can also be installed
and used alongside PostScript Type 1 and TrueType fonts.
For more information on OpenType fonts, see www.adobe.com/go/opentype.
Apply OpenType font attributes
Use the Character panel or Control panel to apply OpenType font attributes, such as fractions and swashes to text.
For more information on OpenType fonts, see www.adobe.com/go/opentype.
Apply OpenType font attributes
1 In the Character panel or Control panel, make sure that an OpenType font is selected.
2 Choose OpenType from the Character panel menu, and then select an OpenType attribute, such as Discretionary
Ligatures or Fractions.
Features not supported in the current font appear in square brackets, such as [Swash].
You can also select OpenType font attributes when defining a paragraph or character style. Use the OpenType Features
section of the Style Options dialog box.
OpenType font attributes
When you use an OpenType font, you can select specific OpenType features from the Control panel or Character panel
menu when formatting text or when defining styles.
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Note: OpenType fonts vary greatly in the number of type styles and kinds of features they offer. If an OpenType feature is
unavailable, it’s surrounded in square brackets (such as [Swash]) in the Control panel menu.
Discretionary Ligatures Font designers may include optional ligatures that shouldn’t be turned on in all circumstances.
Selecting this option allows these additional optional ligatures to be used, if they are present. For more information on
ligatures, see Apply ligatures to letter pairs.
Fractions Numbers separated by a slash (such as 1/2) are converted to a fraction character, when fractions are available.
Ordinal Ordinal numbers such as 1st and 2nd are formatted with superscript letters (1st and 2nd) when ordinals are
available. Letters such as the superscript a and o in the Spanish words segunda (2a) and segundo (2o) are also typeset
properly.
Swash When available, regular and contextual swashes, which may include alternate caps and end-of-word
alternatives, are provided.
Titling Alternatives When available, characters used for uppercase titles are activated. In some fonts, selecting this
option for text formatted in both uppercase and lowercase letters can yield undesired effects.
Contextual Alternatives When available, contextual ligatures and connecting alternates are activated. Alternate
characters are included in some script typefaces to provide better joining behavior. For example, the letter pair “bl” in
the word “bloom” can be joined so that it looks more like handwriting. This option is selected by default.
All Small Caps For fonts that include real small caps, selecting this option turns characters into small caps. For more
information, see Change the case of type.
Slashed Zero Selecting this options displays the number 0 with a diagonal slash through it. In some fonts (especially
condensed fonts), it can be difficult to distinguish between the number 0 and the capital letter O.
Stylistic Sets Some OpenType fonts include alternate glyph sets designed for esthetic effect. A stylistic set is a group of
glyph alternates that can be applied one character at a time or to a range of text. If you select a different stylistic set, the
glyphs defined in the set are used instead of the font’s default glyphs. If a glyph character in a stylistic set is used in
conjunction with another OpenType setting, the glyph from the individual setting overrides the character set glyph.
You can see the glyphs for each set using the Glyphs panel.
Positional Forms In some cursive scripts and in languages such as Arabic, what a character looks like can depend on
its position inside a word. The character may change form when it appears at the start (initial position), middle (medial
position), or end (final position) of a word, and it may change form as well when it appears alone (isolated position).
Select a character and choose a Positional Forms option to format it correctly. The General Form option inserts the
common character; the Automatic Form option inserts a form of the character according to where the character is
located in the word and whether the character appears in isolation.
Superscript/Superior & Subscript/Inferior Some OpenType fonts include raised or lowered glyphs that are sized
correctly relative to the surrounding characters. If an OpenType font doesn’t include these glyphs for non-standard
fractions, consider using the Numerator and Denominator attributes.
Numerator & Denominator Some OpenType fonts convert only basic fractions (such as 1/2 or 1/4) to fraction glyphs,
not non-standard fractions (such as 4/13 or 99/100). Apply Numerator and Denominator attributes to these nonstandard fractions in such cases.
Tabular Lining Same widths are provided for full-height figures. This option is appropriate in situations where
numbers need to line up from one line to the next, as in tables.
Proportional Oldstyle Varying-height figures with varying widths are provided. This option is recommended for a
classic, sophisticated look in text that doesn’t use all caps.
Proportional Lining Full-height figures with varying widths are provided. This option is recommended for text that
uses all caps.
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Tabular Oldstyle Varying-height figures with fixed, equal widths are provided. This option is recommended when you
want the classic appearance of old-style figures, but you need them to align in columns, as in an annual report.
Default Figure Style Figure glyphs use the default figure style of the current font.
Work with missing fonts
When you open or place documents that include fonts not installed on your system, an alert message appears,
indicating which fonts are missing. If you select text that uses a missing font, the Character panel or Control panel
indicates that this font is missing by displaying it in brackets in the font style pop-up menu.
InDesign substitutes missing fonts with an available font. When this happens, you can select the text and apply any
other available font. Missing fonts for which others have been substituted will appear at the top of the Type > Font menu
in a section marked “Missing Fonts.” By default, text formatted with missing fonts appears in pink highlighting.
If a TrueType font is installed and the document contains a Type 1 (T1) version of the same font, the font is displayed
as missing.
You can choose Type > Find Font to find and change missing fonts. If a missing font is part of a style, you can update
the font in that style by changing its style definition.
Make missing fonts available
❖ Do any of the following:
• Use the Typekit workflow to sync the missing font with InDesign and other applications. See Sync desktop fonts.
• Install the missing fonts on your system.
• Place the missing fonts in the Fonts folder, which is located in the InDesign application folder. Fonts in this folder
are available only to InDesign. See Installing fonts .
• Activate the missing fonts using a font-management application.
If you don’t have access to the missing fonts, use the Find Font command to search for and replace missing fonts.
Highlight substituted fonts in your document
If the Select Substituted Fonts preferences option is selected, text formatted with missing fonts appears in pink
highlighting so that you can easily identify text formatted with a missing font.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows®) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS®).
2 Select Substituted Fonts, and then click OK.
Document installed fonts
Fonts in a Document Fonts folder that is in the same location as an InDesign document are temporarily installed when
the document is opened. The Package command can generate a Document Fonts folder when you want to share your
document or move it to a different computer. (Before sharing any document fonts, ensure the font software license
allows it.) Fonts synced from Adobe Typekit are not copied by the Package command. Read more about Typekit fonts
and the Package command here.
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Fonts in the Document Fonts folder are not the same as fonts available from the standard operating system font
locations. They are installed when the document is opened and supersede any font of the same PostScript name.
However, they supersede only fonts within the document. Fonts installed by one document are not available to other
documents. When you close the document, the fonts that were installed for the document are uninstalled. Document
installed fonts are listed in a submenu of the Font menu.
Some Type1 fonts are not available in the document. In addition, Mac OS fonts are not available when running
InDesign in Windows.
For a video on using document installed fonts, see Sharing files with easy access to the document fonts (video).
Multiple master fonts
Multiple master fonts are customizable Type 1 fonts whose typeface characteristics are described in terms of variable
design axes, such as weight, width, style, and optical size.
Some multiple master fonts include an optical size axis, which lets you use a font specifically designed for optimal
readability at a particular size. Generally, the optical size for a smaller font, such as 10 point, is designed with heavier
serifs and stems, wider characters, less contrast between thick and thin lines, taller x height, and looser spacing between
letters than the optical size for a larger font, such as 72 point.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Automatically Use Correct Optical Size, and click OK.
More Help topics
Insert glyphs and special characters
Find and change fonts
Package files
Formatting text
Format text
Use the Control panel to change the appearance of text. When text is selected or when the insertion point is placed in
text, the Control panel displays either the character formatting controls or the paragraph formatting controls, or a
combination of both, depending on your monitor resolution. These same text formatting controls appear in the
Character panel and Paragraph panel. You can also use the Character panel and Paragraphs panel to change the
appearance of text.
Note the following methods of formatting text:
• To format characters, you can use the Type tool
to select characters, or you can click to place the insertion point,
select a formatting option, and then begin typing.
• To format paragraphs, you don’t need to select an entire paragraph—selecting any word or character, or placing the
insertion point in a paragraph will do. You can also select text in a range of paragraphs.
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• To set the formatting for all future text frames that you’ll create in the current document, make sure that the
insertion point is not active and that nothing is selected, and then specify text formatting options. To set default text
formatting for all new documents, close all documents, and then specify the text settings. See Set defaults .
• Select a frame to apply formatting to all text inside it. The frame cannot be part of a thread.
• Use paragraph styles and character styles to format text quickly and consistently.
1 Select the Type tool
.
2 Click to place an insertion point, or select the text that you want to format.
3 In the Control panel, click the Character Formatting Control icon
or the Paragraph Formatting Control icon
.
Control panel
A Character formatting controls B Paragraph formatting controls
4 Specify formatting options.
Text formatting precedence
Copy type attributes (Eyedropper)
You can use the Eyedropper tool to copy type attributes such as character, paragraph, fill, and stroke settings, and then
apply those attributes to other type. By default, the Eyedropper tool copies all type attributes. To customize the
attributes you want to copy with the Eyedropper tool, use the Eyedropper Options dialog box.
The Eyedropper tool is available only in Layout View.
Copy type attributes to unselected text
1 With the Eyedropper tool
, click the text that is formatted with the attributes you want to copy. (The text can be
in another open document.) The eyedropper pointer reverses direction, and appears full
, to indicate that it’s
loaded with the attributes you copied. When you position the eyedropper pointer over text, an I-beam appears next
to the loaded eyedropper
.
2 With the Eyedropper tool, select the text you want to change.
The selected text takes on the attributes loaded in the eyedropper. As long as the Eyedropper tool is selected, you
can continue to select text to apply formatting.
3 To deselect the Eyedropper tool, click another tool.
To clear the formatting attributes currently held by the eyedropper tool, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while
the Eyedropper tool is loaded. The Eyedropper tool reverses direction and appears empty
, to indicate that it’s ready
to pick up new attributes. Click an object containing the attributes you want to copy, and then drop the new attributes on
another object.
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The eyedropper is clicked on formatted text to copy its formatting (left), and then dragged across unformatted text (middle) to apply that
formatting (right).
If you use the Eyedropper tool to copy a paragraph style from text in one document to text in another, and the
paragraph style has the same name but different sets of attributes, any style differences will appear as local overrides to
the destination style.
Copy type attributes to selected text
1 With the Type tool
or Path Type tool
, select the text to which you want to copy attributes.
2 Using the Eyedropper tool
, click the text from which you want to copy attributes. (The text from which you
want to copy attributes must be in the same InDesign document as the text you want to change.) The Eyedropper
tool reverses direction and appears full
, to indicate that it’s loaded with the attributes you copied. The attributes
are applied to the text you selected in step 1.
Type attributes copied to selected text
Change which text attributes the Eyedropper tool copies
1 In the toolbox, double-click the Eyedropper tool.
2 Choose Character Settings or Paragraph Settings in the Eyedropper Options dialog box.
3 Select the attributes you want to copy with the Eyedropper tool, and then click OK.
To copy or apply paragraph attributes only without having to change settings in the Eyedropper Options dialog box,
hold down Shift as you click text with the Eyedropper tool.
Use Quick Apply
Use Quick Apply to find and apply styles, menu commands, scripts, variables, and most other commands that can be
found in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box.
1 Select the text or frame to which you want to apply the style, menu command, script, or variable.
2 Choose Edit > Quick Apply, or press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).
3 Start typing the name of the item you want to apply.
The name you type doesn’t need to be an exact match. For example, typing he will locate styles such as Head 1, Head
2, and Subhead, as well as Help menu commands such as Help Menu > InDesign Help.
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Use Quick Apply to find styles, menu commands, scripts, and variables.
You can narrow the search to only a single category by typing the appropriate prefix at the beginning of the search,
such as m: for menu or p: for paragraph styles. To view a list of prefixes, click the down arrow to the left of the Quick
Apply text box. You can deselect categories in this list that you don’t want to appear.
4 Select the item you want to apply, and then:
• To apply a style, menu command, or variable, press Enter or Return.
• To apply a paragraph style and remove overrides, press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return (Mac OS).
• To apply a paragraph style and remove overrides and character styles, press Alt+Shift+Enter (Windows) or
Option+Shift+Return (Mac OS).
• To apply an item without closing the Quick Apply list, press Shift+Enter (Windows) or Shift+Return (Mac OS).
• To close the Quick Apply list without applying an item, press Esc or click anywhere else in the document window.
• To edit a style, press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).
When the Quick Apply list is displayed, press the left and right arrow keys to scroll through the edit field; press the up
and down arrow keys to scroll through the list of items.
More Help topics
Control panel overview
Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool
Text composition
Compose text
The appearance of text on your page depends on a complex interaction of processes called composition. Using the word
spacing, letterspacing, glyph scaling, and hyphenation options you’ve selected, InDesign composes your type in a way
that best supports the specified parameters.
InDesign offers two composition methods: Adobe Paragraph Composer (the default) and Adobe Single-line Composer
(both are available from the Control panel menu). You can select which composer to use from the Paragraph panel
menu, the Justification dialog box, or the Control panel menu.
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InDesign supports four methods developed for typesetting, including Adobe Japanese Single-line Composer, Adobe
Japanese Paragraph Composer, Adobe Paragraph Composer, and Adobe Single-line Composer. Each Composer
evaluates possible breaks for Japanese and Roman text, and chooses those which best support the hyphenation and
justification options specified for a given paragraph. The Adobe Japanese Paragraph Composer is selected by the
default. For details on these options, see InDesign Help.
InDesign Magazine provides an article about fixing composition problems at Mind the Gaps.
Composition methods
InDesign offers two composition methods: Adobe Paragraph Composer (the default) and Adobe Single-line
Composer. Both composition methods evaluate possible breaks, and choose those that best support the hyphenation
and justification options you’ve specified for a given paragraph.
The Adobe Paragraph Composer
Considers a network of breakpoints for an entire paragraph, and thus can optimize earlier lines in the paragraph in
order to eliminate especially unattractive breaks later on. Paragraph composition results in more even spacing with
fewer hyphens.
The Paragraph Composer approaches composition by identifying possible breakpoints, evaluating them, and assigning
a weighted penalty to them based on such principles as evenness of letterspacing, word spacing, and hyphenation.
You can use the Hyphenation dialog box to determine the relationship between better spacing and fewer hyphens. (See
Hyphenate text .)
The Adobe Single-line Composer
Offers a traditional approach to composing text one line at a time. This option is useful if you want to restrict
composition changes from late-stage edits.
Choose a composition method for a paragraph
❖ Do any of the following:
• From the Paragraph panel menu, choose Adobe Paragraph Composer (the default) or Adobe Single-line
Composer.
• From the Paragraph panel menu or the Control panel menu, choose Justification, and then choose an option
from the Composer menu.
Note: Additional composition engine plug-ins from other companies may be available, along with interfaces that let you
customize an engine’s parameters.
Set composition preferences
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).
2 To use on-screen highlighting to identify compositional problems, select Keep Violations And H&J Violations
(hyphenation and justification).
3 To justify text that wraps around an object, select Justify Text Next To An Object.
4 Under Mojikumi Compatibility Modes, determine whether you want to select Use New Vertical Scaling or Use CID-
Based Mojikumi.
5 Click OK.
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Hyphenate text
The settings you choose for hyphenation and justification affect the horizontal spacing of lines and the aesthetic appeal
of type on your pages. Hyphenation options determine whether words can be hyphenated and, if they can, which breaks
are allowable.
Justification is controlled by the alignment option you choose, the word spacing and letterspacing you specify, and
whether or not you have used glyph scaling. You can also justify single words in narrow columns of fully justified text.
Eda Warren provides an article about avoiding composition problems at Mind the Gaps.
Adjust hyphenation manually
You can hyphenate words manually or automatically, or you can use a combination of the two methods. The safest way
to hyphenate manually is to insert a discretionary hyphen, which is not visible unless the word needs to be broken at the
end of a line. Placing a discretionary hyphen at the beginning of a word prevents it from being broken.
1 Using the Type tool
, click where you want to insert the hyphen.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens And Dashes > Discretionary Hyphen.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+- (Windows) or Command+Shift+- (Mac OS) to insert a discretionary hyphen.
Note: Entering a discretionary hyphen in a word does not guarantee that the word will be hyphenated. Whether or not the
word breaks depends on other hyphenation and composition settings. However, entering a discretionary hyphen in a word
does guarantee that the word can be broken only where the discretionary hyphen appears.
Adjust hyphenation automatically
Hyphenation is based on word lists that can be stored either in a separate user dictionary file on your computer, or in
the document itself. To ensure consistent hyphenation, you may want to specify which word list to refer to, especially
if you will be taking your document to a service provider or if you work in a workgroup.
❖ To turn automatic hyphenation on or off for a paragraph, in the Paragraph panel or Control panel, select or deselect
the Hyphenation option. (You can also include this option in a paragraph style.)
When you set automatic hyphenation options, you can determine the relationship between better spacing and fewer
hyphens. You can also prevent capitalized words and the last word in a paragraph from being hyphenated.
Set automatic hyphenation options for a paragraph
1 Click in a paragraph or select the range of paragraphs you want to affect.
2 Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu.
3 Select the Hyphenate option.
4 Make changes to the following settings as needed, and then click OK:
Words With At Least _ Letters Specify the minimum number of characters for hyphenated words.
After First _ Letters / Before Last _ Letters Specify the minimum number of characters at the beginning or end of a
word that can be broken by a hyphen. For example, by specifying 3 for these values, aromatic would be hyphenated
as aro- matic instead of ar- omatic or aromat- ic.
Hyphen Limit _ Hyphens Specify the maximum number of hyphens that can appear on consecutive lines. Zero
means unlimited hyphens.
Hyphenation Zone Specify the amount of white space allowed at the end of a line of unjustified text before
hyphenation begins. This option applies only when you’re using the Single-line Composer with nonjustified text.
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Better Spacing / Fewer Hyphens To alter the balance between these settings, adjust the slider at the bottom of the
dialog box.
Hyphenate Capitalized Words To prevent capitalized words from being hyphenated, deselect this option.
Hyphenate Last Word To prevent last words in paragraphs from being hyphenated, deselect this option.
Hyphenate Across Column To prevent words from being hyphenated across a column, frame, or page, deselect this
option.
Prevent unwanted word breaks
By using nonbreaking hyphens, you can prevent certain words from breaking at all—for example, proper names or
words which, when broken, become unattractive fragments. By using nonbreaking spaces, you can also keep multiple
words from breaking—for example, clusters of initials and a last name (P. T. Barnum).
Prevent text from breaking
1 Select the text you want to keep on the same line.
2 Choose No Break from the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu.
Another way to prevent a word from breaking is to place a discretionary hyphen at the beginning of the word. Press
Ctrl+Shift+- (Windows) or Command+Shift+- (Mac OS) to insert a discretionary hyphen.
Create a nonbreaking hyphen
1 Using the Type tool
, click where you want to insert the hyphen.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens And Dashes > Nonbreaking Hyphen.
Create a nonbreaking space
1 Using the Type tool
, click where you want to insert the space.
2 Choose Type > Insert White Space> Nonbreaking Space (or any other white space character).
The Nonbreaking Space varies in width depending on point size, the justification setting, and word space settings,
whereas the Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width) character maintains the same width regardless of context.
Change Justification settings
Use the Justification panel to precisely control how word spacing, letterspacing, and glyph scaling. Adjusting spacing is
especially useful with justified type, although you can also adjust spacing for unjustified type.
Word spacing, character spacing, and glyph scalings for justification settings, are ignored for CJK text. To set CJK text
character spacing, use the Mojikumi dialog box.
Adjust word and letterspacing in justified text
1 Insert the cursor in the paragraph you want to change, or select a type object or frame to change all of its paragraphs.
2 Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu.
3 Enter values for Word Spacing, Letter Spacing, and Glyph Spacing. The Minimum and Maximum values define a
range of acceptable spacing for justified paragraphs only. The Desired value defines the desired spacing for both
justified and unjustified paragraphs:
Word Spacing The space between words that results from pressing the spacebar. Word Spacing values can range
from 0% to 1000%; at 100%, no additional space is added between words.
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Letter Spacing The distance between letters, including kerning or tracking values. Letter Spacing values can range
from -100% to 500%: at 0%, no space is added between letters; at 100%, an entire space width is added between
letters.
Glyph Scaling The width of characters (a glyph is any font character). Glyph Scaling values can range from 50% to
200%.
Spacing options are always applied to an entire paragraph. To adjust the spacing in a few characters, but not an
entire paragraph, use the Tracking option.
4 Set the Single Word Justification option to specify how you want to justify single-word paragraphs.
In narrow columns, a single word can occasionally appear by itself on a line. If the paragraph is set to full
justification, a single word on a line may appear to be too stretched out. Instead of leaving such words fully justified,
you can center them or align them to the left or right margins.
Set glyph scaling in justified text
1 Click an insertion point in a paragraph or select the paragraphs you want to affect.
2 Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu.
3 Type values for Glyph Scaling Minimum, Desired, and Maximum. Then click OK.
Before (top) and after (bottom) glyph scaling in justified text
Glyph scaling can help in achieving even justification; however, values more than 3% from the 100% default value may
result in distorted letter shapes. Unless you’re striving for a special effect, it’s best to keep glyph scaling to subtle values,
such as 97–100–103.
Use a flush space with justified text
Using a flush space character adds a variable amount of space to the last line of a fully justified paragraph—between the
last word and an end-of-story character from a decorative font. Used with nonjustified text, the flush space appears as
a normal word space. In justified text, it expands to absorb all available extra space on the last line. Using a flush space
can make a dramatic difference in the way the entire paragraph is formatted by the Adobe Paragraph Composer.
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Before and after adding a flush space character
1 Using the Type tool
, click directly in front of the end-of-story character.
2 Choose Type > Insert White Space > Flush Space.
Note: The effect of a flush space isn’t apparent until you apply the Justify All Lines option to the paragraph.
Highlight lines that are too loose or tight
Because composing a line of type involves factors in addition to word spacing and letterspacing (hyphenation
preferences, for example), InDesign cannot always honor your settings for word spacing and letterspacing. However,
compositional problems in lines of text can be highlighted in yellow; the darkest of three shades indicates the most
serious problems.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).
2 Select H&J Violations and click OK.
More Help topics
Justify text next to wrap objects
Change CJK composition preferences
Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries
Formatting characters
Apply baseline shift
Use Baseline Shift to move a selected character up or down relative to the baseline of the surrounding text. This option
is especially useful when you’re hand-setting fractions or adjusting the position of inline graphics.
Baseline shift values applied to text
1 Select text.
2 In the Character panel or Control panel, type a numeric value for Baseline Shift
. Positive values move the
character’s baseline above the baseline of the rest of the line; negative values move it below the baseline.
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To increase or decrease the value, click in the Baseline Shift box, and then press the Up or Down Arrow key. Hold down
Shift while you press the Up or Down Arrow key to change the value in greater increments.
To change the default increment for baseline shift, specify a value for Baseline Shift in the Units & Increments section
of the Preferences dialog box.
Make characters superscript or subscript in a non-OpenType font
1 Select text.
2 Choose Superscript or Subscript in the Character panel menu or in the Control panel.
When you choose Superscript or Subscript, a predefined baseline shift value and type size are applied to the selected
text.
The values applied are percentages of the current font size and leading, and are based on settings in the Type Preferences
dialog box. These values do not appear in the Baseline Shift or Size boxes of the Character panel when you select the
text.
Note: You can change the default size and position of superscripts and subscripts using Advanced Type preferences.
Apply underline or strikethrough
The default weight of an underline and strikethrough depends on the size of the type.
Jeff Witchel provides a video tutorial about underlining at Custom Underlines in InDesign.
Apply underline or strikethrough
1 Select text.
2 Choose Underline or Strikethrough in the Character panel menu or the Control panel.
Change underline or strikethrough options
Creating custom underlining is especially useful when you want to create an even underline below characters of
different sizes, or for creating special effects, such as background highlighting.
Before and after adjusting underlines
1 From the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu, choose Underline Options or Strikethrough Options.
2 Do any of the following, and then click OK:
• Select Underline On or Strikethrough On to turn on underline or strikethrough for the current text.
• For Weight, choose a weight or type a value to determine the thickness of the underline or strikethrough line.
• For Type, select one of the underline or strikethrough options.
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• For Offset, determine the vertical position of the line. The offset is measured from the baseline. Negative values
move the underline above the baseline and the strikethrough below the baseline.
• Select Overprint Stroke when you want to make sure that the stroke doesn’t knock out underlying inks on a
printing press.
• Choose a color and tint. If you specified any line type other than solid, choose a gap color or gap tint to change
the appearance of the area between dashes, dots, or lines.
• Select Overprint Stroke or Overprint Gap if the underline or strikethrough will be printed over another color,
and you want to avoid errors that can occur with printing misregistration.
To change the underline or strikethrough options in a paragraph or character style, use the Underline Options or
Strikethrough Options section of the dialog box that appears when you create or edit the style.
Apply ligatures to letter pairs
InDesign can automatically insert ligatures, which are typographic replacement characters for certain letter pairs, such
as “fi” and “fl,” when they are available in a given font. The characters that InDesign uses when the Ligature option is
selected appear and print as ligatures, but are fully editable, and do not cause the spell checker to flag a word
erroneously.
Individual characters (top) and ligature combinations (bottom)
With OpenType fonts, when you choose Ligatures from the Character panel menu or Control panel menu, InDesign
produces any standard ligature defined in the font, as determined by the font designer. However, some fonts include
more ornate, optional ligatures, which can be produced when you choose the Discretionary Ligatures command.
1 Select text.
2 Choose Ligatures from the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu.
Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text
You can apply colors, gradients, and strokes to characters and continue to edit the text. Use the Swatches panel and
Stroke panel to apply colors, gradients, and strokes to text, or change Character Color settings when creating or editing
a style.
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Swatches
A Swatch affects fill or stroke B Swatch affects container or text C Tint percentage
1 Do one of the following:
• To apply color changes to text inside a frame, use the Type tool
to select text.
• To apply color changes to all text in a frame, use the Selection tool to select the frame. When applying color to
the text rather than the container, make sure that you select the Formatting Affects Text icon in the Tools panel
or in the Swatches panel.
2 In the Tools panel or in the Swatches panel, select whether you want to apply the color change to the fill or stroke.
If you select Stroke, the color change affects only the outline of characters.
3 Do any of the following:
• In the Swatches panel, click a color or gradient swatch.
• In the Stroke panel, specify a weight or other stroke options. (See Stroke panel options.)
You can also apply a gradient to text by dragging across the selected text using either the Gradient Swatch tool
the Gradient Feather tool
.
or
To create reverse type, you can change the text fill color to white or [Paper] and the frame’s fill color to a dark color. You
can also create reverse type by using a paragraph rule behind text; however, if the rule is black, you’ll need to change
the type to white.
Add transparency effects to text
Use the Effects panel to add transparency effects, such as drop shadows, to text.
Mike Rankin provides examples about transparency effects at InDesign Eye Candy, Part I.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the text frame.
2 Choose Object > Effects > [effect].
3 Choose Text from the Settings For menu.
You can choose Object if you want the effects you choose to apply to the text frame’s stroke and fill as well as the text
inside it.
4 Specify the effect attributes and click OK.
If you want to change the text’s blending mode or opacity settings, make these changes on the Effects panel.
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Assign a language to text
Assigning a language to text determines which spelling and hyphenation dictionary is used. Assigning a language does
not change the actual text.
1 Do any of the following:
• To apply the language only to selected text, select the text.
• To change the default dictionary used in InDesign, choose the language with no documents open.
• To change the default dictionary for a specific document, open the document, choose Edit > Deselect All, and
then choose the language.
2 In the Character panel, choose the appropriate dictionary in the Language menu.
InDesign uses Proximity (and WinSoft for some languages) dictionaries for both spelling and hyphenation. These
dictionaries let you specify a different language for as little as a single character of text. Each dictionary contains
hundreds of thousands of words with standard syllable breaks. Changing the default language does not affect existing
text frames or documents.
You can customize language dictionaries to ensure that any unique vocabulary you use is recognized and treated
correctly.
How dictionaries affect hyphenation
A “Glockenspiel” in English B “Glockenspiel” in Traditional German C “Glockenspiel” in Reformed German
Change the case of type
The All Caps or Small Caps commands change the appearance of text, but not the text itself. Conversely, the Change
Case command changes the case setting of selected text. This distinction is important when searching or spell-checking
text. For example, suppose you type “spiders” in your document and apply All Caps to the word. Using Find/Change
(with Case Sensitive selected) to search for “SPIDERS” will not find the instance of “spiders” to which All Caps was
applied. To improve search and spell-check results, use the Change Case command rather than All Caps.
Anne-Marie Concepcion provides an article about small caps at Small Caps vs OpenType All Small Caps.
Change text to All Caps or Small Caps
InDesign can automatically change the case of selected text. When you format text as small caps, InDesign
automatically uses the small-cap characters designed as part of the font, if available. Otherwise, InDesign synthesizes
the small caps using scaled-down versions of the regular capital letters. The size of synthesized small caps is set in the
Type Preferences dialog box.
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Before (top) and after (bottom) setting BC and AD in small caps to complement old-style numerals and surrounding text
If you select All Caps or Small Caps in an OpenType font, InDesign creates more elegant type. If you’re using an
OpenType font, you can also choose All Small Caps from the Character panel menu or the Control panel. (See Apply
OpenType font attributes .)
1 Select text.
2 Choose All Caps or Small Caps in the Character panel menu or in the Control panel. If the text was originally typed
in all caps, selecting Small Caps will not change the text.
Specify the size for small caps
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Advanced Type (Mac OS).
2 For Small Caps, type a percentage of the original font size for text to be formatted as small caps. Then click OK.
Change capitalization
1 Select text.
2 Choose one of the following in the Type > Change Case submenu:
• To change all characters to lowercase, choose Lowercase.
• To capitalize the first letter of each word, choose Title Case.
• To change all characters to uppercase, choose Uppercase.
• To capitalize the first letter of each sentence, choose Sentence Case.
Note: The Sentence Case command assumes that the period (.), exclamation point (!), and question mark (?) characters
mark the ends of sentences. Applying Sentence Case may cause unexpected case changes when these characters are used in
other ways, as in abbreviations, file names, or Internet URLs. In addition, proper names may become lowercase when they
should be uppercase.
Scale type
You can specify the proportion between the height and width of the type, relative to the original width and height of
the characters. Unscaled characters have a value of 100%. Some type families include a true expanded font, which is
designed with a larger horizontal spread than the plain type style. Scaling distorts the type, so it is generally preferable
to use a font that is designed as condensed or expanded, if one is available.
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Scaling fonts horizontally
A Unscaled type B Unscaled type in condensed font C Scaled type in condensed font
Adjust vertical or horizontal scaling
1 Select text you want to scale.
2 In the Character panel or Control panel, type a numeric value to change the percentage of Vertical Scaling
Horizontal Scaling
or
.
Scale text by resizing the text frame in InDesign
❖ Do any of the following:
• Using the Selection tool, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then drag a corner of the text
frame to resize it.
• Using the Scale tool
, resize the frame.
(See Scale objects .)
Determine the appearance of scaled text values
When you change the scale of a frame, the text inside the frame is also scaled. For example, when you double the size
of a text frame, the text also doubles in size; 20-point text increases to 40 points.
David Blatner provides an article about scaled text frames at Making a Magnifying Glass Text Frame in InDesign.
You can change a preferences option to indicate how scaled text appears in panels:
• By default, with Apply To Content selected, the Font Size boxes in the Control panel and Character panel list the
new size of text (such as 40 pt). If you select the Adjust Scaling Percentage option, the Font Size boxes display both
the original and the scaled size of the text, such as “20 pt (40).”
• The scaling values in the Transform panel tell you the horizontal and vertical percentage by which the frame was
scaled. By default, with Apply To Content selected, scaling values display at 100% after a text is scaled. If you select
the Adjust Scaling Percentage option, the scaling values reflect the scaled frame, so doubling the scale of a frame
displays as 200%.
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Tracking scale changes to frames is useful if you have to revert a frame and the text inside it to their original size. It’s
useful as well for finding out by how much you changed the size of a frame. To track scale changes to frames and the
text inside these frames:
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2 Select Adjust Scaling Percentage, and then click OK.
Note the following:
• The Adjust Scaling Percentage preference applies to frames that you scale after the preference is turned on, not to
existing frames.
• The Adjust Scaling Percentage preference stays with the text. The scaled point size continues to appear in
parentheses even if you turn off the Adjust Scaling Percentage preference and scale the frame again.
• To remove the scaled point size from the Transform panel, choose Redefine Scaling as 100% in the Transform panel.
Choosing this option doesn’t change the appearance of the scaled frame.
• If you edit the text or scale a frame within threaded frames when the Adjust Scaling Percentage preference is
selected, the text is scaled, even if it moves to a different frame. However, if Apply To Content is selected, any text
that flows to a different frame as a result of editing is no longer scaled.
Skew type
1 Select text.
2 In the Character panel, type a numeric value for Skewing
. Positive values slant type to the right; negative values
slant type to the left.
Note that applying an angle to type does not produce true italic characters.
More Help topics
Apply OpenType font attributes
OpenType fonts
Applying color
Add rules (lines) above or below paragraphs
Applying gradients to text
Transparency effects
Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries
Aligning text
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Align or justify text
Text can be aligned with one or both edges (or insets) of a text frame. Text is said to be justified when it is aligned with
both edges. You can choose to justify all text in a paragraph excluding the last line (Justify Left or Justify Right), or you
can justify text in a paragraph including the last line (Justify All). When you have only a few characters on the last line,
you may want to use a special end-of-story character and create a flush space.
Justify Left (left) and Justify All (right)
Note: When you justify all lines of text and you are using the Adobe Paragraph Composer, InDesign shifts text to ensure
that the paragraph has consistent text density and is visually appealing. You can fine-tune spacing in justified text.
When you set center or justify for text in a frame grid, the text will no longer align exactly with the grid. You can also
specify paragraph alignment for all the paragraphs in the frame grid.
1 Select text.
2 Click one of the Alignment buttons (Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Left Justify, Center Justify, Right Justify
and Full Justify) in the Paragraph panel or Control panel.
3 (Optional) Click Align Towards Spine or Align Away From Spine.
When you apply Align Towards Spine to a paragraph, text on a left-hand page is right-aligned, but when the same
text flows onto (or if the frame is moved to) a right-hand page, it becomes left aligned. Similarly, when you apply
Align Away From Spine to a paragraph, text on a left-hand page is left aligned, while text on a right-hand page is
right aligned.
In vertical frames, aligning to or away from the spine has no effect, since text alignment is parallel to the spine
direction.
If you want the left side of a line of text to be left-aligned and the right side to be right-aligned, position the insertion
point where you want to right-align the text, press Tab, and then right-align the rest of the line.
Align paragraphs to a baseline grid
The baseline grid represents the leading for body text in a document. You can use multiples of this leading value for all
elements of the page to ensure that text always lines up between columns and from page to page. For example, if the
body text in your document has 12-point leading, you could give your heading text 18-point leading and add 6 points
of space before the paragraphs that follow the headings.
Using a baseline grid ensures consistency in the location of text elements on a page. You can adjust the leading for the
paragraph to ensure that its baselines align to the page’s underlying grid. This is useful if you want the baselines of text
in multiple columns or adjacent text frames to align. Change settings for the baseline grid by using the Grids section of
the Preferences dialog box.
You can also align only the first line of a paragraph to the baseline grid, allowing the rest of the lines to follow the
specified leading values.
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To view the baseline grid, choose View > Grids & Guides > Show Baseline Grid.
Note: The baseline grid is visible only if the document zoom level is greater than the view threshold setting in Grids
Preferences. You may need to zoom in to view the baseline grid.
Align paragraphs to the baseline grid
1 Select text.
2 In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, click Align To Baseline Grid
.
To ensure that the leading of your text does not change, set the baseline grid leading to the same leading value as your
text, or to a factor thereof.
Align only the first line to the baseline grid
1 Select the paragraphs you want to align.
2 Choose Only Align First Line To Grid from the Paragraph menu or Control panel menu.
3 In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, click Align To Baseline Grid
.
Create balanced headline text
You can balance ragged aligned text across multiple lines. This feature is especially useful for multiline headings, pullquotes, and centered paragraphs.
Before and after applying Balance Ragged Lines to the title
1 Click in the paragraph you want to balance.
2 In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, choose Balance Ragged Lines from the menu.
This feature takes effect only when the Adobe Paragraph Composer is selected.
Create paragraphs that span or split columns
You can make a paragraph span across multiple columns in a text frame to create a straddle head effect. You can choose
whether a paragraph spans all columns or a specified number of columns. When a paragraph is set to span across
columns in a multicolumn text frame, any text before the spanning paragraph becomes balanced as a result.
You can also split a paragraph into multiple columns within the same text frame.
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Paragraph spanning and splitting multiple columns
A Heading that spans columns B Split column
Span a paragraph across columns
1 Place the insertion point inside the paragraph.
You can also make this feature part of a paragraph style, such as a heading style.
2 Choose Span Columns from the Control panel menu or a Paragraph panel menu.
3 Choose Span Columns from the Paragraph Layout menu.
4 Choose the number of columns you want the paragraph to span from the Span menu. Choose All if you want the
paragraph to span across all the columns.
5 To add extra space before or after the span paragraph, specify Space Before Span and Space After Span values, and
then click OK.
Split a paragraph into columns
1 Place the insertion point inside the paragraph.
You can also make this feature part of a paragraph style, such as a heading style.
2 Choose Span Columns from the Control panel menu or a Paragraph panel menu.
3 Choose Split Columns from the Paragraph Layout menu.
4 Specify the following options, and then click OK:
Sub-columns Choose the number of columns you want the split the paragraph into.
Space Before Split / Space After Split Add space before or after the split paragraph.
Inside Gutter Determine the space between the split paragraphs.
Outside Gutter Determine the space between the outside of the split paragraphs and the margins.
Align or justify text vertically within a text frame
You can align or distribute lines of text in a frame along its vertical axis to help keep type vertically consistent among
frames and their columns.
You can align text to the top, center, or bottom of the frame using each paragraph’s leading and paragraph spacing
values. You can also justify text vertically, which evenly spaces lines regardless of their leading and paragraph spacing
values.
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Vertical justification—Bottom (left) and Justify (right)
Vertical text alignment and justification is calculated from the baseline positions of each line of text in the frame. Keep
the following in mind as you adjust vertical alignment:
• The top of the frame is defined as the baseline of the first line of top-aligned text. The First Baseline Offset option
in the Text Frame Options dialog box affects this value.
• The bottom of the frame is defined as the baseline of the last line of bottom-aligned text. Footnote text is not
justified.
• When the Align to Baseline Grid option is applied to paragraphs with Top, Center, or Bottom alignment, all lines
will be aligned to the baseline grid. With the Justified option, only the first and last lines will be aligned to the
baseline grid.
• If you adjust a text frame’s Top or Bottom Inset values in the Text Frame Options dialog box, you change the location
of the first or last baseline, respectively.
1 Do one of the following:
• With the Selection tool, select a text frame.
• With the Type tool
, click in a text frame.
2 Choose Object > Text Frame Options.
3 In the Vertical Justification section of the Text Frame Options dialog box, choose one of the following options in the
Align menu:
• To vertically align text down from the top of the frame, choose Top. (This is the default setting.)
• To center lines of text in the frame, choose Center.
• To vertically align lines of text up from the bottom of the frame, choose Bottom.
• To evenly distribute lines of text vertically between the top and bottom of the frame, choose Justify.
4 If you choose Justify and you want to prevent the leading value from becoming disproportionately larger than the
paragraph spacing value, specify a Paragraph Spacing Limit value. The space between paragraphs is expanded up to
the value you specify; if the text still doesn’t fill the frame, the space between lines is adjusted until the frame is filled.
The paragraph spacing limit value is applied in addition to the Space Before or Space After values entered on the
Paragraph panel.
Paragraph spacing limit set to zero (left) and 1 pica (right)
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Note: Be careful about vertically justifying multi-column text frames. If the last column contains only a few lines, too
much white space may appear between the lines.
5 Click OK.
An easy way to adjust the Paragraph Spacing Limit value is to select Preview, and then click the up or down arrow next
to the Paragraph Spacing Limit value until paragraph spacing appears to be balanced with leading.
More Help topics
Change Justification settings
Change the grid display
Frame grid properties
Align text of different sizes
Grids
Set baseline grids for a text frame
Formatting paragraphs
Adjust paragraph spacing
You can control the amount of space between paragraphs. If a paragraph begins at the top of a column or frame,
InDesign does not honor the Space Before value. In such a case, you can increase the leading of the first line of the
paragraph or increase the top inset of the text frame in InDesign.
1 Select text.
2 In the Paragraph panel or the Control panel, adjust the appropriate values for Space Before
and Space After
To ensure formatting consistency, change paragraph spacing in the paragraph styles you define.
Use drop caps
You can add drop caps to one or more paragraphs at a time. The drop cap’s baseline sits one or more lines below the
baseline of the first line of a paragraph.
You can also create a character style that can be applied to the drop-cap characters. For example, you can create a tall
cap (also called a raised cap) by specifying a 1-line, 1-character drop cap and applying a character style that increases
the size of the first letter.
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One-character, three-line drop cap (left), and five-character, two-line drop cap (right)
Create a drop cap
1 With the Type tool
selected, click in the paragraph where you want the drop cap to appear.
2 In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, type a number for Drop Cap Number Of Lines
to indicate the number
of lines you want the drop cap to occupy.
3 For Drop Cap One Or More Characters
, type the number of drop cap characters you want.
4 To apply a character style to the drop cap character, choose Drop Caps And Nested Styles from the Paragraph panel
menu, and then choose the character style you created.
You can also use the Drop Caps And Nested Styles dialog box to align the drop cap to the text edge, reducing the
amount of space on the left side of the drop cap, and adjust for drop cap letters with descenders, such as “g” and “y.”
If you want to resize, skew, or change the typeface of the drop cap letter for added effect, select the letter or letters and
make the formatting changes.
Remove a drop cap
1 With the Type tool
selected, click in the paragraph where the drop cap appears.
2 In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, type 0 for Drop Cap Number Of Lines or Drop Cap Number Of Characters.
Add rules (lines) above or below paragraphs
Rules are paragraph attributes that move and are resized along with the paragraph on the page. If you’re using a rule
with headings in your document, you may want to make the rule part of a paragraph style definition. The width of the
rule is determined by the column width.
The offset for a rule above a paragraph is measured from the baseline of the top line of text to the bottom of the rule.
The offset for a rule below a paragraph is measured from the baseline of the last line of text to the top of the rule.
Placement of rules
A Rule above paragraph B Rule below paragraph
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Michael Murphy provides a video tutorial about creating special effects using paragraph rules at Paragraph Rules Rule.
Creative Curio provides an article about creative uses of paragraph rules at Creative Uses for Paragraph Rules in
InDesign, Pt 1.
Add a rule above or below a paragraph
1 Select text.
2 Choose Paragraph Rules from the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu.
3 At the top of the Paragraph Rule dialog box, select Rule Above or Rule Below.
4 Select Rule On.
Note: If you want both a rule above and below, make sure that Rule On is selected for both Rule Above and Rule Below.
5 Select Preview to see what the rule will look like.
6 For Weight, choose a weight or type a value to determine the thickness of the rule. For Rule Above, increasing the
weight expands the rule upwards. For Rule Below, increasing the weight expands the rule downward.
7 Select Overprint Stroke when you want to make sure that the stroke doesn’t knock out underlying inks on a printing
press.
8 Do one or both of the following:
• Choose a color. The available colors are those listed in the Swatches panel. Select the Text Color option to make
the rule the same color as the first character in the paragraph for Rule Above and the last character for Rule
Below.
• Choose a tint or specify a tint value. The tint is based on the color you specified. Note that you can’t create tints
of the built-in colors None, Paper, Registration, or Text Color.
• If you specified any line type other than solid, choose a gap color or gap tint to change the appearance of the area
between dashes, dots, or lines.
9 Choose the width of the rule. You can choose either Text (from the left edge of text to the line end) or Column (from
the left edge of the column to the right edge of the column). If the left edge of the frame has a column inset, the rule
begins at the inset.
10 To determine the vertical position of the rule, type a value for Offset.
11 To make sure that the rule above text is drawn within the text frame, select Keep In Frame. If this option isn’t
selected, the rule can appear outside the text frame.
To make sure the paragraph rule at the top of one column aligns with the text at the top of the adjacent column,
select Keep In Frame.
12 Set left or right indents for the rule (not for text) by typing values for Left Indent and Right Indent.
13 Select Overprint Stroke if the paragraph rule will be printed over another color and you want to avoid errors that
can occur with printing misregistration. Then click OK.
Remove a paragraph rule
1 Using the Type tool
, click in the paragraph containing the paragraph rule.
2 Choose Paragraph Rules from the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu.
3 Deselect Rule On and click OK.
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Ways to control paragraph breaks
You can eliminate orphans and widows, words or single lines of text that become separated from the other lines in a
paragraph. Orphans fall at the bottom of a column or page, and widows fall at the top of a column or page. Another
typographic problem to avoid is a heading that stands alone on a page with the following paragraph on the next page.
You have several options for fixing widows, orphans, short exit lines, and other paragraph break problems:
Discretionary hyphens A discretionary hyphen (Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens And Dashes >
Discretionary Hyphen) appears only if the word breaks. This option prevents the common typographic problem of
hyphenated words, such as “care-giver,” appearing in the middle of a line after text reflows. Similarly, you can also add
a discretionary line break character.
No Break Choose No Break from the Character panel menu to prevent selected text from breaking across a line.
Nonbreaking spaces Insert a nonbreaking space (Type > Insert White Space > [nonbreaking space]) between words you
want to keep together.
Keep Options Choose Keep Options from the Paragraph panel menu to specify how many lines in the following
paragraph remain with the current paragraph.
Start Paragraph Use Start Paragraph in the Keep Options dialog box to force a paragraph (usually a title or heading)
to appear at the top of a page, column, or section. This option works especially well as part of a heading paragraph style.
Hyphenation Settings Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu to change hyphenation settings.
Edit text Editing text may not be an option depending on the kind of document you work with. If you have license to
rewrite, then subtle rewording can often create a better line break.
Use a different composer In general, use Adobe Paragraph Composer to let InDesign compose paragraphs
automatically. If a paragraph isn’t composed the way you’d like, choose Adobe Single-line Composer from the
Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu and adjust selected lines individually. See Compose text.
Control paragraph breaks using Keep Options
You can specify how many lines of the following paragraph remain with the current paragraph as it moves between
frames—a convenient way to ensure that headings don’t become isolated from the body text they introduce. InDesign
can highlight the paragraphs that sometimes break in violation of your settings.
You may not want to use Keep Options if your document does not require your columns to share the same last baseline.
To highlight paragraphs that violate Keep Options, choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign >
Preferences > Composition (Mac OS), select Keep Violations, and click OK.
1 Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to affect.
2 Choose Keep Options in the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu. (You can also change keep options when
creating or editing a paragraph style.)
3 Choose Keep Options in the Paragraph panel menu. (You can also change keep options when creating or editing a
paragraph style.)
4 Select any of these options and then click OK:
• Select Keep With Previous to keep the first line of the current paragraph with the last line of the previous
paragraph.
• For Keep With Next _ Lines, specify the number of lines (up to five) of the subsequent paragraph that the last
line of the current paragraph stays with. This option is especially useful for making sure that a heading stays with
the next few lines of the paragraph that follows it.
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• Select the Keep Lines Together option and select All Lines In Paragraph to prevent the paragraph from breaking.
• Select the Keep Lines Together option, select At Start/End Of Paragraph, and specify the number of lines that
must appear at the beginning or ending of the paragraph to prevent orphans and widows.
• For Start Paragraph, choose an option to force InDesign to push the paragraph to the next column, frame, or
page. If Anywhere is selected, the start position is determined by the Keep Line Settings option. For other
options, they will be forced to start from these positions.
When you create paragraph styles for headings, use the Keep Options panel to make sure that your headings remain
with the paragraph that follows them.
Create hanging punctuation
Punctuation marks and letters such as “W” can make the left or right edges of a column appear to be misaligned.
Optical Margin Alignment controls whether punctuation marks (such as periods, commas, quotation marks, and
dashes) and edges of letters (such as W and A) hang outside the text margins, so that the type looks aligned.
Before (left) and after (right) applying Optical Margin Alignment
1 Select a text frame, or click anywhere in the story.
2 Choose Type > Story.
3 Select Optical Margin Alignment.
4 Select a font size to set the appropriate amount of overhang for the size of type in your story. For optimal results, use
the same size as the text.
To turn off Optical Margin Alignment for an individual paragraph, choose Ignore Optical Margin from the Paragraph
panel menu or Control panel menu.
More Help topics
Add paragraph and character styles
Drop caps and nested styles
Apply a character style to a drop cap
Add column, frame, and page breaks
Leading
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About leading
The vertical space between lines of type is called leading. Leading is measured from the baseline of one line of text to
the baseline of the line above it. Baseline is the invisible line on which most letters—that is, those without descenders—
sit.
The default auto-leading option sets the leading at 120% of the type size (for example, 12-point leading for 10-point
type). When auto-leading is in use, InDesign displays the leading value in parentheses in the Leading menu of the
Character panel.
Leading
A Leading B Text height C Larger text size of one word increases leading for that one line.
Change leading
By default, leading is a character attribute, which means that you can apply more than one leading value within the same
paragraph. The largest leading value in a line of type determines the leading for that line. However, you can select a
preferences option so that leading applies to the entire paragraph, instead of to text within a paragraph. This setting
does not affect the leading in existing frames.
Change leading of selected text
1 Select the text you want to change.
2 Do any of the following:
• In the Character panel or Control panel, choose the leading you want from the Leading menu
.
• Select the existing leading value and type a new value.
• While creating a paragraph style, change the leading using the Basic Character Formats panel.
If InDesign ignores the leading change, it may be due to Vertical Justification or Align To Baseline Grid being selected.
Choose Object > Text Frame Options and make sure Vertical Justification is set to Top, and make sure Do Not Align
To Baseline Grid is selected in the Paragraph panel, Control panel, or paragraph style.
You can also adjust vertical space by aligning text to the baseline grid. When baseline grid is set, the baseline grid setting
takes precedence over the leading value.
Change the default leading percentage
1 Select the paragraphs that you want to change.
2 Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu or from the Control panel menu.
3 For Auto Leading, specify a new default percentage. The minimum value is 0%, and the maximum value is 500%.
Note: The Auto option in the Leading pop-up menu of the Control panel menu sets Auto Leading value in the Justification
dialog box as a ratio (%) of character size. The default is 175% for text frames and 100% for frame grids.
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Apply leading to whole paragraphs
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).
2 Select Apply Leading To Entire Paragraph, and then click OK.
Note: When you use a character style to apply leading to text, the leading affects only the text to which the style is applied,
not the entire paragraph, regardless of whether the Apply Leading To Entire Paragraph option is selected.
Tabs and indents
Tabs dialog box overview
Tabs position text at specific horizontal locations in a frame. The default tab settings depend on the Horizontal ruler
units setting in the Units & Increments preferences dialog box.
Tabs apply to an entire paragraph. The first tab you set deletes all default tab stops to its left. Subsequent tabs delete all
default tabs between the tabs you set. You can set left, center, right, and decimal or special-character tabs.
You set tabs using the Tabs dialog box.
Tabs dialog box
A Tab alignment buttons B Tab position C Tab Leader box D Align On box E Tab ruler F Snap above frame
When you do this in a vertical text frame, the Tabs dialog box also becomes vertical. When the Tabs dialog box direction
is not consistent with the text frame direction, click on the magnet icon to snap the rulers to the current text frame.
Vertical tabs
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Open the Tabs dialog box
1 Using the Type tool, click in the text frame.
2 Choose Type > Tabs.
If the top of the frame is visible, the Tabs dialog box snaps to the current text frame and matches its width to the current
column.
When the top of a horizontal frame is displayed, the Tabs dialog box will snap to the top of the current text frame, and
the width will change to conform to the width of the current column. When there is a text insertion point in a vertical
frame, the Tabs dialog box will snap to the right side of the text frame, and the length displayed will conform to the
length of the current column.
Align the Tabs dialog box ruler with your text
1 In Layout View, scroll through your document to display the top of the content.
2 Scroll through your document to display the top of the text frame.
3 Click the magnet icon
on the Tabs dialog box. The Tabs dialog box snaps to the top of the column that includes
the selection or the insertion point.
Set tabs
You can set left, center, right, and decimal or special-character tabs. When you use the special-character tab, you can
set a tab to align to any character you choose, such as a colon or a dollar sign.
Bob Bringhurst provides an article about various tab and indent effects at Tabs and Indents Gallery.
1 To see the effect of changing tab settings, choose View > Layout View.
2 Using the Type tool
, click an insertion point in the paragraph.
3 Press the Tab key. Add tabs in the paragraphs where you want to add horizontal space. (You can also add tabs after
you create your tab settings.)
Using tabs to align text
4 Choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs dialog box.
5 To specify which paragraphs will be affected, select a paragraph or a group of paragraphs.
Note: In Galley view and Story view, adding a tab at the beginning of the paragraph indents the text the same amount,
regardless of the tab position. Layout view shows the actual distance of the tab.
6 For the first tab, click a tab-alignment button (left, right, center, or decimal) in the Tabs dialog box to specify how
text will align to the tab’s position.
7 Do one of the following:
• Click a location on the tab ruler to position a new tab.
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Adding a new tab setting
• Type a position in the X box and press Enter or Return. If the X value is selected, press the up or down arrow key
to increase or decrease the tab value by 1 point, respectively.
8 For subsequent tabs with different alignments, repeat steps 3 and 4.
The first tab setting is right-aligned; the second tab setting is left-aligned.
To insert a tab character in a table, choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Tab.
Repeat tabs
The Repeat Tab command creates multiple tabs based on the distance between the tab and the left indent or the
previous tab stop.
1 Click an insertion point in the paragraph.
2 In the Tabs panel, select a tab stop on the ruler.
3 Choose Repeat Tab from the panel menu.
Repeated tabs
A Tab-alignment buttons B Tab stop on the ruler C Panel menu
Move, delete, and edit tab settings
Use the Tabs dialog box to move, delete, and edit tab settings.
Move a tab setting
1 Using the Type tool
, click an insertion point in the paragraph.
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2 In the Tabs dialog box, select a tab on the tab ruler.
3 Do one of the following:
• Type a new location for X and press Enter or Return.
• Drag the tab to a new location.
Delete a tab setting
1 Click an insertion point in the paragraph.
2 Do one of the following:
• Drag the tab off the tab ruler.
• Select the tab, and choose Delete Tab from the panel menu.
• To return to the default tab stops, choose Clear All from the panel menu.
Change a tab from one alignment to another
1 In the Tabs dialog box, select a tab on the tab ruler.
2 Click a tab-alignment button.
You can also hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while clicking the tab setting to cycle through the four
alignment options.
Specify characters for decimal tabs
You use decimal tabs to align text with a character you specify, such as a period or a dollar sign.
1 In the Tabs panel, create or select a decimal tab
on the tab ruler.
2 In the Align On box, type the character to which you want to align. You can type or paste any character. Make sure
that the paragraphs you’re aligning contain that character.
Text aligned using a decimal tab
Add tab leaders
A tab leader is a repeated pattern of characters, such as a series of dots or dashes, between a tab and the following text.
1 In the Tabs panel, select a tab stop on the ruler.
2 Type a pattern of as many as eight characters in the Leader box, and then press Enter or Return. The characters you
entered repeat across the width of the tab.
3 To change the font or other formatting of the tab leader, select the tab character in the text frame, and use the
Character panel or Type menu to apply formatting.
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Insert right indent tabs
In one step, you can add a right-aligned tab at the right indent, making it easier to prepare tabular text that spans an
entire column. Right indent tabs are slightly different from regular tabs. A right indent tab:
• Aligns all subsequent text to the right edge of the text frame. If the same paragraph includes any tabs after the right
indent tab, those tabs and their text are pushed to the next line.
• Is a special character located in the text, not in the Tabs dialog box. You add a right indent tab using a context menu,
not the Tabs dialog box. As a result, a right indent tab can’t be part of a paragraph style.
• Is different from the Right Indent value in the Paragraph panel. The Right Indent value keeps the entire right edge
of the paragraph away from the right edge of the text frame.
• Can be used with a tab leader. Right indent tabs use the tab leader of the first tab stop past the right margin, or, if
there isn't one, the last tab stop before the right margin.
1 Using the Type tool
, click on the line where you want to add the right indent tab.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Right Indent Tab.
Set indents
Indents move text inward from the right and left edges of the frame. In general, use first-line indents, not spaces or tabs,
to indent the first line of a paragraph.
A first-line indent is positioned relative to the left-margin indent. For example, if a paragraph’s left edge is indented one
pica, setting the first-line indent to one pica indents the first line of the paragraph two picas from the left edge of the
frame or inset.
You can set indents using the Tabs dialog box, the Paragraph panel, or the Control panel. You can also set indents when
you create bulleted or numbered lists.
When setting CJK characters, you can use the mojikumi setting to specify the indent for the first line. However, for text
in which the first line indent was specified in the Paragraph panel, if you specify indents in mojikumi settings, you can
make the text indent the sum value of both indents.
Bob Bringhurst provides an article about various tab and indent effects at Tabs and Indents Gallery.
Set an indent using the Tabs dialog box
1 Using the Type tool
, click in the paragraph you want to indent.
2 Choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs dialog box.
3 Do one of the following to the indent markers
in the Tabs dialog box:
• Drag the top marker to indent the first line of text. Drag the bottom marker to move both markers and indent
the entire paragraph.
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First-line indent (left) and no indent (right)
• Select the top marker and type a value for X to indent the first line of text. Select the bottom marker and type a
value for X to move both markers and indent the entire paragraph.
For more information on using the Tabs dialog box, see Tabs dialog box overview .
Set indents using the Paragraph panel or the Control panel
1 Using the Type tool
, click in the paragraph you want to indent.
2 Adjust the appropriate indent values in the Paragraph panel or Control panel. For example, do the following:
• To indent the entire paragraph one pica, type a value (such as 1p) in the Left Indent box
.
• To indent only the first line of a paragraph one pica, type a value (such as 1p) in the First Line Left Indent box
.
• To create a hanging indent of one pica, type a positive value (such as 1p) in the Left Indent box and type a
negative value (such as -1p) in the First Line Left Indent box. See Set indents .
Reset indents
1 Click in the paragraph in which you want to reset indents to the zero mark.
2 Choose Reset Indents from the Tabs dialog box menu.
Create a hanging indent
In a hanging indent, all the lines in a paragraph are indented except for the first line. Hanging indents are especially
useful when you want to add inline graphics at the beginning of the paragraph.
No indent (left) and hanging indent (right)
1 Using the Type tool
, click in the paragraph you want to indent.
2 In the Tabs dialog box or the Control panel, specify a left indent value greater than zero.
3 To specify a negative first-line left indent value, do one of the following:
• In the Control panel, type a negative value for the first-line left indent
.
• In the Tabs dialog box, drag the top marker to the left, or select the marker and type a negative value for X.
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In most cases, you’ll specify the negative equivalent of the value you entered in step 2; for instance, if you specified a
left indent of 2 picas, your first-line left indent will typically be –2 picas.
Right-indent the last line of a paragraph
You can use the Last Line Right Indent option to add a hanging indent on the right side of the last line in a paragraph.
This option is especially useful for right-aligning prices in a sales catalog.
Last line right indent
1 Type your paragraphs. In the last line of each paragraph, place the insertion point before the text to be indented, and
choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Right Indent Tab.
2 Select the paragraphs.
3 To create a right indent for paragraphs, specify a value (such as 2p) in the Right Indent field of the Paragraph panel
or Control panel.
4 To offset the right indent value for the text that follows the tab, type a negative value (such as -2p) in the Last Line
Right Indent field of the Paragraph panel or Control panel.
Use Indent To Here
You can use the Indent To Here special character to indent lines in a paragraph independently of a paragraph’s left
indent value. The Indent To Here special character is different from the paragraph’s left indent in the following ways:
• Indent To Here is part of the text flow, as if it were a visible character. If text reflows, the indent moves with it.
• Indent To Here affects all lines after the line where you’ve added its special characters, so you can indent just some
of the lines in a paragraph.
• When you choose Type > Show Hidden Characters, the Indent To Here character
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Indent To Here special character
1 Using the Type tool
, click the insertion point where you would like to indent.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Indent To Here.
More Help topics
Create bulleted or numbered lists
Kerning and tracking
About kerning and tracking
Kerning is the process of adding or subtracting space between specific pairs of characters. Tracking is the process of
loosening or tightening a block of text.
Note: Values for kerning and tracking affect Japanese text but normally these options are used to adjust the aki between
roman characters.
Types of kerning
You can automatically kern type using metrics kerning or optical kerning. Metrics kerning uses kern pairs, which are
included with most fonts. Kern pairs contain information about the spacing of specific pairs of letters. Some of these
are: LA, P., To, Tr, Ta, Tu, Te, Ty, Wa, WA, We, Wo, Ya, and Yo.
InDesign uses metrics kerning by default so that specific pairs are automatically kerned when you import or type text.
To disable metrics kerning, select "0".
Optical kerning adjusts the spacing between adjacent characters based on their shapes. Some fonts include robust kernpair specifications. However, when a font includes only minimal built-in kerning or none at all, or if you use two
different typefaces or sizes in one or more words on a line, you may want to use the optical kerning option.
Optical kerning adjusts the spacing between adjacent characters based on their shapes, and is optimized for use with
Roman glyphs. Some fonts include robust kern-pair specifications. However, when a font includes only minimal builtin kerning or none at all, or if you use two different typefaces or sizes in one or more words on a line, you may want to
use the optical kerning option for the Roman text in your document.
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Before applying the optical kerning option to the “W” and “a” pair (top), and after (bottom)
You can also use manual kerning, which is ideal for adjusting the space between two letters. Tracking and manual
kerning are cumulative, so you can first adjust individual pairs of letters, and then tighten or loosen a block of text
without affecting the relative kerning of the letter pairs.
Word kerning isn’t the same as the Word Spacing option in the Justification dialog box; word kerning changes the
kerning value only between a specific word’s first character and the word space preceding that character.
Kerning and tracking
A Original B Kerning applied between “W” and “a” C Tracking applied
How kerning and tracking are measured
You can apply kerning, tracking, or both to selected text. Tracking and kerning are both measured in 1/1000 em, a unit
of measure that is relative to the current type size. In a 6-point font, 1 em equals 6 points; in a 10-point font, 1 em equals
10 points. Kerning and tracking are strictly proportional to the current type size.
Tracking and manual kerning are cumulative, so you can first adjust individual pairs of letters, and then tighten or
loosen a block of text without affecting the relative kerning of the letter pairs.
When you click to place the insertion point between two letters, InDesign displays kerning values in the Character
panel and the Control panel. Metrics and optical kerning values (or defined kern pairs) appear in parentheses. Similarly,
if you select a word or a range of text, InDesign displays the tracking values in the Character panel and Control panel.
Apply kerning to text
You apply either of two types of automatic kerning: metrics kerning or optical kerning, or you can adjust the spacing
between letters manually.
Use metrics kerning
1 Set the text insertion point between the characters you want to pair kern, or select text.
2 In the Character panel or Control panel, select Metrics in the Kerning
menu.
3 In the Character panel or Control panel, select Metrics or Metrics - Roman Only in the Kerning
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Note: If Metrics is applied to fonts (including some Japanese OpenType fonts) which do not contain pair kerning
information, spacing for each character will be set to “0” and character compression will not occur.
To avoid using the built-in kerning information of a font for selected text, choose “0” in the Kerning
menu.
Note: The default setting is Metrics – Roman Only. When Metrics - Roman Only is applied to Roman OpenType fonts,
kerning is the same as when Metrics is selected. When Metrics - Roman Only is applied to CJK OpenType fonts, only the
Roman characters will be kerned with kerning pairs as if Metrics were set. The CJK characters will not be kerned, as if '0'
were set. For this reason, choose '0' to turn off pair kerning.
Note: If you use font metrics kerning in a Japanese OpenType font, it is recommended that you choose OpenType > Use
Proportional Metrics from the Control panel menu. That way, you can avoid making unnecessary manual kerning
adjustments.
Use optical kerning
1 Set the text insertion point between characters you want to pair kern or select the text you want to kern.
2 In the Character panel or Control panel, select Optical in the Kerning
menu.
Note: Optical Kerning is designed on the basis of Roman character forms. You can use this feature with CJK fonts, but you
should always check the results of the operation.
Adjust kerning manually
1 Using the Type tool
, click to place an insertion point between two characters.
Note: If a range of text is selected, you can’t manually kern the text (you can choose only Metrics, Optical, or 0). Instead,
use tracking.
Note: If a range of text is selected, you can’t manually kern the text (you can choose only Metrics, Metrics - Roman Only,
Optical, or 0). Instead, use tracking.
2 Do any of the following:
• In the Character panel or the Control panel, type or select a numeric value in the Kerning menu.
• Press Alt+Left/Right Arrow (Windows) or Option+Left/Right Arrow (Mac OS) to decrease or increase the
kerning between two characters.
The amount of the word kerning adjustment is the same as the Kerning value in the Units & Increments Preferences
dialog box. When you press the shortcut and hold down the Ctrl or Command key, the kerning amount is the Kerning
preferences value multiplied by 5.
Change the default kerning increment value
❖ In the Units & Increments section of the Preferences dialog box, type a new value for the Kerning option and click
OK.
Turn off kerning for selected text
1 Select text.
2 In the Character panel or Control panel, type or choose 0 in the Kerning menu.
You can also press Alt+Ctrl+Q (Windows) or Option+Command+Q (Mac OS) to reset kerning and tracking. When
you do so, kerning is set to Metrics regardless of which kerning option was previously applied.
Adjust tracking
1 Select a range of characters.
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2 In the Character panel or Control panel, type or select a numeric value for Tracking
.
Highlight text containing custom kerning and tracking
In some instances, you’ll want to be aware of text that has custom tracking and kerning applied. If you select the Custom
Tracking/Kerning preferences option, green highlighting appears over text with custom tracking or kerning.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).
2 Select Custom Tracking/Kerning, and then click OK.
Adjust kerning between words
❖ With the Type tool
, select a range of text and do one of the following:
• To add space between selected words, press Alt+Ctrl+\ (Windows) or Option+Command+\ (Mac OS).
• To remove space between selected words, press Alt+Ctrl+Backspace (Windows) or Option+Command+Delete
(Mac OS).
• To multiply the kerning adjustment by 5, hold down Shift as you press the keyboard shortcut.
More Help topics
Adjust aki before and after characters
Keys for working with type
Keys for working with type
Document installed fonts (video 2:29)
Learn how to use document installed fonts in your designs, in InDesign CS5 and later.
Document installed fonts (video 2:29)
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Chapter 7: Tables
Table and cell styles
About table and cell styles
Just as you use text styles to format text, you can use table and cell styles to format tables. A table style is a collection of
table formatting attributes, such as table borders and row and column strokes, that can be applied in a single step. A cell
style includes formatting such as cell insets, paragraph styles, and strokes and fills. When you edit a style, all tables or
cells to which the style is applied are updated automatically.
Note: There is one important difference between text styles and table styles. While all character styles attributes can be part
of a paragraph style, cell style attributes are not part of the table style. For example, you cannot use a table style to change
the border color of interior cells. Instead, create a cell style and include it in the table style.
[Basic Table] and [None] styles
By default, each new document contains a [Basic Table] style that can be applied to tables you create and a [None] style
that can be used to remove cell styles applied to cells. You can edit the [Basic Table] style, but you can’t rename or delete
either [Basic Table] or [None].
Using cell styles in table styles
When you create a table style, you can specify which cell styles are applied to different regions of the table: header and
footer rows, left and right columns, and body rows. For example, for the header row, you can assign a cell style that
applies a paragraph style, and for the left and right columns, you can assign different cell styles that apply shaded
backgrounds.
Cell styles applied to regions in table style
A Header row formatted with cell style that includes paragraph style B Left column C Body cells D Right column
Cell style attributes
Cell styles do not necessarily include all the formatting attributes of a selected cell. When you create a cell style, you can
determine which attributes are included. That way, applying the cell style changes only the desired attributes, such as
cell fill color, and ignores all other cell attributes.
Formatting precedence in styles
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If a conflict occurs in formatting applied to a table cell, the following order of precedence determines which formatting
is used:
Cell style precedence 1. Header/Footer 2. Left column/Right column 3. Body rows. For example, if a cell appears in
both the header and the left column, the formatting from the header cell style is used.
Table style precedence 1. Cell overrides 2. Cell style 3. Cell styles applied from a table style 4. Table overrides 5. Table
styles. For example, if you apply one fill using the Cell Options dialog box and another fill using the cell style, the fill
from the Cell Options dialog box is used.
Table/Cell Styles panels overview
Use the Table Styles panel (Window > Styles >Table Styles) to create and name table styles, and to apply the styles to
existing tables or tables you create or import. Use the Cell Styles panel (Window > Styles > Cell Styles) to create and
name cell styles, and to apply the styles to table cells. Styles are saved with a document and appear in the panel each
time you open that document. You can save table and cell styles in groups for easier management.
When you position the insertion point in a cell or table, any style that is applied is highlighted in either of the panels.
The name of any cell style that is applied through a table style appears in the lower left corner of the Cell Styles area. If
you select a range of cells that contains multiple styles, no style is highlighted and the Cell Styles panel displays
“(Mixed).”
Open the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel
❖ Choose Window > Styles, and choose Table Styles or Cell Styles.
Change how styles are listed in the panel
• Select Small Panel Rows to display a condensed version of the styles.
• Drag the style to a different position. You can also drag styles to groups that you create.
• Choose Sort By Name from the panel menu to list the styles alphabetically.
Define table and cell styles
1 If you want to base a new style on the formatting of an existing table or cell, place the insertion point in a cell.
2 If desired, define a paragraph style for the cell style.
3 Choose Window > Styles >Table Styles to open the Table Style panel, or choose Window > Styles > Cell Styles to
open the Cell Styles panel.
4 Choose New Table Style from the Table Styles panel menu, or choose New Cell Style from the Cell Styles panel menu.
5 For Style Name, type a name.
6 For Based On, select which style the current style is based on.
7 To define a style shortcut, position the insertion point in the Shortcut text box and make sure that Num Lock is on.
Then hold down any combination of Shift, Alt, or Ctrl (Windows) or Shift, Option, and Command (Mac OS), and
press a number on the numeric keypad. You cannot use letters or non-keypad numbers for defining style shortcuts.
8 To specify the formatting attributes, click a category on the left and specify the attributes you want. For example, to
assign a paragraph style to a cell style, click the General category, and then choose the paragraph style from the
Paragraph Style menu.
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For cell styles, options that don’t have a setting specified are ignored in the style. If you don’t want a setting to be part
of the style, choose (Ignore) from the setting’s menu, delete the contents of the field, or click a check box until a small
box appears in Windows or a hyphen (-) appears in Mac OS.
9 If you want the new style to appear in a style group you’ve created, drag it to the style group folder.
Load (import) table styles from other documents
You can import table and cell styles from another InDesign document into the active document. During import, you
can determine which styles are loaded and what should occur if a loaded style has the same name as a style in the
current document. You can also import styles from an InCopy document.
1 From the menu of the Cell Styles or Table Styles panel, choose Load Cell Styles, Load Table Styles, or Load Table
And Cell Styles.
2 Double-click the InDesign document containing the styles you want to import.
3 In the Load Styles dialog box, make sure that a check mark appears next to the styles you want to import. If any
existing style has the same name as one of the imported styles, choose one of the following options under Conflict
With Existing Style, and then click OK:
Use Incoming Style Definition Overwrites the existing style with the loaded style and applies its new attributes to all
cells in the current document that used the old style. The definitions of the incoming and existing styles appear at
the bottom of the Load Styles dialog box so you can compare them.
Auto-Rename Renames the loaded style. For example, if both documents have a style named “Table Style 1,” the
loaded style is renamed “Table Style 1 copy” in the current document.
Apply table and cell styles
Unlike paragraph and character styles, table and cell styles do not share attributes, so applying a table style does not
override cell formatting, and applying a cell style does not override table formatting. By default, applying a cell style
removes formatting applied by any previous cell style, but does not remove local cell formatting. Similarly, applying a
table style removes formatting applied by any previous table style, but does not remove overrides made using the Table
Options dialog box.
In the Styles panel, a plus sign (+) appears next to the current cell or table style if the selected cell or table has additional
formatting that isn’t part of the applied style. Such additional formatting is called an override.
1 Position the insertion point in a table, or select the cells to which you want to apply the style.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the table or cell style in the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel (chose Window > Styles >Table Styles or Cell
Styles). If the style is in a style group, expand the style group to locate the style.
• Press the shortcut you defined for the style. (Make sure that Num Lock is on.)
Base one table or cell style on another
You can create links between similar table or cell styles by creating a base, or parent, style. When you edit the parent
style, any changed attribute that appears in the child styles will change as well. By default, table styles are based on [No
Table Style], and cell styles are based on [None].
1 Create a new style.
2 In the New Table Style or New Cell Style dialog box, select the parent style in the Based On menu. The new style
becomes the child style.
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3 Specify formatting for the new style to distinguish it from the parent style.
Edit table and cell styles
One of the advantages of using styles is that when you change the definition of a style, all of the tables or cells formatted
with that style change to match the new style definition.
1 Do one of the following:
• If you don’t want the style to be applied to a selected table or cell, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac
OS) the style in the Styles panel, and choose Edit [style name].
• In the Styles panel, double-click the style, or select the style and choose Style Options from the Styles panel menu.
Note that this method applies the cell style to any selected cell or the table style to any selected table. If no table
is selected, double-clicking a table style sets it as the default style for any table you create.
2 Adjust settings in the dialog box, and then click OK.
Delete table and cell styles
When you delete a style, you can select a different style to replace it, and you can choose whether to preserve the
formatting.
1 Select the style in the Styles panel.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Delete Style from the panel menu.
• Click the Delete icon
at the bottom of the panel, or drag the style to the Delete icon.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the style, and then choose Delete Style. This method is
especially useful for deleting a style without applying it to the selected cell or table.
3 Select the style to replace it.
If you select [No Table Style] to replace a table style or [None] to replace a cell style, select Preserve Formatting to
keep the formatting of the table or cell to which the style is applied. The table or cell preserves its formatting but is
no longer associated with a style.
4 Click OK.
Redefine table or cell styles based on current formatting
After you apply a style, you can override any of its settings. If you decide you like the changes, you can redefine the style
to retain the new formatting.
1 Place the insertion point in the table or cell that is formatted with the style you want to redefine.
2 Make changes to the table or cell as necessary.
3 Choose Redefine Style from the Styles panel menu.
Note: For cell styles, changes to only those attributes that are part of the cell style will enable the Redefine Style command.
For example, if the cell style includes a red fill and you override a cell to use a blue fill, you can redefine the style based on
that cell. But if you change an attribute that is ignored in the cell style, you can’t redefine the style with that attribute.
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Override table and cell styles
After you apply a table or cell style, you can override any of its settings. To override a table style, you can change options
in the Table Options dialog box. To override a cell, you can change options in the Cell Options dialog box or use other
panels to change the stroke or fill. If you select a table or cell that has an override, a plus sign (+) appears next to the
style in the Styles panel.
You can clear table and cell overrides when you apply a style. You can also clear overrides from a table or cell to which
a style has already been applied.
If a style has a plus sign (+) next to it, hover over the style to view a description of the override attributes.
Preserve or remove overrides while applying a table style
• To apply a table style and preserve cell styles but remove overrides, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
as you click the style in the Table Styles panel.
• To apply a table style and remove both cell styles and overrides, hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift
(Mac OS) as you click the style in the Table Styles panel.
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the style in the Table Styles panel, and then choose Apply [table style],
Clear Cell Styles to apply a style and clear cell styles.
Remove overrides while applying a cell style
❖ To apply a cell style and remove overrides, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click the name of
the style in the Cell Styles panel.
Note: Only those attributes that are part of the cell style are considered overrides. For example, if the cell style includes
a red fill and all other attributes are ignored, changing a different cell option is not considered an override.
Clear attributes not defined by a cell style
❖ Choose Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style from the Cell Styles panel menu.
Clear table or cell overrides
1 Select the table or cells containing the overrides.
2 In the Styles panel, click the Clear Overrides In Selection icon
, or choose Clear Overrides from the Styles panel
menu.
Break the link to table or cell styles
When you break the link between tables or cells and the style applied to them, the tables or cells retain their current
formatting. However, future changes to that style won’t affect them.
1 Select the cells to which the style has been applied.
2 Choose Break Link To Style from the Styles panel menu.
More Help topics
Group styles
Use Quick Apply
Duplicate styles or style groups
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Creating tables
A table consists of rows and columns of cells. A cell is like a text frame in which you can add text, anchored frames, or
other tables. Create tables in Adobe InDesign CS5 or export them from other applications.
Note: To create, edit, and format tables in Adobe InCopy, make sure you are in Layout view.
Create tables
A table consists of rows and columns of cells. A cell is like a text frame in which you can add text, inline graphics, or
other tables. You can create tables from scratch or by converting them from existing text. You can also embed a table
within a table.
When you create a table, the new table fills the width of the container text frame. A table is inserted on the same line
when the insertion point is at the beginning of the line, or on the next line, when the insertion point is in the middle of
a line.
Tables flow with surrounding text just as inline graphics do. For example, a table moves through threaded frames when
the text above it changes in point size or when text is added or deleted. However, a table cannot appear on a text-onpath frame.
Michael Murphy provides an article on creating and formatting tables at Mind Your Table Manners.
Jeff Witchell from InfiniteSkills.com provides a video demonstration on The basics of setting up tables.
Create a table from scratch
The table you create fills the width of the text frame.
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
2 Choose Table > Insert Table.
3 Specify the numbers of rows and columns.
4 If your table contents will continue on more than one column or frame, specify the number of header or footer rows
in which you want the information to be repeated.
5 (Optional) Specify a table style.
6 Click OK.
The row height of a table is determined by the specified table style. For example, a table style may use cell styles to
format different parts of the table. If any of these cell styles include paragraph styles, the leading value of the paragraph
styles determines the row height of that area. If no paragraph style is used, the document’s default slug determines the
row height. (The slug is based on the leading value. In this context, a slug is the approximate height of the highlighting
in selected text.)
Create a table from existing text
Before you convert text to a table, make sure that you set up the text properly.
1 To prepare the text for conversion, insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate
columns. Insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate rows. (In many instances, text
can be converted to a table without having to be edited.)
2 Using the Type tool
, select the text you want to convert to a table.
3 Choose Table > Convert Text To Table.
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4 For both Column Separator and Row Separator, indicate where new rows and columns should begin. Choose Tab,
Comma, or Paragraph, or type the character, such as a semicolon (;), in the Column Separator and Row Separator
field. (Any character you type appears in the menu the next time you create a table from text.)
5 If you specify the same separator for columns and rows, indicate the number of columns you want the table to
include.
6 (Optional) Specify a table style to format the table.
7 Click OK.
If any row has fewer items than the number of columns in a table, empty cells fill out the row.
Embed a table within a table
1 Do one of the following:
• Select the cells or table you want to embed, and then choose Edit > Cut or Copy. Place the insertion point in the
cell where you want the table to appear, and then choose Edit > Paste.
• Click inside a cell, choose Table > Insert Table, specify the number of rows and columns, and then click OK.
2 Adjust the cell inset as necessary. (See Format text within a table.)
If you create a table within a cell, you cannot use the mouse to select any part of the table that oversets the cell boundary.
Instead, expand the row or column; or place the insertion point in the first part of the table, and use keyboard shortcuts
to move the insertion point and select text.
Importing tables from other applications
When you use the Place command to import a Microsoft Word document that includes tables, or a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet, imported data is an editable table. You can use the Import Options dialog box to control the formatting.
You can also paste data from an Excel spreadsheet or a Word table into an InDesign or InCopy document. The
Clipboard Handling preference settings determine how text pasted from another application is formatted. If Text Only
is selected, the information appears as unformatted tabbed text, which you can then convert to a table. If All
Information is selected, the pasted text appears in a formatted table.
If you’re pasting text from another application into an existing table, insert enough rows and columns to accommodate
the pasted text, select the Text Only option in Clipboard Handling preferences, and make sure that at least one cell is
selected (unless you want to embed the pasted table into a cell).
If you want more control over formatting the imported table, or if you want to maintain spreadsheet formatting, use
the Place command to import the table. If you want to maintain a link to the spreadsheet, select the Create Links When
Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files option in File Handling preference settings.
You can also copy and paste tabbed text across a selection of table cells. This technique is a great way to replace content
while preserving formatting. For example, suppose you want to update the content of a formatting table in a monthly
magazine. One possibility is to link to an Excel spreadsheet. However, if your content comes from a different source, you
can copy the tabbed text containing the new content, select the range of cells in the formatted InDesign table, and paste.
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Add text to a table
You can add text, anchored objects, XML tags, and other tables to table cells. The height of a table row expands to
accommodate additional lines of text, unless you set a fixed row height. You cannot add footnotes to tables.
❖ Using the Type tool
, do any of the following:
• Position the insertion point in a cell, and type text. Press Enter or Return to create a new paragraph in the same
cell. Press Tab to move forward through cells (pressing Tab in the last cell inserts a new row). Press Shift+Tab to
move backwards through cells.
• Copy text, position the insertion point in a cell, and then choose Edit > Paste.
• Position the insertion point in a cell where you want to add text, choose File > Place, and then double-click a text
file.
Add graphics to a table
❖ Do any of the following:
• Position the insertion point where you want the graphic, choose File > Place, and then double-click the graphic’s
filename.
• Position the insertion point where you want the graphic, choose Object > Anchored Object > Insert, and then
specify settings. You can later add a graphic to the anchored object.
• Copy a graphic or a frame, position the insertion point, and then choose Edit > Paste.
When you add a graphic that is larger than the cell, the cell height expands to accommodate the graphic, but the width
of the cell doesn’t change—the graphic may extend beyond the right side of the cell. If the row in which the graphic is
placed is set to a fixed height, a graphic that is taller than the row height causes the cell to be overset.
To avoid an overset cell, you may want to place the image outside the table, resize the image, and then paste it into the
table cell.
Add table headers and footers
When you create a long table, the table may span more than one column, frame, or page. You can use headers or footers
to repeat the information at the top or bottom of each divided portion of the table.
You can add header and footer rows when you create the table. You can also use the Table Options dialog box to add
header and footer rows and change how they appear in the table. You can convert body rows to header or footer rows.
Header rows repeated once per frame
To number tables sequentially, such as Table 1A, Table 1B, and so on, add a variable to the table header or footer. (See
Create running captions for figures and tables.)
Convert existing rows to header or footer rows
1 Select the rows at the top of the table to create header rows, or at the bottom of the table to create footer rows.
2 Choose Table > Convert Rows > To Header or To Footer.
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Change header or footer row options
1 Place the insertion point in the table, and then choose Table > Table Options > Headers And Footers.
2 Specify the number of header or footer rows. Blank rows may be added to the top or bottom of the table.
3 Specify whether the information in the header or footer appears in every text column (if text frames have more than
one column), once per frame, or only once per page.
4 Select Skip First if you don’t want the header information to appear in the first row of the table. Select Skip Last if
you don’t want the footer information to appear in the last row of the table.
The Skip First option is especially useful if you want to indicate that the header or footer is continued. For example,
for a table that spans multiple pages, you may want the header text to be “Table 2 (Continued).” Since you don't want
“(Continued)” to appear at the beginning of the table, select Skip First, and simply type Table 2 in the first row of
the table.
5 Click OK.
Working with rows and columns
You can drag-and-drop table rows and columns from one position to another within the same table. Rows and columns
and further be duplicated.
Also, you can paste rows and columns before or after another row/column.
Drag-and-drop and duplicating rows/columns
You can drag-and-drop table rows and columns from one position to another within the same table. Follow these steps
to drag-and-drop or duplicate rows/columns.
1 Select the row or column you want to drag-and-drop to another row or column. Make sure, the whole column or
row has been selected. Partially selected rows or columns cannot be drag-dropped.
2 Hover over the selected rows, a unique cursor indicating that the selection can be moved is displayed.
3 The item row can be simply dragged and dropped. You can swap columns with rows. A dragged row only drops as
a row, and a dragged column will drop as a column only.
Drag-and-drop rows and columns
Here, we are moving a row from one location to another. So the total count of rows is same as before, three only.
Note: Drag & Drop is only possible within the same table.
4 To duplicate a row or column, press or hold the Alt(Win) or Opt(Mac) key after selecting a row or column. Multiple
continuously selected rows or columns can be dragged-dropped.
5 Drag-and-drop the selected row or column to the intended position. The total count of rows or columns increases
as the selected entity has been duplicated.
You can also copy the contents from header and footer rows to body rows (by pressing Alt/Opt key). Likewise, body
rows can also be duplicated and converted to header and footer rows.
Header rows will only drag-drop within header section (applicable only if you have multiple header rows) unless alt/opt
is used for duplicating the rows. Body rows cannot be drag>dropped into header section unless alt/opt is used for
duplicating the rows.
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Copy rows/columns and paste before/after
You can copy and paste rows before or after a selected row. Using the Paste Before/After workflow, you can copy
rows/columns from a table and paste them to another table as well.
1 Select a row/column.
2 Select the column or row.
3 Select Table > Paste Before/Paste After.
Remove header or footer rows
❖ Do any of the following:
• Place the insertion point in the header or footer row, and then choose Table > Convert Rows > To Body.
• Choose Table > Table Options > Headers And Footers, and then specify a different number of header rows or
footer rows.
More Help topics
Formatting tables
Place (import) text
Resize columns, rows, and tables
Work with overset cells
Tag items
Break tables across frames
Create variables for runningheaders and footers
Formatting tables
Formatting tables
Use the Control panel or Character panel to format text within a table—just like formatting text outside a table. In
addition, two main dialog boxes help you format the table itself: Table Options and Cell Options. Use these dialog boxes
to change the number of rows and columns, to change the appearance of the table border and fill, to determine the
spacing above and below the table, to edit header and footer rows, and to add other table formatting.
Use the Table panel, the Control panel, or the context menu to format the table structure. Select one or more cells and
then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to display a context menu with table options.
Resize columns, rows, and tables
You can resize columns, rows, and tables using a number of different methods.
Resize columns and rows
1 Select cells in the columns and rows you want to resize.
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2 Do one of the following:
• In the Table panel, specify Column Width and Row Height settings.
• Choose Table > Cell Options > Rows And Columns, specify Row Height and Column Width options, and then
click OK.
Note: If you select At Least to set a minimum row height, rows increase in height as you add text or increase the point
size. If you select Exactly to set a fixed row height, the row height does not change when you add or remove text. A fixed
row height often results in an overset condition in the cell. (See Work with overset cells.)
• Position the pointer over the edge of a column or row so that a double-arrow icon ( ) appears, and then drag left
or right to increase or decrease the column width, or drag up or down to increase or decrease row height.
Before and after dragging to resize rows
By default, row height is determined by the slug height of the current font. Thus, row height also changes if you change
the point size of type for entire rows of text, or if you change the row height setting. The maximum row height is
determined by the Maximum setting in the Rows And Columns section of the Cell Options dialog box.
Resize rows or columns without changing the table width
• Hold down Shift while dragging an inside row or column edge (not the table boundary). One row or column gets
bigger as the other gets smaller.
• To resize rows or columns proportionally, hold down Shift while dragging the right table border or bottom table
edge.
Holding down Shift while dragging the right table edge will resize all the columns proportionally; holding down Shift
while dragging the bottom table edge will resize all rows proportionally.
Resize the entire table
❖ Using the Type tool
, position the pointer over the lower-right corner of the table so that the pointer becomes
an arrow shape , and then drag to increase or decrease the table size. Hold down Shift to maintain the table’s
height and width proportions.
Note: If the table spans more than one frame in a story, you cannot use the pointer to resize the entire table.
Distribute columns and rows evenly
1 Select cells in the columns or rows that should be the same width or height.
2 Choose Table > Distribute Rows Evenly or Distribute Columns Evenly.
Change the spacing before or after a table
1 Place the insertion point in the table and choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.
2 Under Table Spacing, specify different values for Space Before and Space After, and then click OK.
Note that changing the spacing before the table does not affect the spacing of a table row that falls at the top of a frame.
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Break tables across frames
Use Keep options to determine how many rows should remain together, or to specify where a row breaks, such as at the
top of a column or frame.
When you create a table that is taller than the frame in which it resides, the frame is overset. If you thread the frame to
another frame, the table continues in that frame. Rows move into threaded frames one at a time—you can’t break a
single row across multiple frames. Specify header or footer rows to repeat information in the new frame.
1 Position the insertion point in the appropriate row, or select a range of cells in the rows you want to keep together.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Rows And Columns.
3 To keep the selected rows together, select Keep With Next Row.
4 To cause the row to break in a specified location, select an option (such as In Next Frame) from the Start Row menu,
and then click OK.
If you create a single table that spans both pages of a spread, you may want to add a blank column in the middle of the
table to create inset margins.
Add text before a table
A table is anchored to the paragraphs that immediately precede and follow it. If you insert a table at the beginning of
the text frame, you can’t click above the table to place an insertion point. Instead, use the arrow keys to move the
insertion point before the table.
1 Place the insertion point at the beginning of the paragraph in the first cell, press the Left Arrow key, and begin
typing.
2 Do one of the following:
• Place the insertion point at the beginning of the paragraph in the first cell, press the left arrow key, and begin
typing.
Format text within a table
In general, use the same methods to format text in a table that you would use to format text that’s not in a table.
Insert tabs into a table cell
When the insertion point is in a table, pressing Tab moves the insertion point to the next cell. However, you can insert
a tab within a table cell. Use the Tabs panel to define tab settings in the table. Tab settings affect the paragraph in which
the insertion point is placed.
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point where you want to insert a tab.
2 Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Tab.
To change tab settings, select the columns or cells you want to affect, choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs panel, and
then adjust tab settings.
Note: When you use the Tabs ruler to apply a decimal tab to a cell or group of cells, you usually don’t need to press Tab at
the beginning of each paragraph to decimal-align the text in the cells. Paragraphs are automatically aligned on the decimal
character, unless the paragraph contains additional formatting, such as center alignment, that overrides the decimal tab.
Change the alignment of text within a table cell
1 Using the Type tool
, select the cell or cells you want to affect.
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2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Text.
3 Under Vertical Justification, select an Align setting: Align Top, Align Center, Align Bottom, or Justify Vertically.
If you select Justify, specify the Paragraph Spacing Limit; this will set a maximum amount of space to be added
between paragraphs. (See Align or justify text vertically within a text frame.)
4 For First Baseline, select an option to determine how text is to be offset from the top of the cell.
The settings are the same as the corresponding settings in the Text Frame Options dialog box. (See Change text
frame properties.)
5 Click OK.
Note: To change the horizontal alignment of text within a cell, use the alignment option in the Paragraph panel. To align
text in a cell to a decimal tab, use the Tabs panel to add a decimal tab setting.
Rotate text in a cell
1 Position the insertion point in the cell you want to rotate, or select the cells you want to affect.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Text, or display the Table panel.
3 Select a value for Rotation, and click OK.
Change cell inset spacing
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point in or select the cell or cells you want to affect.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Text, or display the Table panel.
3 Under Cell Insets, specify values for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right, and then click OK.
In many cases, increasing the cell inset spacing will increase the row height. If the row height is set at a fixed value, make
sure that you leave enough room for the inset values, to avoid causing overset text.
Merge and split cells
You can merge (combine) or split (divide) cells in a table.
Merge cells
You can combine two or more cells in the same row or column into a single cell. For example, you can merge the cells
in the top row of the table to create a single cell to be used for the table title.
1 Using the Type tool
, select the cells you want to merge.
2 Choose Table > Merge Cells.
Unmerge cells
❖ Place the insertion point in the merged cell and choose Table > Unmerge Cells.
Split cells
You can split cells horizontally or vertically, which is especially useful when creating form tables. You can select multiple
cells and split them vertically or horizontally.
1 Place the insertion point in the cell you want to split, or select a row, column, or block of cells.
2 Choose Table > Split Cell Vertically or Split Cell Horizontally.
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Work with overset cells
In most cases, a table cell will expand vertically to accommodate new text and graphics being added. However, if you
set a fixed row height and add text or graphics that are too large for the cell, a small red dot appears in the lower-right
corner of the cell, indicating that the cell is overset.
You cannot flow overset text into another cell. Instead, edit or resize the contents, or expand the cell or the text frame
in which the table appears.
In the case of inline graphics or text with fixed leading, it is possible for the cell contents to extend beyond cell edges.
You can select the Clip Contents To Cell option, so that any text or inline graphics that otherwise extend beyond any
cell edge are clipped to the cell boundary. However, when inline graphics are overset to extend beyond cell bottom edges
(Horizontal), this does not apply.
Display the contents of an overset cell
❖ Do one of the following:
• Increase the size of the cell.
• Change the text formatting. To select the cell’s contents, click in the overset cell, press Esc, and then use the
Control panel to format the text.
Clip an image in a cell
If an image is too large for a cell, it extends beyond the cell borders. You can clip the parts of the image that extend
beyond the cell borders.
1 Place the insertion point in the cell you want to clip, or select the cell or cells you want to affect.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Text.
3 Select Clip Contents To Cell, and then click OK.
More Help topics
Table strokes and fills
Change the alignment of a table within a frame
Add table headers and footers
Specify characters for decimal tabs
Combine tables
Create tables
Define table and cell styles
Selecting and editing tables
Select table cells, rows, and columns
When you select part or all of the text in a cell, that selection has the same appearance as would text selected outside a
table. However, if the selection spans more than one cell, the cells and their contents are both selected.
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If a table spans more than one frame, holding the mouse pointer over any header or footer row that is not the first
header or footer row causes a lock icon to appear, indicating that you cannot select text or cells in that row. To select
cells in a header or footer row, go to the beginning of the table.
Select cells
❖ Using the Type tool
, do any of the following:
• To select a single cell, click inside a cell, or select text, and then choose Table > Select > Cell.
• To select multiple cells, drag across a cell border. Be careful not to drag the column or row line so that you don’t
resize the table.
To switch between selecting all of the text in a cell and selecting the cell, press Esc.
Select entire columns or rows
❖ Using the Type tool
, do any of the following:
• Click inside a cell, or select text, and then choose Table > Select > Column or Row.
• Move the pointer over the top edge of a column or the left edge of a row so that the pointer becomes an arrow
shape ( or ), and then click to select the entire column or row.
Before and after selecting Row
Select all header, body, or footer rows
1 Click inside a table, or select text.
2 Choose Table > Select > Header Rows, Body Rows, or Footer Rows.
Select the entire table
❖ Using the Type tool
, do any of the following:
• Click inside a table, or select text, and then choose Table > Select > Table.
• Move the pointer over the upper left corner of the table so that the pointer becomes an arrow shape
click to select the entire table.
Before and after selecting table
• Drag the Type tool across the entire table.
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You can also select a table in the same way you select an anchored graphic—place the insertion point immediately before
or after a table, and then hold down Shift while pressing the Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key, respectively, to select
the table.
Insert rows and columns
You can insert rows and columns using a number of different methods.
Insert a row
1 Place the insertion point in a row below or above where you want the new row to appear.
2 Choose Table > Insert > Row.
3 Specify the number of rows you want.
4 Specify whether the new row or rows should appear before or after the current row, and then click OK.
The new cells have the same formatting as the text in the row in which the insertion point was placed.
You can also create a new row by pressing Tab when the insertion point is in the last cell.
Insert a column
1 Place the insertion point in a column next to where you want the new column to appear.
2 Choose Table > Insert > Column.
3 Specify the number of columns you want.
4 Specify whether the new column or columns should appear before or after the current column, and then click OK.
The new cells have the same formatting as the text in the column in which the insertion point was placed.
Insert multiple rows and columns
1 With the insertion point in a cell, choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.
2 Specify a different number of rows and columns, and then click OK.
New rows are added to the bottom of the table; new columns are added to the right side of the table.
You can also change the number of rows and columns using the Table panel. To display the Table panel, choose Window
> Type & Tables > Table.
Insert a row or column by dragging
When adding columns, if you drag more than one and one-half times the width of the column being dragged, new
columns are added that have the same width as the original column. If you drag to insert only one column, that column
can have a narrower or wider width than the column from where you dragged. The same behavior is true of rows, unless
the Row Height for the row being dragged is set to At Least. In this case, if you drag to create only one row, InDesign
will resize the new row, if necessary, so that it’s tall enough to contain text.
1 Position the Type tool
over the border of a column or row so that a double-arrow icon (
or ) appears.
2 Hold down the mouse button, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging down to
create a new row, or to the right to create a new column. (If you press Alt or Option before holding down the mouse
button, the Hand tool appears—so make sure you begin dragging before you press Alt or Option.)
Note: Dragging to insert rows or columns doesn’t work at the top or left edges of a table. These fields are used to select rows
or columns.
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Delete rows, columns, or tables
• To delete a row, column, or table, place the insertion point inside the table, or select text in the table, and then choose
Table > Delete > Row, Column, or Table.
• To delete rows and columns by using the Table Options dialog box, choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.
Specify a different number of rows and columns, and then click OK. Rows are deleted from the bottom of the table;
columns are deleted from the right side of the table.
• To delete a row or column by using the mouse, position the pointer over the border of the bottom or right side of
the table so that a double-arrow icon (
or ) appears; hold down the mouse button; and then hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging either up to delete rows, or to the left to delete columns.
Note: If you press Alt or Option before holding down the mouse button, the Hand tool will appear—so press Alt or Option
after you begin dragging.
• To delete cell contents without deleting cells, select the cells containing the text you want to delete, or use the Type
tool to select the text within the cells. Press Backspace or Delete, or choose Edit >Clear.
Change the alignment of a table within a frame
A table assumes the width of the paragraph or table cell in which it is created. However, you can change the size of the
text frame or table so that the table is wider or narrower than the frame. In such a case, you can decide where you want
the table to be aligned within the frame.
1 Place the insertion point to the right or left of the table. Make sure that the text insertion point is placed on the table
paragraph and not inside the table. The insertion point becomes as tall as the table in the frame.
2 Click an alignment button (such as Align Center) in the Paragraph panel or Control panel.
Navigate within a table
Use the Tab or arrow keys to move within a table. You can also jump to a specific row, especially useful in long tables.
Move within a table using Tab
• Press Tab to move to the next cell. If you press Tab in the last table cell, a new row is created. For information on
inserting tabs and indents in a table, see Format text within a table.
• Press Shift+Tab to move to the previous cell. If you press Shift+Tab in the first table cell, the insertion point moves
to the last table cell.
Move within a table using arrow keys
Press the arrow keys to navigate within and between table cells. If you press the Right Arrow key when the insertion
point is at the end of the last cell in a row, the insertion point moves to the beginning of the first cell in the same row.
Similarly, if you press the Down Arrow key when the insertion point is at the end of the last cell in a column, the
insertion point moves to the beginning of the first cell in the same column.
Jump to a specific row in a table
1 Choose Table > Go To Row.
2 Do any of the following:
• Specify the row number you want to jump to, and then click OK.
• If a header or footer row is defined in the current table, choose Header or Footer from the menu, and then click
OK.
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Cut, copy, and paste table contents
When text is selected within a cell, cutting, copying, and pasting actions are the same as for text selected outside a table.
You can also cut, copy, and paste cells and their contents. If the insertion point is in a table when you paste, multiple
pasted cells appear as a table within a table. You can also move or copy the entire table.
1 Select the cells you want to cut or copy, and then choose Edit > Cut or Copy.
2 Do any of the following:
• To embed a table within a table, place the insertion point in the cell where you want the table to appear, and then
choose Edit > Paste.
• To replace existing cells, select one or more cells in the table—making sure that there are sufficient cells below
and to the right of the selected cell—and then choose Edit > Paste.
Move or copy a table
1 To select the entire table, place the insertion point in the table and choose Table > Select > Table.
2 Choose Edit > Cut or Copy, move the insertion point where you want the table to appear, and then choose Edit >
Paste.
Convert tables to text
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point inside the table, or select text in the table.
2 Choose Table > Convert Table To Text.
3 For both Column Separator and Row Separator, specify the separators you want to use.
For best results, use a different separator for columns and rows, such as tabs for columns and paragraphs for rows.
4 Click OK.
When you convert a table to text, the table lines are removed and the separator you specify is inserted at the end of each
row and column.
Combine tables
Use the Paste command to merge two or more tables into a single table.
1 In the target table, insert at least as many blank rows as you’ll be pasting from the other tables. (If you insert fewer
rows than are copied, you cannot paste.)
2 In the source table, select the cells you want to copy. (If you copy more column cells than are available in the target
table, you cannot paste.)
3 Select at least one cell where you want the incoming rows to be inserted, and then choose Edit > Paste.
If the pasted rows use different formatting than the rest of the table, define one or more cell styles, and then apply the
cell styles to the pasted cells. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while clicking the cell style to override
existing formatting.
Anne-Marie Concepcion provides an article about combining tables at Joining Tables.
Working with tables in Story Editor
When you choose Edit > Edit In Story Editor, tables and their contents appear in Story Editor. You can edit tables in
Story Editor.
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Editing tables in Story Editor
A Table icon B Overset graphic
• To expand or collapse the table in Story Editor, click the triangle to the left of the table icon at the top of the table.
• To determine whether the table is sorted by rows or columns, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the table
icon and choose Arrange By Rows or Arrange By Columns.
• Use Layout view to modify and format the table. You cannot select columns or rows in Story Editor.
More Help topics
Keys for tables
Resize columns, rows, and tables
Table and cell styles
Table strokes and fills
About table strokes and fills
You can add strokes and fills to your tables in a number of ways. Use the Table Options dialog box to change the stroke
of the table border, and to add alternating strokes and fills to columns and rows. To change the strokes and fills of
individual cells or header/footer cells, use the Cell Options dialog box, or use the Swatches, Stroke, and Color panels.
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By default, the formatting you select using the Table Options dialog box overrides any corresponding formatting
previously applied to table cells. However, if you select the Preserve Local Formatting option in the Table Options dialog
box, the strokes and fills applied to individual cells are not overridden.
If you use the same formatting repeatedly for tables or cells, create and apply table styles or cell styles.
Change the table border
You can change the table border by using either the Table Setup dialog box or the Stroke panel.
1 With the insertion point in a cell, choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.
2 Under Table Border, specify the desired weight, type, color, tint, and gap settings. (See Table stroke and fill options .)
3 Under Stroke Drawing Order, select the drawing order from the following options:
Best Joins If selected, row strokes will appear to the front at the points where strokes of different colors cross. In
addition, when strokes such as double lines cross, the strokes are joined and the crossing points are connected.
Row Strokes In Front If selected, row strokes appear in front.
Column Strokes In Front If selected, column strokes appear in front.
InDesign 2.0 Compatibility If selected, row strokes appear in front. In addition, when strokes such as double lines
cross, they are joined and the crossing points are connected only at points where strokes cross in a T-shape.
4 If you do not want stroke formatting of individual cells to be overridden, select Preserve Local Formatting.
5 Click OK.
If you remove the stroke and fill from a table, choose View > Extras > Show Frame Edges to display the cell boundaries
of a table.
Add stroke and fill to cells
You can add stroke and fill to cells using the Cell Options dialog box, Stroke panel, or Swatches panel.
Add stroke and fill using Cell Options
You can determine which cell lines are formatted with a stroke or fill by selecting or deselecting lines in the Preview
proxy. If you want to change the appearance of all rows or columns in the table, use an alternating stroke or fill pattern
in which the second pattern is set to 0.
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point in or select the cell or cells in which you want to add a stroke or
fill. To add a stroke or fill to header/footer rows, select the header/footer cells at the beginning of the table.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Strokes And Fills.
3 In the proxy preview area, specify which lines will be affected by stroke changes. For example, if you want to add a
heavy stroke to the outside lines but not to the inside lines of the selected cells, click an inside line to deselect it.
(Selected lines are blue; deselected lines are gray.)
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Select the lines you want to affect in proxy preview area.
In the proxy preview area, double-click any outside line to select the entire outer selection rectangle. Double-click
any inside line to select the inside lines. Triple-click anywhere in the proxy to select or deselect all lines.
4 For Cell Stroke, specify desired weight, type, color, tint, and gap settings. (See Table stroke and fill options .)
5 For Cell Fill, specify desired color and tint settings.
6 Select Overprint Stroke and Overprint Fill if desired, and then click OK.
Add a stroke to cells using the Stroke panel
The Stroke panel is available in InDesign, not InCopy.
1 Select the cell or cells you want to affect. To apply a stroke to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.
2 Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.
3 In the proxy preview area, specify which lines will be affected by stroke changes.
4 In the Tools panel, make sure the Object button
is selected. (If the Text button is selected, the stroke changes
will affect the text, not the cells.)
5 Specify a weight value and stroke type.
Add a fill to cells using the Swatches panel
1 Select the cell or cells you want to affect. To apply a fill to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.
2 Choose Window > Color > Swatches to display the Swatches panel.
3 Make sure the Object button
is selected. (If the Text button is selected, the color changes will affect the text, not
the cells.)
4 Select a swatch.
Add a gradient to cells using the Gradient panel
1 Select the cells you want to affect. To apply a gradient to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.
2 Choose Window > Color > Gradient to display the Gradient panel.
3 Click in the Gradient Ramp to apply a gradient to the selected cells. Adjust the gradient settings as necessary.
Add diagonal lines to a cell
1 Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point in or select the cell or cells in which you want to add diagonal
lines.
2 Choose Table > Cell Options > Diagonal Lines.
3 Click the button for the type of diagonal line you want to add.
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4 Under Line Stroke, specify desired weight, type, color, and gap settings; specify a Tint percentage and Overprint
options.
5 From the Draw menu, choose Diagonal In Front to place the diagonal line in front of the cell contents; choose
Content In Front to place the diagonal line behind the cell contents, and then click OK.
Table stroke and fill options
When selecting strokes and fills for the table or cells, use the following options:
Weight Specifies the line thickness for the table or cell border.
Type Specifies the line style, such as Thick - Thin.
Color Specifies the color of the table or cell border. The choices listed are those available in the Swatches panel.
Tint Specifies the percentage of ink of the specified color to be applied to the stroke or fill.
Gap Color Applies a color to the areas between the dashes, dots, or lines. This option is not available if Solid is selected
for Type.
Gap Tint Applies tint to the areas between the dashes, dots, or lines. This option is not available if Solid is selected for
Type.
Overprint When selected, causes the ink specified in the Color drop-down list to be applied over any underlying colors,
rather than knocking out those inks.
Alternate strokes and fills in a table
You can alternate strokes and fills to enhance readability or improve the appearance of your table. Alternating strokes
and fills in table rows does not affect header and footer rows. However, alternating strokes and fills in columns does
affect header and footer rows.
Alternating stroke and fill settings override cell stroke formatting, unless you select the Preserve Local Formatting
option in the Table Options dialog box.
If you want to apply a fill or stroke to every body cell in the table, and not just alternating patterns, you can still use the
alternating stroke and fill settings to create such non-alternating patterns. To create such an effect, specify 0 for Next in
the second pattern.
Before (left) and after (right) alternating fills in a table
Add alternating strokes to a table
1 With the insertion point in a cell, choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Row Strokes or Alternating Column
Strokes.
2 For Alternating Pattern, select the type of pattern you want to use. Select Custom if you want to specify a pattern;
for example, one column with a thick black line followed by three columns with thin yellow lines.
3 Under Alternating, specify the fill options for both the first pattern and the next pattern. For example, you may want
to add a solid stroke to the first column and a Thick - Thin line to the next column, so that they alternate. Specify 0
for Next if you want the strokes to affect every row or column.
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Note: In tables that span multiple frames, alternating strokes and fills for rows do not restart at the beginning of
additional frames in the story. (See Break tables across frames.)
4 Select Preserve Local Formatting if you want formatted strokes previously applied to the table to remain in effect.
5 For Skip First and Skip Last, specify the number of rows or columns at the beginning and end of the table in which
you do not want stroke attributes to appear, and then click OK.
Add alternating fills to a table
1 With the insertion point in a cell, choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Fills.
2 For Alternating Pattern, select the type of pattern you want to use. Select Custom if you want to specify a pattern,
such as one row shaded in gray followed by three rows shaded in yellow.
3 Under Alternating, specify the fill options for both the first pattern and the subsequent pattern. For example, if you
selected Every Second Column for Alternating Pattern, you may want to shade the first two columns in a gray tint
and leave the next two columns blank. Specify 0 for Next if you want the fill to apply to every row.
4 Select Preserve Local Formatting if you want previously formatted fills applied to the table to remain in effect.
5 For Skip First and Skip Last, specify the number of rows or columns at the beginning and end of the table in which
you do not want fill attributes to appear, and then click OK.
Turn off alternating strokes and fills in a table
1 Place the insertion point in the table.
2 Choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Row Strokes, Alternating Column Strokes, or Alternating Fills.
3 For Alternating Pattern, choose None, and then click OK.
More Help topics
Table and cell styles
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Chapter 8: Interactivity
Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks panel overview
You can create hyperlinks so that when you export to Adobe PDF or SWF in InDesign, a viewer can click a link to jump
to other locations in the same document, to other documents, or to websites. Hyperlinks you export to PDF or SWF in
InCopy are not active.
A source is hyperlinked text, a hyperlinked text frame, or a hyperlinked graphics frame. A destination is the URL, file,
email address, page text anchor, or shared destination to which a hyperlink jumps. A source can jump to only one
destination, but any number of sources can jump to the same destination.
A source is hyperlinked text or a hyperlinked graphic. A destination is the URL, file, email address, page, text anchor, or
shared destination to which a hyperlink jumps. A source can jump to only one destination, but any number of sources
can jump to the same destination.
Note: If you want the source text to be generated from the destination text, insert a cross-reference instead of adding a
hyperlink. See Cross-references.
Hyperlinks panel
A List of hyperlinks in the current document B Traffic light indicators for instant feedback on URL availability C Email link D Clickable page
number, takes you to the page where the link is and selects the link
Open the Hyperlinks panel
• Choose Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks.
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Sort hyperlinks in the Hyperlinks panel
❖ Choose Sort from the Hyperlinks panel menu, and then choose any of the following:
Manually Displays the hyperlinks in the order in which they were added to the document.
By Name Displays the hyperlinks in alphabetical order.
By Type Displays the hyperlinks in groups of similar type.
Display hyperlinks in smaller rows
❖ Choose Small Panel Rows from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
Create hyperlinks
You can create hyperlinks to pages, URLs, text anchors, email addresses, and files. If you create a hyperlink to a page or
text anchor in a different document, make sure that the exported files appear in the same folder.
To show or hide hyperlinks, choose View > Extras > Show Hyperlinks or Hide Hyperlinks.
Note: Hyperlinks are included in exported Adobe PDF files if Hyperlinks is selected in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box in
InDesign. Hyperlinks are included in the exported SWF file if Include Hyperlinks is selected in the Export SWF dialog box.
Create a hyperlink to a web page (URL)
You can use several different methods to create hyperlinks to URLs. When you specify a URL, you can use any valid
Internet resource protocol: http://, file://, ftp://, or mailto://.
You can also use the Buttons feature to link to web pages. (See Create buttons.)
Note: In InDesign CC, hyperlinks are automatically formatted with the Hyperlink style - underline blue text.
1 Right-click the selected text, frame, or graphic, and then choose Hyperlinks > New Hyperlink. The New Hyperlink
dialog box is displayed.
2 Specify an appropriate URL destination:
• In the URL text box, type or paste the URL name (such as http://www.adobe.com). Ensure that the URL option
is selected in the Link To drop-down. -OR-
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• Select a previously added URL from the URL drop-down. The hyperlink appearance is the same as that used in
the previous URL.
3 Click OK.
Note: If a URL hyperlink isn’t working in the exported PDF, there may be a problem with the hyperlink being a “Shared
Destination”. Deselect the Shared Hyperlink Destination checkbox, and then click OK.
Create a hyperlink to a file
When you create a hyperlink to a file, clicking the hyperlink in the exported PDF or SWF file opens the file in its native
application, such as Microsoft Word for .doc files.
Make sure the file you specify is available to anyone opening the PDF or SWF file you export. For example, if you’re
sending the exported PDF to a coworker, specify a file located on a shared server rather than your hard drive.
1 Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
2 Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of
the Hyperlinks panel.
3 In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose File from the Link To menu.
4 For Path, type the pathname or click the folder button to locate and double-click the filename.
5 Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the file to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy reuse.
6 Specify the appearance of the hyperlink source, and then click OK.
Create a hyperlink to an email message
1 Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
2 Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of
the Hyperlinks panel.
3 In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Email from the Link To menu.
4 For Address, type the email address, such as username@company.com.
5 For Subject Line, type the text that appears in the subject line of the email message.
6 Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the email message to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy
reuse.
7 Specify the appearance of the hyperlink source, and then click OK.
Create a hyperlink to a page
You can create a hyperlink to a page without first creating a destination. However, by creating a page destination, you
can specify a page number and view setting.
1 Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
2 Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of
the Hyperlinks panel.
3 In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Page from the Link To menu.
4 For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that
have been saved are listed in the pop-up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the
pop-up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
5 For Page, specify the page number you want to jump to.
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6 For Zoom Setting, do one of the following to select the view state of the page being jumped to:
• Select Fixed to display the magnification level and page position that were in effect when you created the link.
• Select Fit View to display the visible portion of the current page as the destination.
• Select Fit In Window to display the current page in the destination window.
• Select Fit Width or Fit Height to display the width or height of the current page in the destination window.
• Select Fit Visible to display the page so that its text and graphics fit the width of the window, which usually means
that the margins are not displayed.
• Select Inherit Zoom to display the destination window at the magnification level the reader uses when the
hyperlink is clicked.
7 Specify appearance options, and then click OK.
Create a hyperlink destination
Creating a hyperlink destination is necessary only if you’re creating a hyperlink or cross-reference to a text anchor. A
text anchor can point to a selection of text or to the insertion point location. Then you create the hyperlink or crossreference that points to the hyperlink destination. You can also create hyperlink destinations for pages and URLs, but
a destination isn’t necessary for those links.
Hyperlink destinations you create do not appear in the Hyperlinks panel; they appear in the dialog box that appears
when you’re creating or editing hyperlinks.
1 If you’re creating a text anchor, use the Type tool to place the insertion point, or select the range of text that you want
to be the anchor.
You cannot set up an anchor destination for text on a master page.
2 Choose New Hyperlink Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
3 Choose Text Anchor in the Type menu. Specify a name for the text anchor, and then click OK.
4 Do any of the following, and then click OK:
• Choose Text Anchor in the Type menu. Specify a name for the text anchor.
• Choose Page in the Type menu. Specify the page number you want to jump to and the Zoom Setting. Type a name
for the page, or select Name With Page Number to name the destination automatically based on the page number
and zoom setting you specify.
• Choose URL in the Type menu. Type or paste a URL, such as http://www.adobe.com. You can use any valid
Internet resource protocol: http://, file://, ftp://, or mailto://.
Create a hyperlink to a text anchor
1 Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
2 Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of
the Hyperlinks panel.
3 Choose Text Anchor from the Link To menu.
4 For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that
have been saved are listed in the pop-up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the
pop-up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
5 From the Text Anchor menu, choose the text anchor destination you created.
6 Specify hyperlink appearance options, and then click OK.
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Create a hyperlink to any shared destination
While creating a hyperlink, if you choose Shared Destination from the Link To menu, you can specify any named
destination. A destination is named when you add a URL using the URL text box or when you select Shared Hyperlink
Destination while creating a hyperlink to a URL, file, or email address.
1 Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.
2 Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of
the Hyperlinks panel.
3 In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Shared Destination from the Link To menu.
4 For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to jump to. All open documents that
have been saved are listed in the pop-up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, select Browse in the
pop-up menu, locate the file, and then click Open.
5 Choose a destination from the Name menu.
6 Specify hyperlink appearance options, and then click OK.
Hyperlink appearance options
The options determine the appearance of the hyperlink or cross-reference source in the exported PDF or SWF file.
These appearance options are also displayed in the InDesign document if you choose View > Extras > Show Hyperlinks.
Character Style Choose a character style to apply to the hyperlink source. By default, InDesign applies the Hyperlink
style to the selected text or object. For text, you can easily select a different style from the Style drop-down in the New
Hyperlink dialog box. For a non-text object, InDesign applies a design time visual identifier to the links – dotted line
around the object with the color inherited from layer color.
The character style is added to the document character style list. The style is printed and exported.
A dotted outline is applied to the linked objects. It’s a visual identifier only and is not printed or exported.
Type Select Visible Rectangle or Invisible Rectangle.
Highlight Select Invert, Outline, Inset, or None. These options determine the appearance of the hyperlink when it’s
being clicked in the PDF or SWF file.
Color Select a color for the visible hyperlink rectangle.
Width Select Thin, Medium, or Thick to determine the thickness of the hyperlink rectangle.
Style Select Solid or Dashed to determine the appearance of the hyperlink rectangle.
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Convert URLs to hyperlinks
You can find and convert URLs (such as “www.adobe.com”) in your document and convert them to hyperlinks.
1 Choose Convert URLs To Hyperlinks from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
2 For Scope, indicate whether your want to convert URLs in the entire document, the current story, or the current
selection.
3 To apply a character style to the hyperlink, select a character style from the Character Style menu.
4 Do any of the following, and then click Done.
• Click Find to locate the next URL.
• Click Convert to convert the current URL to a hyperlink.
• Click Convert All to convert all URLs to hyperlinks.
Manage hyperlinks
Use the Hyperlinks panel to edit, delete, reset, or locate hyperlinks. In InCopy, you can manage hyperlinks only if the
story is checked out for editing.
Edit hyperlinks
1 Right-click the hyperlinked text or object, and then choose Hyperlinks > Edit Hyperlink.
-ORIn the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the item you want to edit.
2 In the Edit Hyperlinks dialog box, make changes to the hyperlink as necessary, and then click OK.
Note: To edit a hyperlink to a URL, select the hyperlink, edit the URL in the URL text box, and then press Tab or Enter.
Delete hyperlinks
When you remove a hyperlink, the source text or graphic remains.
❖ Select the item or items you want to remove in the Hyperlinks panel, and then click the Delete button at the bottom
of the panel.
Rename a hyperlink source
Renaming the hyperlink source changes the way it appears in the Hyperlinks panel.
1 In the Hyperlinks panel, select the hyperlink.
2 Choose Rename Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu, and specify a new name.
Edit or delete hyperlink destinations
1 Open the document in which the destination appears.
2 Choose Hyperlink Destination Options in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
3 For Destination, select the name of the destination you want to edit.
4 Do one of the following:
• Click Edit, and then make changes to the destination as necessary.
• Click Delete to remove the destination.
5 When you have finished editing or deleting destinations, click OK.
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Reset or update hyperlinks
1 Select the range of text, the text frame, or the graphic frame that will act as the new hyperlink source. For example,
you may want to select additional text to include in the source.
2 Select the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel.
3 Do either of the following:
• Choose Reset Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
• To update hyperlinks to external documents, choose Update Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
Go to a hyperlink source or anchor
• To locate the source of a hyperlink or cross-reference, select the item you want to locate in the Hyperlinks panel.
Choose Go To Source in the Hyperlinks panel menu. The text or frame will be selected.
• To locate the destination of a hyperlink or cross-reference, select the item you want to locate in the Hyperlinks panel.
Choose Go To Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.
If the item is a URL destination, InDesign starts or switches to your web browser to display the destination. If the item
is a text anchor or page destination, InDesign jumps to that location.
Editing hyperlinks imported from Word
When a Microsoft Word document with hyperlinks is imported into an InDesign document, you may notice a box or
border around the hyperlink URLs (such as www.adobe.com). The InDesign document inherits a blue swatch called
Word_R0_G0_B255. The document also inherits a character style called “Hyperlink” that underlines the text and
applies the blue color.
To remove the box, in the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the hyperlink. Under Appearance, choose Invisible Rectangle
from the Type menu, and click OK.
You may also want to delete the imported swatch. While doing so, you can replace it with a different swatch. See Delete
individual swatches.
Before you place the Word document in InDesign, you may want to remove the hyperlinks from the URLs in the Word
document to avoid inheriting this formatting. See your Word documentation. Another option is to create a character
style named “Hyperlink” in the InDesign document before you import. When you import the Word document, the InDesign
style that has the same name is used by default.
More Help topics
Cross-references
Forms | CC, CS6
Forms workflow
You can design forms in InDesign and export them directly to PDF. InDesign now supports form fields and additional
form actions. The Buttons and Forms library (Window > Interactive > Buttons and Forms) has form items that you can
use to design interactive forms.
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Using InDesign you can create simple forms within InDesign, without needing to touch up the PDF document in
Acrobat after publishing. You can add simple form elements within the document pages. Common field types such as
text fields, radio buttons, check boxes, or signatures are supported. You can also add actions to submit the form by email
or to print it.
In addition to the basic design, you can also use creative capabilities in InDesign to add a designer touch to your form.
• Add solid strokes and fills to the PDF form fields.
• Add custom On, Off, and Hover states for buttons, check boxes, and radio buttons.
• Specify font size for text input fields.
For example, to collect credit card information, you could use credit card icons as radio buttons, with a different image
for the selected state.
For advanced form workflows, you can export the basic form and then continue editing it in Adobe Acrobat.
Add a form field
Use the Buttons and Forms panel to add form fields to the layout. The procedures to add interactive form fields are the
same as adding buttons so that you don't have to learn new procedures. You can create a form that works with Adobe
Reader or Adobe Acrobat. Using InDesign, you can create some cool forms that you can’t ordinarily using Acrobat.
Buttons and Forms panel
1 Place a frame at the location where you want to place the form field.
2 Open the Buttons and Forms panel (Windows > Interactive > Buttons and Forms).
3 Select the frame and from the Type list choose a form element type. Alternatively, right-click a frame and choose
Interactive > Convert to [...]
4 Enter a name for the form field. To create a radio button group, all the individual buttons must have the same name.
5 Choose an event and add actions to associate with it. Actions such as Clear Form, Print Form, and Submit Form
have been added. In the Submit Form action specify the URL as "mailto:xyz@example.com.
6 For a radio button, check box, or buttons: set appearance attributes for different states. InDesign adds default
graphics for the various states, but you can add your own.
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7 Specify PDF options:
• Description - Entered value is displayed as the tool tip and is used for creating accessible forms
• Button Value - this value corresponds to the export value in Acrobat and can also be used to identify a radio
button in a group in a accessible form.
Specify tab order
To create user friendly and accessible forms, it is necessary to assign a usable tab order. Users can navigate through the
form fields without using a pointing device. Pressing the Tab key shifts the focus to the next logical field.
There are two methods of specifying a tab order in a tagged PDF:
• Use the Articles panel (Windows > Article) to specify a custom tab order
• Choose Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order.
Use Articles to specify tab order
Use the Articles panel to specify tab order
1 Open the Articles panel (Window > Articles).
2 Drag the form fields to the Articles panel.
3 In the articles panel, drag to reorder the fields in the required order.
To enable screen readers to use the specified order, from the Articles panel menu, enable Use for Reading Order in
Tagged PDFs. Remember to enable the Create Tagged PDF option while exporting the PDF.
Use Structure to specify tab order
1 Choose Objects > Interactive > Set Tab Order.
2 Click Move Up or Move Down to arrange the items in the desired tab order.
While exporting to interactive PDF, enable Use Structure for Tab Order in the PDF Export dialog box.
More Help topics
Working with Articles
Export to interactive PDF options
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Buttons
Create buttons
You can create buttons that perform an action when the document is exported to SWF or PDF format. For example,
you can create a button that jumps to a different page or opens a website.
Button set up to play movie in exported PDF
When you create a button, you can do the following:
• Use the Buttons panel to make the buttons interactive. When a user clicks a button in the exported SWF or PDF file,
an action is performed. See Make buttons interactive .
• Use the Appearance section of the Buttons panel to define the appearance the button takes in response to certain
mouse actions. See Change button appearance for rollover and clicking .
• Use the Object States panel to create multi-state objects. See Create multi-state objects .
• Create a “hot spot” or “hot link” effect that displays an image when the button is moused over or clicked. See Create
button hot spots .
When working on buttons and designing dynamic documents, select the Interactivity workspace.
Create a button
1 Use the Pen tool or a drawing tool, such as the Rectangle tool or Ellipse tool, to draw the button shape. If necessary,
use the Type tool to add text to the button, such as “Next” or “Purchase.”
If you’re creating navigation buttons (such as Next Page or Previous Page) that appear on multiple pages, add them
to a master page so that you don’t have to re-create buttons on every document page. These buttons appear on all
document pages to which the master is applied.
2 Use the Selection tool
to select the image, shape, or text frame that you want to convert.
You cannot convert a movie, sound, or poster to a button.
3 Click the Convert Object To A Button icon
in the Buttons panel (choose Window > Interactive > Buttons). Or,
choose Object > Interactive > Convert to Button.
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4 In the Buttons panel, do any of the following:
• In the Name text box, specify a name for the button to distinguish it from other buttons you create.
• Specify one or more actions for the button to determine what happens when the button is clicked in the exported
PDF or SWF file. See Make buttons interactive .
• Activate additional appearance states and change their appearance to determine what the button looks like when
you use the mouse to roll over the button or click it in the exported PDF or SWF file. See Change button
appearance for rollover and clicking .
5 Use the Preview panel (Window > Interactive > Preview) to test the button before you export the document to
interactive PDF or SWF.
Add a button from the Sample Buttons panel
The Sample Buttons panel includes a number of pre-created buttons that you can drag into your document. These
sample buttons include effects such as gradient feathers and drop shadows, with a slightly different appearance for the
Rollover appearance. The sample buttons are also assigned actions. For example, the sample arrow buttons are preset
with Go To Next Page or Go To Previous Page actions. You can edit these buttons to suit your needs.
The Sample Buttons panel is an object library. As with any object library, you can add buttons to the panel and remove
ones you don’t want to use. (See Use object libraries.) The sample buttons are stored in the ButtonLibrary.indl file,
which is located in the Presets/Button Library folder in the InDesign application folder.
1 Choose Sample Buttons from the Buttons panel menu to open the Sample Buttons panel.
2 Drag a button from the Sample Buttons panel to the document. If you want navigation buttons to appear on every
page, add the buttons to a master page.
3 Select the button using the Selection tool, and then edit the button as necessary using the Buttons panel.
While editing the sample buttons, keep the following in mind:
• If you add text to a button, remember to copy and paste the text from the Normal button state to the Rollover button
state. Otherwise, the text you add does not appear when the mouse rolls over the button in the PDF or SWF file.
• You can resize buttons. If you drag a pair of Next Page/Previous Page arrow buttons, resize the first button, and then
select the second button, and choose Object > Transform Again > Transform Again.
Use the Preview panel to test the button.
Convert a button to an object
When you convert a button to an object, the contents of the button remain on the page without the button properties.
Any content associated with the button’s other states are also removed.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the button.
2 Choose Object > Interactive > Convert To Object.
Make buttons interactive
You can create, edit, and manage interactive effects in InDesign. When the document is exported to Adobe PDF or
SWF, these interactive actions can be active.
For example, suppose you want to create a button that causes a sound to play in a PDF document. You can place the
sound file in an InDesign document, and then create a button that causes the sound to play when you click the button
in the PDF document.
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In this example, clicking the mouse button is the event, and playing the sound is the action.
This button is set to play a sound when the mouse button is released.
Note: Some actions are supported in both PDF and SWF files, and some actions are supported only in PDF or SWF. When
choosing an action, avoid choosing a PDF-only action if you’re exporting to SWF or a SWF-only action if you’re exporting
to PDF.
Add actions to buttons
You can assign actions to different events. For example, in an exported PDF file, you can specify a sound to play when
the mouse pointer enters the button area, and a movie to play when the mouse button is clicked and released. You can
also assign multiple actions to the same event. For example, you can create an action that plays a movie and sets the
view zoom to Actual Size.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the button you created.
2 In the Buttons panel, choose an event, such as On Release, that determines how actions are activated.
3 Click the plus sign button
next to Actions, and choose the action to assign to the event.
4 Specify the settings of the action.
For example, if you choose Go To First Page, specify the zoom. If you choose Go To URL, specify the web page
address. Some actions, such as Go To Next View, do not have additional settings.
5 If necessary, continue to add as many actions as needed to any event.
To test the button, export the document to PDF or SWF, and view the exported file. If you’re exporting to PDF, make
sure that the Interactive Elements option is selected. If you’re exporting to SWF, make sure that Include Buttons is
selected.
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Event types
Events determine how actions are activated in buttons when the document is exported to Adobe PDF or SWF. (In
Acrobat, events are called triggers.)
On Release When the mouse button is released after a click. This is the most commonly used event, because it gives
the user one last chance to drag the cursor off the button and not activate the action.
On Click When the mouse button is clicked (without being released). Unless you have a specific reason for using On
Click, it’s preferable to use On Release so that users have a chance to cancel the action.
On Roll Over When the mouse pointer enters the button area defined by the button’s bounding box.
On Roll Off When the mouse pointer exits the button area.
On Focus When the button in a PDF file receives focus, either through a mouse action or pressing the Tab key.
On Blur When the focus moves to a different button or form field in the PDF file.
Action types
When you create an action, you indicate what happens when the specified event occurs—usually when someone clicks
the button. You can assign the following actions to occur when the event type is activated:
Go To Destination Jumps to the specified text anchor created using the Bookmarks or Hyperlinks panel. See Create
jumps to text anchors .
Go To First/Last/Next/Previous Page Jumps to the first, last, previous, or next page in the PDF or SWF file. Select an
option from the Zoom menu to determine how the page is displayed.
Go To URL Opens the web page of the specified URL.
Show/Hide Buttons Toggles between showing and hiding specified buttons in the exported PDF or SWF file. For
example, if you want one button to appear when another button is moused over, you can hide the target button until it’s
triggered and create an action that displays the hidden button on rollover. See Display a different button on rollover .
Video Lets you play, pause, stop, or resume the selected movie. Only movies that have been added to the document
appear in the Video menu.
Sound Lets you play, pause, stop, or resume the selected sound clip. Only sound clips that have been added to the
document appear in the Sound menu.
Animation (SWF) Lets you play, pause, stop, or resume to selected animation. Only animations that have been added to
the document appear in the Animation menu.
Go To Page (SWF) Jumps to the page in the SWF file you specify.
Go To State (SWF) Jumps to a specific state in a multi-state object. For example, if a multi-state object includes several
different images as states, you can use this action to display a particular image.
Go To Next/Previous State (SWF) Jumps to the next or previous state in a multi-state object. These options are especially
useful for clicking through a slideshow. See Create multi-state objects .
Go To Next View (PDF) Jumps to a page after going to the previous view. In the same way that a Forward button is
available in a web browser only after someone clicks the Back button, this option is available only if the user has jumped
to a previous view.
Go To Previous View (PDF) Jumps to the most recently viewed page in the PDF document, or returns to the last used
zoom size.
Open File (PDF) Launches and opens the file that you specify. If you specify a file that is not PDF, the reader needs the
native application to open it successfully. Specify an absolute pathname (such as C:\docs\sample.pdf).
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View Zoom (PDF) Displays the page according to the zoom option you specify. You can change the page zoom level
(such as Actual Size), the page layout (such as Continuous - Facing), or the rotation orientation.
Edit or delete button actions
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the button.
2 In the Buttons panel, do any of the following:
• To deactivate actions, deselect the check box next to the item. Deactivating events and actions can be useful for
testing purposes.
• To change the order, drag and drop actions.
• To delete an action, select the action in the list box, and click the Delete Selected Action button
.
• To edit an action, choose the event to which the action is assigned, select the action in the list box, and change
the settings. If you need to replace a action for an existing event, delete the action, and then add the new action
to the event.
Create jumps to text anchors
If you create a text anchor in an InDesign document, you can cause a button to jump to that anchor, even if it’s in
another InDesign document. Use the Bookmarks panel and Hyperlinks panel to add text anchors. You cannot create
jumps from buttons to bookmarks that aren’t text anchors.
Note: If you set a hyperlink destination to a button, the hyperlink will have no effect in the exported PDF or SWF document.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the button.
2 In the Buttons panel, choose the event such as On Release that will trigger the jump.
3 Click the plus sign button next to Actions, and choose Go To Destination.
4 Select one of the open InDesign documents from the Documents menu, or click the folder icon to the right of the
menu and specify the file.
5 Specify an anchor that was created using the Bookmarks panel or Hyperlinks panel.
6 Select an option from the Zoom menu to determine how the page is displayed.
Note: If you specify an anchor in a different document, remember to export that target document to PDF, and use the same
filename as the InDesign document, replacing the INDD extension with PDF. Also, store the PDF documents in the same
folder to make sure that the links remain valid in Acrobat and Reader.
Change button appearance for rollover and clicking
A button consists of a group of individual objects that each represent a button appearance (sometimes called a “state”).
Each button can have as many as three appearances: Normal, Rollover, and Click. In the exported file, the Normal
appearance is used unless the mouse pointer moves into the area (Rollover) or the mouse button is clicked on the button
area (Click). You can make each appearance different to provide visual feedback.
By default, any button you create is defined with the Normal appearance containing the button’s text or image. When
you activate a new appearance, the Normal appearance is copied. To distinguish an appearance from the others, you
can change the color or add text or an image.
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Button states
A Pointer not over button area (Normal) B Pointer enters button area (Rollover) C Pointer clicks (Click)
Note: The clickable area, or hot spot, of the button is the square bounding box of the largest state in the button. For example,
a round button has a square hot spot.
Change button appearances
If you’re creating a button with multiple appearances (Normal, Rollover, and Click), it’s a good idea to finish designing
the button before you activate other appearances. When you activate the Rollover or Click appearance, the Normal
appearance is copied.
Some changes affect only the selected appearances, while other changes affect all active appearances. If you select an
appearance and apply a different background color or edit the text, the change affects only the selected appearance. If
you use the Selection tool to move or resize the button, the change affects all appearances.
1 Choose Window > Interactive > Buttons to display the Buttons panel.
2 Using the Selection tool
, select the button in the layout that you want to edit.
3 Click [Rollover] to activate the Rollover appearance.
The Normal appearance is copied to Rollover.
4 With Rollover still selected, change the appearance of the button.
• To change the color, choose a swatch from the Stroke or Fill menu in the Control panel.
• To place an image in the appearance, select the existing image by using the direct selection tool or double-clicking
the existing button image, and then choose File > Place and double-click a file.
• To paste an image into a text frame, copy it to the Clipboard, select the appearance in the Buttons panel, and then
choose Edit > Paste Into.
• To type text, select the Type tool, click the button, and type the text. You can also choose Edit > Paste Into to copy
a pasted text frame.
5 To add the Click appearance, click [Click] to activate it, and then follow the same procedure to change its
appearance.
6 Use the Preview panel to test the different button appearances.
To change the size of the State Appearance thumbnails in the Buttons panel, choose Panel Options from the Buttons
panel menu, select an option, and then click OK.
Delete and disable appearances
1 Select the appearance in the Buttons panel.
2 Do any of the following:
• To delete the Rollover or Click appearance, click the Delete icon at the bottom of the panel. Deleting an
appearance is especially useful if you edit the Normal appearance extensively and decide you want to base
Rollover or Click on the new Normal appearance.
• To disable an appearance without deleting it, click the Eye icon next to the appearance to deselect it. Disabled
states are not exported to the PDF or SWF file.
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Note: You cannot delete or disable the Normal state.
Create multi-state objects
The Object States panel lets you create multiple versions of an object. A state is a version of a page item. An object that
includes multiple states is called a multi-state object.
With the Object States panel, there is no limit to the number of states you can create for an object. Each time you create
a state, you generate another version of your page item. Only one state is visible on the page at a time. For print and
PDF output, only the active state appears in the final output.
Create a multi-state object slide show
One of the most common uses for a multi-state object is a slide show that lets viewers of a SWF file click through a set
of images. For example, you can create a slide show of 20 images without having to place the images on 20 different
pages.
1 Place the images that will appear in the slide show.
For best results, make sure that the image frames are the same size.
A state does not have to be a single item—it can be a collection of items.
2 To stack the images, select them, and click Align Horizontal Centers
and Align Vertical Centers
in the
Control panel.
3 With the images still selected, open the States panel (Window > Interactive > Object States), and click the Convert
Selection To Multi-State Object button
.
The images appear as states in the Object States panel, and a dashed frame borders the selected images.
4 Create navigation buttons that trigger the Go To Next State and Go To Previous State actions when the mouse button
is release. See Create buttons .
5 Use the Preview panel (Window > Interactive > Preview) to test the navigation buttons.
6 Export the document to SWF format. See Interactive documents.
Edit a multi-state object
1 Select a multi-state object.
2 In the Object States panel, do any of the following:
• To edit a state, select the state in the Object States panel, and then edit the object. For example, you can add a
stroke or fill or resize the object.
• To add an object to an existing state, select both the object and the multi-state object, and then click the Add
Objects To Visible State button
.
• To add an object to an existing multi-state object, select both the object and the multi-state object, and then click
the Convert Selection To Multi-State Object button .
• To duplicate a state, select a state to base the new state on, and choose New State from the panel menu. Add,
remove, or edit the content of that state.
• To paste objects into an existing state, cut or copy one or more objects, select the multi-state object, select the
state in the Object States panel, and choose Paste Into State from the Object States panel menu.
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• To convert a multi-state object back to a set of independent objects, select the state in the Object States panel and
choose Release State To Object from the panel menu. To convert all states in the multi-state object to objects,
choose Release All States To Objects.
• To delete a state and remove its contents, select the state and choose Delete State from the panel menu.
• To hide the multi-state object in the exported file until it’s triggered by a button, choose Hide Until Triggered
from the panel menu.
• To reset all multi-state objects in the document to the first state, choose Reset All Multi-State Objects To First
State from the panel menu. When you select a state, the object remains in that state, even if you close and reopen
the document. This option is a quick way to reset all the multi-state objects.
Create button hot spots
In some cases, you may want the button area (called a “hot spot” or “hot link”) to be invisible until the mouse pointer
hovers over it. For example, when you move a pointer over a button on a map, an image could be displayed that
represents a region, and the image could disappear when the pointer moves away from the region.
In the exported PDF file, holding the pointer over a hot spot causes an image to appear.
Display a hidden image on rollover
One way to achieve a “hot spot” effect is to apply an image to the Rollover state in the Buttons panel. To do this, create
a button in which the [Rollover] state displays an image while the [Normal] state doesn’t display the image.
1 Select the image you want to use as a hot spot. Make sure the frame of the image does not have a border or
background.
2 In the Buttons panel (choose Window > Interactive > Buttons), click the [Normal] appearance to convert the
selected image to a button.
3 Click the [Rollover] appearance in the Buttons panel to activate it.
4 Click the [Normal] appearance again. Then select the image using the Direct Selection tool
and delete the image.
Make sure you delete the image (the contents of the frame), not the frame and contents. Deleting the frame deletes
the entire button.
5 Use the Preview panel to preview the hot spot effect.
Display a different button on rollover
You can create a hot spot in which clicking or mousing over an object displays another object. To do this, create two
buttons, hide one of the buttons, and use the Show/Hide Button action to show and hide the target button.
1 Create an object to be used as the source button. In the Buttons panel, click the Convert Object To A Button icon.
2 Place the image you want to be used as the target button, and convert it to a button.
3 Select the target image and select Hidden Until Triggered at the bottom of the Buttons panel.
The image needs to be hidden in the exported document so that it can be displayed when the source button is
moused over or clicked.
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4 Select the source button and create two different actions, one to show the target image and a second to hide the target
image.
If you want the image to appear when the mouse hovers over the source button, use the On Roll Over and On Roll
Off events. If you want the image to appear when you click the source button and disappear when you release it, use
the On Click and On Release events. In either case, use the Show/Hide Buttons action to display and hide the target
button. See Make buttons interactive .
5 Use the Preview panel to test the buttons.
Changing PDF options for buttons
1 Use the Selection tool
to select the button.
2 From the Buttons panel menu, choose PDF Options.
3 Type a description that acts as alternative text for visually impaired users.
4 Indicate whether the button should be printed in the PDF file, and then click OK.
Set the button tab order
The tab order determines the next (or previous) field to receive focus when a user presses Tab (or Shift+Tab) in the PDF
or SWF document. The tab order includes buttons on hidden layers, but not buttons on master pages.
1 Go to the page containing the buttons.
2 Choose Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order.
3 Select each button you want to move and drag it to its new position, or click the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
When you’re done, click OK.
If you use Acrobat to edit the PDF and add more buttons or form fields to the page, you may need to specify a new tab
order in Acrobat.
More Help topics
Hyperlinks panel overview
PDF Forms
Cross-references
If you’re writing a manual or reference document, you may want to include a cross-reference to refer the reader from
one part of your document to another. Example: For more information, see “Field mice” on page 249. You can specify
whether a cross-reference derives from a paragraph style, such as a heading style, or from a text anchor you’ve created.
You can also determine the cross-reference format, such as Page Number Only or Full Paragraph & Page Number.
Insert cross-references
Use the Cross-References panel to insert cross-references into your document. To open the panel, choose Window >
Type & Tables > Cross-References.
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A Click the green visual indicator to go to destination. B Click the page number to select source. C Click the icon to create a cross-reference.
The text being referred to is the destination text. The text that is generated from the destination text is the source crossreference.
When you insert a cross-reference in your document, you can choose from several predesigned formats, or you can
create your own custom format. You can apply a character style to the entire cross-reference source, or to text within
the cross-reference. Cross-reference formats can be synchronized across a book.
Cross-reference source text is editable and can break across lines.
Note: Cross-references are included in exported Adobe PDF files if Hyperlinks is selected in the Export Adobe PDF dialog
box in InDesign. Cross-references are included in the exported SWF file if Include Hyperlinks is selected in the Export SWF
dialog box.
Inserting cross-references
A Selected destination paragraph B Click here to create or edit cross-reference format.
1 Place the insertion point where you want the cross-reference to be inserted.
2 Do any of the following to open the New Cross-Reference dialog box:
• Choose Type > Hyperlinks & Cross-References > Insert Cross-Reference.
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• Choose Window > Type & Tables > Cross-References, and then choose Insert Cross-Reference from the panel
menu.
• Click the Create New Cross-Reference button in the panel.
3 In the dialog box, choose Paragraph or Text Anchor from the Link To menu.
If you choose Paragraph, you can create a cross-reference to any paragraph in the document you specify.
If you choose Text Anchor, you can create a cross-reference to any text in which you have created a hyperlink
destination. (See Create a hyperlink destination.) Creating a text anchor is especially useful if you want to use
different text than the actual destination paragraph.
4 For Document, select the document containing the destination that you want to refer to. All open documents that
have been saved are listed in the pop-up menu. If the document you’re looking for isn’t open, choose Browse, locate
the file, and then click Open.
5 Click a paragraph style (such as Head1) in the left box to narrow down the choices, and then select the paragraph
you want to refer to. (Or, if Text Anchor is selected, choose the text anchor.)
6 Choose the cross-reference format you want to use from the Format menu.
You can edit these cross-reference formats or create your own. See Using cross-reference formats .
7 Specify the PDF appearance options for the cross-reference.
8 Click OK.
When you insert a cross-reference, a text anchor marker appears at the beginning of the destination paragraph. You
can view this marker when you choose Type > Show Hidden Characters. If this marker is moved or deleted, the crossreference becomes unresolved.
Using cross-reference formats
Several cross-reference formats appear in the New Cross-Reference dialog box by default. You can edit these formats,
delete them, or create your own.
Note: If you’ve deleted or edited cross-reference formats in your document and want to return them to the default formats,
you can choose Load Cross-Reference Formats from the panel menu and choose a document with unedited formats. You
can also synchronize cross-reference formats in a book.
Create or edit cross-reference formats
Unlike other presets, cross-reference formats can be edited or deleted. When you edit a cross-reference format, any
source cross-reference that uses that format is automatically updated.
1 Do any of the following:
• Choose Define Cross-Reference Formats from the Cross-References panel menu.
• While creating or editing a cross-reference, click the Create Or Edit Cross-Reference Formats button
.
2 In the Cross-Reference Formats dialog box, do one of the following:
• To edit a format, select the format on the left.
• To create a format, select a format to base the new format on, and then click the Create Format button
creates a duplicate of the selected format.
3 For Name, specify the name of the format.
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4 In the Definition text box, add or remove any text as needed. Click the Building Block icon
blocks from a menu. Click the Special Characters icon
special characters.
to insert building
to select dashes, spaces, quotation marks, and other
5 To apply a character style to the entire cross-reference, select Character Style For Cross-Reference, and then choose
or create the character style from the menu.
You can also use the Character Style building block to apply a character style to text within the cross-reference.
6 Click Save to save the changes. Click OK when finished.
Cross-reference building blocks
Building block
What it does
Example
Page Number
Inserts the page number.
on page
See “1. Animals”
See Chapter 7
In this example, only “Chapter 7” is used from
the title “Chapter 7: Dogs and Cats.”
Specify the delimiter (such as : in this
example), and indicate whether the delimiter
is excluded (“false” or “0”) or included (“true”
or “1”) in the source cross-reference.
See Creating cross-references to partial
paragraphs .
Text Anchor Name
Inserts the text anchor name. You can create
text anchors by choosing New Hyperlink
Destination from the Hyperlinks panel menu.
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reference.
See Animals on page 23.
Specify the character style name, and include
the text you want to apply the character style
to between the and tags.
See Apply character styles within a crossreference .
Creating cross-references to partial paragraphs
You can design cross-reference formats to include only the first part of a paragraph. For example, if you have headings
in your document that look like, “Chapter 7—Granada to Barcelona,” you can create a cross-reference that refers only
to “Chapter 7.”
Cross-reference to partial paragraph
A The cross-reference source ends at an em dash (^_) B “false” excludes the em dash from the source
When you insert the Partial Paragraph building block, you must do two things. First, specify the delimiter between the
quotation marks. The delimiter is the character that ends the paragraph. Common delimiters include colons (Chapter
7: Granada), periods (Chapter 7. Granada), and dashes (Chapter 7—Granada). To insert special characters such as em
dashes (^_), em spaces (^m), and bullet characters (^8), choose an option from the menu that appears when you click
the Special Characters icon.
Second, indicate whether the delimiter character is excluded (Chapter 7) or included (Chapter 7—). Use
includeDelim=”false” to exclude the delimiter and includeDelim=”true” to include the delimiter. Instead of “false” or
“true,” you can use “0” or “1,” respectively.
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Apply character styles within a cross-reference
If you want to emphasize a section of text within a cross-reference, you can use the Character Style building block. This
building block consists of two tags. The tag indicates which style is applied, and the tag
ends the character style. Any text or building blocks between these tags is formatted in the specified style.
Applying a character style to a section of the cross-reference
A This tag applies a character style named “Red.” B This tag ends the character style formatting. C A character style named “Bold” is applied to
the rest of the cross-reference source.
1 Create the character style you want to use.
2 In the Cross-Reference Formats dialog box, create or edit the format you want to apply.
3 Under Definition, select the text and building blocks to which you want to apply the character style.
4 Choose Character Style from the menu to the right of the definition list.
5 Type the name of the character style between the quotation marks exactly as it appears in the Character Styles panel.
Style names are case sensitive. If the character style is in a group, type the name of the group followed by a colon
before the character style, such as Style Group 1: Red.
6 Click Save to save the format, and then click OK.
Load (import) cross-reference formats
When you load cross-reference formats from another document, the incoming formats replace any existing formats
that share the same name.
In InCopy, you can import cross-reference formats only in standalone documents. You cannot import formats from an
InCopy document into an InDesign document. If the new or modified format in InCopy conflicts with a format in the
InDesign document when the story is checked in, the InDesign format takes precedence.
1 Choose Load Cross-Reference Formats from the Cross-References panel menu.
2 Double-click the document containing the cross-reference formats you want to import.
You can also share cross-reference formats across documents by synchronizing a book.
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Delete cross-reference formats
You cannot delete a cross-reference format that has been applied to cross-references in the document.
1 In the Cross-Reference Formats dialog box, select the format you want to delete.
2 Click the Delete Format button
.
Manage cross-references
When you insert a cross-reference, the Cross-References panel indicates the status of the cross-reference. For example,
icons indicate if the destination text appears on the pasteboard , a master page , a hidden layer , in overset text
, or in hidden text . Cross-references that link to such destination areas are unresolved. The panel also lets you
know if the destination paragraph has been edited
(also called out-of-date) or is missing . Destination text is
missing if either the destination text or the file containing the destination text cannot be found. Hold the mouse pointer
over any icon to view a tool tip description.
In InCopy, you can manage cross-references only if the story is checked out for editing.
Update cross-references
An update icon indicates that the cross-reference destination text has changed or that the cross-reference source text
has been edited. You can easily update the cross-reference. If the destination moves to a different page, the crossreference is updated automatically.
When you update a cross-reference, any formatting changes you’ve made to the source text are removed.
When printing or outputting, you are notified if cross-references are out of date or unresolved.
You can also use the Preflight panel to notify you when cross-references are out of date or unresolved. When defining a
profile, select Cross-References in the Text section. See Define preflight profiles.
1 Select one or more out-of-date cross-references. To update all cross-references, make sure that none are selected.
2 Do any of the following:
• Click the Update Cross-References button
in the Cross-References panel.
• Choose Update Cross-Reference from the Cross-References panel menu.
• Choose Type > Hyperlinks & Cross-References > Update Cross-Reference.
To update all cross-references in a book, choose Update All Cross-References from the book panel menu. You are
notified if any cross-references remain unresolved.
Relink cross-references
If the missing destination text has been moved to a different document, or if the document containing the destination
text is renamed, you can relink the cross-reference. When you relink, any changes made to the source cross-reference
are removed.
1 In the Cross-References panel, select the cross-reference you want to relink.
2 Choose Relink Cross-Reference from the panel menu.
3 Locate the document in which the destination text appears, and then click Open.
If any other destination text appears in that document, you can relink additional cross-references.
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Edit cross-references
To change the appearance of the source cross-reference or specify a different format, you can edit the cross-reference.
If you edit a cross-reference that links to a different document, the document is opened automatically.
1 Do any of the following:
• Choose Type > Hyperlinks & Cross References > Cross-Reference Options.
• In the Cross-References panel, double-click the cross-reference you want to edit.
• Select the cross-reference, and choose Cross-Reference Options from the Cross-References panel menu.
2 Edit the cross-reference, and then click OK.
Delete cross-references
When you delete a cross-reference, the source cross-reference is converted to text.
1 In the Cross-References panel, select the cross-reference or cross-references you want to delete.
2 Click the Delete icon, or choose Delete Cross-Reference from the panel menu.
3 Click Yes to confirm.
To completely remove a cross-reference, you can also select the cross-reference source and delete it.
Editing cross-reference source text
You can edit cross-reference source text. The advantage of editing cross-reference text is that you can change tracking
or word spacing as needed for copyfitting, or make other changes. The disadvantage is that if you update or relink the
cross-reference, any local formatting changes are removed.
Interactive web documents for Flash
To create slideshow-type content that can be played in Flash Player, you can export to either SWF or FLA. The main
difference is that SWF files are ready to be viewed and cannot be edited, whereas FLA files must be edited in Adobe
Flash Professional to be viewed in Adobe Flash Player.
SWF An exported SWF file is ready for viewing in Adobe Flash Player and may include interactive elements such as
page transitions, hyperlinks, movies, sound clips, animation, and navigation buttons.
FLA An exported FLA file includes only some interactive elements. The FLA file can be opened in Flash Pro, where
you or a Flash developer can add advanced effects before exporting to SWF.
Export to Flash
A Export directly to SWF B Export to FLA for editing in Flash Professional
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Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web
When you export to SWF, you create an interactive file that’s ready for viewing in Adobe Flash Player or in a web
browser. The SWF file can include buttons, page transitions, movies and audio files, animation, and hyperlinks added
in InDesign. Exporting to SWF is a good way to create an interactive slideshow, or a flip book, based on an InDesign
document.
If you want to edit the document in Flash Pro before creating the SWF file, export to FLA instead of SWF. See Create
FLA files for the web .
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SWF export
A Document in InDesign before SWF export B Interactive SWF file in web browser
1 Create or edit the InDesign document to prepare it for Flash export. For more detailed information on setting up
the document for export, see Flash export issues .
• Add navigation buttons that allow users to move from page to page in the exported SWF file. You can create a
buttons by drawing an object and converting it to a button using the Buttons panel (choose Window > Interactive
> Buttons). You can also use the Sample Buttons panel to drag predefined navigation buttons into your
document. See Create buttons .
• Use the Page Transitions panel (choose Window > Interactive > Page Transitions) to add page transitions such as
wipes or dissolves. When you export to SWF, you can also select the Include Interactive Page Curl option, which
lets viewers drag a page corner to turn the page.
• Use the Animation panel (choose Window > Interactive > Animation) to add motion presets. See Animation.
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2 To export the document to SWF format, choose File > Export. Choose Flash Player (SWF) from the Save As Type
(Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, and click Save.
3 In the Export SWF dialog box, specify the options, and then click OK. See SWF export options .
When you export a SWF file, separate HTML and SWF files are created. If the SWF file includes movies or sound clips,
a Resources folder is also created. To hand off or upload the files to the web, make sure you send all the assets.
SWF export options
The following options appear on the General and Advanced tabs of the Export SWF dialog box.
Export Indicate whether the current selection, all pages in the document, or a page range is included. Choosing
Selection is especially useful if you want to save the exported SWF file for use in an exported PDF file. If you select
Range, specify a page range, such as 1-7, 9 to print pages 1 through 7 and 9. See Specifying pages to print.
Generate HTML File Select this option to generate an HTML page that plays back the SWF file. This option is especially
useful for quickly previewing the SWF file in your web browser.
View SWF After Exporting Select this option to play back the SWF file in your default web browser. This option is
available only if you generate an HTML file.
Size (pixels) Specify whether the SWF file is scaled by a percentage, fit to a monitor size you specify, or sized according
to the width and height you specify.
Background Specify whether the background of your SWF is transparent or if it uses the current Paper color from the
Swatches panel. Selecting Transparent disables the Page Transitions and Interactive Page Curl options.
Interactivity And Media Select Include All to allow movies, sounds, buttons, and animations to be interactive in the
exported SWF file. Select Appearance Only to include the normal state of buttons and the video posters as static
elements. If Appearance Only is selected, animations export as they appear in the layout at the time of export.
Appearance Only is selected if you choose Flatten Transparency in the Advanced panel.
Page Transitions Specify one page transition to apply to all pages during export. If you use the Page Transitions panel
to specify transitions, choose the From Document option to use those settings.
Include Interactive Page Curl If this option is selected, users playing the SWF file can drag a corner of the page to turn
it, giving the appearance of turning the page in a real book.
Frame Rate Higher frame rates create smoother animations but may increase the file size. Changing the frame rate does
not affect playback duration.
Text Specify how InDesign text is output. Choose Flash Classic Text to output searchable text that results in the smallest
file size. Choose Convert To Outlines to output the text as a series of smooth straight lines, like converting text to
outlines. Choose Convert To Pixels to output the text in a bitmap image. Text converted to pixels may appear jagged
when zoomed in on.
Rasterize Pages This option converts all InDesign page items to bitmap. Selecting this option results in a larger SWF
file, and page items may appear jagged when zoomed in on.
Flatten Transparency This option removes live transparency from the SWF and preserves the transparency
appearance. However, all interactivity is removed from the exported SWF file if this option is selected.
Compression Choose Automatic to let InDesign determine the best quality for color and grayscale images. For most
files, this option produces satisfactory results. Choosing JPEG (Lossy) is suitable for grayscale or color images. JPEG
compression is lossy, which means that it removes image data and possibly reduces image quality. However, it attempts
to reduce file size with a minimal loss of information. Because JPEG compression eliminates data, it can achieve much
smaller files sizes. Choosing PNG (Lossless) exports the file without lossy compression.
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If you notice a loss of image quality in transparent images when you export to SWF, choose PNG (Lossless) to improve
the quality.
JPEG Quality Specifies the amount of detail in the exported image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. This
option is dimmed if you choose PNG (Lossless) for Compression.
Resolution Specify the resolution of bitmap images in the exported SWF. Choosing a high resolution is especially
important to allow viewers to zoom in on pixel-based content within your exported SWF. Choosing a high resolution
can significantly increase the file size.
Create FLA files for the web
When you export your InDesign document to FLA file format, you can open the file in Adobe Flash® CS5 Professional
to edit the contents. Exporting to FLA in InDesign CS5 format replaces XFL export in InDesign CS4. Use the Flash
authoring environment to edit or add video, audio, animation, and complex interactivity.
If you want to export the InDesign document directly to a format that can be opened directly in a web browser, use the
SWF format instead of FLA. See Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web .
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FLA export
A Document in InDesign before FLA export B FLA file opened in Flash Pro
1 Create or edit the InDesign document to prepare it for Flash export. For more detailed information on setting up
the document for export, see Flash export issues .
2 To export the document to FLA format, choose File > Export. Choose Flash CS5 Professional (FLA) from the Save
As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, and click Save.
3 In the Export Flash CS5 Professional (FLA) dialog box, specify the options, and then click OK. For information on
export options, see FLA export options .
4 Open the exported FLA file in Flash Professional.
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FLA export options
The following options appear in the Export Flash CS5 Professional (FLA) dialog box.
Export Indicate whether the current selection, all pages in the document, or a page range is included. If you select
Range, specify a page range, such as 1-7, 9 to print pages 1 through 7 and 9. See Specifying pages to print.
Rasterize Pages This option converts all InDesign page items to bitmap. Selecting this option results in a larger FLA
file, and page items become jagged when zoomed in on.
Flatten Transparency Selecting this option flattens all objects with transparency. Flattened objects may be difficult to
animate in Adobe Flash Pro.
Size (Pixels) Specify whether the FLA file is scaled by a percentage, fit to a monitor size you specify, or sized according
to a width and height you specify.
Interactivity And Media Select Include All to allow movies, sounds, buttons, and animations to be included in the
exported FLA file. If the document includes a multi-state object, it is converted into a movie clip symbol in which each
state appears on its own frame in the timeline.
Select Appearance Only to include the normal state of buttons and the video posters as static elements. If Appearance
Only is selected, animations export as they appear in the layout at the time of export. Appearance Only is selected if
you choose Flatten Transparency.
Text Specify how InDesign text is output. Choose Flash TLF Text to take advantage of the rich set of Text Layout
Framework attributes in Flash Professional. If this option is selected, select Insert Dictionary Hyphenation Points to
allow hyphenation. Choose Flash Classic Text to output searchable text that results in a small file size. Choose Convert
To Outlines to output the text as a series of smooth straight lines, like converting text to outlines. Choose Convert To
Pixels to output the text in a bitmap image. Text converted to pixels may appear jagged when zoomed in on.
Compression Choose Automatic to let InDesign determine the best quality for color and grayscale images. For most
files, this option produces satisfactory results. Choosing JPEG (Lossy) is suitable for grayscale or color images. JPEG
compression is lossy, which means that it removes image data and possibly reduces image quality. However, it attempts
to reduce file size with a minimal loss of information. Because JPEG compression eliminates data, it can achieve much
smaller files sizes. Choosing PNG (Lossless) exports the file without lossy compression.
JPEG Quality Specifies the amount of detail in the exported image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. This
option is dimmed if you choose PNG (Lossless) for Compression.
Resolution Specify the resolution of bitmap images in the exported FLA file. Choosing a high resolution is especially
important to allow viewers to zoom in on pixel-based content. Choosing a high resolution can significantly increase
the file size.
Flash export issues
Consider the following factors when designing your InDesign document for SWF or FLA output.
Document setup issues
How InDesign pages are converted When you export to SWF or FLA, InDesign spreads become separate clips in a
timeline, like slides in a slideshow. Each spread is mapped to a new keyframe. In Flash Player, you advance through the
spreads of the exported document by pressing arrow keys or clicking interactive buttons.
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When creating a document intended for the web, choose Web from the Intent menu in the New Document dialog box.
Page size When you create a document, you can choose a specific resolution, such as 800 x 600, from the Page Size
menu in the New Document dialog box. During export, you can also adjust the scale or resolution of the exported SWF
or FLA file.
Interactivity features
Buttons, page transitions, hyperlinks, animation, and media files can be included in exported SWF and FLA files.
Buttons For buttons in an exported SWF or FLA file, the Next Page and Previous Page actions are especially useful
controls for playback in Flash Player. However, some actions that work in interactive PDF files have no effect in Flash
Player. When you choose an action in the Buttons panel, do not select an option from the PDF Only section.
You can add navigation buttons that are preformatted with Go To Next Page and Go To Previous Page actions. Choose
Sample Buttons from the Buttons panel menu. See Add a button from the Sample Buttons panel.
Page Transitions All page transitions work well in Flash Player. In addition to page transitions that appear when you
turn the page, you can add include an interactive page curl during export that lets you drag corners of pages to turn
them.
Hyperlinks Create links to websites or to other pages in the document. Hyperlinks are broken in FLA files.
Movies and sound clips Movies and sound clips are included in an exported SWF file if they’re in a supported format,
such as SWF, FLV, F4V, and MP4 for movies and MP3 for sound clips.
When you export to FLA, only the poster image is included in the FLA file. Supported media files appear in a resources
folder saved in the same location as the exported FLA file.
Conversion issues
Color SWF and FLA files use RGB color. When a document is exported to SWF or FLA, InDesign converts all color
spaces (such as CMYK and LAB) to sRGB. InDesign converts spot colors to equivalent RGB process colors.
To avoid unwanted color changes in artwork with text with transparency, choose Edit > Transparency Blend Space >
Document RGB. To avoid unwanted color changes in images with transparency, avoid using a lossy compression during
export.
Text When exporting to SWF or FLA, you can determine whether text is output as Flash text or converted to outlines
or pixels. Text exported as Flash Classic Text remains fully editable when the FLA file is opened in Adobe Flash CS5
Professional and can be searched in web browsers when saved as SWF files.
Images When you export images to SWF or FLA, you can change image compression, JPEG quality, and resolution
settings during export.
When you export images to FLA, an image placed multiple times in your InDesign document is saved as a single image
asset with a shared location. Note that a large number of vector images in the InDesign document may cause
performance problems in the exported file.
To reduce file size, place repeating images on master pages, and avoid copying and pasting images. If the same image is
placed multiple times in the document and not transformed or cropped, only one copy of the file is exported in the FLA
file. Images that are copied and pasted are treated as separate objects.
By default, a placed Illustrator file is treated as a single image in the FLA file, whereas an Illustrator file that’s copied
and pasted generates many individual objects. For best results, place the Illustrator image as a PDF file instead of
copying and pasting from Illustrator. Copying and pasting results in multiple editable paths.
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You can change preference options to make sure that Illustrator objects are pasted as one object instead of a collection
of small vectors. In Illustrator File Handling & Clipboard preferences, select PDF and deselect AICB (No Transparency
Support). In InDesign Clipboard Handling preferences, select both Prefer PDF When Pasting and Copy PDF To Clipboard.
Transparency Before exporting to SWF, make sure that transparent objects do not overlap any interactive element, such
as a button or hyperlink. If an object with transparency overlaps an interactive element, the interactivity may be lost
during export. You may want to flatten transparency before exporting to FLA.
In some instances, choosing a lossy compression reduces the quality of images with transparency. When exporting,
choose PNG (Lossless) to improve the quality.
3D attributes 3D attributes are not supported in the exported SWF and FLA files.
Animation
Animation effects let you make objects move in your exported SWF files. For example, you can apply a motion preset
to an image that makes it appear to fly in from the left side of the screen while shrinking and spinning. Use the following
tools and panels to animate documents.
Click Play Button to view animation
Animation panel Apply a motion preset and edit settings such as duration and speed.
Direct Selection tool and Pen tool Edit the path on which the animated object travels.
Timing panel Determine the order in which objects on a page are animated.
Preview panel View the animation in an InDesign panel.
Note: A related type of animation you can add in InDesign is a button rollover effect. For more information, see Create
buttons .
Jeff Witchel from Infiniteskills.com provides a video overview on Animating layouts.
Animate a document with motion presets
Motion presets are pre-made animations that you can apply to objects quickly. Use the Animation panel to apply motion
presets and change animation settings such as duration and speed. The Animation panel also lets you specify when an
animated object plays.
These motion presets are the same as those found in Adobe Flash CS5 Professional. You can import any custom motion
preset created in Flash Professional. You can also save motion presets you create and use them in InDesign or Flash
Professional.
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Animation features are supported only when exporting to the Adobe Flash Player (.SWF). They are not supported when
exporting to Interactive PDF. To add animation effects to a PDF file, export a selection as a SWF file from InDesign and
place that SWF file in the InDesign document.
1 Place the object you want to animate in your document.
2 In the Animation panel (Window > Interactive > Animation), choose a motion preset from the Preset menu.
3 Specify motion preset options.
4 To edit the motion path, use the Pen tool and Direct Selection tool.
5 Use the Timing panel to determine the order of the animation effects.
6 Use the Preview panel to preview the animation in InDesign.
To remove animation from an object, select the object and click the Delete icon in the Animation panel.
Note: When certain animation effects such as Fade In are combined with a page transition or page curl, the animation may
not behave as expected in the Preview panel or in the exported SWF file. For example, objects that are set to "fade in" are
visible while turning the page when they should start as invisible. To avoid this conflict, do not use page transitions on those
pages with animation, and turn off the Include Interactive Page Curl option in the SWF Export dialog box. Motion presets
that may not work as expected with page transitions and page curl include Appear, Fade In, the various Fly-in presets,
Zoom in 2D, and Swoosh.
Convert selected objects to a motion path
You can create animation by selecting an object and a path and converting it to a motion path. If you selected two closed
paths, such as two rectangles, the path on top becomes the motion path.
1 Select the object you want to animate and the path you want to use as the motion path.
You cannot convert more than two selected objects.
2 In the Animation panel, click the Convert To Motion Path button
.
3 Change the settings in the Animation panel.
Motion preset options
Motion preset options appear in the Animation panel. Click the Properties option to display advanced settings.
Name Specify a name for the animation. Specifying a descriptive name is especially useful when setting up an action
that triggers the animation.
Preset Choose from a list of pre-defined motion settings.
Event(s) By default, On Page Load is selected, which means the animated object plays when the page is opened in the
SWF file. Choose On Page Click to trigger the animation when the page is clicked. Choose On Click (Self) or On Roll
Over (Self) to trigger the animation when the object itself is clicked or moused over, respectively. If you create a button
action that triggers the animation, On Button Event is selected. (See Add actions to buttons .) You can specify multiple
events to start the animation.
If you select the On Roll Over (Self) event, you can also select Reverse On Roll Off. This option reverses the action of
the animation when the mouse moves off the object.
Create Button Trigger Click this button to trigger the animation from an existing object or button. After you click
Create Button Trigger
, click the object that triggers the animation. The object is converted to a button, if necessary,
and the Buttons panel opens.
Duration Specify how much time it takes for the animation to occur.
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Play Specify the number of times the animation is played, or select Loop to cause the animation to play repeatedly until
it’s stopped.
Speed Choose an option to determine whether the animation speed is a steady rate (None), starts slowly and speeds
up (Ease In), or slows down at the end (Ease Out).
Note: The following options are available when Properties is expanded.
Animate Choose From Current Appearance to use the object’s current properties (scale percentage, rotation angle, and
position) as the starting point of the animation.
Choose To Current Appearance to use the object’s properties as the ending point of the animation. Using this option is
especially useful in slide shows. For example, objects that fly in from off the page can appear on the page rather than
on the pasteboard, improving the appearance of the printed document.
Choose To Current Location to use the current object’s properties as the starting point of the animation and the object’s
position as the ending point. This option is similar to From Current Appearance, only the object finishes in its current
location and the motion path is offset. This option is especially useful for certain presets, such as blurs and fades, to
prevent the object from appearing in an undesirable state at the end of the animation.
To display the proxy at the end of the motion path, click the Show Animation Proxy at the bottom of the
Animation panel.
Animate settings
A Object and path before animation B From Current Appearance C To Current Appearance D To Current Location
Rotate Specify a rotation angle that the object completes during the animation.
Origin Use the proxy to specify the origin point of the motion path on the animated object.
Scale Specify a percentage value to determine whether the object increases or decreases in size during playback.
Opacity Choose an option to determine whether the animation remains solid (None), gradually becomes visible (Fade
In), or gradually becomes invisible (Fade Out).
Visibility Select Hide Until Animated or Hide After Animating to make an object invisible before or after playback.
Manage motion presets
You can save animation settings as motion presets that you can easily reuse in InDesign. You can also import presets
from XML files that can be opened in Flash Professional or shared with other InDesign users.
Save motion presets for reuse
Custom presets appear at the top of the Presets menu in the Animation panel.
1 In the Animation panel, change the settings as needed.
2 Choose Save from the Animation panel menu.
3 Type a name for the preset and click OK.
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Delete custom motion presets
Use the Manage Presets dialog box to delete motion presets that you’ve saved, duplicated, or imported. You cannot
delete the motion presets in brackets that were installed with InDesign. When you delete a motion preset, it is deleted
both from the Presets menu and from the computer.
1 Choose Manage Presets from the Animation panel menu.
2 Select the preset you want to delete, and click Delete.
Duplicate motion presets
1 Choose Manage Presets from the Animation panel menu.
2 Select the preset you want to duplicate, and click Duplicate.
Save motion presets as XML files
Saving motion presets as XML files is useful if you want to share a motion preset with other InDesign users or open the
motion preset in Flash Professional.
When you save a motion preset as an XML file, the motion path is saved, along with the Duration, Speed, Scale, Rotate,
and Opacity settings.
1 Choose Manage Presets from the Animation panel menu.
2 Select a preset and click Save As.
3 Specify the name and location of the motion preset, and click Save.
Import motion presets
You can import motion presets that have been exported from either InDesign or Flash Professionalas XML files.
1 Choose Manage Presets from the Animation panel menu.
2 Click Load.
3 Double-click the .xml file you want to import.
Edit a motion path
When you select an object that has animation, the motion path appears next to the object.
Motion path
A Starting point B Ending point
❖ To edit a motion path, do any of the following:
• Use the Direct Selection tool and the Pen tool to edit a motion path using the same method you use to edit a path.
See Editing paths.
• To create a motion path from an existing path, select a path and an object, and click the Convert To Motion Path
button
in the Animation panel.
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• To change the direction of the path, click Properties in the Animation panel, and then choose a setting from the
Animate menu. (See Motion preset options .) You can also select the motion path and choose Object > Paths >
Reverse Path. If you want to reverse the path without moving the object, remove the animation, reverse the path,
and then redo the animation.
Use the Timing panel to change the animation order
Use the Timing panel to change the order of when animated objects play. The Timing panel lists the animations on the
current spread based on the page event assigned to each animation. For example, you can change one set of animations
that occur when the page is loaded, and then change another set of animations that occur when the page is clicked.
Animated objects are listed in the order they were created. Animations listed for the Page Load event occur sequentially
by default. Animations listed for the Page Click event are played in sequence each time the page is clicked.
You can change the animation order, have objects play at the same time, and delay animation.
1 Choose Window > Interactive > Timing to display the Timing panel.
2 To determine whether to edit the timing of Page Load or Page Click events, choose an option from the Event menu.
Page Load and Page Click appear only if one or more items are assigned to that event.
3 To edit the timing, do any of the following:
• To change the animation order, drag items up and down in the list. The top items are animated first.
• To delay animation, select the item, and specify the number of seconds of delay.
• To play multiple animated objects together, select the items in the list, and click the Play Together button
to
link the items. Shift-click to select a range of items, and Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) to
select non-adjacent items.
• If you decide you don’t want one or more linked items to play together, select them and click the Play Separately
button
.
• To play links items a specific number of times or to loop them, select all the items that are linked together, and
then specify the number of times the animations play back, or select Loop.
• To change which event triggers the animation, select the item and choose Reassign To On Page Load or Reassign
To On Page Click.
• To remove an item from the currently selected event (such as Page Load or Page Click), choose Remove Item. If
the item isn’t assigned to any event, it appears in the Unassigned category, which you can choose from the Event
menu.
Dynamic PDF documents
Creating a dynamic PDF document is a good way to create an interactive slideshow. You can create interactive
documents with buttons, movies and sound clips, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and page transitions. You can also set up
documents in InDesign that can be converted to forms in Acrobat.
Create interactive documents for PDF
You can export Adobe PDF documents that include the following interactive features.
Bookmarks Bookmarks you create in the InDesign document appear in the Bookmarks tab on the left side of the
Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader window. Each bookmark jumps to a page, text, or graphic in the exported PDF file.
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See Bookmarks.
Movies and sound clips You can add movies and sound clips to a document, or you can link to streaming video files on
the Internet. These movies and sound clips can be played back in the exported PDF file. See Movies and sounds .
Hyperlinks In an exported PDF document, clicking a hyperlink jumps to another location in the same document, to a
different document, or to a website. See Hyperlinks.
Cross-references A cross-reference refers readers from one part of your document to another in the exported PDF file.
Cross-references are especially useful in user guides and reference manuals. When a document with cross-references
is exported to PDF, the cross-references act as interactive hyperlinks. See Cross-references.
Page transitions Page transitions apply a decorative effect, such as a dissolve or wipe, when you turn the page in the
exported PDF while in Full Screen Mode. See Page transitions.
1 Choose File > Export.
2 Specify a name and location for the file.
3 For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose Adobe PDF (Interactive), and then click Save.
4 Specify options in the Export To Interactive PDF dialog box, and then click OK.
Export to interactive PDF options
The following options appear in the Export To Interactive PDF dialog box.
Pages Indicate whether all pages in the document, or a page range is included. If you select Range, specify a page range,
such as 1-7, 9 to print pages 1 through 7 and 9. See Specifying pages to print.
View After Exporting Opens the newly-created PDF file in the default PDF viewing application.
Embed Page Thumbnails Embeds a thumbnail preview for each page in the PDF, increasing the file size. Deselect this
setting when users of Acrobat 5.0 and later will view and print the PDF; these versions generate thumbnails dynamically
each time you click the Pages panel of a PDF.
Create Acrobat Layers Saves each InDesign layer as an Acrobat layer within the PDF. The layers are fully navigable,
which allows users of Acrobat 6.0 and later to generate multiple versions of the file from a single PDF.
Create Tagged PDF During export, automatically tags elements in the story based on a subset of the Acrobat tags that
InDesign supports. This includes recognition of paragraphs, basic text formatting, lists, and tables. (You can also insert
and adjust tags in the document before exporting to PDF. See Adding structure to PDFs.)
Use Structure for Tab Order During export, uses the Tab Order specified using Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order.
This option is only available for tagged PDFs.
View Initial view settings of the PDF when it’s opened.
Layout Initial layout of the PDF when it’s opened.
Presentation Select Opens In Full Screen Mode to display the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader without menus
or panels displayed. To advance the pages automatically, select Flip Pages Every and specify the number of seconds
between page turns.
Page Transitions Specify one page transition to apply to all pages during export. If you use the Page Transitions panel
to specify transitions, choose the From Document option to use those settings.
Buttons And Media Select Include All to allow movies, sounds, and buttons to be interactive in the exported PDF file.
Select Appearance Only to include the normal state of buttons and the video posters as static elements.
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Compression Choose JPEG (Lossy) to remove image data and possibly reduce image quality. However, file size is
reduced with a minimal loss of information. Choose JPEG 2000 (Lossless) to export the file without lossy compression.
Choose Automatic to let InDesign determine the best quality for color and grayscale images.
JPEG Quality Specifies the amount of detail in the exported image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. This
option is dimmed if you choose JPEG 2000 (Lossless) for Compression.
Resolution Specify the resolution of bitmap images in the exported PDF. Choosing a high resolution is especially
important to allow viewers to zoom in on pixel-based content within your exported PDF. Choosing a high resolution
can significantly increase the file size.
Creating PDF forms (CS5.5 and CS5)
Although InDesign does not provide tools for adding form fields, Adobe Acrobat does. You can create a form in
InDesign that includes placeholders for fields such as radio buttons, check boxes, and text fields. Then you can export
to PDF, and use Acrobat to convert the placeholders into form fields.
1 In InDesign, create the document you want to use for the form. Use tables and text boxes to create the placeholders
for the fields.
You can also add interactive buttons in InDesign.
2 Export the document to Adobe PDF.
3 Start the form wizard to convert the placeholders into form fields. Use the form tools to add and edit the form. For
more information, see the Adobe Acrobat documentation.
• In Acrobat X, choose Tools > Forms > Create to start the form wizard.
• In Adobe Acrobat 9, choose Forms > Start Form Wizard.
Additional Resources
Gabriel Powell provides a video tutorial about creating a PDF form design in InDesign and finishing it in Adobe
Acrobat at InDesign and Acrobat Forms Workflow.
The Acrobat team provides an article on Designing forms for auto field detection in Adobe Acrobat.
Michael Murphy provides a video tutorial about creating forms at Acrobat Friendly Form Design.
Bob Bringhurst provides an article about designing forms at Creating PDF Forms in InDesign.
Preview interactive documents
Use the Preview panel preview interactivity and animation of the current selection, the current spread, or the entire
document. You can resize, dock, or float the Preview panel, or move it to a second monitor.
1 Choose Window > Interactive > Preview.
2 To preview the interactivity and animation, do any of the following actions:
• Click the Set Preview Selection Mode button
• Click the Set Preview Spread Mode button
to preview the current selection.
to preview the current spread.
• Click the Set Preview Document Mode button
to preview the current document.
3 Click the Play Preview button
to preview the selection, spread, or document. If necessary, click interactive items
such as buttons in the Preview panel to test them.
If you’re previewing the document, you can click the Go To Previous Page and Go To Next Page arrows at the bottom
of the panel to move to different pages.
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If you edit your document, you can refresh the preview by clicking the Play Preview button in the Preview panel.
Preview the document in a web browser
1 Choose Test In Browser from the Preview panel menu.
2 Click the interactive items in you document to test them.
Edit Preview settings
1 Choose Edit Preview Settings from the Preview panel menu.
The Preview Settings dialog box shows the current settings of the Export SWF dialog box.
2 Edit the settings as needed. See SWF export options.
Use Presentation Mode
Presentation Mode displays the active InDesign document as a presentation. In Presentation Mode, the application
menu, panels, guides, and frame edges are hidden. The background area has a dark color by default in case your
document size is a different proportion from your current monitor dimensions.
Presentation Mode is a helpful companion feature to the Adobe Connect feature. You can start a web meeting by using
the File > Share My Screen command. Once the screen sharing has started, you can put your InDesign document into
Presentation Mode.
1 Choose View > Screen Mode > Presentation.
2 Use any of the following keystrokes.
Action
What it does
Mouse click, Right arrow, or Page Down
Next Spread
Shift-click, Right-click, Left Arrow, or Page Up
Previous Spread
Esc
Exit Presentation Mode
Home
First Spread
End
Last Spread
B
Change background color to black
W
Change background color to white
G
Change background color to gray
You cannot edit the document in Presentation Mode. However with a dual screen monitor, you can have two windows
open on the same document and put one of them into Presentation Mode. This approach lets you edit the document in
the window set to Normal view and immediately see the results in the window set to Presentation Mode.
More Help topics
Exporting to Adobe PDF
Working with ConnectNow
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Structuring PDFs
Adding structure to PDFs
When you export to Adobe PDF with the Create Tagged PDF option selected in the General area of the Export Adobe
PDF dialog box, the exported pages are automatically tagged with a set of structure tags that describe the content,
identifying page items such as headlines, stories, and figures. To add additional tags or to fine-tune existing ones before
you export, you can use the Tags panel in InDesign. The Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure) reflects
the changes.
You can improve the accessibility and reuse of Adobe PDF documents by adding tags to the InDesign document before
you export. If your PDF documents don’t contain tags, Adobe Reader or Acrobat may attempt to automatically tag the
document when the user reads or reflows it, but the results may be disappointing. If you do not get the results you want
in the exported PDF file, you can use tools in Acrobat 6.0 Professional and later to edit the structure of tagged PDF
documents. For the most advanced tools, use Acrobat 9 Professional.
When you apply tags to a document for PDF export, the tags do not control which content is exported to PDF, as is the
case with XML export. Instead, the tags give Acrobat more information about the document’s structural contents.
Advantages of using tags
By applying tags to your document before exporting to PDF, you can do the following:
• Map InDesign paragraph style names to Acrobat tagged Adobe PDF paragraph styles to create a reflowable PDF file
for viewing on handheld devices and other media.
• Mark and hide printing artifacts, text, and images so that they won’t appear when reflowed in Acrobat. For example,
if you tag a page item as Artifact, the page item will not be displayed when you reflow the contents of a tagged Adobe
PDF document on a handheld device, a small display, or a monitor at a large magnification.
• Add alternative text to figures so that the text can be read aloud to the visually impaired with screen-reading
software.
• Replace graphic letters, such as ornate drop-caps, with readable letters.
• Provide a title for a set of articles, or group stories and figures into articles.
• Order stories and figures to establish a reading order.
• Recognize tables, formatted lists, and tables of contents. Recognize which content blocks belong to the different
stories.
• Include text formatting information such as Unicode values of characters, spacing between words, and the
recognition of soft and hard hyphens.
How tags affect reuse and accessibility
The content of an Adobe PDF document can be reused for other purposes. For example, you might create an Adobe
PDF file of a report with text, tables, and images, and then use various formats to distribute it: for printing or reading
on a full-sized monitor, for viewing on a handheld device, for reading out loud by a screen reader, and for direct access
through a web browser as HTML pages. The ease and reliability with which you can reuse the content depends on the
underlying logical structure of the document.
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To make sure that your Adobe PDF documents can be reused and accessed reliably, you must add tags to them. Tagging
adds an underlying organizational structure, or logical structure tree, to the document. The logical structure tree refers
to the organization of the document’s content, such as title page, chapters, sections, and subsection. It can indicate the
precise reading order and improve navigation—particularly for longer, more complex documents—without changing
the appearance of the PDF document.
For people who are not able to see or decode the visual appearance of documents, assistive technology can access the
content of the document reliably by using the logical structure tree. Most assistive technology depends on this structure
to convey the meaning of content and images in an alternative format, such as sound. In an untagged document, no
such structure exists, and Acrobat must infer a structure based on the reading order choices in the preferences. This
method is unreliable and often results in page items read in the wrong order or not read at all.
The tags appear on the Tags tab in Acrobat 6.0 and later, where they are nested according to the relationship definitions
for the tagged elements. You cannot edit tags in Acrobat Standard. If your work requires you to work directly with tags,
you should upgrade to Acrobat 9 Professional. For more information, see Acrobat Help.
Logical structure tree on the Tags tab in Acrobat 9
Note: Tags used in Adobe PDF files can be compared to tags in HTML and XML files. To learn more about basic tagging
concepts, see any of the many references and text books available in bookstores, in libraries, and on the Internet.
Understanding and optimizing reflow
You can reflow a PDF document to read it on handheld devices, smaller displays, or standard monitors at large
magnifications, without having to scroll horizontally to read each line.
When you reflow an Adobe PDF document, some content carries into the reflowed document and some doesn’t. In
most cases, only readable text reflows into the reflowed document. Readable text includes articles, paragraphs, tables,
images, and formatted lists. Text that doesn’t reflow includes forms, comments, digital signature fields, and page
artifacts, such as page numbers, headers, and footers. Pages that contain both readable text and form or digital signature
fields don’t reflow. Vertical text reflows horizontally.
As an author, you can optimize your PDF documents for reflow by tagging them. Tagging ensures that text blocks
reflow and that content follows the appropriate sequences, so readers can follow a story that spans different pages and
columns without other stories interrupting the flow. The reading order is defined by the structure tree, which you can
change in the Structure pane.
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Headings and columns (top) reflow in a logical reading order (bottom).
Tag page items
You can tag text frames and graphics automatically or manually. After you tag page items, you can use the Structure
pane to change the order of your page by dragging elements to a new location within the hierarchy. If you change the
order of the elements in the Structure pane, these changes are passed on to the Adobe PDF file. The order of the
elements becomes useful when the PDF file is saved from Acrobat as an HTML or XML file. The order is also useful
when you export an InDesign document for Dreamweaver (XHTML) or Digital Editions (EPUB) format.
Tag page items automatically
When you choose the Add Untagged Items command, InDesign adds tags to the Tags panel, and applies the Story and
Figure tags to certain untagged page items. The Story tag is applied to any untagged text frames, and the Figure tag is
applied to any untagged graphics. You can then manually apply other tags to sections of text. However, automatically
tagging page items does not guarantee that the items will be structured accordingly in the exported PDF file.
1 Choose Window > Utilities > Tags to display the Tags panel.
2 Choose View > Structure > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, to the left of the Document window.
3 Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.
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Tags in the Structure pane and Tags panel
Tag page items manually
1 Choose Window > Utilities > Tags to display the Tags panel.
2 Choose View > Structure > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, to the left of the Document window.
3 Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.
4 Select a page item in the document.
5 Select a tag in the Tags panel. Note the following suggested uses for certain imported tags:
Artifact The Artifact tag lets you hide page items, such as page numbers or unimportant objects, when viewing the
exported PDF file in Reflow view, which displays only tagged items; see your Adobe Acrobat documentation. This
is especially useful for viewing PDF files on a handheld device or in other PDF readers.
Cell Use this tag for table cells.
Figure Use this tag for placed graphics. The Figure tag is applied to all untagged graphics placed in your document
when you choose Add Untagged Items.
Paragraph tags (P, H, H1–H6) These tags have no effect on the exported PDF text when viewed in Reflow view.
However, they can be useful in some situations when exporting a PDF file to HTML format.
Story structure tag (PDF)Story Use this tag for stories. The Story tag is applied to all untagged text frames when you
choose Add Untagged Items. For example, suppose you have an InDesign document formatted with three paragraph
styles: Head1, Head2, and Body. First, map these paragraph styles to the H1, H2, and P tags, respectively. Next,
export to PDF. Finally, when you export the PDF document to HTML or XML in Acrobat, the paragraphs tagged as
H1, H2, and P will display appropriately (such as with large bold letters in H1) in a web browser. For information
on exporting the PDF document to HTML or XML, see your Adobe Acrobat documentation.
Label graphics for use with screen-reader software
If you want screen readers to describe graphical elements that illustrate important concepts in the document, you must
provide the description. Figures and multimedia aren’t recognized or read by a screen reader unless you add alternate
text to the tag properties.
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The Alt text attribute lets you create alternate text that can be read in lieu of viewing an illustration. ActualText is similar
to Alt text in that it appears in lieu of an image. The ActualText attribute lets you substitute an image that is part of a
word, such as when a fancy image is used for a drop cap. In this example, the ActualText attribute allows the drop cap
letter to be read as part of the word.
When you export to Adobe PDF, the Alt text and Actual Text attribute values are stored in the PDF file and can be
viewed in Acrobat 6.0 and later. This alternate text information can then be used when the PDF file is saved from
Acrobat as an HTML or XML file. For more information, see your Adobe Acrobat documentation.
1 If necessary, choose View > Structure > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, and choose Window > Utilities
> Tags to display the Tags panel.
2 Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.
3 To make sure the image is tagged as Figure, select the image, and then select Figure in the Tags panel.
4 Select the Figure element in the Structure pane, and then choose New Attribute from the Structure pane menu.
5 For Name, type either Alt or ActualText (this feature is case-sensitive).
6 For Value, type the text that will appear instead of the image.
Group page items into an Article element
Use the Structure pane to logically group page items into an Article element. For example, if a set of stories spans
multiple pages, you can create an umbrella element that will contain these stories in a single group. These umbrella
elements are called structural elements. You can also name your grouped articles.
Note: You cannot tag grouped page items.
• To group page items, select New Element from the Structure pane menu, select the Article element in the Tags panel,
and then drag page elements underneath it in the Structure pane.
• To name grouped items, right-click the Article element in the Structure pane and choose New Attribute. For Name,
type Title. For Value, type the name of the article you want to use.
More Help topics
Structure pane overview
Tag items
Rearrange structured elements
Structure pane overview
Tagging content for XML
Tag text in tables
Structure pane overview
Page transitions
Page transitions display a decorative effect such as a dissolve or wipe when you’re turning pages in a document that is
exported to SWF or PDF format. You can apply different transitions to different pages, or you can apply a single
transition to all the pages. Page transitions are especially useful when you create a slideshow in PDF or SWF format.
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Apply page transitions
You can apply page transitions to individual spreads or to all spreads in the document. Page transitions appear when
you export an InDesign document to PDF or SWF format. You cannot apply transitions to different pages within the
same spread or to master pages.
Page turn transition in SWF file. Click a corner of the image to view transition.
1 In the Pages panel, select the spreads to which you want to apply the page transition.
Make sure the spread is selected, not simply targeted. The numbers below the pages in the Pages panel should be
highlighted.
2 To display the Page Transitions panel, choose Window > Interactive > Page Transitions.
3 Choose a Transition from the Transition menu.
Hold the mouse pointer over the thumbnail to view an animated preview of the selected transition.
You may wonder whether it’s necessary to select the Page Turn (SWF Only) transition to create a page curl effect in
SWF file. It isn’t necessary to apply this transition to turn pages manually in the SWF file. If you select the Include
Interactive Page Curl option in the Export SWF dialog box, you can either turn the pages manually by dragging a
corner in the exported SWF file, or you can use arrow keys or navigation buttons to activate whatever page transition
you select for that page.
4 Customize the transition as desired by choosing options from the Direction and Speed menus.
5 (Optional) To apply the selected transition to all spreads currently in the document, click the Apply To All Spreads
icon
, or choose Apply To All Spreads from the Page Transitions panel menu.
6 (Optional) Select a different spread in the Pages panel, and apply a different page transition.
When you apply a page transition to a spread, a Page Transition icon appears next to the spread in the Pages panel.
You can hide these icons in the Pages panel by deselecting the Page Transitions option in the Panel Options dialog box.
To preview the page transitions, export the document either to PDF or SWF format.
Clear transitions
• In the Pages panel, select the spread from which you want to clear the transition, and then choose None from the
Transition menu in the Page Transition panel.
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• To remove transitions from all spreads, choose Clear Allfrom the Page Transitions panel menu.
Viewing page transitions in a PDF
To include page transitions when you export the PDF document, select a page transition from Page Transitions menu
in the Export to Interactive PDF dialog box.
To see page transitions in the exported PDF, place the PDF in Full Screen Mode by pressing Ctrl+L (Windows) or
Command+L (Mac OS) in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Press Esc to exit from Full Screen Mode.
More Help topics
Exporting to Adobe PDF
Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web
Movies and sounds
Add movies and sound files to documents
Movies and sound clips you add to a document can be played when the document is exported to Adobe PDF or SWF,
or when you export the document to XML and repurpose the tags.
You can import video files in Flash Video format (.FLV and .F4V), H.264-encoded files (such as MP4), and SWF files.
You can import audio files in MP3 format. Media file types such as QuickTime (.MOV), AVI, and MPEG are supported
in exported interactive PDF files but not in exported SWF or FLA files. We recommend that you use file formats such
as FLV, F4V, SWF, MP4, and MP3 to take full advantage of the rich media support offered in Acrobat 9, Adobe Reader
9, and Adobe Flash Player 10 or later.
Keep track of the media files you add to an InDesign document during the production cycle. If you move a linked media
clip after adding it to the document, use the Links panel to relink it. If you send the InDesign document to another
person, include any media files you add.
Add a movie or a sound file
1 Choose File > Place, and then double-click the movie or sound file. Click where you want the movie to appear. (If
you drag to create the media frame, the movie boundary may appear cropped or skewed.)
When you place a movie or sound file, a media object appears in a frame. This media object links to the media file.
You can resize the media object to determine the size of the play area.
If the center point of the movie appears outside the page, the movie is not exported.
2 Use the Media panel (choose Window > Interactive > Media) to preview a media file and to change settings.
3 Export the document to Adobe PDF or SWF format.
If you export to Adobe PDF, choose the Adobe PDF (Interactive) option, not Adobe PDF (Print). See Create
interactive documents for PDF.
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Change movie settings
Use the Media panel to change movie settings.
1 Select the movie object in the document.
2 In the Media panel, do any of the following:
Play On Page Load Play the movie when someone turns to the page on which the movie is located. If other page
items are set to play on page load, use the Timing panel to determine the order.
Loop Play the movie repeatedly. If the source file is a Flash Video format, looping works only in exported SWF files,
not PDF files.
Poster Specify the type of image that you want to appear in the play area. See Poster options .
Controller If the movie file is a Flash Video (FLV or F4V) file or an H.264-encoded file, you can specify
prefabricated controller skins that let users pause, start, and stop the movie using a variety of methods. If you select
Show Controller On Rollover, the controls appear when the mouse pointer hovers over the media object. Use the
Preview panel to preview the selected controller skin.
If the movie file is a legacy file (such as .AVI or .MPEG), you can choose None or Show Controller, which displays
a basic controller that lets users pause, start, and stop the movie.
SWF files you place may have their own controller skins. Use the Preview panel to test the controller options.
Navigation Points To create a navigation point, advance the video to a specific frame, and then click the plus sign
icon. Navigation points are useful when you want to play a video at a different starting point. When you create a
button that plays a video, you can use the Play From Navigation Point option to play the video starting at any
navigation point you add.
Change sound settings
Use the Media panel to change sound settings.
1 Select the sound object in the document.
2 In the Media panel, do any of the following:
Play On Page Load Play the sound file when someone turns to the page on which the sound object is located. If
other page items are set to play on page load, use the Timing panel to determine the order.
Stop On Page Turn Stop playing the MP3 sound file when someone turns to a different page. If the audio file is a
non-MP3 file, this option is dimmed.
Loop Play the MP3 sound repeatedly. If the source file is a non-MP3 file, this option is dimmed.
Poster Specify the type of image that you want to appear in the play area. See Poster options .
Poster options
A poster is the image that represents a media clip. Each movie or sound can appear with or without a poster. If the poster
in InDesign is larger than the movie, the poster is clipped to the size of the movie in the exported PDF or SWF file.
Specify any of the following types of poster images in the Media panel:
None Shows no poster for the movie or sound clip. This option is useful if you want the movie or sound clip to not be
visible on the page. For example, you may want the media to be played only when you turn the page, or you may want
a more complex design beneath the movie to show instead of the poster.
Standard Displays a generic movie or sound poster that isn’t based on the contents of the file.
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To use a different standard poster, save an image as StandardMoviePoster.jpg or StandardSoundPoster.jpg, and replace
the existing file of the same name. This file is located in the Presets/Multimedia folder in the application folder.
From Current Frame Select this option to use the current frame displayed in the preview area of the Media panel. To
select a different frame, advanced the preview slider and click the icon to the right of the Poster menu. This option is
not available with legacy movie formats such as AVI and MPEG.
Choose Image Lets you select an image to use as the poster. Double-click the image you want to use. You can select
bitmap graphics, not vector graphics, for posters.
[From Video] This option is selected for converted CS4 documents that have media clips set to a specific frame.
Change media settings for interactive PDF files
1 Choose PDF Options from the Media panel menu.
2 Specify the following options, and click OK.
Description Type a description that appears if the media file cannot be played in Acrobat. This description also acts
as alternative text for visually impaired users.
Play Video In Floating Window Play the movie in a separate window. If you select this option, specify the size ratio
and position on the screen. Increasing the size of the floating window may reduce image quality. The floating
window scale is based on the size of the original movie, not the size of the scaled movie in the document layout. This
option is not available for SWF files or audio files.
Place a video file from a URL
Place a video file from a valid URL to play the streaming video in the exported PDF or SWF file. The video must be a
valid Flash Video file (FLV or F4V) or H.264-encoded file (such as MP4).
1 Select an empty frame or a video object containing a video you want to replace.
2 Choose Video From URL from the Media panel menu.
3 Specify the URL and click OK.
Resize movie objects, posters, or frames
When you add a movie to the InDesign document, the movie object and poster appear in a frame. When you export to
PDF, the movie object’s boundary determines the size of the movie in the PDF document, not the frame size or poster
size.
For best results, keep the poster size and dimension the same as the movie. If you apply a clipping path or resize the
image, the exported PDF document may not include these changes.
Movies are displayed in the topmost layer of the PDF document. If you overlay a movie with another object in InDesign,
that object appears beneath the movie in the exported PDF.
If you want the PDF document to include a play area with feathering or other effects that may not export well when
applied to a poster, consider using a placed image for the play area, and then place a movie (without a poster) on top
of the placed image.
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Resizing movie object
A Poster B Movie object C Frame
❖ Do any of the following:
• To resize the movie object, poster, and frame, use the Scale tool
down Shift to maintain proportions).
• To resize only the frame, use the Selection tool
and drag one of the corner handles (hold
to drag a corner handle.
• To resize the poster or media object, use the Direct Selection tool
tool, and then drag a corner handle.
to select the poster. Switch to the Selection
You can also use the Fitting commands (Object > Fitting) to resize a poster within a frame.
Relink legacy media files
The FLV and F4V video formats and MP3 audio formats work best in InDesign for exporting interactive documents.
While video formats such as MOV, AVI, and MPG can be exported to PDF, they cannot be exported to Flash-based
formats such as SWF.
Use Adobe Media Encoder to convert video files to FLV, F4V, or MP4 format. Adobe Media Encoder does not convert
audio file formats to MP3, but you can use an application such as Apple iTunes to do so.
1 Open Adobe Media Encoder, add the video files you want to convert, and convert them to FLV or F4V format.
For more information, see Adobe Media Encoder Help.
2 Do any of the following actions:
• Place the media file in an InDesign document. See Add movies and sound files to documents .
• If the video files have already been placed in an InDesign document, use the Links panel to relink the files to their
new versions. See Update, restore, and replace links .
More Help topics
Export to PDF for printing
Bookmarks
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Create bookmarks for PDF
A bookmark is a type of link with representative text that makes it easier to navigate documents exported as Adobe PDF.
Bookmarks you create in the InDesign document appear in the Bookmarks tab on the left side of the Acrobat or Adobe
Reader window. Each bookmark jumps to a text anchor or a page.
Entries in a generated table of contents are automatically added to the Bookmarks panel. In addition, you can further
customize your document with bookmarks to direct a reader’s attention or make navigation even easier. Bookmarks
can be nested under other bookmarks.
You may want bookmarks to appear in the Bookmarks tab of the PDF document, but you don’t want the table of
contents to appear in the PDF. In this case, generate a table of contents on the last page of the document. When you
export to PDF, don’t include the last page. Or, if you include the last page of the exported PDF, delete it in Acrobat.
1 Choose Window > Interactive > Bookmarks to display the Bookmarks panel.
2 Click the bookmark under which you want to place the new bookmark. If you don’t select a bookmark, the new
bookmark is automatically added to the end of the list.
3 Do one of the following to indicate where you want the bookmark to jump:
• Click an insertion point in text.
• Select text. (By default, the text you select becomes the bookmark label.)
• Double-click a page in the Pages panel to view it in the document window.
4 Do one of the following to create the bookmark:
• Click the Create New Bookmark icon on the Bookmarks panel.
• Choose New Bookmark from the panel menu.
Bookmarks appear in the Bookmarks tab when you open the exported PDF file in Adobe Reader or Acrobat.
Note: When you update the table of contents, the bookmarks are reordered, causing any bookmarks generated from a TOC
to appear at the end of the list.
Manage bookmarks
Use the Bookmarks panel to rename, delete, and arrange bookmarks.
Rename a bookmark
❖ Click the bookmark in the Bookmarks panel, and choose Rename Bookmark from the panel menu.
Delete a bookmark
❖ Click a bookmark in the Bookmarks panel, and choose Delete Bookmark from the panel menu.
Arrange, group, and sort bookmarks
You can nest a list of bookmarks to show a relationship between topics. Nesting creates a parent/child relationship. You
can expand and collapse this hierarchical list as desired. Changing the order or nesting order of bookmarks does not
affect the appearance of your actual document.
❖ Do one of the following:
• To expand and collapse the bookmark hierarchy, click the triangle next to the bookmark icon to show or hide
any children it contains.
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• To nest a bookmark under another bookmark, select the bookmark or range of bookmarks you want to nest, and
then drag the icon or icons onto the parent bookmark. Release the bookmark.
The bookmark or bookmarks you dragged are nested under the parent bookmark; however, the actual page
remains in its original location in the document.
Bookmarks panel showing bookmarks being nested under a parent bookmark
• To move a bookmark out of a nested position, select the bookmark or range of bookmarks you want to move.
Drag the icon or icons below and to the left of the parent bookmark. A black bar appears indicating where the
bookmark will be moved. Release the bookmark.
• To change the order of bookmarks, select a bookmark and move it to a new location. A black bar appears
indicating where the bookmark will be placed.
• To sort bookmarks, choose Sort Bookmarks from the Bookmarks panel menu. Bookmarks appear in the same
order as the pages they jump to.
More Help topics
General options for PDFs
Export to PDF for printing
Creating and editing motion presets (video 5:23)
See how to edit and customize motion path presets, which allow you to animate images or text in InDesign.
Creating and editing motion presets (video 5:23)
Creating documents with Interactive features (video
8:06)
Learn how to use the Media panel, the Preview panel, and the Timing panel to determine what happens when.
Creating documents with Interactive features (video 8:06)
Creating interactive documents in a snap (PDF, 201 KB)
A handy tutorial on how to add interactivity to your documents.
Creating interactive documents in a snap (PDF, 201 KB)
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Creating multistate objects (PDF, 203 KB)
This short tutorial shows you how to create multi-state objects to add interactivity.
Creating multistate objects (PDF, 203 KB)
Creating rich interactive documents (PDF, 6.7 MB)
Learn how to create rich interactive documents using InDesign.
Creating rich interactive documents (PDF, 6.7 MB)
Exploring new FLA export options (video 6:26)
See how to publish your InDesign project in a variety of Flash formats by using the enhanced Export dialog box in
InDesign CS5 and later.
Exploring new FLA export options (video 6:26)
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Chapter 9: Drawing and painting
Drawing with the Pen tool
Draw straight line segments with the Pen tool
The simplest path you can draw with the Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two anchor
points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.
Clicking Pen tool creates straight segments.
1 Select the Pen tool.
2 Position the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to begin, and click to define the first anchor point (do
not drag).
Note: The first segment you draw will not be visible until you click a second anchor point. (Select the Rubber Band
option in Photoshop to preview path segments.) Also, if direction lines appear, you’ve accidentally dragged the Pen tool;
choose Edit > Undo, and click again.
3 Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of
45°).
4 Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments.
The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previously defined
anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points.
5 Complete the path by doing one of the following:
• To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the
Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
Note: To close a path in InDesign, you can also select the object and choose Object > Paths > Close Path.
• To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) anywhere away from all objects.
To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool, or choose Select > Deselect in Illustrator or Edit
>Deselect All in InDesign. In InDesign or Illustrator, you can also simply press Enter or Return to leave the path
open.
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Draw curves with the Pen tool
You create a curve by adding an anchor point where a curve changes direction, and dragging the direction lines that
shape the curve. The length and slope of the direction lines determine the shape of the curve.
Curves are easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster if you draw them using as few anchor points
as possible. Using too many points can also introduce unwanted bumps in a curve. Instead, draw widely spaced anchor
points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction lines.
1 Select the Pen tool.
2 Position the Pen tool where you want the curve to begin, and hold down the mouse button.
The first anchor point appears, and the Pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead. (In Photoshop, the pointer
changes only after you’ve started dragging.)
3 Drag to set the slope of the curve segment you’re creating, and then release the mouse button.
In general, extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to draw. (You
can adjust one or both sides of the direction line later.)
Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°.
Drawing the first point in a curve
A Positioning Pen tool B Starting to drag (mouse button pressed) C Dragging to extend direction lines
4 Position the Pen tool where you want the curve segment to end, and do one of the following:
• To create a C-shaped curve, drag in a direction opposite to the previous direction line. Then release the mouse
button.
Drawing the second point in a curve
A.Starting to drag second smooth pointB.Dragging away from previous direction line, creating a C curveC.Result
after releasing mouse button
• To create an S-shaped curve, drag in the same direction as the previous direction line. Then release the mouse
button.
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Drawing an S curve
A.Starting to drag new smooth pointB.Dragging in same direction as previous direction line, creating an S
curveC.Result after releasing mouse button
(Photoshop only) To change the direction of the curve sharply, release the mouse button, and then Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the direction point in the direction of the curve. Release the Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac OS) key and the mouse button, reposition the pointer where you want the segment to end, and drag in the
opposite direction to complete the curve segment.
5 Continue dragging the Pen tool from different locations to create a series of smooth curves. Note that you are
placing anchor points at the beginning and end of each curve, not at the tip of the curve.
Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) direction lines to break out the direction lines of an anchor point.
6 Complete the path by doing one of the following:
• To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the
Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
Note: To close a path in InDesign, you can also select the object and choose Object > Paths > Close Path.
• To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) anywhere away from all objects.
To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool, or choose Select > Deselect in Illustrator or Edit
>Deselect All in InDesign.
Reposition anchor points as you draw
❖ After you click to create an anchor point, keep the mouse button pressed down, hold down the spacebar, and drag
to reposition the anchor point.
Finish drawing a path
Complete a path in one of the following ways:
1 To close a path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen tool
pointer
when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
Note: To close a path in InDesign, you can also select the object and choose Object > Paths > Close Path.
2 To leave a path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) anywhere away from all objects.
To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool, or choose Select > Deselect in Illustrator or Edit > Deselect
All in InDesign. In InDesign, you can also simply press Enter or Return to leave the path open.
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Draw straight lines followed by curves
1 Using the Pen tool, click corner points in two locations to create a straight segment.
2 Position the Pen tool over the selected endpoint. In Illustrator and InDesign, a convert-point icon appears next to
the Pen tool when it is positioned correctly (In Photoshop, a small diagonal line, or slash, appears next to the Pen
tool). To set the slope of the curved segment you’ll create next, click the anchor point, and drag the direction line
that appears.
Drawing a straight segment followed by a curved segment (part 1)
A Straight segment completed B Positioning Pen tool over endpoint (the Convert Point icon appears only in Illustrator and InDesign)
C Dragging direction point
3 Position the pen where you want the next anchor point; then click (and drag, if desired) the new anchor point to
complete the curve.
Drawing a straight segment followed by a curved segment (part 2)
A Positioning Pen tool B Dragging direction line C New curve segment completed
Draw curves followed by straight lines
1 Using the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of the curved segment, and release the mouse button.
2 Reposition the Pen tool where you want the curved segment to end, drag to complete the curve, and release the
mouse button.
Drawing a curved segment followed by a straight segment (part 1)
A First smooth point of curved segment completed and Pen tool positioned over endpoint B Dragging to complete the curve
3 Position the Pen tool over the selected endpoint. A convert-point icon appears next to the Pen tool when it is
positioned correctly. Click the anchor point to convert the smooth point to a corner point.
4 Reposition the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to end, and click to complete the straight segment.
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Drawing a curved segment followed by a straight segment (part 2)
A Positioning Pen tool over existing endpoint B Clicking endpoint C Clicking next corner point
Draw two curved segments connected by a corner
1 Using the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of a curved segment.
2 Reposition the Pen tool and drag to create a curve with a second smooth point; then press and hold Alt (Windows)
or Option (Mac OS) and drag the direction line toward its opposing end to set the slope of the next curve. Release
the key and the mouse button.
This process converts the smooth point to a corner point by splitting the direction lines.
3 Reposition the Pen tool where you want the second curved segment to end, and drag a new smooth point to
complete the second curved segment.
Drawing two curves
A Dragging a new smooth point B Pressing Alt/Option to split direction lines while dragging, and swinging direction line up C Result after
repositioning and dragging a third time
Drawing with lines and shapes
Draw basic lines and shapes
1 In the toolbox, do one of the following:
• To draw a line or shape, select the Line tool
, the Ellipse tool
, the Rectangle tool
. (Click and hold the Rectangle tool to select either the Ellipse or Polygon tool.)
• To draw a placeholder (empty) graphics frame, select the Ellipse Frame tool
or the Polygon Frame tool
.
, or the Polygon tool
, the Rectangle Frame tool
,
2 Drag in the document window to create the path or frame.
• To draw from the center out, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).
• To constrain a line to 45° angles, or to constrain the width and height of a path or frame to the same proportions,
hold down Shift as you drag.
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• To create multiple shapes in a grid, press the arrow keys while holding down the mouse button. See Draw
multiple objects as a grid .
• To change the number of sides of a polygon, begin dragging, press the Spacebar, and then press the Up and Down
arrow keys. Press the Left and Right arrow keys to change the star inset. Press the Spacebar again to return to grid
mode.
Dragging to create a basic circle
Note: The result shown above displays a bounding box around the path. If the Selection tool was recently active, you’ll
see this bounding box. If the Direct Selection tool was more recently active, the path appears with anchor points instead.
Draw multiple objects as a grid
When using frame-creation tools such as the Rectangle tool or Type tool, you can create a grid of equally spaced frames
by using modifier keys.
For a video on drawing objects in a grid, see http://tv.adobe.com/go/4949/.
1 Select a tool that lets you draw a frame.
2 Begin dragging. While still holding down the mouse button, do any of the following actions:
• Press the Left and Right Arrow keys to change the number of columns. Press the Up and Down Arrow keys to
change the number of rows.
• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and press arrow keys to change the spacing between the
frames.
3 Release the mouse button.
If you want to use the arrow keys to change the number of sides or star inset while using the Polygon tool, press the
Spacebar while holding down the mouse button.
Draw a placeholder shape
A placeholder shape is an ellipse, rectangle, or polygon that appears in the document window with an X, indicating that
it should be replaced by text or an image later.
1 In the toolbox, select the Ellipse Frame tool
, the Rectangle Frame tool
, or the Polygon Frame tool
.
2 Drag in the document window to create the path or frame. Hold down Shift to constrain the width and height of the
frame.
You can change the crop amount, reference point, and other fitting options for a placeholder frame by choosing Object
> Fitting > Frame Fitting Options.
Specify polygon settings
1 If you want the polygon settings to apply to existing shapes, select the polygons.
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2 Double-click the Polygon tool
, specify the following settings, and click OK:
• For Number of Sides, type a value for the number of sides you want for the polygon.
• For Star Inset, type a percentage value to specify the length of a star’s spikes. The tips of the spikes touch the outer
edge of the polygon’s bounding box, and the percentage determines the depth of the depression between each
spike. Higher percentages create longer, thinner spikes.
Change the shape of a path automatically
You can convert any path into a predefined shape. For example, you can convert a rectangle to a triangle. The stroke
settings for the original path remain the same for the new path. If the new path is a polygon, its shape is based on the
options in the Polygon Settings dialog box. If the new path has a corner effect, its radius size is based on the size setting
in the Corner Options dialog box.
1 Select the path.
2 Do any of the following:
• Choose Object > Convert Shape > [new shape].
• In the Pathfinder panel (Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder), click a shape button in the Convert Shape
area.
More Help topics
Selecting objects
Gallery of drawing and type tools
Editing paths
Select paths, segments, and anchor points
Before you can reshape or edit a path, you need to select the path’s anchor points, segments, or a combination of both.
Select anchor points
• If you can see the points, you can click them with the Direct Selection tool
multiple points.
to select them. Shift-click to select
• Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor
points to select them.
• You can select anchor points from selected or unselected paths. Move the Direct Selection tool over the anchor point
until the pointer displays a hollow square for unselected and filled square for selected paths in a magnified state, and
then click the anchor point. Shift-click additional anchor points to select them.
• (Illustrator only) Select the Lasso tool, and drag around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor
points to select them.
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Select path segments
Do any of the following:
• Select the Direct Selection tool , and click within 2 pixels of the segment, or drag a marquee over part of the
segment. Shift-click or Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.
• (Illustrator only) Select the Lasso tool
path segments to select them.
, and drag around part of the path segment. Shift-drag around additional
Select all anchor points and segments in a path
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
or, in Illustrator, the Lasso tool.
2 Drag around the entire path.
If the path is filled, you can also click inside the path with the Direct Selection tool to select all anchor points.
Copy a path
❖ Select a path or segment with the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool and do one of the following:
• Use the standard menu functions to copy and paste paths within or between applications.
• Press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag the path to the desired position, and then release
the mouse button and Alt/Option key.
Adjust path segments
You can edit a path segment at any time, but editing existing segments is slightly different from drawing them. Keep the
following tips in mind when editing segments:
• If an anchor point connects two segments, moving that anchor point always changes both segments.
• When drawing with the Pen tool, you can temporarily activate the Direct Selection tool (InDesign and Photoshop)
so that you can adjust segments you’ve already drawn; press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while drawing.
In Illustrator, pressing Ctrl or Command while drawing activates the last-used selection tool.
• When you initially draw a smooth point with the Pen tool, dragging the direction point changes the length of the
direction line on both sides of the point. However, when you edit an existing smooth point with the Direct Selection
tool, you change the length of the direction line only on the side you’re dragging.
Move straight segments
1 With the Direct Selection tool
, select the segment you want to adjust.
2 Drag the segment to its new position.
Adjust the length or angle of straight segments
1 With the Direct Selection tool
, select an anchor point on the segment you want to adjust.
2 Drag the anchor point to the desired position. Shift-drag to constrain the adjustment to multiples of 45°.
In Illustrator or InDesign, if you’re simply trying to make a rectangle wider or narrower, it’s easier to select it with
the Selection tool and resize it using one of the handles on the sides of its bounding box.
Adjust the position or shape of curved segments
1 With the Direct Selection tool, select a curved segment, or an anchor point on either end of the curved segment.
Direction lines appear, if any are present. (Some curved segments use just one direction line.)
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2 Do any of the following:
• To adjust the position of the segment, drag the segment. Shift-drag to constrain the adjustment to multiples of
45°.
Click to select the curve segment. Then drag to adjust.
• To adjust the shape of the segment on either side of a selected anchor point, drag the anchor point or the direction
point. Shift-drag to constrain movement to multiples of 45°.
Drag the anchor point, or drag the direction point.
Note: You can also apply a transformation, such as scaling or rotating, to a segment or anchor point.
Delete a segment
1 Select the Direct Selection tool
, and select the segment you want to delete.
2 Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS) to delete the selected segment. Pressing Backspace or Delete again
erases the rest of the path.
Delete the handle of an anchor point
• Using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Illustrator) or the Convert Direction Point Tool (InDesign), click the anchor
point of the handle.
• Drag the direction point and drop it onto the anchor point.
Extend an open path
1 Using the Pen tool, position the pointer over the endpoint of the open path you want to extend. The pointer changes
when it’s precisely positioned over the endpoint.
2 Click the endpoint.
3 Do one of the following:
• To create a corner point, position the Pen tool where you want to end the new segment, and click. If you are
extending a path that ends at a smooth point, the new segment will be curved by the existing direction line
Note: In Illustrator, if you extend a path that ends in a smooth point, the new segment will be straight.
4 To create a smooth point, position the Pen tool where you want to end the new curved segment, and drag.
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Connect two open paths
1 Using the Pen tool, position the pointer over the endpoint of the open path that you want to connect to another path.
The pointer changes when it’s precisely positioned over the endpoint.
2 Click the endpoint.
3 Do one of the following:
• To connect the path to another open path, click an endpoint on the other path. When you precisely position the
Pen tool over the other path’s endpoint, a small merge symbol
appears next to the pointer.
• To connect a new path to an existing path, draw the new path near the existing path, and then move the Pen tool
to the existing path’s (unselected) endpoint. Click that endpoint when you see the small merge symbol that
appears next to the pointer.
In InDesign, you can also use the Pathfinder panel to join paths. To close the path of an open path, use the Selection
tool to select the path and click Close Path in the Pathfinder panel. To close the end points between two paths, select the
paths and click Join Path. You may want to click Join Path a second time to join the second endpoint.
Move or nudge anchor points or segments using the keyboard
1 Select the anchor point or path segment.
Note: In Photoshop, you can move only anchor points in this manner.
2 Click or hold down any of the arrow keys on the keyboard to move 1 pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow.
Hold down the Shift key in addition to the arrow key to move 10 pixels at a time.
Note: In Illustrator and InDesign, you can change the distance of a nudge by changing the Keyboard Increment preference.
When you change the default increment, holding down Shift nudges 10 times the specified distance.
Add or delete anchor points
Adding anchor points can give you more control over a path or it can extend an open path. However, it’s a good idea
not to add more points than necessary. A path with fewer points is easier to edit, display, and print. You can reduce the
complexity of a path by deleting unnecessary points.
The toolbox contains three tools for adding or deleting points: the Pen tool
the Delete Anchor Point tool
.
, the Add Anchor Point tool
, and
By default, the Pen tool changes to the Add Anchor Point tool as you position it over a selected path, or to the Delete
Anchor Point tool as you position it over an anchor point. (In Photoshop, you must select Auto Add/Delete in the
options bar to enable the Pen tool to automatically change to the Add Anchor Point or Delete Anchor Point tool.)
You can select and edit multiple paths simultaneously in Photoshop and InDesign; however, you can add or delete
points to only one path at a time in Illustrator. In Photoshop and InDesign, you can reshape a path while adding anchor
points by clicking and dragging as you add.
Note: Don’t use the Delete, Backspace, and Clear keys or the Edit > Cut or Edit > Clear commands to delete anchor points:
these keys and commands delete the point and the line segments that connect to that point.
Add or delete anchor points
1 Select the path you want to modify.
2 Select the Pen tool, the Add Anchor Point tool, or the Delete Anchor Point tool.
3 To add an anchor point, position the pointer over a path segment and click. To delete an anchor point, position the
pointer over an anchor point and click.
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In Illustrator, you can add anchor points to a path by selecting the object and choosing Object > Path > Add Anchor
Points.
Disable or temporarily override automatic Pen tool switching
You can override automatic switching of the Pen tool to the Add Anchor Point tool or the Delete Anchor Point tool.
This is useful when you want to start a new path on top of an existing path.
• In Photoshop, deselect Auto Add/Delete in the options bar.
• In Illustrator, hold down Shift as you position the Pen tool over the selected path or an anchor point. (To prevent
Shift from constraining the Pen tool, release Shift before you release the mouse button.)
• In Illustrator, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and
select Disable Auto Add/Delete.
• In InDesign, hold down any shortcut key, make your edits, and then release the mouse button. For example, with
the Pen tool selected, you can hold down the A key to display the Direct Selection tool, edit points, and the Pen tool
is selected when you release the A key.
Convert between smooth points and corner points
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points—corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly changes
direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. The Convert Direction Point tool .
lets you change an anchor point from a corner point to a smooth point or visa versa.
1 Using the Direct Selection tool
, select the path you want to modify.
2 Switch to the Convert Direction Point tool
. (If necessary, position the pointer over the Pen tool and drag to choose
the Convert Direction Point tool.)
To temporarily switch from the Convert Direction Point tool to the Direct Selection tool, press Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS).
3 Position the Convert Direction Point tool over the anchor point you want to convert, and do one of the following:
To convert a corner point to a smooth point, drag direction lines out of the corner point.
Dragging direction lines out of corner point to create smooth point
To convert a smooth point to a corner point without using direction lines, click a smooth point.
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Clicking smooth point to create corner point
• To convert a corner point without using direction lines to a corner point with independent direction lines, first
drag direction lines out of a corner point (making it a smooth point). Release the mouse button, and then drag
either direction line.
• To convert a point, open the Pathfinder panel (choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder), and click the
Plain, Corner, Smooth, or Symmetrical button in the Convert Point section.
• To convert a smooth point to a corner point with independent direction lines, drag either direction line.
Converting smooth point to corner point
To convert points, you can also use the Direct Selection tool to select a point, and then choose a command from the
Object > Convert Point menu. For example, you can select the smooth point at the bottom of a “U” shape and choose
Object > Convert Point > Plain. Doing so removes the direction lines and makes a “V” shape. Choose Corner to create a
point with direction lines that can move independently of each other. Choose Smooth to create a point with handles that
can have unequal lengths. Choose Symmetrical to create a point with handles of equal lengths.
Split a path
You can split a path, graphics frame, or empty text frame at any anchor point or along any segment. When you split a
path, keep the following in mind:
• If you want to split a closed path into two open paths, you must slice in two places along the path. If you slice a closed
path only once, you get a single path with a gap in it.
• Any paths resulting from a split inherit the path settings of the original path, such as stroke weight and fill color. You
may need to reset stroke alignment from inside to outside.
Split a path using the Scissors tool
1 (Optional) Select the path to see its current anchor points.
2 Select the Scissors tool and click the path where you want to split it. When you split the path in the middle of a
segment, the two new endpoints appear on top of the other, and one endpoint is selected.
3 Use the Direct Selection tool to adjust the new anchor point or path segment.
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Open a path using the Pathfinder panel
1 Select the closed path.
2 To open the Pathfinder panel, choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder.
3 Click Open Path in the Pathfinder panel.
Smooth out paths
Use the Smooth tool to remove excess angles from an existing path or a section of a path. The Smooth tool retains the
original shape of the path as nearly as possible. Smoothed paths generally have fewer points, which can make them
easier to edit, display, and print.
Path before and after using Smooth tool
1 Select the path.
2 Select the Smooth tool.
Note: If the Pencil tool is selected, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to temporarily change the Pencil to
the Smooth tool.
3 Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to smooth out.
4 Continue smoothing until the stroke or path is of the desired smoothness.
5 To change the amount of smoothing, double-click the Smooth tool and set the following options:
Fidelity Controls how far your curves can stray before you have to modify the path. With lower Fidelity values, the
curves will closely match the pointer’s movement, resulting in sharper angles. With higher Fidelity values, the path
will ignore small pointer movements, resulting in smoother curves. The pixel value range is 0.5 to 20 pixels.
Smoothness Controls the amount of smoothing applied when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to
100%; the higher the value, the smoother the path.
Keep Selected Determines whether to keep the path selected after you smooth it.
Reshape closed paths or objects
1 Using the Direct Selection tool
, do one of the following:
• Drag around the anchor points you want to select.
• Hold down Shift as you click the anchor points you want to select.
2 Position the pointer over the anchor point or path segment that you want to act as a focal point (that is, a point that
pulls the selected path segments), and click the anchor point or path segment.
3 Drag the highlighted anchor points to adjust the path. The amount of movement of a given path segment is relative
to its distance from a highlighted point:
• Selected points that act as the focal point move with the selection tool during dragging.
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• Selected points that aren’t the focal point move in tandem with the dragged focal point.
• Unselected anchor points are not affected by reshaping.
About the Position tool
The Position tool
is not available in InDesign CS5. Instead, you can use the Selection tool to select and manipulate
either the frame or the content within the frame. See Select objects .
More Help topics
About paths
About direction lines and direction points
Understanding paths and shapes
Types of paths and shapes
You can create paths and combine them in a variety of ways in InDesign. InDesign creates the following types of paths
and shapes:
Simple paths Simple paths are the basic building blocks of compound paths and shapes. They consist of one open or
closed path, which may be self-intersecting.
Compound paths Compound paths consist of two or more simple paths that interact with or intercept each other. They
are more basic than compound shapes and are recognized by all PostScript-compliant applications. Paths combined in
a compound path act as one object and share attributes (such as colors or stroke styles).
Compound shapes Compound shapes consist of two or more paths, compound paths, groups, blends, text outlines,
text frames, or other shapes that interact with and intercept one another to create new, editable shapes. Some compound
shapes appear as compound paths, but their component paths can be edited on a path-by-path basis and do not need
to share attributes.
Types of paths and shapes
A Three simple paths B Compound path C Compound shape
About paths
As you draw, you create a line called a path. A path is made up of one or more straight or curved segments. The
beginning and end of each segment are marked by anchor points, which work like pins holding a wire in place. A path
can be closed (for example, a circle), or open, with distinct endpoints (for example, a wavy line).
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You change the shape of a path by dragging its anchor points, the direction points at the end of direction lines that appear
at anchor points, or the path segment itself.
Components of a path
A Selected (solid) endpoint B Selected anchor point C Unselected anchor point D Curved path segment E Direction line F Direction point
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points: corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly changes
direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. You can draw a path using any
combination of corner and smooth points. If you draw the wrong kind of point, you can always change it.
Points on a path
A Four corner points B Four smooth points C Combination of corner and smooth points
A corner point can connect any two straight or curved segments, while a smooth point always connects two curved
segments.
A corner point can connect both straight segments and curved segments.
Note: Don’t confuse corner and smooth points with straight and curved segments.
A path’s outline is called a stroke. A color or gradient applied to an open or closed path’s interior area is called a fill. A
stroke can have weight (thickness), color, and a dash pattern (Illustrator and InDesign) or a stylized line pattern
(InDesign). After you create a path or shape, you can change the characteristics of its stroke and fill.
In InDesign, each path also displays a center point, which marks the center of the shape but is not part of the actual path.
You can use this point to drag the path, to align the path with other elements, or to select all anchor points on the path.
The center point is always visible; it can’t be hidden or deleted.
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About direction lines and direction points
When you select an anchor point that connects curved segments (or select the segment itself), the anchor points of the
connecting segments display direction handles, which consist of direction lines that end in direction points. The angle
and length of the direction lines determine the shape and size of the curved segments. Moving the direction points
reshapes the curves. Direction lines don’t appear in the final output.
After selecting an anchor point (left), direction lines appear on any curved segments connected by the anchor point (right).
A smooth point always has two direction lines, which move together as a single, straight unit. When you move a
direction line on a smooth point, the curved segments on both sides of the point are adjusted simultaneously,
maintaining a continuous curve at that anchor point.
In comparison, a corner point can have two, one, or no direction lines, depending on whether it joins two, one, or no
curved segments, respectively. Corner point direction lines maintain the corner by using different angles. When you
move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on the same side of the point as that direction line is adjusted.
After selecting an anchor point (left), direction lines appear on any curved segments connected by the anchor point (right).
Adjusting direction lines on a smooth point (left) and a corner point (right)
Direction lines are always tangent to (perpendicular to the radius of) the curve at the anchor points. The angle of each
direction line determines the slope of the curve, and the length of each direction line determines the height, or depth,
of the curve.
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Moving and resizing direction lines changes the slope of curves.
Note: In Illustrator, you can show or hide anchor points, direction lines, and direction points by choosing View > Show
Edges or View > Hide Edges.
Drawing with the Pencil tool
Draw with the Pencil tool
The Pencil tool works primarily the same way in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. It lets you draw open and closed paths
as if you were drawing with a pencil on paper. It is most useful for fast sketching or creating a hand-drawn look. Once
you draw a path, you can immediately change it if needed.
Anchor points are set down as you draw with the Pencil tool; you do not determine where they are positioned. However,
you can adjust them once the path is complete. The number of anchor points set down is determined by the length and
complexity of the path and by tolerance settings in the Pencil Tool Preferences dialog box. These settings control how
sensitive the Pencil tool is to the movement of your mouse or graphics-tablet stylus.
Draw freeform paths with the Pencil tool
1 Select the Pencil tool
.
2 Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and drag to draw a path. The Pencil tool
displays a small x
to indicate drawing a freeform path.
As you drag, a dotted line follows the pointer. Anchor points appear at both ends of the path and at various points
along it. The path takes on the current stroke and fill attributes, and remains selected by default.
Draw closed paths with the Pencil tool
1 Select the Pencil tool.
2 Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and start dragging to draw a path.
3 After you’ve begun dragging, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). The Pencil tool displays a small circle
(and, in InDesign, a solid eraser) to indicate that you’re creating a closed path.
4 When the path is the size and shape you want, release the mouse button (but not the Alt or Option key). After the
path closes, release the Alt or Option key.
You don’t have to position the cursor over the starting point of the path in order to create a closed path; if you release
the mouse button in some other location, the Pencil tool will close the shape by creating the shortest possible line
back to the original point.
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Edit paths with the Pencil tool
You can edit any path using the Pencil tool and add freeform lines and shapes to any shape.
Add to a path with the Pencil tool
1 Select an existing path.
2 Select the Pencil tool.
3 Position the pencil tip on an endpoint of the path.
You can tell you’re close enough to the endpoint when the small x next to the pencil tip disappears.
4 Drag to continue the path.
Connect two paths with the Pencil tool
1 Select both paths (Shift-click or drag around the two with the Selection tool).
2 Select the Pencil tool.
3 Position the pointer where you want to begin from one path, and start dragging toward the other path.
4 After you begin dragging, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS). The Pencil tool displays a small
merge symbol to indicate you’re adding to the existing path.
5 Drag onto the endpoint of the other path, release the mouse button, and then release the Ctrl or Command key.
Note: For best results, drag from one path to the other as if you were simply continuing the paths in the direction they
were created.
Reshape paths with the Pencil tool
1 Select the path you want to change.
2 Position the Pencil tool on or near the path to redraw.
You can tell you’re close enough to the path when the small x disappears from the tool.
3 Drag the tool until the path is the desired shape.
Using the Pencil tool to edit a closed shape
Note: Depending on where you begin to redraw the path and in which direction you drag, you may get unexpected
results. For example, you may unintentionally change a closed path to an open path, change an open path to a closed
path, or lose a portion of a shape.
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Pencil tool options
Double-click the Pencil tool to set any of the following options:
Fidelity Controls how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before a new anchor point is added to the path. The
higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path. The lower the value, the more the curves will match the
pointer’s movement, resulting in sharper angles. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels.
Smoothness Controls the amount of smoothing applied when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to
100%. The higher the value, the smoother the path. The lower the value, the more anchor points are created, and the
more the line’s irregularities are preserved.
Fill New Pencil Strokes (Illustrator only) Applies a fill to pencil strokes you draw after selecting this option, but not to
existing pencil strokes. Remember to select a fill before you draw the pencil strokes.
Keep Selected Determines whether to keep the path selected after you draw it. This option is selected by default.
Edit Selected Paths Determines whether or not you can change or merge a selected path when you are within a certain
distance of it (specified with the next option).
Within: _ pixels Determines how close your mouse or stylus must be to an existing path in order to edit the path with
the Pencil tool. This option is only available when the Edit Selected Paths option is selected.
Compound paths and shapes
About compound paths
You can combine several paths into a single object, called a compound path. Create a compound path when you want
to do any of the following:
• Add transparent holes to a path.
• Preserve the transparent holes within some text characters, such as o and e, when you convert characters to editable
letterforms using the Create Outlines command. Using the Create Outlines command always results in the creation
of compound paths.
• Apply a gradient, or add contents that span multiple paths. Although you can also apply a gradient across multiple
objects using the Gradient tool, applying a gradient to a compound path is often a better method because you can
later edit the entire gradient by selecting any of the subpaths. With the Gradient tool, later editing requires selecting
all of the paths you originally selected.
Best practices for editing compound paths
Keep the following guidelines in mind as you edit compound paths:
• Changes to path attributes (such as stroke and fill) always alter all subpaths in a composite path—it doesn’t matter
which selection tool you use, or how many subpaths you select. To preserve the individual stroke and fill attributes
of the paths you want to combine, group them instead.
• In a compound path, any effect that is positioned relative to a path’s bounding box—such as a gradient, or an image
pasted inside—is actually positioned relative to the bounding box of the entire compound path (that is, the path that
encloses all of the subpaths).
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• If you make a compound path, then change its properties and release it, using the Release command, the released
paths inherit the compound path’s properties; they don’t regain their original properties.
• If your document contains compound paths with many smooth points, some output devices may have problems
printing them. If so, simplify or eliminate the compound paths, or convert them to bitmap images using a program
such as Adobe Photoshop.
• If you apply a fill to a compound path, holes sometimes don’t appear where you expect them to. For a simple path
like a rectangle, the inside, or the area you can fill, is easy to see—it’s the area within the enclosed path. However,
with a compound path, InDesign must determine whether the intersections created by a compound path’s subpaths
are inside (filled areas) or outside (holes). The direction of each subpath—the order in which its points were
created—determines whether the area it defines is inside or outside. If a subpath is filled when you want it to be a
hole, or vice versa, click Reverse Path in the Pathfinder panel to reverse the direction of that subpath.
Compound path containing two subpaths with same path directions (left) and opposite path directions (right)
Create a compound path
You can create a compound path from two or more open or closed paths. When you create a compound path, all of the
originally selected paths become subpaths of the new compound path. The selected paths inherit the stroke and fill
settings of the object farthest back in the stacking order.
Note: If one or more selected objects have contents, such as text or imported images, the attributes and contents of a
compound path are set by the attributes and contents of the object farthest back. Selected objects farther behind, without
contents, won’t affect the compound path.
You can change the shape of any part of a compound path by using the Direct Selection tool
on one subpath.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select an anchor point
to select all of the paths you want to include in the compound path.
2 Choose Object > Paths > Make Compound Path. A hole appears wherever selected paths overlap.
You can fill a hole created by a subpath or turn a subpath into a hole. Using the Direct Selection tool, select a point on
the subpath you want to change. Then select Object > Paths > Reverse Path or click Reverse Path in the Pathfinder
panel.
Change holes to fills in a compound path
The direction of each subpath—the order in which its points were created—determines whether the area it defines is
inside (filled areas) or outside (empty). If, in your compound path, holes sometimes don’t appear where you expect
them to, you can reverse the direction of that subpath.
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Two separate closed paths (left) and two subpaths of the same compound path (right); the compound path uses the center circle as a hole
1 With the Direct Selection tool
, select the part of the compound path to reverse (or a point on that part). Do not
select the entire compound path.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Object > Paths > Reverse Path.
• Click Reverse Path in the Pathfinder panel.
Break up a compound path
You can break up a compound path by releasing it, which turns each of its subpaths into an independent path.
1 Using the Selection tool
, select a compound path.
2 Choose Object > Paths > Release Compound Path.
Note: The Release command is unavailable when the selected compound path is contained inside a frame, or when the path
contains text.
Change the holes in a compound path
You can eliminate a hole created by a subpath or fill a subpath that has created a hole by reversing its direction.
1 Using the Direct Selection tool
, select a point on the subpath you want to reverse. Don’t select the entire
compound path.
2 Choose Object > Paths > Reverse Path, or click Reverse Path in the Pathfinder panel.
Create compound shapes
You create compound shapes using the Pathfinder panel (Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder). Compound shapes
can be made up of simple or compound paths, text frames, text outlines, or other shapes. The appearance of the
compound shape depends on which Pathfinder button you choose.
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Pathfinder panel
A Original objects B Add C Subtract D Intersect E Exclude Overlap F Minus Back
Add Traces the outline of all objects to create a single shape.
Subtract Objects in the front “punch holes” in the backmost object.
Intersect Creates a shape from overlapping areas.
Exclude Overlap Creates a shape from areas that do not overlap.
Minus Back Objects in the back “punch holes” in the frontmost object.
In most cases, the resulting shape adopts the attributes (fill, stroke, transparency, layer, and so on) of the frontmost
object. When you subtract shapes, however, objects in the front are deleted. The resulting shape takes on the attributes
of the backmost object instead.
When you include a text frame in a compound shape, the shape of the text frame changes, but the text itself stays the
same. To alter the text itself, create a compound path using text outlines.
Compound shape used as a text frame (left) compared to one created from a text outline (right)
Create a compound shape
You can work with a compound shape as a single unit or release its component paths to work with each separately. For
example, you might apply a gradient fill to a part of the compound shape, but leave the rest of the shape unfilled.
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Gradient applied to a compound shape (left) compared to gradient applied to one part of the compound shape (right)
1 Choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder to open the panel.
2 Select the objects you want to combine in a compound shape.
3 Click a button (such as Add) in the Pathfinder section on the Pathfinder panel.
You can also choose a command from the Object > Pathfinder submenu.
Release paths in a compound shape
❖ Select the compound shape. Choose Object > Paths > Release Compound Path. The compound shape is separated
into its component paths.
To regroup component paths without losing changes you’ve applied to individual paths, choose Group in the Object
menu, rather than Compound Paths > Make.
Create paths from text outlines
Use the Create Outlines command to convert selected text characters into a set of compound paths that you can edit
and manipulate as you would any other path. The Create Outlines command is useful for creating effects in large display
type, but it is rarely useful for body text or other smaller-size type.
If you simply want to apply a color stroke, or a gradient fill or stroke to text characters, you don’t need to convert the
text to outlines. You can use the toolbox and the Swatches, Color, or Gradient panels to apply colors and gradients
directly to the strokes or fills of selected characters.
The Create Outlines command gets its font outline information from the actual Type 1, TrueType, or OpenType files.
When you create outlines, characters are converted in their current positions, retaining all graphics formatting, such as
stroke and fill.
Note: Some font manufacturers block the information needed to create outlines. If you select such a protected font and
choose Type > Create Outlines, a message will explain that the font cannot be converted.
When you convert type to outlines, the type loses its hints—instructions built into outline fonts for adjusting their
shapes, so that your system displays or prints them optimally at small sizes. Therefore, type converted to outlines may
not display as well when rendered in small sizes or at low resolutions.
After converting type to outlines, you can do any of the following:
• Alter the letterforms by dragging individual anchor points using the Direct Selection tool
.
• Copy the outlines and use the Edit > Paste Into command to mask an image by pasting it into the converted outlines.
• Use the converted outlines as text frames, so that you can type or place text in them.
• Change the stroke attributes of letterforms.
• Use text outlines to create compound shapes.
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Working with text outlines
A Type character before conversion to text outline B Text outline with image pasted into it C Text outline used as a text frame
Because converted text outlines become sets of compound paths, you can edit individual subpaths of converted outlines
by using the Direct Selection tool. You can also break the character outlines into independent paths by releasing them
from the compound path.
Convert text outlines to paths
By default, creating outlines from type removes the original text. However, if you prefer, you can make outlines appear
over a copy of the original text, so that none of the text is lost.
When you select type characters in a text frame and convert them to outlines, the resulting outlines become anchored
(inline) objects that flow with the text. Because the converted text is no longer true type, you will no longer be able to
highlight and edit the characters using the Type tool. In addition, typographical controls will no longer apply. Make
sure that you’re satisfied with the typographic settings of the type you convert to outlines, and be sure to create a copy
of the original text.
1 Use the Selection tool
to select a text frame, or use the Type tool to select one or more characters.
2 Choose Type > Create Outlines.
Convert a copy of text outlines to paths
1 Use the Selection tool
to select a text frame, or use the Type tool to select one or more characters.
2 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you choose Type > Create Outlines. The copy is created exactly
on top of the original; use the Selection tool to drag it away, if you like.
More Help topics
Selecting objects
Compound paths and shapes
Change corner appearance
You can use the Corner Options command to quickly apply corner effects to any path. Available corner effects range
from simple, rounded corners to fancy ornamentation.
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Effects of different line weights on corner shapes
A Fancy corner effect with no stroke B Same effect with 1-point stroke C Same effect with 4-point stroke
For a video on using corner effects, see http://tv.adobe.com/go/4948/.
Apply corner shapes using the Corner Options dialog box
1 Using a selection tool, select a path.
2 Choose Object > Corner Options.
3 To apply the corner effect to all four corners of a rectangle, select the Make All Settings The Same icon
. When
the option is not selected, dots appear on both sides of the icon (like a broken chain link).
4 Choose a corner effect and specify a size for one or more of the corners.
The size value determines the radius by which the corner effect extends from each corner point.
5 Select Preview if you want to see the results of the effect before applying it. Then click OK.
Use Live Corners
With Live Corners, you can apply corner effects to rectangular frames by clicking the yellow box that appears on the
frame and dragging. In addition, you can apply a different corner effect and a different corner radius to each corner.
1 Select a rectangular frame, and click the yellow box.
Four yellow diamonds appear on the selected frame, indicating Live Corners mode. If the yellow box does not
appear on the selected frame, choose View > Extras > Show Live Corners.
2 To add corner effects, do any of the following tasks:
• To adjust the radii of all four corners together, drag one of the diamonds towards the center of the frame.
• To adjust a single corner, hold down Shift as you drag a diamond.
• To cycle through the various effects, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a yellow diamond.
3 To stop editing corners, click anywhere outside the selected frame.
To remove corner effects, choose Object > Corner Options, and then choose None.
If you don’t want the yellow box to appear when you select a frame, choose View > Extras > Hide Live Corners.
Guidelines for applying corner shapes
Note the following:
• If you’ve obtained plug-in software that adds more effects, the Corner Options command in the Stroke panel can
include additional shapes.
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• Corner effects appear on all of a path’s corner points, but never on smooth points. The effects change angles
automatically when you move a path’s corner points.
• If a corner effect significantly changes the path by, for example, creating a bulge inward or outward, it may affect
how a frame interacts with its contents or with other parts of the layout. Increasing the size of a corner effect may
push an existing text wrap or frame inset farther away from the frame.
• You can’t edit a corner effect, but you can change its appearance by changing the corner radius or modifying the
stroke.
• If you applied corner effects but can’t see them, make sure that the path uses corner points and that a stroke color
or gradient has been applied to it. Then increase the Size option in the Corner Options dialog box, or increase the
stroke weight in the Stroke panel.
Applying line (stroke) settings
Set strokes
You can apply strokes, or line settings, to paths, shapes, text frames, and text outlines. The Stroke panel provides control
over the weight and appearance of the stroke, including how segments join, start and end shapes, and options for
corners. You can also select stroke settings in the Control panel when a path or frame is selected.
If you frequently use the same stroke settings, you can save the settings in an object style, and quickly apply the same
settings to any object. For more information, see Object styles.
Applying strokes
A Stroke applied to text frame B Stroke applied to text outline C Stroke applied to circle
1 Select the path whose stroke you want to modify.
Note: When you select a path using the Selection tool , you activate a bounding box that encompasses the entire object.
If you want to see the actual path, select the path using the Direct Selection tool instead.
2 Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.
3 For Weight, choose a stroke weight in the menu, or type a value and press Enter or Return.
Note: Strokes thinner than 0.25 point may be too thin to see when printed on high-resolution output devices such as an
imagesetter. To remove the stroke, type a value of 0 (zero).
4 If additional options are not visible, choose Show Options from the panel menu to display the other stroke attributes.
5 Change other stroke attributes as desired.
Note: If you want to change the stroke’s color, use the toolbox and Swatches panel. See Apply color .
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Stroke panel options
Miter Limit Specifies the limit of point length to stroke width before a mitered join becomes a beveled square join. For
example, a value of 9 requires the point length to be 9 times the stroke width before the point becomes beveled. Type a
value (between 1 and 500) and press Enter or Return. The Miter Limit does not apply to a round join.
You can include miter limit and stroke alignment settings in a paragraph or character style. Click the Character Color
section, and then click the stroke icon to make the options available.
Cap Select a cap style to specify the appearance of both ends of an open path:
Butt cap
Creates squared ends that abut (stop at) the endpoints.
Round cap
Creates semicircular ends that extend half the stroke width beyond the endpoints.
Projecting cap
Creates squared ends that extend half the stroke width beyond the endpoints. This option makes the stroke weight
extend evenly in all directions around the path.
Note: You can specify a cap option for a closed path, but the cap will not be visible unless the path is opened (for example,
by cutting with the Scissors tool). Also, cap styles are easier to see at thicker stroke weights.
Join Specify the appearance of the stroke at corner points:
Miter join
Creates pointed corners that extend beyond the endpoint when the miter’s length is within the miter limit.
Round join
Creates rounded corners that extend half the stroke width beyond the endpoints.
Bevel join
Creates squared corners that abut the endpoints.
Note: You can specify miter options for a path that doesn’t use corner points, but the miter options will not apply until you
create corner points by adding them or by converting smooth points. Also, miters are easier to see at thicker stroke weights.
Align Stroke Click an icon to specify the position of the stroke relative to its path.
Type Choose a stroke type in the menu. If you choose Dashed, a new set of options appears.
Start Choose for the beginning of the path.
End Choose for the end of the path.
Gap Color Specify a color to appear in the space between dashes, dots, or multiple lines in a patterned stroke.
Gap Tint Specify a tint (when a gap color is specified).
Although you can define dashed strokes in the Stroke panel, it’s easier to create a dashed stroke using a custom stroke
style.
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Add start and end shapes
Keep the following guidelines in mind as you work with start and end shapes:
• You can’t edit the available start and end shapes, but if you’ve obtained plug-in software that adds more options, the
Start and End menus in the Stroke panel can include additional shapes.
• Start and end shapes are sized in proportion to the stroke weight. However, adding a start or end shape does not
change the length of the path.
• Start and end shapes automatically rotate to match the angle of an endpoint’s direction line.
• Start and end shapes appear at endpoints of open paths only; they won’t appear on individual dashes of a dashed
stroke.
• If you apply start and end shapes to a compound path that includes open subpaths, each open subpath will use the
same start and end shapes.
• You can apply start and end shapes to a closed path, but they won’t be visible unless you open the path.
Sample start and end shapes
Create arrows using start and end shapes
Use the Start and End menus in the Stroke panel to add an arrowhead or other shape to the end of an open path.
1 Use the Line tool to draw a line, or create an open path.
2 With the line or path selected, open the Stroke panel, and choose a style in the Start and End menus. The Start menu
applies a shape to the first endpoint of a path (as determined by the order in which the path’s points were drawn),
and the End menu applies a shape to the last endpoint.
Switch a path’s start and end shapes
1 Using the Direct Selection tool
, select a path.
2 Choose Object > Paths > Reverse Path, or click the Reverse Path button in the Pathfinder panel.
Define custom stroke styles
You can create a custom stroke style using the Stroke panel. A custom stroke style can be dashed, dotted, or striped; in
the style, you can define the stroke’s pattern, cap, and corner attributes. You specify other stroke attributes, such as
weight, gap color, and start and end shapes, after the custom stroke style has been applied to an object.
Custom stroke styles
A Dashed B Dotted C Striped
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Custom stroke styles can be saved and loaded into other InDesign documents.
1 Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.
2 In the panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.
3 Click New.
4 Enter a name for the stroke style.
5 For Type, select one of the following:
• Dash to define a style with dashes spaced at regular or varying intervals.
• Striped to define a style with one or more parallel lines.
• Dotted to define a style with dots spaced at regular or varying intervals.
The options in the dialog box change to match your selection.
6 For Pattern Length, specify the length of the repeating pattern (dashed or dotted styles only). The ruler updates to
match the length you specify.
7 To define the stroke pattern, do any of the following:
• Click the ruler to add a new dash, dot, or stripe.
• Drag a dash, dot, or stripe to move it.
• To adjust the width of a dash, move its ruler markers
Start (where the dash starts on the ruler) and Length.
. You can also select the dash and then enter values for
• To adjust the position of a dot, move its ruler marker
Center (where the center of the dot is positioned).
. You can also select the dot and then enter a value for
• To adjust the thickness of a stripe, move its ruler markers . You can also select the stripe and enter values for
Start and Width, both of which are expressed as a percentage of the stroke’s weight.
• To delete a dash, dot, or stripe, drag it out of the ruler window. (However, a custom stroke style must contain at
least one dash, dot, or stripe.)
Creating a dashed line in New Stroke Style dialog box
A Clicking to add a dash to the pattern B Dragging a marker to make the dash wider C Dragging the dash to adjust the white space between
dashes
8 To preview the stroke at different line weights, specify a line weight using the Preview Weight option.
9 For dashed and dotted patterns, use the Corners option to determine how dashes or dots are positioned to keep a
pattern regular around a corner.
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10 For dashed patterns, select a style for Cap to determine the shape of the dashes. This setting overrides the Cap setting
in the Stroke panel.
11 Do one of the following:
• Click Add to save the stroke style and define another one. Click Done to exit the dialog box.
• Click OK to save the stroke style and exit the dialog box.
Save custom stroke styles
You can save custom stroke styles for use in other InDesign documents.
Save a custom stroke style
1 In the Stroke panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.
2 Select a custom stroke style and click Save.
Note: You cannot save or edit the default stroke styles (enclosed in square brackets).
3 Specify a name and location for the stroke style (.inst) file, and click OK.
To load a custom stroke style
1 In the Stroke panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.
2 Click Load.
3 Select the stroke style (.inst) file that contains the custom stroke style you want to import, and click OK.
To apply a custom stroke style
❖ With a path or frame selected, choose a custom stroke style from the Type menu in the Stroke panel.
More Help topics
Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text
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Chapter 10: Color
Applying color
Apply color
Adobe InDesign provides a number of tools for applying color, including the Toolbox, the Swatches panel, the Color
panel, the Color Picker, and the Control panel.
When you apply a color, you can specify whether the color applies to the stroke or fill of an object. The stroke is the
border, or frame, of an object, and the fill is the background of an object. When you apply a color to a text frame, you
can specify whether the color change affects the text frame or the text inside the frame.
1 Select the object you want to color by doing one of the following:
• For a path or frame, use the Selection tool
or the Direct Selection tool
, as necessary.
• For a grayscale or monochrome (1-bit) image, click the Content Grabber or use the Direct Selection tool. You
can apply only two colors to a grayscale or monochrome image.
• For text characters, use the Type tool
frame.
to change the text color of a single word or the entire text within a
To change the color of gaps in a dashed, dotted, or striped stroke, use the Stroke panel.
2 In the Toolbox or in the Color or Swatches panel, select the Formatting Affects Text or Formatting Affects Container
to determine whether color is applied to the text or the text frame.
3 In the Toolbox or in the Color or Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box to specify the fill or stroke of
the object. (If you selected an image, the Stroke box has no effect.)
Specify how color is applied in the Toolbox
A Fill box B Formatting Affects Container C Stroke box D Formatting Affects Text
4 Do one of the following:
• Select a color, tint, or gradient using the Swatches or Gradient panel.
• Select a color, tint, or gradient from the Fill or Stroke menu in the Control panel.
• Double-click either the Fill or Stroke box in the Toolbox or the Color panel to open the Color Picker. Select the
desired color, and click OK.
You can apply color to any grayscale image, provided it does not contain alpha or spot channels. If you imported an
image with a clipping path, select the clipping path using the Direct Selection tool to apply color to the clipped area only.
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Select a color with the Color Picker
The Color Picker lets you choose colors from a color field or specify colors numerically. You can define colors using the
RGB, Lab, or CMYK color model.
1 Double-click either the Fill or Stroke box in the Toolbox or the Color panel to open the Color Picker.
2 To change the color spectrum displayed in the Color Picker, click a letter: R (Red), G (Green), or B (Blue); or L
(luminance), a (green-red axis), or b (blue-yellow axis).
Color Picker
A Original color B New color C Color field D Color slider triangles E Color spectrum
3 To define a color, do any of the following:
• Click or drag inside the color field. Cross-hairs indicate the color’s position in the color field.
• Drag the color slider triangles along the color spectrum or click inside the color spectrum.
• Enter values in any of the text boxes.
4 To save the color as a swatch, click Add CMYK Swatch, Add RGB Swatch, or Add Lab Swatch. InDesign adds the
color to the Swatches panel, using the color values as its name.
5 Click OK.
Apply the last used color
The Toolbox displays the last color or gradient you applied. You can apply this color or gradient directly from the
Toolbox.
1 Select the object or text you want to color.
2 In the Toolbox, click the Fill button or Stroke button depending on which portion of the text or object you want to
color.
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3 In the Toolbox, do one of the following:
• Click the Color button
to apply the last selected solid color in the Swatches or Color panel.
• Click the Gradient button
• Click the None button
to apply the last selected gradient in the Swatches or Gradient panel.
to remove the object’s fill or stroke.
Remove fill or stroke color
1 Select the text or object whose color you want to remove.
2 In the Toolbox, click the Fill button or Stroke button depending on which portion of the text or object you want to
change.
3 Click the None button
to remove the object’s fill or stroke.
Applying colors using drag-and-drop
An easy way to apply colors or gradients is to drag them from a color source to an object or panel. Drag-and-drop lets
you apply colors or gradients to objects without first selecting the objects. You can drag the following:
• The Fill or Stroke box in the Toolbox or a panel.
• The Gradient box in the Gradient panel.
• Swatches from the Swatches panel.
• The last-used, in-gamut color swatch located next to the out-of-gamut icon
in a panel.
You can drop colors or gradients on the following objects and panels:
• The fill or stroke of a path. To drop color on a fill or stroke, position the center of the drag icon precisely over the
path’s fill or stroke while you drag a color, and then release the mouse button.
• The Swatches panel.
If you drag one or more Swatches panel swatches, or the color swatch next to an out-of-gamut icon, you can drop them
into another InDesign document window, which adds the swatches to that document’s Swatches panel.
Apply a color or gradient swatch
1 Using the Selection tool
, select a text or object frame; or using the Text tool
, select a range of text.
2 If the Swatches panel is not open, choose Window > Color > Swatches.
3 In the Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.
4 Do one of the following:
• To apply color to selected text, click the Text button
.
• To apply color to a selected object or text container (such as a frame or a table), click the Object button
.
5 Click a color or gradient swatch. The selected color or gradient is applied to any selected text or object, and it appears
in the Color panel and in the Fill box or Stroke box in the Toolbox.
You can set the default fill or stroke colors the same way you set other InDesign defaults. Choose Edit > Deselect All to
make sure that no objects are selected, and then choose a color.
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Apply color using the Color panel
Although the Swatches panel is the recommended panel for working with colors, you can also mix colors by using the
Color panel. You can add the current Color panel color to the Swatches panel at any time. The Color panel is most useful
for mixing unnamed colors.
Note: If you select an object that currently uses a named swatch, editing its color using the Color panel changes the color of
that object only. If you want to edit the color throughout the document, double-click its swatch in the Swatches panel.
Edit the fill or stroke color
1 Select the object or text you want to change.
2 If the Color panel is not displayed, choose Window > Color.
3 Select the Fill box or the Stroke box in the Color panel.
Color panel
A Fill box B Stroke box C Formatting Affects Container D Formatting Affects Text
4 If you selected a text frame, select the Container box
or Text box
to change the color of either the fill or text
within the frame.
5 Do one of the following:
• Adjust the Tint slider, which appears by default if the object uses a swatch from the Swatches panel.
• Choose a Lab, CMYK, or RGB color model in the Color panel menu, and use the sliders to change the color
values. You can also enter numeric values in the text boxes next to the color sliders.
• Position the pointer over the color bar, and click.
• Double-click the Fill or Stroke box, and select a color from the Color Picker. Then click OK.
6 If an out-of-gamut alert icon
appears, and you want to use the CMYK color values closest to the color you
originally specified, click the small color box next to the alert icon.
Create a swatch from a color in the Color panel
1 In the Color panel, make sure that the active Fill or Stroke box displays the color you want to add.
2 Choose Add To Swatches in the panel menu.
Cycle through color modes
❖ Do one of the following:
• In the Color panel, Shift-click the color bar at the bottom of the panel.
• In the New Color Swatch or Swatch Options dialog box, Shift-click the color box.
• In the New Gradient or Gradient Options dialog box, select a gradient stop, make sure that RGB, LAB, or CMYK
is selected in the Stop Color menu, and then Shift-click the color box.
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Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool
Use the Eyedropper tool
to copy fill and stroke attributes, such as color, from any object in an InDesign file,
including an imported graphic. By default, the Eyedropper tool loads all available fill and stroke attributes of an object
and sets the default fill and stroke attributes of any new objects you draw. You can use the Eyedropper Options dialog
box to change the attributes the Eyedropper tool copies. You can also use the Eyedropper tool to copy type and
transparency attributes.
Note: If an attribute is not listed in the Eyedropper Options dialog box, it can’t be copied with the Eyedropper tool.
Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool
1 Select one or more objects that have the fill and stroke attributes you want to change.
2 Select the Eyedropper tool
.
3 Click any object that has the fill and stroke attributes you want to sample. A loaded eyedropper appears
, and
the selected objects are automatically updated with the fill and stroke attributes of the object you clicked.
4 To change other objects to the same attributes, click the objects with the loaded eyedropper. If an object is stroked
and not filled, be sure to click the object’s outline.
Pick up new attributes when the Eyedropper tool is loaded
1 Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while the Eyedropper tool
direction, and appears empty
is loaded. The Eyedropper tool reverses
, to indicate that it’s ready to pick up new attributes.
2 Without releasing the Alt or Option key, click an object containing the attributes that you want to copy, and then
release the Alt or Option key so that you can drop the new attributes on another object.
Change Eyedropper tool settings
1 In the Toolbox, double-click the Eyedropper tool
.
2 Select the attributes in the Fill Settings and Stroke Settings sections that you want to copy with the Eyedropper tool,
and then click OK.
To pick up only the fill or stroke color of an object and no other attributes, Shift-click the object with the Eyedropper
tool. When you apply the color to another object, only the fill or stroke color is applied, depending on whether the stroke
or fill is on top in the toolbar.
Apply colors to grayscale images
You can add color to a placed grayscale image in InDesign.
1 Make sure that the image is saved as a grayscale or bitmap image and that it’s saved in PSD, TIFF, BMP, or JPG
format.
In Photoshop, you can choose Image > Mode > Bitmap or Image > Mode > Grayscale.
2 Click the Content Grabber, or use the Direct Selection tool
to select the image.
3 Select a color from the Swatches panel or Color panel.
An image in PSD format can contain multiple layers, but the bottom layer must be opaque. You cannot apply color to
a PSD image with a transparent background in InDesign. In addition, the grayscale image cannot contain alpha or spot
channels.
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Adding and managing color groups
Color groups enable you to organize your color schemes better and to exchange frequently used color swatches across
applications. Color groups help you to:
• Organize color swatches.
• Load color groups from a project in Illustrator.
Adding color groups
1 To create a color group, click the Color Group icon on the Swatches panel. Alternatively, you can also create a color
group from the flyout and context menu.
New Color Group
• Enter the name of the color group.
• Select the option to create the color group scheme:
• Selected Swatches: Select this option, if you want to move the swatches to a color group at the time of
creation. Hold Ctrl (Win) or Option (Mac) to select multiple color swatches before selecting the New Color
Group option. If no swatches are selected, an empty color group is created.
• Selected Page Items(s): The swatches of the selected page items or artwork are added to the created color
group. This option is selected by default when an artwork is selected.
Note: To give a name to the color group at the time of creation, you can use any of the options or hold the Alt key (Win)
or Option Key (Mac) when you click the new color group button.
2 You can drag-and-drop multiple swatches from the root as well as from other color groups into the created color
group.
3 Right-click on a color swatch to explore other options. You can switch to a Color Group view and work extensively
with color groups. Click the filter icon at the bottom of the panel and select Show Color Groups. This enables you
to work with color groups extensively. Root swatches and gradients are not visible in this view.
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Show Color Groups
Various operations to manage color groups
Following operations can be performed to manage color groups.
• Add a swatch to a color group: Select the color group. Select a swatch and drag-and-drop it inside the color group.
• Duplicate color group: You can duplicate from the context menu as well from the flyout. Right-click on a color
group and select Duplicate Color Group. All swatches inside the color group get duplicated along with the color
group. Swatches across different color groups are not created with same names, to avoid confusion.
• Ungroup color group: Ungrouping can be done from the context menu as well from the flyout. Right-click on a
color group and select Ungroup Color Group. On ungrouping, all swatches inside the group move to the root that
is outside the color group.
• Rename color group: Color Groups can be renamed by using the Color Group Options option in the context/flyout
menu. Double-click a group to edit the color group name. You can also inline edit the color group.
• Delete color group: Select a color group, right-click and select Delete Color Group. Or, select the color group and
select Delete Color Group from the flyout menu.
Note: When you delete a color group, all the swatches within the color group get deleted.
Creation of color group with page item(s) selected
You can select a page item(s) artwork in the document and create a color group from the swatches present in the page
item (s). You can add swathes from the page item(s) into the color group.
1 Select a page item(s) in the document.
2 From the Flyout or Context menu, select New Color Group.
3 Select Selected Page Item(s) in the New Color group dialog box. Selected page items is selected by default. In case
there are more than one swatches are selected in the swatches panel, then the default selection would be Selected
Swatches.
4 Color groups would work in all different views like list view (name, small name) as well as Grid View (small swatch,
large swatch). All the operations like creation, dragging swatches, color groups can be performed across all the
different views inside the swatches panel.
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Load and save swatches from an .ASE file
.ASE files help import and export of color swatches across applications like Adobe Illustrator. You can import .ASE files
to load color group in the swatches panel. Color groups can also be saved as .ASE files from the Swatches flyout.
Similarly, if the color groups are saved from Illustrator, same can be loaded inside InDesign.
Load swatches
1 Select Load Swatches from the Swatches panel menu.
2 Select the saved .ASE file. Click Open.
Save swatches
You can save a color swatch or color group as a .ASE file.
1 Select the color group or swatch.
2 From the flyout menu, select Save Swatches.
3 Enter the name of the .ASE file. Click Save.
Importing themes from Kuler app
You can add themes from kuler panel into Swatches panel as color groups in InDesign. These themes are created as a
color group with the theme's name.
1 Select Window > Extensions > Kuler.
2 In the Browse window, select a theme.
You can follow any of the following to export the them to InDesign:
• Click the arrow next to a them and select Add to Swatches Panel.
Or
• Click the Add selected theme icon to import the theme to the Swatches panel.
Add Swatches icon/option
3 You can also go to the Create tab in Kuler, select a rule from Select Rule, and click the Add this theme to swatches
icon.
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Add theme to Swatches menu
Support of legacy behavior
On saving a file as .idml which has color group information and opening the same in previous versions, the swatches
panel would contain the flat swatch list with no color groups as earlier versions do not support color groups.
Tints
About tints
A tint is a screened (lighter) version of a color. Tinting is an economical way to make additional spot color variations
without having to pay for additional spot color inks. Tinting is also a quick way to create lighter versions of process
colors, although it doesn’t reduce the cost of printing process colors. As with non-tinted colors, it’s best to name and
store tints in the Swatches panel so that you can easily edit all instances of that tint in your document.
Spot color and tints
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A tint of a spot color is printed on the same printing plate as the spot color. A tint of a process color multiplies each of
the CMYK process inks by the tint percentage; for example, an 80% tint of C10 M20 Y40 K10 results in C8 M16 Y32 K8.
Because colors and tints update together, if you edit a swatch, all objects that use a tint of that swatch update accordingly.
You can also edit the base swatch of a named tint using the Swatch Options command in the Swatches panel menu; this
updates any other tints based on the same swatch.
The tint range in Adobe Creative Suite 3 is 0% to 100%; the lower the number, the lighter the tint.
Create and edit tints
You can adjust the tint of an individual object, or create tints by using the Tint slider in the Swatches panel or Color
panel. The tint range is from 0% to 100%; the lower the number, the lighter the tint will be.
Because colors and tints update together, if you edit a swatch, all objects that use a tint of that swatch update accordingly.
You can also edit the base swatch of a named tint using the Swatch Options command in the Swatches panel menu; this
updates any other tints based on the same swatch.
Create a tint swatch using the Swatches panel
1 In the Swatches panel, select a color swatch.
2 Select the arrow next to the Tint box.
3 Drag the Tint slider, and click the New Swatch button
or select New Tint Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
The tint appears in the Swatches panel with the name of its base color and the percentage of the tint.
Create a tint swatch using the Color panel
1 In the Swatches panel, select a swatch.
2 In the Color panel, drag the Tint slider, or enter a tint value in the Percentage box.
3 In the Color panel menu, click Add To Swatches.
Drag the Tint slider and then click Add To Swatches.
Create an unnamed tint
1 In the Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.
2 Drag the Tint slider, or enter a tint value in the percentage box.
Edit a tint or base color swatch
1 In the Swatches panel, double-click the tint swatch.
2 Do one of the following, and click OK:
• To edit the tint, change the Tint value. This updates all objects using that tint swatch.
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• To edit the tint’s base color swatch, change the Color Mode or the Color Mode values. This also updates all other
tints based on that same color swatch.
Mixing inks
Create and edit mixed ink swatches
When you need to achieve the maximum number of printed colors with the fewest number of inks, you can create new
ink swatches by mixing two spot inks or by mixing a spot ink with one or more process inks. Using mixed ink colors
lets you increase the number of colors available without increasing the number of separations used to print the
document.
You can create a single mixed ink swatch or use a mixed ink group to generate multiple swatches at once. A mixed ink
group contains a series of colors created from incremental percentages of different process and spot color inks. For
example, mixing four tints of process cyan (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) with five tints of a spot color (10%, 20%, 30%,
40%, and 50%) results in a mixed ink group that contains 20 different swatches.
Swatches panel with mixed ink swatches
A Parent of mixed ink group B Child in mixed ink group C Mixed ink swatch (standalone)
Before you can create a mixed ink swatch or a mixed ink group, you must add at least one spot color to the Swatches
panel.
Create a mixed ink swatch
1 From the Swatches panel menu, choose New Mixed Ink Swatch. (This option is dimmed until you add a spot color
to the Swatches panel.)
2 Type a name for the swatch.
3 To include an ink in the mixed ink swatch, click the empty box next to its name. An ink icon
appears. A mixed
ink swatch must contain at least one spot color.
4 Adjust the percentage of each ink included in the swatch by using the slider bar or typing a value in the percentage
box.
5 To add the mixed ink to the Swatches panel, click Add or OK.
Colors on a monitor often look different when they print. For best results, ask your commercial printer to output a
sample of any mixed inks you want to print.
Create a mixed ink group
1 From the Swatches panel menu, choose New Mixed Ink Group. (This option is dimmed until you add a spot color
to the Swatches panel.)
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2 Type a name for the Mixed Ink Group. Colors in the group will use this name followed by an incremented Swatch
suffix (Swatch 1, Swatch 2, and so on).
3 To include an ink in the mixed ink group, click the empty box next to its name.
4 For each ink you select, do the following:
• For Initial, enter the percentage of ink you want to start mixing to create the group.
• For Repeat, specify the number of times you want to increment the ink percentage.
• For Increment, specify the percentage of ink you want to add for each repetition.
For instance, when mixing and matching process color cyan’s 4 tints (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) and 5 spot tints (10%,
20%, 30%, 40%, 50%) to create 20 swatches, for cyan, set Initial to 20%, Repeat to 3, Increment to 20%, and set spot
Initial to 10%, Repeat to 4, and Increment to 10%.
5 Click Preview Swatches to generate the swatches without closing the dialog box; you can then see whether your
current ink selections and values produce the results you want, and make adjustments if they don’t.
Note: An alert appears if the values you enter for Initial, Repeat, and Increment add up to more than 100% of any one
ink. If you decide to proceed anyway, InDesign caps the ink percentages at 100%.
6 Click OK to add all inks in the mixed ink group to the Swatches panel.
Edit mixed ink swatches
You modify a mixed ink swatch using the same methods used to edit other swatches. As you edit a mixed ink swatch
or group, be aware of the following:
• If you use the Swatches panel to delete an ink that is used in a mixed ink swatch, InDesign prompts you for a
replacement. A mixed ink must contain at least one spot color, or it will be converted to a process color.
• Changes you make to the parent
of a mixed ink group apply to all mixed inks in that group. (Changes you make
to a swatch in a mixed ink group apply to that swatch only.)
• Converting a mixed ink to a process or spot color removes its association with its mixed ink group.
• Deleting the parent of a mixed ink group deletes all swatches in the group.
1 In the Swatches panel, double-click the parent
of the mixed ink group you want to change.
2 Do any of the following:
• Select a new ink to replace an existing component ink.
• Click the box next to an ink to exclude or include it as a component of the mixed ink group.
Note: You cannot change the initial percentages, repeats, or increments used to create the mixed ink group.
3 Click OK.
Manage mixed ink groups
Use the Swatches panel to delete mixed ink groups, add swatches, and convert mixed ink swatches to process colors.
Delete mixed ink groups
❖ In the Swatches panel, select the parent of the mixed ink group you want to delete, and click the Delete button.
Add a swatch to a mixed ink group
1 In the Swatches panel, select the parent of the mixed ink group.
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2 Choose New Color Swatch from the panel menu.
3 Specify a name for the swatch, if desired.
4 For each ink listed, specify the percentage you want in the mixed ink swatch. (You cannot add or delete inks.)
5 Click OK.
Convert a single mixed ink swatch to a process color
You can convert mixed inks to process colors to reduce printing costs. When you convert the parent of a mixed ink
group to process, the parent swatch disappears, and the other swatches in the mixed ink group are converted to process
colors.
1 Double-click the mixed ink swatch you want to convert.
2 For Color Type, select Process, and then click OK.
Convert all inks in a mixed ink group to process
❖ Double-click the parent
of the mixed ink group, and select Convert Mixed Ink Swatches To Process in the dialog
box that appears.
More Help topics
Create color swatches
Manage swatches
Gradients
About gradients
A gradient is a graduated blend between two or more colors or between two tints of the same color. The output device
you use affects how gradients color separate.
Gradients can include Paper, process colors, spot colors, or mixed ink colors using any color mode. Gradients are
defined by a series of color stops in the gradient bar. A stop is the point at which a gradient changes from one color to
the next, and is identified by a color square under the gradient bar. By default, a gradient starts with two colors and a
midpoint at 50%.
Note: When you create a gradient using colors of different modes and then print or color separate the gradient, all colors
are converted to CMYK process colors. Because of the color mode change, colors may shift. For best results, specify gradients
using CMYK colors.
Create a gradient swatch
You can create, name, and edit gradients using the same Swatches panel you use to work with solid colors and tints. You
can also create unnamed gradients using the Gradient panel.
1 Choose New Gradient Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
2 For Swatch Name, type a name for the gradient.
3 For Type, choose Linear or Radial.
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4 Select the first color stop in the gradient.
First color stop
5 For Stop Color, do one of the following:
• To choose a color that’s already in the Swatches panel, choose Swatches, and select a color from the list.
• To mix a new unnamed color for the gradient, choose a color mode, and enter color values or drag the sliders.
Tip: By default, the first stop of the gradient is set to white. To make it transparent, apply the Paper swatch.
6 To change the last color in the gradient, select the last color stop, and repeat step 5.
7 To adjust the position of gradient colors, do one of the following:
• Drag the color stops located under the bar.
• Select a color stop under the bar, and enter a Location value to set the position of that color. This position
represents the percentage of distance between the previous color and the next color.
8 To adjust the midpoint between two gradient colors (the point at which the colors are at 50%), do one of the
following:
• Drag the diamond icon located above the bar.
• Select the diamond icon above the bar, and enter a Location value to set the position of that color. This position
represents the percentage of distance between the previous color and the next color.
9 Click OK or Add. The gradient is stored in the Swatches panel with its name.
Apply an unnamed gradient using the Gradient panel
Although the Swatches panel is the recommended panel for creating and storing gradients, you can also work with
gradients by using the Gradient panel (Window > Color > Gradient), with which you may be familiar if you also use
Adobe Illustrator. You can add the current gradient to the Swatches panel at any time. The Gradient panel is useful for
creating an unnamed gradient that won’t be used often.
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Gradient panel
A Gradient fill B Gradient type menu C Reverse button D Starting color stop E Midpoint F Ending color stop
Note: If you select an object that currently uses a named gradient, editing the gradient by using the Gradient panel will
change the color of that object only. To edit every instance of a named gradient, double-click its swatch in the Swatches
panel.
1 Select the object or objects you want to change.
2 Click the Fill or Stroke box in the Swatches panel or the Toolbox. (If the Gradient Fill box is not visible, choose Show
Options in the Gradient panel menu.)
3 To open the Gradient panel, choose Window > Color > Gradient, or double-click the Gradient tool
in the
Toolbox.
4 To define the starting color of a gradient, click the leftmost color stop below the gradient bar, and then do one of the
following:
• Drag a swatch from the Swatches panel and drop it on the color stop.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a color swatch in the Swatches panel.
• In the Color panel, create a color using the sliders or the color bar.
5 To define the ending color of the gradient, click the rightmost color stop below the gradient bar. Then choose the
color you like, as described in the previous step.
6 Select either Linear or Radial in the Type menu, and adjust color and midpoint positions as explained in Create a
gradient swatch .
7 To adjust the gradient angle, type a value for Angle.
Modify gradients
You can modify gradients by adding colors to create multicolor gradients, and by adjusting color stops and midpoints.
It’s a good idea to fill an object with the gradient you plan to adjust, so that you can preview the effect on the object
while you adjust the gradient.
You can modify gradients pasted from Adobe Illustrator, provided that the gradient was pasted using AICB (Adobe
Illustrator Clipboard) format. (See Pasting Illustrator graphics into InDesign .) To select the gradient, use the Direct
Selection tool.
Note: If you edit a color swatch, any gradient stops that use that swatch will update accordingly, changing the gradient.
Add intermediate colors to a gradient
1 Double-click a gradient swatch in the Swatches panel, or display the Gradient panel.
2 Click anywhere below the gradient bar to define a new color stop. The new color stop is automatically defined by
the color values at that position along the existing gradient.
3 Adjust the new color stop.
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You can also drag a swatch from the Swatches panel onto the gradient bar in the Gradient panel to define a new
color stop.
Remove an intermediate color from a gradient
❖ Select the intermediate color stop, and drag it to the edge of the panel.
Reverse a gradient’s color progression
1 Activate a gradient.
2 In the Gradient panel, click the Reverse button
.
Adjust a gradient with the Gradient tools
Once you have filled an object with a gradient, you can modify the gradient by using the Gradient Swatch tool
or
the Gradient Feather tool
to “repaint” the fill by dragging along an imaginary line. The Gradient tools let you
change the direction of a gradient, change its beginning point and endpoint, and apply a gradient across multiple
objects. The Gradient Feather tool lets you soften the gradient in the direction in which you drag.
1 In the Swatches panel or Toolbox, select the Fill box or the Stroke box, depending on where the original gradient
was applied.
2 Select the Gradient Swatch or Gradient Feather tool, and position it at the place where you want to define the
beginning point of the gradient. Drag across the object in the direction you want the gradient to be applied. Hold
down Shift to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°.
Dragging the Gradient Feather tool across the gradient progressively softens the colors in the gradient within the
area you drag.
3 Release the mouse button at the place where you want to define the endpoint of the gradient.
Apply a gradient across multiple objects
1 Make sure that all selected objects already use a gradient.
2 In the Toolbox, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.
3 Select the Gradient tool
, and position it where you want to define the beginning point of the gradient. Drag
across the object in the direction you want the gradient to be applied. Hold down Shift to constrain the tool to
multiples of 45°.
4 Release the mouse button at the place where you want to define the endpoint of the gradient.
Default gradient fill (left) and gradient applied across objects (right)
If a compound path with a gradient is selected, you can edit the gradient across all of its subpaths by using the Gradient
panel alone, without having to use the Gradient tool.
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Applying gradients to text
Within a single text frame, you can create multiple ranges of gradient text alongside default black text and color text.
A gradient’s endpoints are always anchored in relation to the bounding box of the gradient’s path or text frame.
Individual text characters display the part of the gradient over which they are positioned. If you resize the text frame or
make other changes that cause text characters to reflow, the characters are redistributed across the gradient, and the
colors of individual characters change accordingly.
Working with gradient-filled text characters
A Underlying gradient fill B Text characters with gradient applied C Text added, and text shifting position relative to gradient fill
If you want to adjust a gradient so that its complete color range spans a specific range of text characters, you have two
options:
• Use the Gradient tool to reset the gradient’s endpoints, so that they span only the characters you selected when you
applied the gradient.
• Select the text and convert it to outlines (editable paths), and then apply a gradient to the resulting outlines. This is
the best option for a short run of display type in its own text frame. The gradient will be permanently anchored to
the outlines, not the text frame, and the outlines will continue to flow with the rest of the text. However, the outlines
will function as a single inline graphic within the text frame, so you won’t be able to edit the text. Also, typographic
options will no longer apply; for example, text converted to outlines will not hyphenate.
By default, type that shifts position will change relative to its gradient (left); when type is converted to outlines, an applied gradient moves with
the type (right).
For information on converting text outlines to paths, see Create paths from text outlines.
Multiple gradients in a single text frame
Within a single text frame, you can select different ranges of text and apply a unique gradient to each range. Each
gradient is added to the text frame and tracked separately with the characters you selected when you applied each
gradient. However, the endpoints of the gradient are still anchored to the text frame’s bounding box, not to individual
ranges of text.
More Help topics
About printing
Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text
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Working with swatches
Swatches panel overview
The Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) lets you create and name colors, gradients, or tints, and quickly apply
them to your document. Swatches are similar to paragraph and character styles; any change you make to a swatch
affects all objects to which the swatch is applied. Swatches make it easier to modify color schemes without having to
locate and adjust each individual object.
When the fill or stroke of selected text or an object contains a color or gradient applied from the Swatches panel, the
applied swatch is highlighted in the Swatches panel. Swatches you create are associated only with the current document.
Each document can have a different set of swatches stored in its Swatches panel.
When working with a prepress service provider, swatches let you clearly identify spot colors. You can also specify color
settings in a preflight profile to determine which color settings work with your printer.
Six CMYK-defined colors appear in the default Swatches panel: cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, and blue.
Note: When you print a book whose chapters contain conflicting swatches, you can instruct InDesign to synchronize
settings with the master document. (See Synchronize book documents.)
Swatch types
The Swatches panel stores the following types of swatches:
Colors Icons on the Swatches panel identify the spot
, and Mixed Ink
and process
color types, and LAB
, RGB
, CMYK
color modes.
Tints A percentage value next to a swatch in the Swatches panel indicates a tint of a spot or process color.
Gradients An icon on the Swatches panel indicates whether a gradient is radial
or linear
.
None The None swatch removes the stroke or fill from an object. You can’t edit or remove this swatch.
Paper Paper is a built-in swatch that simulates the paper color on which you’re printing. Objects behind a papercolored object won’t print where the paper-colored object overlaps them. Instead, the color of the paper on which you
print shows through. You can edit the Paper color to match your paper stock by double-clicking it in the Swatches panel.
Use the Paper color for previewing only—it will not be printed on a composite printer or in color separations. You can’t
remove this swatch. Do not apply the Paper swatch to remove color from an object. Use the None swatch instead.
Note: If the Paper color is not working as described, and you are printing to a non-PostScript printer, try switching your
printer driver to Raster Graphics mode.
Black Black is a built-in, 100% process color black defined using the CMYK color model. You can’t edit or remove this
swatch. By default, all occurrences of Black overprint (print on top of) underlying inks, including text characters at any
size. You can disable this behavior.
Registration Registration
is a built-in swatch that causes objects to print on every separation from a PostScript
printer. For example, registration marks use the Registration color, so that printing plates can be aligned precisely on a
press. You cannot edit or remove this swatch.
You can also add colors from any color library to the Swatches panel so that they are saved with your document.
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Customize swatch display
You can control the size of swatches and whether the name displays with the swatch.
1 In the Swatches panel menu, choose one of the following:
• Name displays a small swatch next to the name of the swatch. The icons to the right of the name show the color
model (CMYK, RGB, and so on), and whether the color is a spot color, process color, registration color, or none.
• Small Name displays compacted swatch panel rows.
• Small Swatch or Large Swatch displays only the swatch. A triangle with a dot in the corner of the swatch indicates
that the color is a spot color. A triangle without a dot indicates a process color.
2 To set what type of swatches display, click one of the following buttons at the bottom of the Swatches panel:
• Show All Swatches
displays all color, tint, and gradient swatches.
• Show Color Swatches
displays only process color, spot color, mixed ink color, and tint swatches.
• Show Gradient Swatches
displays only gradient swatches.
Note: The None swatch is always displayed regardless of which button you click.
Create color swatches
Swatches can include spot or process colors, mixed inks (process colors mixed with one or more spot colors), RGB or
Lab colors, gradients, or tints.
When you place an image that contains spot colors, the colors are automatically added as swatches to the Swatches
panel. You can apply these swatches to objects in your document, but you cannot redefine or delete the swatches.
Before you create swatches, learn which settings are appropriate for your printer service provider. You can specify color
settings in a preflight profile to highlight color settings that don’t work with your printer.
Create a new color swatch
1 Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
2 For Color Type, choose the method you’ll use to print document colors on a printing press.
3 For Swatch Name, do one of the following:
• If you chose Process as the color type and you want the name always to describe the color values, make sure that
Name With Color Value is selected.
• If you chose Process as the color type and you want to name the color yourself, make sure that Name With Color
Value is deselected, and type a Swatch Name.
• If you chose Spot, type a Swatch Name.
4 For Color Mode, choose the mode you want to use in defining the color. Avoid changing the mode after you define
a color.
5 Do one of the following:
• Drag the sliders to change the color values. You can also enter numeric values in the text boxes next to the color
sliders.
• For spot colors, choose from color libraries in the Color Mode menu.
6 If an out-of-gamut alert icon
appears, and you want to use the in-gamut color closest to the color you originally
specified, click the small color box next to the alert icon.
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7 Do one of the following:
• Click Add to add the swatch and define another one. Click Done when finished.
• Click OK to add the swatch and exit the dialog box.
To directly define a spot color using the New Swatch button in the Swatches panel, make sure that no swatches are
selected, and then hold down Alt+Ctrl (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) as you click the New Swatch button
.
Create a swatch based on the color of an object
1 Select the object.
2 In the Toolbox or Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.
3 In the Swatches panel, do one of the following:
• Click the New Swatch button
and double-click the resulting new swatch.
• Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
The selected color or gradient appears in the Swatches panel and in the Fill box or Stroke box in the Toolbox, and is
applied to the fill or stroke of all selected objects.
Add unnamed colors to the Swatches panel
While you can create colors using the Color panel or Color Picker, unnamed colors are more difficult to edit later and
to use consistently. Use the Add Unnamed Colors option to search for unnamed colors applied to objects within the
document, and then add them to the Swatches panel. Colors are automatically named according to their CMYK, RGB,
or Lab components.
❖ In the Swatches panel, choose Add Unnamed Colors.
Manage swatches
You can edit, duplicate, and delete swatches in the Swatches panel.
Edit the default colors in the Swatches panel
You can change the swatches that appear by default in new documents.
1 Close all open documents.
2 Edit the swatches you want to change in the Swatches panel.
Duplicate a swatch
Duplicating swatches can be useful when you want to create a warmer or cooler variation of an existing color. Note that
duplicating a spot color will result in an additional spot color printing plate.
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select a swatch, and choose Duplicate Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
• Select a swatch, and click the New Swatch button
at the bottom of the panel.
• Drag a swatch to the New Swatch button at the bottom of the panel.
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Edit a swatch
You can change individual attributes of a swatch by using the Swatch Options dialog box. Additional options are
available when editing mixed ink swatches and mixed ink groups.
1 In the Swatches panel, select a swatch, and do one of the following:
• Double-click the swatch.
• Choose Swatch Options in the Swatches panel menu.
2 Adjust settings as desired, and click OK.
Control swatch names
By default, the name of a process color swatch is derived from the values of the color’s components. For example, if you
create a red process color using 10% cyan, 75% magenta, 100% yellow, and 0% black, its swatch will be named C=10
M=75 Y=100 K=0 by default. This makes it easier to identify the composition of process colors.
By default, the name of a process color swatch automatically updates when you change its CMYK values; you can switch
this option off or on for individual swatches as needed. As with any swatch you define, you can change the name of a
process color swatch at any time.
1 Double-click a process color in the Swatches panel.
2 Do one of the following, and click OK:
• To let InDesign rename the swatch when you adjust its CMYK percentages, make sure that the Name With Color
Value option is selected.
• To rename a swatch when you adjust its CMYK values, make sure that the Name With Color Value option is
deselected.
Note: The new swatch is automatically renamed New ColorSwatch (this has a number following it if more than one New
ColorSwatch exists) when this option is deselected. You can change this name manually.
Delete individual swatches
When you delete a swatch that has been applied to an object in the document, InDesign prompts you for a replacement
swatch. You can designate an existing or unnamed swatch. If you delete a swatch used as the basis of a tint or mixed ink,
you will be prompted to choose a replacement.
1 Select one or more swatches.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Delete Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
• Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Swatches panel.
Note: You cannot delete spot colors that are used by placed graphics in the document. To delete these colors, you must
first delete the graphic. However, in rare cases the spot color cannot be removed even though the graphic has been
removed. In such instances, use File > Export to create an InDesign Markup (IDML) file. Then re-open that file in
InDesign.
3 InDesign asks you how to replace the swatch you’re deleting. Do one of the following, and click OK:
• To replace all instances of the swatch with another swatch, click Defined Swatch, and choose a swatch in the
menu.
• To replace all instances of the swatch with an equivalent unnamed color, click Unnamed Swatch.
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Delete all unused swatches
1 Choose Select All Unused in the Swatches panel menu. Only swatches that are not currently used in the active file
will be selected.
2 Click the Delete icon.
Merge swatches
When you import swatches or copy items from other documents, you may end up with duplicate swatches that may be
applied to different objects. Use the Merge Swatches command to combine duplicate swatches.
1 In the Swatches panel, select two or more duplicate swatches.
The first swatch you select is the one the survives (gets merged into).
2 Choose Merge Swatches in the Swatches panel menu.
Save swatches for use in other documents
To use your color swatches in other files or to share them with other designers, you can save swatches in an Adobe
Swatch Exchange (.ase) file. InDesign, as well as Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, can import swatches from a
Colorbook file.
1 In the Swatches panel, select the swatches you want to save.
2 Choose Save Swatches in the Swatches panel menu.
3 Specify a name and location for the file, and click Save.
Share swatches between applications
You can share the solid swatches you create in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign by saving a swatch library for
exchange. The colors appear exactly the same across applications as long as your color settings are synchronized.
1 In the Swatches panel, create the process and spot color swatches you want to share, and remove any swatches you
don’t want to share.
Note: You cannot share the following types of swatches between applications: patterns, gradients, mixed inks and tints,
and the Registration swatch from Illustrator or InDesign; and book color references, HSB, XYZ, duotone, monitorRGB,
opacity, total ink, and webRGB swatches from Photoshop. These types of swatches are automatically excluded when you
save swatches.
2 Select Save Swatches from the Swatches panel menu, and save the swatch libraries in an easily accessible location.
3 Load the swatch library into the Swatches panel for Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign.
Import swatches
You can import colors and gradients from other documents, adding either all or some of the swatches to the Swatches
panel. You can load swatches from InDesign files (.indd), InDesign templates (.indt), Illustrator files (.ai or .eps), and
Adobe Swatch Exchange files (.ase) created by InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop. Adobe Swatch Exchange files
contain swatches saved in the Adobe Swatch Exchange format.
InDesign also includes color libraries from other color systems, such as the PANTONE Process Color System®.
Note: Spot colors used by imported EPS, PDF, TIFF, and Adobe Photoshop (PSD) files are also added to the Swatches panel.
Import selected swatches from a file
1 Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.
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2 Choose Other Library from the Color Mode list, and then select the file from which you want to import swatches.
3 Click Open.
4 Select the swatches you want import.
5 Click OK.
Import all swatches from a file
1 From the Swatches panel menu, choose Load Swatches.
2 Double-click an InDesign document.
Copy swatches between InDesign documents
You can copy or drag a swatch (or objects with a swatch applied) from one document to another. When you do so, the
swatch is added to the destination document’s Swatches panel. If you want to copy the swatch’s tints and gradients as
well, you need to copy the original object, not just the swatch.
❖ Do one of the following:
• Copy an object into the current document using drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste.
• Select the swatches you want to copy and drag them from the Swatches panel to the document window of another
InDesign document.
Note: If you drag a swatch that has an identical name as an existing swatch (including capitalization) but has different
color values, InDesign renames the swatch “[original swatch name] 2.”
Load swatches from predefined custom color libraries
You can select from a range of color libraries—including the PANTONE Process Color System, Toyo™ Ink Electronic
Color Finder™ 1050, the Focoltone® color system, the Trumatch™ color swatch system, the DIC Process Color Note, and
libraries created especially for web use. Before using swatches from a color matching system, consult with your prepress
service providers to determine which ones they support.
1 Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose the library file from the Color Mode list.
• Choose Other Library from the Color Mode list, locate the library file, and then click Open.
3 Select one or more swatches from the library, and click Add. (To exit the dialog box without adding swatches, click
OK.)
4 When you are done adding swatches, click Done.
Color libraries installed with InDesign
InDesign installs color libraries for the color matching systems described below. You can install additional color
libraries and load swatches from them in InDesign.
ANPA Color Consists of 300 colors selected by ANPA (American Newspaper Publishers Association). Colors in this
library are primarily used as spot colors in newspapers.
DIC Color Provides 1280 CMYK spot colors from the DIC Process Color Note. Colors may be matched against the DIC
Color Guide, published by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc. For more information, contact Dainippon Ink &
Chemicals, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan.
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Focoltone Consists of 763 CMYK colors. You can use Focoltone colors to help avoid prepress trapping and registration
problems by viewing the Focoltone charts that show the overprints that make up the colors.
A swatch book with specifications for process and spot colors, overprint charts, and a chip book for marking up layouts
are available from Focoltone. For more information, contact Focoltone International, Ltd., in Stafford, United
Kingdom.
HKS Use when your job specifies colors from the HKS color system, which is used in Europe.
PANTONE® PANTONE® Colors are the worldwide standards for spot color reproduction. In 2000, a major revision was
made to the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® Color guides. 147 new solid colors and seven additional metallic
colors have been added to the System to now include a total of 1,114 colors. PANTONE Color guides and chip books
are now printed on coated, uncoated, and matte paper stocks to ensure accurate visualization of the printed result and
better on-press control.
You can print a solid PANTONE Color in CMYK. To compare a solid PANTONE Color to its closest process color
match, use the PANTONE solid to process guide. The CMYK screen tint percentages are printed under each color. The
guide is now printed on a brighter coated stock and includes comparisons of the 147 new solid colors to CMYK.
PANTONE process guides let you choose from over 3,000 process combinations now printed on coated and uncoated
stocks. Displayed in chromatic order in fan-guide format, it's easy to select colors and specify CMYK screen values.
For more information, contact Pantone, Inc., in Carlstadt, New Jersey, U.S.A.
System (Windows) Includes 256 colors of the Windows default 8-bit panel, which is based on a uniform sampling of
RGB colors.
System (Mac OS) Includes 256 colors of the Mac OS default 8-bit panel, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB
colors.
Toyo Color Finder Includes 1050 colors based on the most common printing inks used in Japan. You can use the Toyo
94 Color Finder or the newer Toyo Color Finder. Consult the color guide that illustrates printed samples of Toyo Ink.
This color guide is available at print publishers and graphic arts supply stores. For more information, contact Toyo Ink
Manufacturing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, Japan.
Trumatch Provides predictable CMYK color matching with over 2000 achievable, computer-generated colors.
Trumatch colors cover the visible spectrum of the CMYK gamut in even steps. The Trumatch Color Finder displays up
to 40 tints and shades of each hue, each originally created in four-color process and each reproducible in four colors on
electronic imagesetters. In addition, four-color grays using different hues are included. For more information, contact
Trumatch Inc., in New York, New York, U.S.A.
Web Includes the 216 RGB web-safe colors most often used by web browsers to display 8-bit images. This library helps
you create artwork for the web using colors that display consistently across Windows and Macintosh systems.
More Help topics
Understanding spot and process colors
Mixing inks
Tints
Using colors from imported graphics
Preflighting files before handoff
Inks, separations, and screen frequency
Mixing inks
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Using colors from imported graphics
Using colors from imported graphics
InDesign provides various ways for you to sample and redefine colors from the graphics you import into your
document. Spot colors from placed PDF or EPS files and spot-color channels in Adobe Photoshop (PSD) and TIFF files
appear as spot colors in the Swatches panel. You can apply these colors to objects in your document or convert them to
process colors; however, you cannot redefine the color values or delete the imported swatches. If you delete the placed
graphic, the colors remain but are converted to native InDesign colors, which can then be edited or deleted.
Using the Eyedropper tool to sample colors
You can use the Eyedropper tool
to add colors from imported graphics to your document, or to apply them to
objects in your document. This is useful for coordinating layout colors with images.
For best results with color separations, you may want to make sure that color names, types (such as spot and process),
and models (such as RGB and CMYK) of the colors sampled in InDesign are consistent with the color definitions in
the imported graphics. If you’re not sure about the best settings to use, consult with your prepress service provider.
Working with spot-color channels in an Adobe Photoshop (PSD) file
When you place a native Photoshop file (PSD) or TIFF file in InDesign, any spot-color channels the file contains appear
in the Swatches panel as spot-color inks. You can select and apply these swatches to other objects in your document; to
delete these swatches, however, you must first delete the placed image.
If you import a file that has a spot-color channel with the same name as a spot color in your document, but with
different color values, you will be asked whether you want to use the color values in the placed file or the ones in the
document.
Working with colors from EPS or PDF files
When you place a PDF file, EPS graphic, or Adobe Illustrator (.AI) file, names of spot colors used in the graphic are
added to the Swatches panel in your document, so that you can be aware that they can cause additional printing costs
later, and also so that you can use the spot colors in your document.
If the graphic you are importing contains a spot color with the same name as a spot color in your document but different
color values, the color values in the document are used.
Change an imported spot color to a process color
When you import an EPS, PSD, TIFF or PDF graphic containing a spot color (or a spot-color channel), InDesign adds
the spot color name and definition to the Swatches panel. You can change an imported spot color swatch to a process
color swatch. This provides flexibility for adapting colors—even those in imported graphics—to your current output
requirements.
1 In the Swatches panel, double-click the swatch you want to edit.
2 In the Swatch Options dialog box, choose Process in the Color Type menu.
Note: This changes the color type in the InDesign document only. To permanently change the color type of colors within a
graphic, open the graphic in the program in which it was created, and then edit the color in that program.
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More Help topics
Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool
Understanding spot and processcolors
About spot and process colors
You can designate colors as either spot or process color types, which correspond to the two main ink types used in
commercial printing. In the Swatches panel, you can identify the color type of a color using icons that appear next to
the name of the color.
When applying color to paths and frames, keep in mind the final medium in which the artwork will be published, so
that you apply color using the most appropriate color mode.
If your color workflow involves transferring documents among devices, you may want to use a color-management
system (CMS) to help maintain and regulate colors throughout the process.
About spot colors
A spot color is a special premixed ink that is used instead of, or in addition to, process inks, and that requires its own
printing plate on a printing press. Use spot color when few colors are specified and color accuracy is critical. Spot color
inks can accurately reproduce colors that are outside the gamut of process colors. However, the exact appearance of the
printed spot color is determined by the combination of the ink as mixed by the commercial printer and the paper it’s
printed on, not by color values you specify or by color management. When you specify spot color values, you’re
describing the simulated appearance of the color for your monitor and composite printer only (subject to the gamut
limitations of those devices).
Keep the following guidelines in mind when specifying a spot color:
• For best results in printed documents, specify a spot color from a color-matching system supported by your
commercial printer. Several color-matching system libraries are included with the software.
• Minimize the number of spot colors you use. Each spot color you create will generate an additional spot color
printing plate for a printing press, increasing your printing costs. If you think you might require more than four
colors, consider printing your document using process colors.
• If an object contains spot colors and overlaps another object containing transparency, undesirable results may occur
when exporting to EPS format, when converting spot colors to process colors using the Print dialog box, or when
creating color separations in an application other than Illustrator or InDesign. For best results, use the Flattener
Preview or the Separations Preview to soft proof the effects of flattening transparency before printing. In addition,
you can convert the spot colors to process colors by using the Ink Manager in InDesign before printing or exporting.
• You can use a spot color printing plate to apply a varnish over areas of a process color job. In this case, your print
job would use a total of five inks—four process inks and one spot varnish.
About process colors
A process color is printed using a combination of the four standard process inks: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
(CMYK). Use process colors when a job requires so many colors that using individual spot inks would be expensive or
impractical, as when printing color photographs.
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Keep the following guidelines in mind when specifying a process color:
• For best results in a high-quality printed document, specify process colors using CMYK values printed in process
color reference charts, such as those available from a commercial printer.
• The final color values of a process color are its values in CMYK, so if you specify a process color using RGB (or LAB,
in InDesign), those color values will be converted to CMYK when you print color separations. These conversions
differ based on your color-management settings and document profile.
• Don’t specify a process color based on how it looks on your monitor, unless you are sure you have set up a colormanagement system properly, and you understand its limitations for previewing color.
• Avoid using process colors in documents intended for online viewing only, because CMYK has a smaller color
gamut than that of a typical monitor.
• Illustrator and InDesign let you specify a process color as either global or non-global. In Illustrator, global process
colors remain linked to a swatch in the Swatches panel, so that if you modify the swatch of a global process color, all
objects using that color are updated. Non-global process colors do not automatically update throughout the
document when the color is edited. Process colors are non-global by default. In InDesign, when you apply a swatch
to objects, the swatch is automatically applied as a global process color. Non-global swatches are unnamed colors,
which you can edit in the Color panel.
Note: Global and non-global process colors only affect how a particular color is applied to objects, never how colors separate
or behave when you move them between applications.
Using spot and process colors together
Sometimes it’s practical to use process and spot inks in the same job. For example, you might use one spot ink to print
the exact color of a company logo on the same pages of an annual report where photographs are reproduced using
process color. You can also use a spot color printing plate to apply a varnish over areas of a process color job. In both
cases, your print job would use a total of five inks—four process inks and one spot ink or varnish.
In InDesign, you can mix process and spot colors together to create mixed ink colors.
Comparing colors in InDesign and Illustrator
Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator use slightly different methods for applying named colors. Illustrator lets you
specify a named color as either global or nonglobal, and InDesign treats all unnamed colors as nonglobal, process colors.
The InDesign equivalents to global colors are swatches. Swatches make it easier to modify color schemes without having
to locate and adjust each individual object. This is especially useful in standardized, production-driven documents like
magazines. Because InDesign colors are linked to swatches in the Swatches panel, any change to a swatch affects all
objects to which a color is applied.
The InDesign equivalents to nonglobal swatches are unnamed colors. Unnamed colors do not appear in the Swatches
panel, and they do not automatically update throughout the document when the color is edited in the Color panel. You
can, however, add an unnamed color to the Swatches panel later.
Named and unnamed colors only affect how a particular color updates in your document, never how colors separate
or behave when you move them between applications.
More Help topics
Mixing inks
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Chapter 11: Transparency
Adding transparency effects
When you create an object in Adobe InDesign, by default it appears solid; that is, it has an opacity of 100%. You can
apply effects to objects using opacity and blends. Overlap objects, add transparency to objects, or knock out shapes
behind objects.
About transparency
When you create an object or stroke, when you apply a fill, or when you enter text, by default these items appear solid;
that is, they have an opacity of 100%. You can make the items transparent in a variety of ways. For example, you can
vary the opacity from 100% (completely opaque) to 0% (completely transparent). When you decrease opacity, the
underlying artwork becomes visible through the surface of the object, stroke, fill, or text.
You use the Effects panel to specify the opacity an object, its stroke, its fill, or its text, You can decide how the object
itself, its stroke, fill, or text blend with objects beneath. Where objects are concerned, you can choose to isolate blending
to specific objects so that only some objects in a group blend with objects below them, or you can have objects knock
out rather than blend with objects in a group.
Areas of underlying objects appear through transparent object.
Effects panel overview
Use the Effects panel (Window > Effects) to specify the opacity and blending mode of objects and groups, isolate
blending to a particular group, knock out objects inside a group, or apply a transparency effect.
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Add and edit transparency effects in the Effects panel
A Blending mode B Levels C FX icon D Clear effects E FX button
Blending Mode
Specifies how colors in transparent objects interact with the objects behind them. (See Specify how colors blend.)
Opacity
Determines the opacity of an object, stroke, fill, or text. (See Set the opacity of an object.)
Level
Tells you the Object, Stroke, Fill, and Text opacity settings of the object, as well as whether transparency effects have
been applied. Click the triangle to the left of the word Object (or Group or Graphic) to hide or display these level
settings. The FX icon appears on a level after you apply transparency settings there, and you can double-click the FX
icon to edit the settings.
Isolate Blending
Applies a blending mode to a selected group of objects. (See Isolate blending modes.)
Knockout Group
Makes the opacity and blending attributes of every object in a group knock out, or block out, underlying objects in the
group. (See Knock out objects within a group.)
Clear All button
Clears effects—stroke, fill, or text— from an object, sets the blend mode to Normal, and changes the Opacity setting to
100% throughout the object.
FX button
Displays a list of transparency effects. (See Apply transparency effects.)
Display Effects panel options
❖ Choose Window > Effects and, if necessary, open the Effects panel menu and choose Show Options.
The Effects panel options are also available in the Effects dialog box (select an object and choose Object > Effects >
Transparency) and, in simplified form, on the Control panel.
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Apply transparency effects
1 Select an object. To apply effects to a graphic, select the graphic with the Direct Selection tool.
2 Choose Window > Effects to display the Effects panel.
3 Select a level to designate which parts or part of the object you want to change:
Object Affects the entire object—its stroke, fill, and text.
Graphic Affects only the graphic selected with the Direct Selection tool. Effects you apply to the graphic remain
with it when you paste the graphic in a different frame.
Group Affects all objects and text in the group. (Use the Direct Selection tool to apply effects to objects within a
group.)
Stroke Affects only the object’s stroke (including its gap color).
Fill Affects only the object’s fill.
Text Affects only text inside the object, not the text frame. Effects you apply to text affect all the text in the object;
you can’t apply an effect to individual words or letters.
You can also choose a level setting in the Control panel: Click the Apply Effect To Object button
Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text.
and select
4 Do any of the following to open the Effects dialog box:
• In the Effects panel or Control panel, click the FX button
and choose an effect from the menu.
• From the Effects panel menu, choose Effects and then an effect name.
• From the context menu, choose Effects and then an effect name.
• Choose Object > Effects, and then choose an effect name.
• On the Effects panel, click the triangle to display level settings if necessary, and then double-click a level setting—
Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text—on the Effects panel. By double-clicking, you both open the Effects dialog box and
choose a level setting.
5 Choose options and settings for the effect. (See Common transparency settings and options .)
6 Click OK.
Edit a transparency effect
1 Select the object or objects to which the effect has been applied.
2 Do one of the following to open the Effects dialog box.
• On the Effects panel, double-click the FX icon to the right of Object (not at the bottom of the panel). You may
need to click the triangle next to the word Object to display the FX icon.
• Select the level with the effect you want to edit, click the FX button
of an effect.
in the Effects panel, and choose the name
3 Edit the effect.
Copy transparency effects
❖ Do any of the following to copy transparency effects:
• To copy effects between objects, select the object with the effect you want to copy, select the object’s FX icon
in the Effects panel, and drag the FX icon to the other object. You can drag and drop effects between objects
only to and from the same level.
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• To copy effects between objects selectively, use the Eyedropper tool
. To control which transparency stroke,
fill, and object settings are copied with the Eyedropper tool, double-click the tool to open the Eyedropper
Options dialog box. Then select or deselect options in the Stroke Settings, Fill Settings, and Object Settings areas.
• To copy effects from one level to another in the same object, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the
FX icon from one level to another (Stroke, Fill, or Text) on the Effects panel.
You can move effects from one level to another in the same object by dragging the FX icon.
Clear transparency effects from an object
❖ Do any of the following:
• To clear all effects from an object as well as change the blending mode to Normal and the Opacity setting to
100%, click the Clear All Effects button
in the Effects panel or choose Clear All Transparency on the Effect
panel menu.
• To clear all effects but maintain the blending and opacity settings, select a level and choose Clear Effects on the
Effects panel menu or drag the FX icon
from the Stroke, Fill, or Text level in the Effects panel to the Trash
icon.
• To clear multiple levels (Stroke, Fill, or Text) of an effect, select the levels and click the Trash icon.
• To remove an individual effect from an object, open the Effects dialog box and deselect a Transparency effect.
Transparency effects
InDesign offers nine transparency effects. Many of the settings and options for creating these effects are similar.
Effects
A Drop Shadow B Inner Shadow C Outer Glow D Inner Glow E Bevel and Emboss F Satin G Basic Feather H Directional Feather I Gradient
Feather
Drop Shadow Adds a shadow that falls behind the object, stroke, fill, or text.
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Inner Shadow Adds a shadow that falls just inside the edges of the object, stroke, fill, or text, giving it a recessed
appearance.
Outer Glow and Inner Glow Add glows that emanate from the outside or inside edges of the object, stroke, fill, or text.
Bevel and Emboss Adds various combinations of highlights and shadows to give text and images a three-dimensional
appearance.
Satin Adds interior shading that makes a satiny finish.
Basic Feather, Directional Feather, and Gradient Feather Soften the edges of an object by fading them to transparent.
Note: In addition to the descriptions covered here, see Common transparency settings and options.
Common transparency settings and options
Many transparency effect settings and options are the same across different effects. Common transparency settings and
options include the following:
Angle and Altitude Determine the lighting angle at which a lighting effect is applied. A setting of 0 is equivalent to
ground level; 90 is directly above the object. Click the angle radius or enter a degree measurement. Select Use Global
Light if you want a uniform lighting angle for all objects. Used by the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss,
Satin, and Feather effects.
Blending Mode Specifies how colors in transparent objects interact with the objects behind them. Used by the Drop
Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, and Satin effects. (See Specify how colors blend.)
Choke Along with the Size setting, determines how much of the shadow or glow is opaque and how much is
transparent; large settings increase opacity and small settings increase transparency. Used by the Inner Shadow, Inner
Glow, and Feather effects.
Distance Specifies the offset distance for the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, or Satin effect.
Noise Specifies the amount of random elements in the opacity of a glow or shadow as you enter a value or drag the
slider. Used by the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, and Feather effects.
Opacity Determines the opacity of an effect; drag the slider or enter a percentage measurement. (See Set the opacity of
an object .) Used by the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, Gradient Feather, Bevel and Emboss,
and Satin effects.
Size Specifies the amount of shadow or glow. Used by the Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, and
Satin effects.
Spread Determines the transparency of the blur within the shadow or glow effect as established by the Size setting. A
higher percentage makes the blur more opaque. Used by the Drop Shadow and Outer Glow.
Technique These settings determine how the edge of a transparency effect interacts with background colors. Softer and
Precise are available for the Outer Glow and Inner Glow effects:
Softer Applies a blur to the edge of the effect. At larger sizes, doesn’t preserve detailed features.
Precise Preserves the edge of the effect, including its corners and other sharp details. Preserves features better than the
Softer technique.
Use Global Light Applies the global light setting to the shadow. Used by the Drop Shadow, Bevel and Emboss, and Inner
Shadow effects.
X Offset and Y Offset Offsets the shadow on the x- or y-axis by the amount you specify. Used by the Drop Shadow and
Inner Shadow effects.
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Drop Shadow
The Drop Shadow effect creates a three-dimensional shadow. You can offset the drop shadow along the x or y axis, as
well as vary the blending mode, color, opacity, distance, angle, and size of the drop shadow. Use these options to
determine how the drop shadow interacts with objects and transparency effects:
Object Knocks Out Shadow The object appears in front of the drop shadow that it casts.
Shadow Honors Other Effects The drop shadow factors in other transparency effects. For example, if the object is
feathered on one side, you can make the drop-shadow disregard the feathering such that the shadow doesn’t fade out,
or make the shadow look feathered in the same way as the object is feathered.
Click the Drop Shadow button
on the Control panel to quickly apply a drop shadow to or remove a drop shadow
from an object, a stroke, a fill, or text.
To select a color for a drop shadow, click the Set Shadow Color button (next to the Blending Mode menu) and choose a
color.
Inner Shadow
The Inner Shadow effect places the shadow inside the object, giving the impression that the object is recessed. You can
offset the inner shadow along different axes and vary the blending mode, opacity, distance, angle, size, noise, and choke
of the shadow.
Outer Glow
The Outer Glow effect makes the glow emanate from under the object. You can set the blending mode, opacity,
technique, noise, size, and spread.
Inner Glow
The Inner Glow effect causes an object to glow from the inside out. Choose the blending mode, opacity, technique, size,
noise and choke settings, as well as the Source setting:
Source Specifies the source for the glow. Choose Center to apply a glow that emanates from the center; choose Edge to
apply a glow that emanates from the object’s boundaries.
Bevel and Emboss
Use the Bevel and Emboss effect to give objects a realistic, three-dimensional look. The Structure settings determine
the object’s size and shape:
Style Specifies the bevel style: Outer Bevel creates the bevel on the outside edges of the object; Inner Bevel creates the
bevel on the inside edges; Emboss simulates the effect of embossing the object against underlying objects; Pillow
Emboss simulates the effect of stamping the edges of the object into underlying objects.
Size Determines the size of the bevel or emboss effect.
Technique Determines how the edge of the bevel or emboss effect interacts with background colors: Smooth blurs the
edges slightly (and doesn’t preserve detailed features at larger sizes); Chisel Soft blurs the edges, but not as much as the
Smooth technique (it preserves detailed features better than the Smooth technique but not as well as the Chisel Hard
technique); Chisel Hard provides a harder, more conspicuous edge (it preserves detailed features better than the
Smooth or Chisel Soft techniques).
Soften In addition to the Technique setting, blurs the effect to reduce unwanted artifacts and rough edges.
Direction Choose Up or Down to make the effect appear pushed up or down.
Depth Specifies the depth of the bevel or emboss effect.
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The Shading settings determine how light interacts with the object:
Angle and Altitude Sets the height of the light source. A setting of 0 is equivalent to ground level; 90 is directly above
the object.
Use Global Light Applies the global light source as specified for all transparency effects. Choosing this option overrides
any Angle and Altitude settings.
Highlight and Shadow Specifies the blending mode for the bevel or emboss highlight and shadow.
Satin
Use the Satin effect to give objects a smooth, satin-like finish. Choose the blending mode, opacity, angle, distance, and
size settings, as well as whether to invert colors and transparencies:
Invert Select this option to reverse the colored and transparent areas of the object.
Basic Feather
The Feather effect softens (fades) the edges of an object over a distance that you specify:
Feather Width
Sets the distance over which the object fades from opaque to transparent.
Choke
Along with the Feather Width setting, determines how much of the softening glow is opaque and how much is
transparent; a large setting increases opacity and a small setting increases transparency.
Corners
Choose Sharp, Rounded, or Diffused:
Sharp Follows the outer edge of the shape, including sharp corners. This option is appropriate for star-like objects and
a special effect on a rectangular shape.
Rounded Rounds the corner by the feather radius; essentially, the shape is first inset, then outset, to form the two
contours. This option works well with rectangles.
Diffused Uses the Adobe Illustrator method, which makes the edges of the object fade from opaque to transparent.
Noise
Specifies the amount of random elements in the softening glow. Use this option to soften the glow.
Directional Feather
The Directional Feather effect softens the edges of an object by fading the edges to transparent from directions that you
specify. For example, you can apply feathering to the top and bottom of the object, not the left or right side.Feather
WidthsSet the distance over which the top, bottom, left side, and right side of the object fade to transparent. Select the
Lock option to fade each side of the object by the same distance.NoiseSpecifies the amount of random elements in the
softening glow. Use this option to create a softer glow.ChokeAlong with the Width settings, determines how much of
the glow is opaque and how much is transparent; large settings increase opacity and small settings increase
transparency.ShapeChoose an option—First Edge Only, Leading Edges, or All Edges—to demarcate the object’s
original shape.AngleRotates the frame of reference for the feathering effect such that, as long as you don’t enter a
multiple of 90 degrees, the feathering edges are skewed rather than parallel to the object.
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Gradient Feather
Use the Gradient Feather effect to soften the areas of an object by fading them to transparent.Gradient StopsCreate one
gradient stop for each gradation in transparency that you want for your object.
• To create a gradient stop, click below the Gradient Slider (drag a gradient stop away from the slider to remove a stop).
• To adjust the position of a stop, drag it left or right, or select it and then drag the Location slider.
• To adjust the mid-point between two opacity stops, drag a diamond above the Gradient Slider. Where the diamond
is located determines how abrupt or gradual the transition between stops is.
Reverse GradientClick to reverse the direction of the gradations. This box is located to the right of the Gradient
Slider.OpacitySpecifies the transparency between gradient points. Select a point and drag the Opacity slider.
LocationAdjusts the position of a gradient stop. Select a gradient stop before dragging the slider or entering a
measurement.TypeLinear shades from the starting gradient point to the ending gradient point in a straight line; Radial
shades from the starting point to the ending point in a circular pattern.AngleFor linear gradients, establishes the angle
of the gradation lines. At 90 degrees, for example, the lines run horizontally; at 180 degrees, the lines run vertically.
Use Global Light
You can apply a uniform lighting angle to transparency effects in which shading is a factor: Drop Shadow, Inner
Shadow, and Bevel and Emboss. When you choose Use Global Light with these effects, lighting is determined by the
global setting in the Global Light dialog box.
1 Do any of the following to open the Global Light dialog box:
• Choose Global Light from the Effects panel menu.
• Choose Object > Effects > Global Light.
2 Enter a value or drag the angle radius to set the Angle and Altitude, and click OK.
Set the opacity of an object
You can apply transparency to a single object or selected objects (including graphics and text frames), but not to
individual text characters or layers. However, imported graphics with those types of transparency effects will appear
and print correctly.
1 Select the object or objects.
The word mixed appears in the Effects panel if you select multiple objects and their opacity settings conflict. For
example, if the Fill opacity setting is different in objects you selected, the Transparency palette reads, “Fill: Opacity
(mixed).”
2 Choose Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text with any of these techniques:
• Click the Apply Effects button
on the Control panel and choose an option.
• Click an option on the Effects panel (click the triangle next to the word Object, if necessary, to see the options).
3 On the Control panel or Effects panel, type a value for Opacity or click the arrow next to the Opacity setting and
drag the slider. As the opacity value of objects is reduced, the transparency increases.
Note: If you direct-select and cut or copy an object from a transparent group in InDesign, and then paste the object
somewhere else in the document, the pasted object won’t be transparent unless it was previously selected individually and
had transparency applied.
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Applying transparency to groups
Besides applying transparency effects to single objects, you can apply them to groups.
If you simply select objects and change their individual opacity settings, the selected objects’ opacity will change relative
to that of the others. Any overlapping areas will show an accumulated opacity.
In contrast, if you target a group that has been created with the Group command, and then change the opacity, the
group is treated as a single object by the Effects panel (the Effects panel shows only one level option—Group), and the
opacities within the group don’t change. In other words, objects within the group don’t interact with each other in
transparency.
Individual objects selected and set to 50% opacity (left) and group selected and set to 50% opacity (right)
Change the appearance of transparent artwork on screen
Use the Display Performance dialog box to set transparency preferences. These preferences determine the on-screen
quality of transparent objects in new documents and in documents saved with modified preferences. You can also set
the preferences to turn on or off the display of transparency in the document. Turning off transparency in the display
preferences doesn’t turn off transparency when printing or exporting the file.
Note: Before you print a file containing transparency effects, make sure that you check the transparency preferences first.
Printing automatically flattens the artwork, and may affect the appearance of the transparency effects.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or Adobe InDesign > Preferences > Display
Performance (Mac OS).
2 Select an option (Fast, Typical, High Quality) in the Adjust View Settings section to determine the on-screen
resolution of any effect in the document. The settings you change apply only to the option you select here:
• Fast turns off transparency and sets the resolution to 24 dpi.
• Typical displays low-resolution effects and sets the resolution to 72 dpi.
• High Quality improves the display of effects, especially in PDF and EPS files, and sets the resolution to 144 dpi.
3 Drag the Transparency slider. The default setting is Medium Quality, which displays drop shadows and feathering.
4 Click OK.
5 When inks overlap with blend modes, choose View >Overprint Preview. This option ensures that you can see on
screen how any inks interact with transparency.
Use the View menu to quickly change transparency display between Fast Display, Typical Display, and High Quality
Display.
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Stop displaying transparency
To improve display performance, you can turn off the display of transparency. Turning off transparency on screen
doesn’t turn off transparency for printing or exporting the file.
❖ Choose View > Display Performance > Fast Display.
Removing white box effect in documents with transparency
In some instances, a white box or ghost border appears where a transparency effect is applied, usually in documents
that contain drop shadows or gradients. This problem may occur if the transparency effect interacts with a spot color.
To fix this problem, you can either avoid using spot colors with transparency or you can turn on overprinting.
To view and print a PDF document without the white box effect, in Acrobat enable Simulate Overprinting. In Acrobat
9, choose Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview. In Acrobat X, choose Tools > Print Production > Output
Preview.
If you’re sending the document to a printer that’s experiencing this white box effect, ask the service provider to turn on
PostScript Overprint at the RIP. If this doesn’t work, you can flatten the transparency and select the Simulate Overprint
option before you send the file. In InDesign, this option is found on the Output panel of the Print dialog box when you
select the Composite CMYK option.
More Help topics
About flattening
Adjust a gradient with the Gradient tools
Control graphics’ display performance
Flattening transparent artwork
About flattening
If your document or artwork contains transparency, to be output it usually needs to undergo a process called flattening.
Flattening divides transparent artwork into vector-based areas and rasterized areas. As artwork becomes more complex
(mixing images, vectors, type, spot colors, overprinting, and so on), so does the flattening and its results.
Flattening may be necessary when you print or when you save or export to other formats that don’t support
transparency. To retain transparency without flattening when you create PDF files, save your file as Adobe PDF 1.4
(Acrobat 5.0) or later.
You can specify flattening settings and then save and apply them as transparency flattener presets. Transparent objects
are flattened according to the settings in the selected flattener preset.
Note: Transparency flattening cannot be undone after the file is saved.
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Overlapping art is divided when flattened.
For more information on transparency output issues, see the Print Service Provider Resources page of the Adobe
Solutions Network (ASN) (English only), available on the Adobe website.
About transparency flattener presets
If you regularly print or export documents that contain transparency, you can automate the flattening process by saving
flattening settings in a transparency flattener preset. You can then apply these settings for print output as well as for
saving and exporting files to PDF 1.3 (Acrobat 4.0) and EPS and PostScript formats. In addition, in Illustrator you can
apply them when saving files to earlier versions of Illustrator or when copying to the clipboard; in Acrobat, you can also
apply them when optimizing PDFs.
These settings also control how flattening occurs when you export to formats that don’t support transparency.
You can choose a flattener preset in the Advanced panel of the Print dialog box or of the format-specific dialog box that
appears after the initial Export or Save As dialog box. You can create your own flattener presets or choose from the
default options provided with the software. The settings of each of these defaults are designed to match the quality and
speed of the flattening with an appropriate resolution for rasterized transparent areas, depending on the document’s
intended use:
[High Resolution] is for final press output and for high-quality proofs, such as separations-based color proofs.
[Medium Resolution] is for desktop proofs and print-on-demand documents that will be printed on PostScript color
printers.
[Low Resolution] is for quick proofs that will be printed on black-and-white desktop printers and for documents that
will be published on the web or exported to SVG.
Apply a flattener preset for output
You can choose a flattener preset in the Print dialog box, or in the format-specific dialog box that appears after the
initial Export dialog box.
If you regularly export or print documents that contain transparency, you can automate the flattening process by saving
flattener settings in a transparency flattener preset. You can then apply these settings when you print or export to PDF
1.3 (Acrobat 4.0) or EPS formats.
❖ In the Advanced panel of the Print, Export EPS, or Export Adobe PDF dialog box, choose a custom preset or one of
the following default presets:
[Low Resolution] Use for quick proofs that will be printed on black-and-white desktop printers, and for documents
that will be published on the web.
[Medium Resolution] Use for desktop proofs and print-on-demand documents that will be printed on Adobe
PostScript color printers.
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[High Resolution] Use for final press output, and for high-quality proofs such as separations-based color proofs.
Note: The flattening settings are used only if the artwork contains transparency or if Simulate Overprint is selected in
the Output area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box.
Create or edit a transparency flattener preset
You can save transparency flattener presets in a separate file, making it easy to back them up or to make them available
to your service providers, clients, or others in your workgroup. In InDesign, transparency flattener preset files have an
.flst extension.
1 Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.
2 Do one of the following:
• To create a new preset, click New.
• To base a preset on a predefined preset, select one in the list and click New.
• To edit an existing preset, select the preset and click Edit.
Note: You can’t edit the default flattener presets.
3 Set flattening options.
4 Click OK to return to the Transparency Flattener Presets dialog box, and click OK again.
Export and import a custom transparency flattener preset
You can export and import transparency flattener presets in order to share them with your service providers, your
clients, or others in your workgroup.
1 Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.
2 Select a preset in the list.
3 Do one of the following:
• To export a preset to a separate file, click Save (InDesign) or Export (Illustrator), specify a name and location,
and then click Save.
Consider saving the preset outside of the application’s preferences folder. That way, it won’t be lost if you delete
your preferences.
• To import presets from a file, click Load (InDesign) or Import (Illustrator). Locate and select the file containing
the preset you want to load, and then click Open.
Rename or delete a custom transparency flattener preset
1 Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.
2 Select a preset in the list.
3 Do one of the following:
• To rename an existing preset, click Edit, type a new name, and then click OK.
• To delete a preset, click Delete, and then click OK to confirm the deletion.
Note: You cannot delete the default presets.
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Flatten an individual spread
You can apply flattener settings to individual spreads in a document, overriding the flattener preset you’ve set for the
entire document or book. This is useful for controlling the flattening quality in documents with a mix of highresolution images with lots of transparency and low-resolution images. In this case, you can flatten the complex spread
at a high quality, and use a faster and lower-quality flattener preset on the other spreads.
At print or export time, you can revert to the flattener settings for the document or book.
1 Display the spread in the Document window.
2 Choose Spread Flattening in the Pages panel menu.
3 Choose any of the following, and then click OK:
Default Uses the document flattening preset for this spread.
None (Ignore Transparency) Ignores transparency for the spread. This option is useful for troubleshooting by the
service provider.
Custom Opens the Custom Spread Flattener Settings dialog box for specifying settings.
Ignore the flattener preset on an individual spread
❖ Select Ignore Spread Overrides from any of the following locations in InDesign:
• The Flattener Preview panel (Window > Output > Flattener Preview).
• The Advanced area of the Print or Export Adobe PDF dialog box.
Transparency Flattener options
You can set Transparency Flattener options when creating, editing, or previewing flattener presets in Illustrator,
InDesign, or Acrobat.
Highlight (preview) options
None (Color Preview) Disables previewing.
Rasterized Complex Regions Highlights the areas that will be rasterized for performance reasons (as determined by the
Rasters/Vectors slider). Keep in mind that the boundary of the highlight area has a higher probability of producing
stitching problems (depending on the print-driver settings and the rasterization resolution). To minimize stitching
problems, select Clip Complex Regions.
Transparent Objects Highlights the objects that are sources of transparency, such as objects with partial opacity
(including images with alpha channels), objects with blending modes, and objects with opacity masks. In addition, note
that styles and effects may contain transparency, and overprinted objects may be treated as sources of transparency if
they are involved in transparency or if the overprint needs to be flattened.
All Affected Objects Highlights all objects that are involved in transparency, including transparent objects and objects
that are overlapped by transparent objects. The highlighted objects will be affected by the flattening process—their
strokes or patterns will be expanded, portions of them may get rasterized, and so on.
Affected Linked EPS Files (Illustrator only) Highlights all linked EPS files that are affected by transparency.
Affected Graphics (InDesign only) Highlights all placed content affected by transparency or transparency effects. This
option is useful for service providers who need to see graphics that require attention to print properly.
Expanded Patterns (Illustrator and Acrobat) Highlights all patterns that will be expanded if involved in transparency.
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Outlined Strokes Highlights all strokes that will be outlined if involved in transparency or because Convert All Strokes
To Outlines is selected.
Outlined Text (Illustrator and InDesign) Highlights all text that will be outlined if involved in transparency or because
Convert All Text To Outlines is selected.
Note: In the final output, outlined strokes and text may appear slightly different from native ones, especially very thin
strokes and very small text. However, the Flattener Preview doesn’t highlight this altered appearance.
Raster-Fill Text And Strokes (InDesign only) Highlights text and strokes that have rasterized fills as a result of flattening.
All Rasterized Regions (Illustrator and InDesign) Highlights objects and intersections of objects that will be rasterized
because there is no other way of representing them in PostScript or because they are more complex than the threshold
specified by the Rasters/Vectors slider. For example, the intersection of two transparent gradients will always be
rasterized, even if the Rasters/Vectors value is 100. The All Rasterized Regions option also shows raster graphics (such
as Photoshop files) involved in transparency, and raster effects such as drop shadows and feathers. Note that this option
takes longer to process than the others.
Transparency Flattener Preset options
Name/Preset Specifies the name of the preset. Depending on the dialog box, you can type a name in the Name text box
or accept the default. You can enter the name of an existing preset to edit that preset. However, you can’t edit the default
presets.
Raster/Vector balance Specifies the amount of vector information that will be preserved. Higher settings preserve
more vector objects, while lower settings rasterize more vector objects; intermediate settings preserve simple areas in
vector form and rasterize complex ones. Select the lowest setting to rasterize all the artwork.
Note: The amount of rasterization that occurs depends on the complexity of the page and the types of overlapping objects.
Line Art And Text Resolution Rasterizes all objects, including images, vector artwork, text, and gradients, to the
specified resolution. Acrobat and InDesign allow a maximum of 9600 pixels per inch (ppi) for line art, and 1200 ppi for
gradient mesh. Illustrator allows a maximum of 9600 ppi for both line art and gradient mesh. The resolution affects the
precision of intersections when flattened. Line Art and Text Resolution should generally be set to 600-1200 to provide
high-quality rasterization, especially on serif or small point sized type.
Gradient And Mesh Resolution Specifies the resolution for gradients and Illustrator mesh objects rasterized as a result
of flattening, from 72 to 2400 ppi. The resolution affects the precision of intersections when flattened. Gradient and
mesh resolution should generally be set between 150 and 300 ppi, because the quality of the gradients, drop shadows,
and feathers do not improve with higher resolutions, but printing time and file size increase.
Convert All Text To Outlines Converts all type objects (point type, area type, and path type) to outlines and discards all
type glyph information on pages containing transparency. This option ensures that the width of text stays consistent
during flattening. Note that enabling this option will cause small fonts to appear slightly thicker when viewed in
Acrobat or printed on low-resolution desktop printers. It doesn’t affect the quality of the type printed on highresolution printers or imagesetters.
Convert All Strokes To Outlines Converts all strokes to simple filled paths on pages containing transparency. This
option ensures that the width of strokes stays consistent during flattening. Note that enabling this option causes thin
strokes to appear slightly thicker and may degrade flattening performance.
Clip Complex Regions Ensures that the boundaries between vector artwork and rasterized artwork fall along object
paths. This option reduces stitching artifacts that result when part of an object is rasterized while another part of the
object remains in vector form. However, selecting this option may result in paths that are too complex for the printer
to handle.
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Note: Some print drivers process raster and vector art differently, sometimes resulting in color stitching. You may be able to
minimize stitching problems by disabling some print-driver specific color-management settings. These settings vary with
each printer, so see the documentation that came with your printer for details.
Stitching, where rasters and vectors meet.
(Illustrator only) Select Preserve Alpha Transparency (Flatten Transparency dialog box only) Preserves the overall
opacity of flattened objects. With this option, blending modes and overprints are lost, but their appearance is retained
within the processed artwork, along with the level of alpha transparency (as when you rasterize artwork using a
transparent background). Preserve Alpha Transparency can be useful if you are exporting to SWF or SVG, since both
of these formats support alpha transparency.
(Illustrator only) Select Preserve Spot Colors And Overprints (Flatten Transparency dialog box only) Generally
preserves spot colors. It also preserves overprinting for objects that aren’t involved in transparency. Select this option
when printing separations if the document contains spot colors and overprinted objects. Deselect this option when
saving files for use in page-layout applications. With this option selected, overprinted areas that interact with
transparency are flattened, while overprinting in other areas is preserved. The results are unpredictable when the file is
output from a page-layout application.
Preserve Overprint (Acrobat only) Blends the color of transparent artwork with the background color to create an
overprint effect.
Preview which areas of artwork will be flattened
Use the preview options in the Flattener Preview to highlight areas that are affected by flattening. You can use this colorcoded information to adjust flattening options.
Note: The Flattener Preview is not intended for precise previewing of spot colors, overprints, and blending modes. Instead,
use Overprint Preview mode for those purposes.
1 Display the Flattener Preview panel (or dialog box):
• In Illustrator, choose Window > Flattener Preview.
• In Acrobat, choose Tools > Print Production > Flattener Preview.
• In InDesign, choose Window > Output > Flattener Preview.
2 From the Highlight menu, choose the kind of areas you want to highlight. The availability of options depends on
the content of the artwork.
3 Select the flattening settings you want to use: Either choose a preset or, if available, set specific options.
Note: (Illustrator) If the flattening settings aren’t visible, select Show Options from the panel menu to display them.
4 If the artwork contains overprinted objects that interact with transparent objects, in Illustrator, select an option from
the Overprints menu. You can preserve, simulate, or discard overprints. In Acrobat, choose Preserve Overprint to
blend the color of transparent artwork with the background color to create an overprint effect.
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5 At any time, click Refresh to display a fresh preview version based on your settings. Depending on the complexity
of the artwork, you may need to wait a few seconds for the preview image to appear. In InDesign, you can also choose
Auto Refresh Highlight.
In Illustrator and Acrobat, to magnify the preview, click in the preview area. To zoom out, Alt-click/Option-click in
the preview area. To pan the preview, hold down the spacebar and drag in the preview area.
Refresh the preview in the Flattener Preview panel
• To automatically update the display whenever it is out of date and idle, select Auto Refresh Highlight.
• To manually update the display, click Refresh.
In both cases, the display is updated in the document window according to the transparency flattening settings you
chose.
Best practices when creating transparency
In most cases, flattening produces excellent results when you use an appropriate predefined flattener preset, or create a
preset with settings appropriate for your final output. For a complete reference and troubleshooting guide on how
transparency affects output, see the document “Achieving Reliable Print Output with Transparency” (English only) on
the Adobe website.
However, if your document contains complex, overlapping areas and you require high-resolution output, you can
achieve more reliable print output by following a few basic guidelines:
Note: If you’re applying transparency to documents intended for high-resolution output, be sure to discuss your plans with
your service provider. Good communication between you and your service provider will help you achieve the results you
expect.
Overprinting objects
Although flattened objects may look transparent, they are actually opaque and don’t allow other objects beneath them
to show through. However, if you don’t apply overprint simulation, the transparency flattener may be able to preserve
basic overprinting of objects when exporting to PDF or printing. In this case, recipients of the resulting PDF file should
select Overprint Preview in Acrobat 5.0 or later to accurately view the results of overprinting.
Conversely, if you apply overprint simulation, the transparency flattener provides a simulation of what the overprints
look like, and this simulation results in all opaque objects. In PDF output, this simulation converts spot colors to
process color equivalents. Therefore, Simulate Overprint should not be selected for output that will be color separated
later.
Spot colors and blending modes
Using spot colors with certain blending modes sometimes produces unexpected results. This is because InDesign uses
process color equivalents on screen, but uses spot colors in print. In addition, isolated blending in an imported graphic
could create knockouts in the active document.
If you use blending, check your design periodically using Overprint Preview in the View menu. Overprint Preview gives
an approximation of how spot inks that overprint or interact with transparent objects will appear. If the visual effect is
not what you want, do any of the following:
• Use a different blending mode or no blending mode. Avoid these blending modes when working with spot colors:
Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity.
• Use a process color where possible.
Blend space
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If you apply transparency to objects on a spread, all colors on that spread convert to the transparency blend space you’ve
chosen (Edit > Transparency Blend Space), either Document RGB or Document CMYK, even if they’re not involved
with transparency. Converting all the colors results in consistency across any two same-colored objects on a spread, and
avoids more dramatic color behavior at the edges of transparency. Colors are converted “on the fly” as you draw objects.
Colors in placed graphics that interact with transparency are also converted to the blend space. This affects how the
colors appear on-screen and in print, but not how the colors are defined in the document.
Depending on your workflow, do one of the following:
• If you create documents for print only, choose Document CMYK for the blend space.
• If you create documents for web only, choose Document RGB.
• If you create documents for both print and web, decide which is more important, and then choose the blend space
that matches the final output.
• If you create a high-resolution print piece that you’ll also publish as a high-profile PDF document on a website, you
may need to switch the blending space back and forth before final output. In this case, be sure to reproof the color
on every spread that has transparency, and avoid using the Difference and Exclusion blend modes—these modes
can change the appearance dramatically.
Type
When type is close to transparent objects, it may interact with transparent objects in unexpected ways. For example,
type that wraps around a transparent object may not actually overlap the object, but the glyphs may be close enough to
interact with the transparency. In this case, the flattener may convert the glyphs to outlines, resulting in thickened
stroke widths on the glyphs only.
If this happens, do either of the following:
• Move the text to the top of the stacking order. Use the Selection tool to select the text frame, and then choose Object
> Arrange > Bring to Front.
• Expand all text to outlines for a consistent effect throughout the document. To expand all text to outlines, select
Convert All Text To Outlines in the Transparency Flattener Preset Options dialog box. Selecting this option may
affect processing speed.
Image replacement
The flattener requires high-resolution data to accurately process a document with transparency. However, in an OPI
proxy workflow, placeholder or proxy images are used, for later replacement with high-resolution versions by an OPI
server. If the flattener doesn’t have access to the high-resolution data, then no OPI comments are produced and only
the low-resolution proxy images are output, resulting in low-resolution images at final output.
If you work in an OPI workflow, consider using InDesign to substitute images before saving the document as
PostScript. To do this, you must specify settings both when you place the EPS graphic and when you output it. When
you place the EPS graphic, select Read Embedded OPI Image Links in the EPS Import Options dialog box. When you
output, select OPI Image Replacement in the Advanced area of either the Print or Export EPS dialog box.
Color conversions
If a transparent object overlaps a spot color object, undesirable results may occur when you export to EPS format, and
then convert spot colors to process colors upon printing or create color separations in an application other than
InDesign.
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To prevent problems in these cases, use the Ink Manager to convert spot colors to process color equivalents as necessary
prior to exporting from InDesign. Another way to prevent problems is to make sure that your spot inks are consistent
in both the original application (for example, Adobe Illustrator) and InDesign. This may mean that you’ll need to open
an Illustrator document, convert a spot color to process color, export it again to EPS, and then place the EPS file in your
InDesign layout.
Adobe PDF files
Exporting to Acrobat 4.0 (Adobe PDF 1.3) always flattens a document with transparency, which may affect the
appearance of its transparent objects. Nontransparent content is not flattened unless Simulate Overprint is selected in
the Output area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box. Therefore, when you export an InDesign document with
transparency to Adobe PDF, do any of the following:
• Whenever possible, choose Acrobat 5.0 (Adobe PDF 1.4), Acrobat 6.0 (Adobe PDF 1.5), or Acrobat 7.0 (Adobe PDF
1.6) compatibility in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box to preserve transparency in a live and fully editable form.
Make sure that your service provider can handle Acrobat 5.0, Acrobat 6.0, or Acrobat 7.0 files.
• If you must use Acrobat 4.0 compatibility, your document contains spot colors, and you want to create a PDF file for
on-screen viewing (such as a client review), you may want to select the Simulate Overprint option in the Output area
of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box. This option properly simulates the spot and transparent areas; recipients of
the PDF file won’t have to select Overprint Preview in Acrobat to see how the document will look when printed.
However, the Simulate Overprint option converts all spot colors to process color equivalents in the resulting PDF
file, so be sure to deselect this option when you create the PDF for final production.
• Consider using the predefined [Press Quality] Adobe PDF preset. This preset contains flattener settings appropriate
for complex documents intended for high-resolution output.
Trapping
Flattening may convert vectors to rasterized areas. Traps applied to artwork in Adobe Illustrator using strokes and
placed in InDesign will be preserved. Traps applied to vector artwork drawn in InDesign and then rasterized may not
be preserved.
To keep as many objects vector as possible, select the [High Resolution] transparency flattener preset in the Advanced
area of the Print or Export Adobe PDF dialog box.
More Help topics
Options for omitting graphics
Ink Manager overview
Blending colors
Specify how colors blend
Blend the colors between two overlapping objects by using blending modes. Blending modes let you vary the ways in
which the colors of stacked objects blend.
1 Select one or more objects or a group.
2 Do one of the following:
• In the Effects panel, choose a blending mode, such as Normal or Overlay, from the menu.
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• In the Transparency area of the Effects dialog box, choose a blending mode from the menu.
Blending mode options
The blending modes control how the base color, the underlying color in the artwork, interacts with the blend color, the
color of the selected object or group of objects. The resulting color is the color resulting from the blend.
Normal Colors the selection with the blend color, without interaction with the base color. This is the default mode.
Multiply Multiplies the base color by the blend color. The resulting color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color
with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. The effect is similar to drawing
on a page with multiple magic markers.
Screen Multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The resulting color is always a lighter color. Screening with
black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white. The effect is similar to projecting multiple slide
images on top of each other.
Overlay Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color. Patterns or colors overlay the existing artwork,
preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color while mixing in the blend color to reflect the lightness or
darkness of the original color.
Soft Light Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused
spotlight on the artwork.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the artwork is lightened, as if it were dodged. If the blend color
is darker than 50% gray, the artwork is darkened, as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a
distinctly darker or lighter area, but does not result in pure black or white.
Hard Light Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh
spotlight on the artwork.
If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the artwork is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful
for adding highlights to artwork. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the artwork is darkened, as if it were
multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to artwork. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or
white.
Color Dodge Brightens the base color to reflect the blend color. Blending with black produces no change.
Color Burn Darkens the base color to reflect the blend color. Blending with white produces no change.
Darken Selects the base or blend color—whichever is darker—as the resulting color. Areas lighter than the blend color
are replaced, and areas darker than the blend color do not change.
Lighten Selects the base or blend color—whichever is lighter—as the resulting color. Areas darker than the blend color
are replaced, and areas lighter than the blend color do not change.
Difference Subtracts either the blend color from the base color or the base color from the blend color, depending on
which has the greater brightness value. Blending with white inverts the base color values; blending with black produces
no change.
Exclusion Creates an effect similar to, but lower in contrast than, the Difference mode. Blending with white inverts the
base color components. Blending with black produces no change.
Hue Creates a color with the luminance and saturation of the base color and the hue of the blend color.
Saturation Creates a color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color. Painting
with this mode in an area with no saturation (gray) produces no change.
Color Creates a color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This preserves
the gray levels in the artwork, and is useful for coloring monochrome artwork and for tinting color artwork.
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Luminosity Creates a color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color. This
mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.
Note: Avoid applying the Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity blending modes to objects with
spot colors; doing so can add unwanted colors to a document. For more information, see Best practices when creating
transparency.
Isolate blending modes
When you apply a blending mode to an object, its colors blend with all objects beneath it. If you want to limit the
blending to specific objects, you can group those objects and then apply the Isolate Blending option to the group. The
Isolate Blending option confines the blending to within the group, preventing objects beneath the group from being
affected. (It is useful for objects that have a blending mode other than Normal applied to them.)
Group (star and circle) with Isolate Blending option deselected (left) compared to selected (right)
It is important to understand that you apply the blending modes to the individual objects, but apply the Isolate Blending
option to the group. The option isolates blending interactions within the group. It doesn’t affect blending modes applied
directly to the group itself.
1 Apply the blending modes and opacity settings to the individual objects whose blending you want to isolate.
2 Using the Selection tool, select the objects you want to isolate.
3 Choose Object > Group.
4 In the Effects panel, select Isolate Blending. (If the option is not visible, select Show Options in the Effects panel
menu.)
You can isolate the blending of objects in a PDF file that contains blending modes. First, place the PDF file with the
Transparent Background option selected in the Place PDF dialog box. Then apply the Isolate Blending option.
Knock out objects within a group
You use the Knockout Group option in the Effects panel to make the opacity and blending attributes of every object in
the selected group knock out—that is, visually block out—underlying objects in the group. Only objects within the
selected group are knocked out. Objects beneath the selected group are still affected by the blending or opacity that you
apply to objects within the group.
It is important to understand that you apply the blending modes and opacity to the individual objects, but apply the
Knockout Group option to the group.
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Group with Knockout Group option deselected (left) compared to selected (right)
1 Apply the blending modes and opacity settings to the individual objects that you want to knock out.
2 Using the Selection tool, select the objects that you want to knock out.
3 Choose Object > Group.
4 In the Effects panel, select Knockout Group. (If the option is not visible, select Show Options in the Effects panel
menu.)
Specify a color space for blending transparent objects
To blend the colors of transparent objects on a spread, InDesign converts the colors of all objects to a common color
space using either the CMYK or RGB color profile for the document. This blending space enables objects of multiple
color spaces to blend when interacting transparently. To avoid color mismatches between different areas of the objects
on screen and in print, the blending space is applied for screen and in the flattener.
The blending space is applied only to those spreads that contain transparency.
❖ Choose Edit > Transparency Blend Space, and then choose one of the document’s color spaces.
Note: For a typical print workflow, choose the Document CMYK color space.
More Help topics
About flattening
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Chapter 12: Exporting and publishing
Export content for EPUB
Overview
You can export an InDesign file into a reflowable or fixed layout EPUB format.
By creating a file in reflowable layout, InDesign helps create an EPUB file that adjusts the text as per a particular
devices's display.
A fixed layout format provides ability to include audio, video, and Edge content in your PDFs. Because of the
interactivity and dynamic display, a fixed layout format is widely preferred. Some of the popular mediums using this
format are cookbooks, children's interactive, books and so on.
Before you export your layout to EPUB, you can make a few tweaks to ensure that it exports properly.
• Add anchored graphics - Anchor graphics in text flows so that you can control their position relative to the
exported text. See Anchored objects.
• Object Export Options - Specify export options for placed objects. See Object Export Options .
• Choose content and order - Use the Articles panel to choose the content to export and order in which it appears.
See Articles (CS5.5). You can also order content based on page layout or the XML structure.
Export to EPUB
You can export a document or book as a reflowable or fixed layout EPUB that is compatible with the eBook reader
software.
1 Do one of the following:
• Open the document and choose File > Export.
• Open a book and from the Book panel menu, choose Export Book to EPUB.
2 Specify a filename and location.
3 From the Save as Type list choose EPUB (Fixed Layout) or EPUB (Reflowable), and then click Save.
4 In the EPUB Export Options dialog box, specify the desired options and then click OK.
InDesign creates a single .epub file containing the XHTML-based content. If specified, the exported file can include a
cover image. The cover image is created from an image, or created by rasterizing the first page in the specified
document (or the style source document if a book was selected). The thumbnail is used to depict the book in the EPUB
readers or the Digital Editions Reader library view. To view the file, you need an EPUB reader. You can also use the
Adobe Digital Editions software, which you can download free from the Adobe website.
The .epub file is essentially a .zip file. To view and edit the contents of an EPUB file, change the extension from .epub
to .zip, and then extract the contents. This is especially useful for editing a CSS file.
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Exporting and publishing
Note: InDesign objects such as text frames and objects that contain placed images are always exported when you choose
the Based on Page Layout ordering option. Empty objects are not exported unless you have applied a setting to the InDesign
object via the Object Export Options to make it export as a JPEG, GIF, or PNG.
EPUB Export options - Fixed Layout
Fixed layout EPUB give you more interactive and dynamic layout for your documents. They are the preferred format
for cookbooks, travel books, children's books, and so on. Unlike standard EPUBs, fixed layout ePUBs can keep the same
page layout and design as printable EPUBs.
Important information about creating Fixed Layout EPUB in InDesign:
• Live text (text which is not rasterized) is searchable and selectable. No rasterization of text takes place.
• Scaling on text is not supported.
• Open Type is not supported.
• You can include video, audio, and Edge animate content (files with .oam extension).
EPUB General options
The General section of the EPUB Fixed Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options.
Version Version of the EPUB.
EPUB 3.0 EPUB 3.0 is an approved standard (by IDPF, 2011). This format also supports audio, video, javascript,
Japanese vertical text. This does not work on readers and devices that do not support EPUB 3.0 standard.
Cover Specifies the cover image for the eBook. Choose one of the following:
None If this option is selected, no cover image is added to the eBook.
Rasterize First Page If this option is selected, it creates an image file by rasterizing the first page of the eBook to use as
the cover.
Choose image If this option is selected, you can specify an image on your computer to use as the cover.
Navigation TOC Specify navigation option for EPUB Viewer TOC: either you can use a Multi Level (TOC style) to
create the sidebar navigation or use the filename.
None Select this option if you do not want to generate a TOC for the PDF. This option is selected by default.
File Name Select this option if you want to generate a table of contents based on the filenames.
Multi Level (TOC Style) Select this option if you want to generate a table of contents based on the selected TOC style.
From the TOC Style menu, specify the TOC style you want to use to build the table of contents in the eBook. You can
choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles to create a special TOC style for your eBook.
Options Specify the order in which page elements are exported
Based on Document Setup If Based On Document Setup is selected, InDesign determines the spread control from
settings defined in File > Document Setup dialog box.
Convert Spread To Landscape Page Converts the spread to Landscape layout.
Enable Synthetic Spreads Enable the synthetic spreads in the document to be exported.
Disable Spreads None of the spreads are exported to the EPUB output.
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The Conversion Settings section of the EPUB - Fixed Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options.
From the Image Conversion menu, determine how images are exported to PDF.
Conversion Settings > Resolution (PPI) Choose the resolution of the images in pixels per inch (ppi). While operating
systems have standardized on either 72 ppi or 96 ppi, mobile devices range from 132 ppi (iPad), to 172 ppi (Sony
Reader), to over 300 ppi (iPhone 4). You can choose a ppi value for each object selected. Values include 72, 96, 150
(average for all eBook devices today), and 300.
Conversion Settings > Format Lets you choose whether the optimized images in your document are converted to GIF,
JPEG, or PNG. Choose Automatic to let InDesign decide which format to use in each instance. Choosing PNG disables
the image compression settings; use PNG for lossless images or for images that include transparency.
Conversion Settings > GIF Options (Palette) Lets you control how InDesign handles colors when optimizing GIF files.
The GIF format uses a limited color palette, which cannot exceed 256 colors.
Choose Adaptive (no dither) to create a palette using a representative sample of colors in the graphic without any
dithering (mixing of small spots of colors to simulate additional colors). Choose Web to create a palette of web-safe
colors that are a subset of Windows and Mac OS system colors. Choose System (Win) or System (Mac) to create a palette
using the built-in system color palette. This option can cause unexpected results.
Select Interlace to load the images progressively by filling in missing lines. If this option is not selected, an image looks
fuzzy and gradually becomes clear as the image reaches full resolution.
Conversion Settings > JPEG Options (Image Quality) Determines the trade-off between compression (for smaller file
sizes) and image quality for each JPEG image created. Low produces the smallest file and lowest image quality.
Conversion Settings > JPEG Options (Format Method) Determines how quickly JPEG graphics display when the file
containing the image is opened on the web. Choose Progressive to make the JPEG images display gradually and in
increasing detail as they are downloaded. (Files created with this option are slightly larger and require more RAM for
viewing.) Choose Baseline to make each JPEG file display only after it has been downloaded; a placeholder appears in
its place until the file is displayed.
Viewing Apps > View EPUB After Exporting Opens the EPUB in the default application selected for reading EPUB, if
present.
Is applicable to both Reflowable and Fixed Layout Export Options dialog box.
EPUB Application
Version
Supported
Not Supported
Apple iBooks
1.0.1
Yes
Oxygen
14.1
Yes
Kindle Previewer
2.92
Yes
Sigil
0.7.4
Yes
Kindle
1.10.6
No
VitalSource Bookshelf
6.2
No
Apple Book Proofer
1.0.1
Does not accept EPUBs with
embedded fonts
Sigil
0.7.4
Yes
Kindle Previewer
2.92
Yes
Mac
Windows
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Adobe Digital Editions
3.0.86137
Yes
Calibre
1.26
Yes
Oxygen
15
Yes
Azardi
2.0
Yes
Kobo
3.6.0
No
Enter metadata
The Metadata section of the EPUB - Fixed Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options. The
metadata from the document (or the style source document if a book was selected) is included with the exported file.
Identifier Every EPUB document requires a unique identifier. A unique identifier is automatically created and
displayed. You can remove it and specify a unique identifier.
Title Enter the title of the EPUB.
Creator Enter the name of the creator of the fixed layout EPUB.
Date Specify the date when the EPUB has been created.
Description You can enter a description of the EPUB that helps you recall specific information about the fixed layout
EPUB.
Publisher Specify the publisher information that appears in the eBook metadata. You can specify a URL for the
publisher so that someone who receives the eBook can visit the publisher’s website.
Rights Enter copyright information here.
Subject Enter the subject of the EPUB.
CSS Options Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are a collection of formatting rules that control the appearance of content in
a web page. When you use CSS to format a page, you separate content from presentation. Table and cell styles are
mapped appropriately to the CSS. If a table is not used, no unnecessary CSS files are created.
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Add Style Sheet Specify the URL of the existing CSS style sheet, which is usually a relative URL, such as
“/styles/style.css.” InDesign does not check whether the CSS exists or is valid. You can use Dreamweaver to confirm
your external CSS setup.
Javascript Specify the URL of an existing JavaScript. InDesign does not check whether the JavaScript exists or is valid,
so you’ll want to confirm your JavaScript setup.
Custom rasterization To rasterize an object, select the object, right-click, and select Object Export Options.
In the Object Export Options dialog box, select Custom Rasterization. The image attributes are exported to the CSS file
if the image is rasterized.
EPUB Export options - Reflowable
A reflowable EPUB adjusts its content and presents it as per the output device.
EPUB General options
The General section of the EPUB Reflowable Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options.
Version Specify a version for the EPUB.
EPUB 2.0.1 EPUB 2.0.1 is a standard by IDPF (approved in 2007). This format is supported on a wide variety of devices.
EPUB 3.0 EPUB 3.0 is a standard by IDPF (approved in 2011). This format also supports audio, video, javascript,
Japanese vertical text. This does not work on readers and devices that do not support EPUB 3.0 standard.
Cover Specifies the cover image for the eBook. Choose one of the following:
None If this option is selected, no cover image is added to the eBook.
Rasterize First Page If this option is selected, it creates an image file by rasterizing the first page of the eBook to use as
the cover.
Choose image If this option is selected, you can specify an image on your computer to use as the cover.
Navigation TOC Specify navigation option for EPUB Viewer TOC: either you can use a Multi Level (TOC style) to
create the sidebar navigation or use the filename.
None Select this option if you do not want to generate a TOC for the PDF. This option is selected by default.
File Name Select this option if you want to generate a table of contents based on the filenames.
Multi Level (TOC Style) Select this option if you want to generate a table of contents based on the selected TOC style.
From the TOC Style menu, specify the TOC style you want to use to build the table of contents in the eBook. You can
choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles to create a special TOC style for your eBook.
Order Specify the order in which page elements are exported
Based on Page Layout The location of the items on the page determines the reading order.
If Based On Page Layout is selected, InDesign determines the reading order of page objects by scanning left to right and
top to bottom. In some instances, especially in complex, multicolumn documents, the design elements sometimes does
not appear in the desired reading order. Use Dreamweaver to rearrange and format the contents.
(Asian versions only) If Based On Page Layout is selected, InDesign determines the reading order of page objects
according to the document’s binding (left to right or right to left). In some instances, especially in complex,
multicolumn documents, the exported design elements may not appear in the desired reading order. Use Dreamweaver
to rearrange and format the contents.
Same as XML Structure The order of the tags in Structure View determines the reading order. See Tag page items.
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Same as Articles panel The order of elements in the Articles panel determines the reading order. Only the checked
articles are exported. See Include articles for export .
Text > Footnotes Select from the following option to choose the placement of footnotes.
• After paragraph: Select this option to place footnotes after the paragraph.
• End of the section (Endnotes): Select this option to convert footnotes to endnotes.
• Inside a Pop-up (EPUB3): Select this option to place a footnote inside a pop-up.
Text > Options > Remove Forced Line Breaks Check to remove all soft-returns in the exported eBook.
Text > Lists > Bullets Select Map To Unordered List to convert bullet paragraphs into List Items, which are formatted
in HTML using the tag. Select Convert To Text to format using the tag with bullet characters as text. If you
have used native InDesign auto-bullets, subbullets are also included.
Text > Lists > Numbers Determines how numbers are converted in the HTML file. If you have used native InDesign
auto-numbering, subbullets are also included
Map To Ordered Lists Converts numbered lists into List Items, which are formatted in HTML using the
tag.
Convert to Text Converts numbered lists into paragraphs that begin with the paragraph’s current number as text.
The Object section of the EPUB - Reflowable Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options. From
the Image Conversion menu, determine how images are exported to HTML.
Preserve Appearance from Layout Check to inherit the image object attributes from the layout.
Conversion Settings > Resolution (PPI) Choose the resolution of the images in pixels per inch (ppi). While operating
systems have standardized on either 72 ppi or 96 ppi, mobile devices range from 132 ppi (iPad), to 172 ppi (Sony
Reader), to over 300 ppi (iPhone 4). You can choose a ppi value for each object selected. Values include 72, 96, 150
(average for all eBook devices today), and 300.
Object > CSS > Layout Specify the image alignment - left, center, and right. You can also specify the top and bottom
padding.
Object > CSS > Insert Page Break Check to insert page breaks with images. Page breaks can be inserted Before Image,
After Image, or Before and After Image.
Settings Apply to Anchored Objects Check to apply these settings to all anchored objects.
Conversion Settings Lets you choose whether the optimized images in your document are converted to GIF, JPEG, or
PNG. Choose Automatic to let InDesign decide which format to use in each instance. Choosing PNG disables the image
compression settings; use PNG for lossless images or for images that include transparency.
Conversion Settings > GIF Options (Palette) Lets you control how InDesign handles colors when optimizing GIF files.
The GIF format uses a limited color palette, which cannot exceed 256 colors.
Choose Adaptive to create a palette using a representative sample of colors in the graphic without any dithering (mixing
of small spots of colors to simulate additional colors). Choose Web to create a palette of web-safe colors that are a subset
of Windows and Mac OS system colors. Choose System (Win) or System (Mac) to create a palette using the built-in
system color palette. This choice can cause unexpected results.
Select Interlace to load the images progressively by filling in missing lines. If this option is not selected, an image looks
fuzzy and gradually becomes clear as the image reaches full resolution.
Conversion Settings > JPEG Options (Image Quality) Determines the trade-off between compression (for smaller file
sizes) and image quality for each JPEG image created. Low produces the smallest file and lowest image quality.
Conversion Settings > JPEG Options (Format Method) Determines how quickly JPEG graphics display when the file
containing the image is opened on the web. Choose Progressive to make the JPEG images display gradually and in
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increasing detail as they are downloaded. (Files created with this option are slightly larger and require more RAM for
viewing.) Choose Baseline to make each JPEG file display only after it has been downloaded; a placeholder appears in
its place until the file is displayed.
Object > Ignore Object Export Settings Ignore Object Export settings applied on individual images. See Apply Object
export options .
The Metadata section of the EPUB - Reflowable Layout Export Options dialog box includes the following options. The
metadata from the document (or the style source document if a book was selected) is included with the exported file.
Identifier Every EPUB document requires a unique identifier. A unique identifier is automatically created and
displayed. You can remove it and specify a unique identifier.
Title Enter the title of the EPUB.
Creator Enter the name of the creator of the fixed layout EPUB.
Date Specify the date when the EPUB has been created.
Description You can enter a description of the EPUB that helps you recall specific information about the fixed layout
EPUB.
Publisher Specify the publisher information that appears in the eBook metadata. You can specify a URL for the
publisher so that someone who receives the eBook can visit the publisher’s website.
Rights Enter the copyright related information of the EPUB.
Subject Enter the subject of the EPUB.
Metadata The metadata from the document (or the style source document if a book was selected) is included with the
exported file.
The content is populated in the Metadata tab from the information entered in the File > File Info dialog box.
Publisher Specify the publisher information that appears in the eBook metadata. You can specify a URL for the
publisher so that someone who receives the eBook can visit the publisher’s website.
Identifier Every EPUB document requires a unique identifier. A unique identifier is automatically created and
displayed. You can remove it and specify a unique identifier.
CSS Options Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are a collection of formatting rules that control the appearance of content in
a web page. When you use CSS to format a page, you separate content from presentation.
Generate CSS Specify whether you want InDesign to generate a CSS for the exported file. If you export your
document/book to EPUB without generating a CSS, only the classes associated with the styles are marked in the HTML
tags; no overriding classes are created. This is useful if you want to use an external CSS with the exported file.
Preserve Local Overrides If this option is selected, local formatting such as italic or bold is included.
Include Embeddable Fonts Includes all fonts that are embeddable, in the eBook. Fonts include embedding bits that
determine if the font is embeddable.
Add Style Sheet Specify the URL of the existing CSS style sheet, which is usually a relative URL, such as
“/styles/style.css.” InDesign does not check whether the CSS exists or is valid. You can use Dreamweaver to confirm
your external CSS setup.
Javascript Specify the URL of an existing JavaScript. InDesign does not check whether the JavaScript exists or is valid,
so you’ll want to confirm your JavaScript setup.
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EPUB resources
Use the following links to learn about EPUB format.
• For more information on the EPUB specification, see www.idpf.org.
• Download a free copy of the Digital Editions reader at www.adobe.com/products/digital-editions.html.
• See the blog Digital Editions for information on Digital Editions.
• For information on exporting to Kindle, see the InDesign to Kindle white paper (PDF).
• Learn how to convert your InDesign files to the EPUB format and start selling your eBooks for viewing on the Apple
iPad. See the InDesign to iPad white paper.
Export content to HTML
Exporting to HTML is an easy way to get your InDesign content into web-ready form. When you export content to
HTML, you can control how text and images are exported. InDesign preserves the names of paragraph, character,
object, table, and cell styles applied to the exported contents by marking the HTML contents with CSS style classes of
the same name. Using Adobe Dreamweaver or any CSS-capable HTML editor, you can quickly apply formatting and
layout to the contents.
What gets exported InDesign exports all stories, linked and embedded graphics, SWF movie files, footnotes, text
variables (as text), bulleted and numbered lists, internal cross-references, and hyperlinks that jump to text or web pages.
Tables can be exported to HTML as well. InDesign retains the table formatting, such as table and cell strokes. Tables are
assigned unique IDs, and can be referenced as Spry data sets in Dreamweaver. Placed audio and h.264 video files are
enclosed in HTML5
Source Exif Data:
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