Adobe Using Adobe® InDesign® CS4 In Design Instruction Manual Indesign En

User Manual: adobe InDesign - CS4 - Instruction Manual Free User Guide for Adobe InDesign Software, Manual

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Contents
Chapter 1: Resources
- Activation and registration
- Help and support
- Services, downloads, and extras
- InDesign video tutorials
- Getting started in InDesign
- What’s new
Chapter 2: Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Customize menus and keyboard shortcuts
- Toolbox
- Viewing the workspace
- Manage connections to web services
- Working with ConnectNow
  - Working with ConnectNow
- Setting preferences
- Recovery and undo
- Common InDesign error messages
Chapter 3: Layout
- Creating documents
- Rulers and measurement units
- Grids
  - Use grids
  - Snapping objects to grids
    - Snap objects to the document grid
- Ruler guides
- Pages and spreads
- Master pages
- Layers
- Laying out frames and pages
- Numbering pages, chapters, and sections
- Text variables
Chapter 4: Working with documents
- Working with files and templates
- Saving documents
  - Save documents
  - Work with metadata
- Converting QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
  - Open QuarkXPress files in InDesign
  - Convert PageMaker documents
- Exporting
Chapter 5: Text
- Creating text and text frames
- Adding text to frames
- Threading text
- Editing text
- Find/Change
- Glyphs and special characters
- Spell-checking and language dictionaries
  - Check spelling
  - Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries
- Footnotes
Chapter 6: Styles
- Paragraph and character styles
- Drop caps and nested styles
- Object styles
- Working with styles
Chapter 7: Combining text and objects
- Anchored objects
- Wrapping text around objects
- Creating type on a path
Chapter 8: Typography
- Formatting text
- Using fonts
- Leading
  - About leading
  - Change leading
- Kerning and tracking
- Formatting characters
- Formatting paragraphs
- Aligning text
- Tabs and indents
- Bullets and numbering
- Text composition
Chapter 9: Tables
- Creating tables
- Selecting and editing tables
- Formatting tables
- Table strokes and fills
- Table and cell styles
Chapter 10: Long document features
- Creating book files
- Creating a table of contents
- Creating an index
- Working with markers
Chapter 11: Drawing
- Understanding paths and shapes
- Drawing with the line or shape tools
- Drawing with the Pencil tool
- Drawing with the Pen tool
- Editing paths
- Applying line (stroke) settings
- Compound paths and shapes
Chapter 12: Graphics
- Understanding graphics formats
- Importing files from other applications
- Placing graphics
- Managing graphics links
- Reusing graphics and text
Chapter 13: Frames and objects
- Selecting objects
- Transforming objects
- Aligning and distributing objects
  - Align panel overview
  - Align or distribute objects
- Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects
- Working with frames and objects
- Clipping paths
Chapter 14: Transparency effects
- Adding transparency effects
- Blending colors
- Flattening transparent artwork
Chapter 15: Color
- Understanding spot and process colors
- Applying color
- Working with swatches
- Tints
  - About tints
  - Create and edit tints
- Gradients
- Mixing inks
  - Create and edit mixed ink swatches
  - Manage mixed ink groups
- Using colors from imported graphics
Chapter 16: Color management
- Understanding color management
- Keeping colors consistent
- Color-managing imported images
- Color-managing documents for online viewing
- Proofing colors
- Color-managing documents when printing
- Working with color profiles
- Color settings
Chapter 17: Trapping color
- Trapping documents and books
- Trap presets
- Adjusting ink options for trapping
Chapter 18: PDF
- Exporting to Adobe PDF
- Adobe PDF options
- Preparing PDFs for service providers
- Structuring PDFs
Chapter 19: Dynamic documents
- Dynamic web documents for Flash
- Dynamic PDF documents
  - Creating interactive documents for PDF
  - Creating PDF forms
- Bookmarks
  - Create bookmarks for PDF
  - Manage bookmarks
- Hyperlinks
- Cross-references
- Movies and sounds
- Page transitions
- Buttons
Chapter 20: XML
- Working with XML
- Importing XML
- Tagging content for XML
- Structuring documents for XML
- Exporting XML
Chapter 21: Printing
- Printing documents
- Printer’s marks and bleeds
- Printing thumbnails and oversized documents
- Printing graphics and fonts
- Managing color
- Preflighting files before handoff
- Creating PostScript and EPS files
- Printing booklets
Chapter 22: Color separations
- Preparing to print separations
- Overprinting
- Inks, separations, and screen frequency
Chapter 23: Automation
- Scripting
- Plug-ins
  - Install plug-ins
  - Configure plug-ins
- Data merge
Chapter 24: Sharing content between InCopy and InDesign
- Understanding a basic managed-file workflow
- Sharing content
- Assignment packages
- Working with managed files
- Adjusting your workflow
Chapter 25: Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus
- PageMaker menu commands
Chapter 26: Keyboard shortcuts
- Default keyboard shortcuts
Index
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Z

Using

ADOBE® INDESIGN® CS4

Updated 18 June 2009

Using Adobe® InDesign® CS4 for Windows® and Mac OS

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Updated 18 June 2009

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Updated 18 June 2009

Contents

Chapter 1: Resources

Activation and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Help and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Services, downloads, and extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

InDesign video tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Getting started in InDesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

What’s new . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Workspace

Workspace basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Customize menus and keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Viewing the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Manage connections to web services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Working with ConnectNow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Setting preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Recovery and undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Common InDesign error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 3: Layout

Creating documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Rulers and measurement units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Ruler guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Pages and spreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Master pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Laying out frames and pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Numbering pages, chapters, and sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Text variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter 4: Working with documents

Working with files and templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Saving documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Converting QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Chapter 5: Text

Creating text and text frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Adding text to frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Threading text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Editing text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Find/Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Glyphs and special characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Updated 18 June 2009

USING INDESIGN CS4

Contents

Spell-checking and language dictionaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Footnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Chapter 6: Styles

Paragraph and character styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Drop caps and nested styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Object styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Working with styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Chapter 7: Combining text and objects

Anchored objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Wrapping text around objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Creating type on a path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Chapter 8: Typography

Formatting text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Using fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Kerning and tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Formatting characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Formatting paragraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Aligning text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Tabs and indents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Bullets and numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Text composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Chapter 9: Tables

Creating tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Selecting and editing tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Formatting tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Table strokes and fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Table and cell styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Chapter 10: Long document features

Creating book files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Creating a table of contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Creating an index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Working with markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Chapter 11: Drawing

Understanding paths and shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Drawing with the line or shape tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Drawing with the Pencil tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Drawing with the Pen tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Editing paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Applying line (stroke) settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Compound paths and shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

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Chapter 12: Graphics

Understanding graphics formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Importing files from other applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Placing graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Managing graphics links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Reusing graphics and text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Chapter 13: Frames and objects

Selecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Transforming objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

Aligning and distributing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Working with frames and objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Clipping paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Chapter 14: Transparency effects

Adding transparency effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Blending colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Flattening transparent artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426

Chapter 15: Color

Understanding spot and process colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

Applying color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Working with swatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Tints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Gradients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Mixing inks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457

Using colors from imported graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Chapter 16: Color management

Understanding color management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

Keeping colors consistent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Color-managing imported images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Color-managing documents for online viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468

Proofing colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Color-managing documents when printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472

Working with color profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Color settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Chapter 17: Trapping color

Trapping documents and books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

Trap presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

Adjusting ink options for trapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494

Chapter 18: PDF

Exporting to Adobe PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Adobe PDF options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

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Preparing PDFs for service providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Structuring PDFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

Chapter 19: Dynamic documents

Dynamic web documents for Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518

Dynamic PDF documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523

Bookmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524

Hyperlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526

Cross-references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

Movies and sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539

Page transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

Chapter 20: XML

Working with XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

Importing XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556

Tagging content for XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

Structuring documents for XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Exporting XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

Chapter 21: Printing

Printing documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

Printer’s marks and bleeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

Printing thumbnails and oversized documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Printing graphics and fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Managing color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

Preflighting files before handoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603

Creating PostScript and EPS files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609

Printing booklets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614

Chapter 22: Color separations

Preparing to print separations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619

Overprinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624

Inks, separations, and screen frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628

Chapter 23: Automation

Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634

Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636

Data merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637

Chapter 24: Sharing content between InCopy and InDesign

Understanding a basic managed-file workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647

Sharing content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654

Assignment packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659

Working with managed files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662

Adjusting your workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667

Chapter 25: Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker menu commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

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Chapter 26: Keyboard shortcuts

Default keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679

Index ...............................................................................................................693

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Chapter 1: Resources

Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of activation and the many

resources available to you. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user communities, seminars,

tutorials, RSS feeds, and much more.

Activation and registration

Help with installation

For help with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center at www.adobe.com/go/cs4install.

License activation

During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts Adobe to complete the license activation process. No

personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at

www.adobe.com/go/activation.

A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop

computer at work and on a laptop computer at home. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first

deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help > Deactivate.

❖To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install the

software.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

Adobe Product Improvement Program

After you have used your Adobe software a certain number of times, a dialog box appears, asking whether you want

to participate in the Adobe Product Improvement Program.

If you choose to participate, data about your use of Adobe software is sent to Adobe. No personal information is

recorded or sent. The Adobe Product Improvement Program only collects information about the features and tools

that you use in the software and how often you use them.

You can opt in to or opt out of the program at any time:

•To participate, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click Yes, Participate.

•To stop participating, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click No, Thank You.

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ReadMe

A ReadMe file for your software is available on-line and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important

information about topics such as the following:

•System requirements

•Installation (including uninstalling the software)

•Activation and registration

•Font installation

•Troubleshooting

•Customer support

•Legal notices

Help and support

Community Help

Community Help is an integrated environment on Adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content

moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments from users help guide you to an answer.

Community Help draws on a number of resources, including:

•Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

•Complete on-line product Help, which is updated regularly by the Adobe documentation team.

•All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Developer

Connection, and more.

Choose Help > product name Help in the application to access the Help and Support page, the portal to all of the

Community Help content for your product. You can also use the Help search field in some Creative Suite 4

applications, or press F1 (Windows), to access Community Help for your product.

The sites searched by the default Community Help search engine are hand-selected and reviewed for quality by Adobe

and Adobe Community Experts. Adobe experts also work to ensure that the top search results include a mixture of

different kinds of content, including results from on-line product Help.

For more information on using Community Help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.

For a video overview of Community Help, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4117_xp.

For frequently asked questions about Community Help, see http://community.adobe.com/help/profile/faq.html

Product Help

Adobe provides a comprehensive user guide for each product in several formats, including on-line product Help, PDF,

and printed book. Results from on-line product Help are included in your results whenever you search Community Help.

If you’re connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens the product Help and Support page by

default. This page is a portal to all of the Community Help content for the product. If you want to consult or search

on-line product Help only, you can access it by clicking the product Help link in the upper-right corner of the Help

and Support page. Be sure to select the This Help System Only option before you do your search.

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If you’re not connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens local Help, a subset of the content

available in on-line product Help. Because local Help is not as complete or up-to-date as on-line product Help, Adobe

recommends that you use the PDF version of product Help if you want to stay offline. A downloadable PDF of

complete product Help is available from two places:

•The product’s Help and Support page (upper-right corner of the page)

•Local and web Help (top of the Help interface)

For more information on accessing product help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.

If you are working in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, and you want to turn

off Community Help so that local Help opens by default, do the following:

1Open the Connections panel (Window > Extensions > Connections).

2From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.

3Select Keep Me Offline and click OK.

Note: When you disable web services from the Connections panel, all other web services (such as Adobe Kuler and Adobe

ConnectNow) are also disabled.

Printed resources

Printed versions of the complete on-line product Help are available for the cost of shipping and handling at

www.adobe.com/go/store.

Support resources

Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to learn about free and paid technical support options.

Services, downloads, and extras

You can enhance your product by integrating a variety of services, plug-ins, and extensions in your product. You can

also download samples and other assets to help you get your work done.

Adobe creative on-line services

Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 includes new on-line features that bring the power of the web to your desktop. Use these

features to connect with the community, collaborate, and get more from your Adobe tools. Powerful creative on-line

services let you complete tasks ranging from color matching to data conferencing. The services seamlessly integrate

with desktop applications so you can quickly enhance existing workflows. Some services offer full or partial

functionality when you’re offline too.

Visit Adobe.com to learn more about available services. Some Creative Suite 4 applications include these initial

offerings:

Kuler™ panel Quickly create, share, and explore color themes on-line.

Adobe® ConnectNow Collaborate with dispersed working teams over the web, sharing voice, data, and multimedia.

Resource Central Instantly access tutorials, sample files, and extensions for Adobe digital video applications.

For information on managing your services, see the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_creativeservices_en.

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Adobe Exchange

Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/exchange to download samples as well as thousands of plug-ins and

extensions from Adobe and third-party developers. The plug-ins and extensions can help you automate tasks,

customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

Adobe downloads

Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, tryouts, and other useful software.

Adobe Labs

Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging

technologies and products from Adobe. At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these:

•Prerelease software and technologies

•Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning

•Early versions of product and technical documentation

•Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded users.

Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become

productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback. The Adobe

development teams use this feedback to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Adobe TV

Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos.

Extras

The installation disc contains a variety of extras to help you make the most of your Adobe software. Some extras are

installed on your computer during the setup process; others are located on the disc.

To view the extras installed during the setup process, navigate to the application folder on your computer.

•Windows®: [startup drive]\Program Files\Adobe\[Adobe application]

•Mac OS®: [startup drive]/Applications/[Adobe application]

To view the extras on the disc, navigate to the Goodies folder in your language folder on the disc. Example:

• /English/Goodies/

InDesign video tutorials

Click any of these links to view a video tutorial that teaches you how to use InDesign.

Work area

Introducing InDesign CS4

Creating a new document (Basic)

Using the Control panel

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Using keyboard shortcuts

Working with smart guides (New)

Using Live Preflight (New)

Rotating the spread view (New)

Layout

Setting up a new document

Managing pages

Working with master pages

Synchronizing master pages

Setting pagination

Defining sections

Using layers

Making selections

Text and typography

Making a text frame (Basic)

Character-level formatting (Basic)

Paragraph-level formatting (Basic)

Making a paragraph style (Basic)

Placing and flowing text (Basic)

Working with text

Working with text styles

Creating conditional text

Applying GREP styles (New)

Creating bullets and numbering

Creating running headers and footers

Finding and changing expressions, text, and object formatting

Working with Microsoft Word and Excel tables in InDesign

Creating footnotes

Tables

Creating and formatting tables

Adding headers and footers to tables

Placing images in tables

Using table styles

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Combining text and graphics

Wrapping text around a graphic (Basic)

Using the Text Wrap panel

Working with anchored objects

Importing, exporting, and outputting files

Importing content into InDesign

Exporting from InDesign to SWF (New)

Editing the exported XFL file in Flash Pro (New)

Designing websites with InDesign and exporting to XHTML

Preparing files for output

Creating JDF job definitions

Long document videos

Creating cross-references

Creating a table of contents

Creating an index

Graphics, objects, and effects

Placing an image (Basic)

Using the Links panel (New)

Working with objects

Using object styles

Creating drop shadows

Applying feathering to objects

Applying opacity effects

Setting opacity

See also

“InDesign video tutorials” on page 4

What’s new

Choose Window > Workspace > [What’s New] to highlight menu commands of new and enhanced features.

For more information on new Adobe® InDesign® features, see www.adobe.com/go/id_newfeatures_en.

Productivity enhancements

Live preflight

Preflight while you design for better results, greater time savings, and lower production costs. Continuous preflighting

alerts you to potential production problems in real time. The new Preflight panel lets you navigate to and select the

objects that are triggering the preflight error. View contextual tips to help you correct errors directly in layout. See

“Preflighting files before handoff” on page 603.

Spread view rotation

Temporarily rotate the spread view without physically turning your monitor. Enjoy full editing capability at 90 and

180 degree angles so that you can work on non-horizontal design elements, such as rotated calendar spreads and tables.

See “Rotate the spread view” on page 66.

Smart Guides

Align, space, rotate, and resize multiple objects in one step. Align to the horizontal, vertical, or center of page edges.

The guides, object dimensions, rotation, and X,Y coordinates appear dynamically so you can snap objects in relation

to other objects in the layout. See “Use smart guides” on page 60.

Smart Dimensions When you create, resize, or rotate one object, Smart Dimensions shows the width, height, or

rotation of your object, highlighting when the dimensions or rotation matches nearby objects.

Smart Spacing Evenly space multiple items on your page by snapping objects into position without having to use the

Align panel.

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Smart Cursors When transforming objects, the cursor displays X and Y position, width and height, or rotation

information. The Show Transformation Values option in Interface preferences lets you turn smart cursors on and off.

Versatile Links panel

Find, sort, and organize placed content with the redesigned Links panel. Scan link attributes and click to view details

such as scale, rotation, and resolution. Customize the Links panel to suit your working preferences.

Quickly replace low-resolution images used as placeholders with high-resolution images based on filename. Filename

extensions are ignored. Simply relink to a new folder. See “Links panel overview” on page 366.

Visual Pages panel

See thumbnails of your pages in the Pages panel for easy navigation and page arrangement. If transparency, page

transitions, or spread rotation have been applied to pages, you can turn off their associated icons for a cleaner Pages

panel. See “Change the page and spread display” on page 61.

New pages sizes

New common monitor resolution sizes are available in the Page Size menu in the New Document dialog box. These

options make it easier to design a document to a specific monitor size for interactive SWF, XFL, and PDF workflows.

See “Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web” on page 518.

Quick guide deletion

Instantly clear all selectable guides on your current spread or master page by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking

(Mac OS) a ruler and choosing Delete All Guides.

Data merge output to PDF

Run a data merge operation and output directly to PDF in a single pass, thanks to the Export to PDF command now

included in the Data Merge panel. An intermediate InDesign document is no longer created. The PDF file takes

advantage of PDF XObjects for static parts of the page, resulting in a reduced-size PDF.

See “Merge records” on page 644.

Ruler origin on spine

Correctly place the ruler’s zero position of X at the spine of your document so that the X values are positive for right

sided pages and negative for left sided pages when Facing Pages is enabled.

Leading-based baseline grid increments

If you specify a different measurement system, such as millimeters or inches, baseline grid values still use points to

match text size and leading.

Slug area enhancements

Move pages and see that your objects in the slug and bleed area also move. Page numbers in the slug area display a

number rather than the pasteboard index entry (PB).

Undo improvements

Viewing actions such as Set Preview and Show Guides are no longer included as Undo items.

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Text and tables improvements

Conditional text

Use conditional text deliver multiple versions of a document for different users and channels. Create conditions and

apply them to text for audience customization. If you hide conditions, the remaining text and anchored objects reflows

automatically in your layout. See “Use conditional text” on page 144.

All language user dictionary

Add a custom word, name, or phrase to a user dictionary and all languages treat the term as correctly spelled. See “Add

words to dictionaries” on page 174.

Smart Text Reflow

Treat InDesign as a word processor. Let InDesign add or remove pages automatically when you type text, hide

conditions, or change or your text flow. See “Use Smart Text Reflow” on page 137.

Autocorrect editing

Edit entries on your Autocorrect misspelling list without having to delete and add entries.

Table enhancements

Tables in the Story Editor display text in sequential columns and rows for easy editing. See “Working with tables in

Story Editor” on page 276.

Apply changes to cell and table borders without reselecting the stroke proxy borders.

Add inline notes in tables to collaborate more effectively. Store alternate text, designer communications, and other

annotations in notes linked to specific text in a table. See “Adding editorial notes and tracking changes in InDesign”

on page 670.

Nested line styles

Use nested line styles to apply complex character formatting through the end of a line. Formatting remains unchanged

when text is edited. See “Create nested line styles” on page 191.

Style creation in context

In dialog boxes where you can select a character or paragraph style, you can create a style without having to exit the

dialog box. This ability is especially useful when you’re generating a table of contents, creating nested styles or GREP

styles, or using Find/Change to change text formatting to a style.

GREP styles

Apply character styles to any text in a paragraph that matches the GREP expression you specify. See “Create GREP

styles” on page 194.

Better style group management

Move styles in or out of style groups when synchronizing a book without creating duplicate styles. See “Synchronize

book documents” on page 293.

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Graphics and drawing improvements

Edit Original flexibility

Use the Edit With command to choose which application to use to edit a placed item instead of relying on the operating

system to default to the appropriate program. See “Edit original artwork” on page 372.

Constrained placement of graphics

A frame drawn while an image is in the loaded cursor constrains to the proportions of the graphic. The graphic then

fits to the frame proportionally and is centered unless frame fitting options have been applied to the frame. While

dragging out a frame with the loaded cursor, the scale is displayed as part of the cursor. Hold down Shift to drag a non-

constrained frame.

Placing multiple graphics as a contact sheet

Quickly create a contact sheet by placing multiple images in a grid arrangement. When placing multiple images, hold

down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) to drag a grid of images. Use the arrow keys to control the

number of rows and columns in the grid.

Multiple artboard placement

Cycle through multiple artboards created in Adobe Illustrator® CS4 for quick placement in your InDesign document.

See “Importing PDF pages” on page 351.

New Pathfinder panel buttons

Use one step to join paths, open paths, or reverse paths by clicking a button in the new Paths row in the Pathfinder

panel.

Convert Point menu commands

Convert corner points to smooth or line end points using the Convert Point commands that are now accessible

through the menus.

Text stroke control

Adjust stroke cap, end join, miter limit, and stroke alignment on text without having to convert characters to outlines.

These stroke options are also available in styles. See “Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text” on page 235.

Free Transform tool improvements

Resize an object more easily using the Free Transform tool, thanks to larger hit zones around object handles and the

ability to resize along object edges. See “Transform objects with the Free Transform tool” on page 389.

Keyboard shortcuts for scaling and sizing

Use new options in the keyboard shortcut editor to easily create shortcuts for increasing and decreasing size. Separate

keyboard shortcuts are included for scaling and sizing objects.

See “Keys for transforming objects” on page 681.

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Interactivity features

Page transitions in PDF and SWF files

Apply page transitions directly in InDesign to individual pages or all spreads at once with a single click. See previews

of available transition types, and control the direction and speed of your transitions for output to SWF and PDF files.

See “Page transitions” on page 543.

Enhanced buttons

Build interactive buttons using the updated Button panel. Design custom buttons or select a button from the integrated

button library. Create buttons that let you navigate within a dynamic document, launch a movie, or play a sound. See

“Buttons” on page 545.

Redesigned Hyperlinks panel

Use the redesigned Hyperlinks panel to easily create hyperlinks that navigate to external URLs, link to files with

supplemental information, launch an e-mail client, or jump to a page or section of a page within the same or even a

different document. Verify your hyperlinks directly in InDesign CS4 with no need to export the document to a PDF

or SWF file for testing. See “Hyperlinks” on page 526.

Cross-references

Insert and edit cross-references. Choose among different formats, or create your own. Cross-references are easily

updated when pagination changes. See “Cross-references” on page 532.

Extensive integration

Export to Flash (SWF)

Create dynamic content without having to work in the authoring environment of Adobe Flash. Export SWF files

directly from within InDesign, complete with page transitions, interactive buttons, rollovers, and hyperlinks.

Automatically launch the Adobe Flash Player and preview a SWF file simply by exporting your InDesign layout.

See “Export content to SWF” on page 117 and “Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web” on page 518.

Export to Flash (XFL)

Export your InDesign document in the new XFL file format for opening in Adobe Flash® CS4 Professional. Use the

Flash authoring environment to add video, audio, animation, and complex interactivity.

InDesign text exported as XFL remains fully editable when the XFL file is opened in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional.

InDesign automatically converts high-resolution print assets (CMYK) to low-resolution web assets (RGB) upon

export as an XFL file.

An image placed multiple times in your InDesign document is saved as a single image asset with shared locations when

exported as an XFL file.

See “Export content to XFL” on page 118.

Interactive PDF enhancements

Author interactive PDF documents by adding SWF files, Quicktime movies, and sound clips to your page layouts.

Create interactive buttons, apply page transitions, and embed hyperlinks, cross-references, and bookmarks to create

an immersive reading experience.

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See “Creating interactive documents for PDF” on page 523.

Integration with Adobe Bridge CS4

Browse, organize, label, and preview graphics and InDesign documents, templates, and snippets in Adobe Bridge.

Drag and drop assets from Bridge into layouts easily and efficiently. Search for files using metadata that specifies

keywords, fonts, colors, and more. See “About Adobe Bridge” on page 100.

Integration with Adobe Version Cue CS4

Connect to Version Cue Server projects using Adobe Drive. The connected server appears like a hard drive or mapped

network drive in Windows Explorer, Mac OS Finder, and dialog boxes such as Open and Save As. See “Adobe

Version Cue” on page 101.

InDesign Markup Language (IDML)

InDesign Markup Language, an XML- based file format, allows developers to assemble and disassemble InDesign

documents using standard XML tools and without having to open INDD files. See “Save an InDesign Markup (IDML)

document” on page 104.

As a result of the new markup language, many filename extensions have changed in the InCopy workflow.

Assignments improvements

New assignment operations in InCopy workflows are now enabled for unsaved InDesign documents. You are now

prompted to save the document.

The Assignments panel also included different options to update assignments. These options include Selected, Out-

of-Date, and All. The All option updates all assignments, including those that aren’t out of date, thereby letting you

view design changes that don’t affect the composition of assignment text.

Adobe Services

Adobe community help Get help from the biggest talent pool out there, quickly, with targeted searches.

ConnectNow Collaborate with clients, colleagues, and vendors by sharing your desktop so that you can quickly

complete group reviews and show your work with ease. Choose File > Share My Screen.

Adobe kuler panel Explore, create, and share colors using Adobe kuler, a web-hosted application for experimenting

with color and sharing themes with the online kuler community. Designed to both stand alone and complement

Adobe Creative Suite software, kuler uses Adobe Flash technology to bring you online tools for color theme creation.

You can save themes to your own Mykuler space, share them publicly, receive themes via RSS feeds, and more.

File Type CS3 extension CS4 extension

Assignment files .inca .icma

Content files .incx .icml

Exported files .incx .icml

Package files for InCopy .incp .icap

Package files for InDesign .indp .idap

InCopy template files .inct .icmt

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User interface enhancements

Customized workspace enhancements

Select a task-based workspace that unclutters your screen and presents only the menu commands and panel

arrangements best for the current task. Customize your own menus and workspaces that can be shared and saved. See

“Save and switch workspaces” on page 20.

Tabbed documents

Manage and work across multiple documents by tabbing through open documents to find the one you need without

having to maximize each document individually. See “Manage Document windows” on page 17.

N-up view

Arrange viewing multiple documents in a single window so that you can compare content and drag objects across

documents. Use a button to switch your views side by side, top and bottom, or however you want.

Application frame (Mac OS)

For Mac OS users, you have the option to work with documents and panels in a single window. Move or resize the

window without losing access to panels or other opened documents. See “Workspace overview” on page 14.

Application bar

Use a new control buttons in the menu bar to switch to a new workspace, modify the view of a document, perform a

search, or quickly access elements such as Adobe Bridge CS4.

Reactive panels

Drag related content from one panel to another without first opening the receiving panel. For example, drag a swatch

from the Swatch panel into the Color panel without opening it first.

More nudge buttons

Use the up and down arrows to nudge values for paragraph and character styles, find/change formats, object styles,

object corner options, and more.

Dialog box positioning

Dialog boxes open in the same screen location in which they were closed.

Command bar removed

The Command bar (also called PageMaker Toolbar) that appears in InDesign CS3 is no longer available in InDesign CS4.

Mouse scroll wheel support

Navigate through document pages using the mouse scroll wheel. The longer you hold the mouse at the top or bottom

of the application window, the faster the pages scroll. See “Scroll the view” on page 33.

Power zoom

Use the Hand tool to zoom out by holding down your mouse button. Continue to hold, and you can move the zoom

area marquee across pages. Release, and the view returns to your original zoom level in your new location. Increase or

decrease the size of the zoom area marquee using the up and down arrows or scroll wheel on the mouse. See “Use

power zoom” on page 33.

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Chapter 2: Workspace

The Adobe® InDesign® CS4 workspace is arranged to help you focus on designing and producing pages efficiently.

When you first start InDesign, you see the default workspace, which you can customize to suit your needs.

Workspace basics

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® 4 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.

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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

•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. The Control panel is also known as the options

bar in Photoshop. (Adobe Flash®, Adobe Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Fireworks® have no Control panel.)

•Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks have a Property inspector that displays options for the currently selected

element or tool.

•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 Layers panel in Adobe

Photoshop®, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be grouped, stacked, or docked.

AB DC

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•On the Mac, 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 prefer the traditional, free-form user interface

of the Mac, 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. Dreamweaver does not use an

Application frame.)

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.

(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.

Note: The following examples use Photoshop for demonstration purposes. The workspace behaves the same in all the

products.

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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

In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in the Control panel, in the panels, and in tool tips. Choose a

size from the UI Font Size menu in Interface preferences.

Manage 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 a Document window from a group of windows, drag the window’s tab out of the group.

•To dock a Document window to a separate group of Document windows, drag the window into the group.

Note: Dreamweaver does not support docking and undocking Document windows. Use the Document window’s

Minimize button to create floating windows.

•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.

Note: Docking is not the same as stacking. A stack is a collection of floating panels or panel groups, joined top to bottom.

•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.

•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.

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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.

•To move a panel, drag it by its tab.

•To move a panel group or a stack of floating panels, drag the title bar.

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.

Note: The dock is stationary and can’t be moved. However, you can create panel groups or stacks and move them

anywhere.

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.

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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. (Panels that are part of a dock cannot be stacked or moved as a unit in this way.)

Free-floating stacked panels

•To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.

•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 single-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.

Manipulate panels collapsed to 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.

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Panels collapsed to icons

Panels expanded from icons

•To collapse or expand all panel icons in a dock, 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.)

•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,

expanded panels).

Restore the default workspace

•Select the default, Essentials workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

•(Photoshop) Select Window > Workspace > Essentials (Default).

•(InDesign, InCopy) Select Window > Workspace > Reset [Workspace Name].

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.

In Photoshop, the saved workspace can include a specific keyboard shortcut set and menu set.

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Save a custom workspace

1With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, do one of the following:

•(Photoshop, Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.

•(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.

2Type a name for the workspace.

3(Photoshop, InDesign) Under Capture, select one or more options:

Panel Locations Saves the current panel locations.

Keyboard shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts (Photoshop only).

Menus Saves the current set of menus.

4Click OK or Save.

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.

•(InDesign) Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace, select the workspace, and then click Delete.

(Photoshop) Start with the last or default panel locations

When you start Photoshop, panels can either appear in their original default locations, or appear as you last used them.

In Interface preferences:

•To display panels in their last locations on startup, select Remember Panel Locations.

•To display panels in their default locations on startup, deselect Remember Panel Locations.

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.

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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 in Document Setup) showing.

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 change

the document zoom percentage or turn to a different page. Click the status bar menu to do any of the following:

•Access Adobe Version Cue® commands.

•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.

See also

“About Adobe Bridge” on page 100

“Adobe Version Cue” on page 101

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

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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.

For a video tutorial on using the Control panel, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0064.

See also

“Keys for the Control panel” on page 688

Control Panel video

Display the panel menu

❖Click the icon to the right of the Control panel.

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.

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 CS4. The Power Zoom feature effectively replaces the Navigator panel.

See “Use power zoom” on page 33.

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.

1Position the pointer over the document, object, or panel.

2Click 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.

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Change Interface preferences

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS).

2Choose 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.

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.

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 the Control key while dragging.

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.

See also

“Save a custom workspace” on page 21

Create a custom menu set

1Choose Edit > Menus.

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You cannot edit the default menu set.

2Click Save As, type the name of the menu set, and click OK.

3From the Category menu, choose Application Menus or Context & Panel Menus to determine which menus are

customized.

4Click 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.

5Click Save, and then click OK.

Select a custom menu set

1Choose Edit > Menus.

2Choose the menu set from the Set menu, and then click OK.

Edit or delete a custom menu set

1Choose Edit > Menus.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Restore all preferences and default settings” on page 39

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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”

on page 182) or scripts.

For a video tutorial on using keyboard shortcuts, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0066.

See also

“Default keyboard shortcuts” on page 679

“Scripting” on page 634

Change the active shortcut set

1If you want the shortcut set to be active for all documents, make sure that no documents are open.

2Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

3Select a shortcut set in the Set menu. For example, select Shortcuts for QuarkXPress® 4.0.

4Click OK.

View shortcuts

1Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2For Set, select a shortcut set.

3For Product Area, select the area containing the commands you want to view.

4From Commands, select a command. The shortcut is displayed in the Current Shortcut section.

Generate a list of shortcuts for printing

1Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2For Set, select a shortcut set.

3Click Show Set.

A text file opens with all current and undefined shortcuts for that set.

Create a new shortcut set

1Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2Click New Set.

3Type a name for the new set, select a shortcut set in the Based On Set menu, and click OK.

Create or redefine a shortcut

1Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2For 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.

3For Product Area, select the area containing the command you want to define or redefine.

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4In the Commands list, select the command that you want to define or redefine.

5In 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.

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.

6In 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.

7Do 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.

8Click 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

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.

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.

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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.

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

1In the toolbox, position the pointer over a tool that has hidden tools and hold down the mouse button.

2When the hidden tools appear, select a tool.

Indicates default tool * Keyboard shortcuts appear in parenthesis

Selection tools

Selection (V, Escape)*

Direct Selection (A)

Position (Shift+A)

Drawing and

Type tools

Pen (P)

Add Anchor Point (=)

Delete Anchor Point (-)

Convert Direction

Point (Shift+C)

Type (T)

Type On a Path (Shift+T)

Pencil (N)

Smooth

Erase

Line (\)

Rectangle Frame (F)

Ellipse Frame

Polygon Frame

Rectangle (M)

Ellipse (L)

Polygon

Transformation tools

Rotate (R)

Scale (S)

Shear (O)

Scissors (C)

Free Transform (E)

Gradient Swatch (G)

Gradient Feather

(Shift+G)

Modication and

Navigation tools

Note

Eyedropper (I)

Measure (K)

Hand (H)

Zoom (Z)

Toolbox overview

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Hidden tools menu

Change the toolbox layout

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS).

2Choose 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” on page 120.)

Drawing tools Draw and style simple and complex objects, including rectangles, ellipses, polygons, freeform shapes.

(See “Drawing” on page 317.)

Selection tools Select (activate) objects, points, or lines. (See “Selecting objects” on page 378.)

Transform tools Reshape, reorient, and resize objects. (See “Transforming objects” on page 384.)

Navigation tools Move around in, control the view of, and measure distances in a document. (See “Zoom in and out”

on page 32 and “Rulers and measurement units” on page 48.)

The Scissors tool Splits paths and frames. (See “Split a path” on page 333.)

Gallery of selection tools

See also

“Selecting objects” on page 378

Selection tool lets you select entire

objects.

Direct Selection tool lets you select

points on a path or contents within

a frame.

Position tool lets you crop and move

images in a frame.

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Gallery of drawing and type tools

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 remove anchor

points from a path.

Convert Direction Point

tool lets you convert

corner points and smooth

points.

Type tool lets you create

text frames and select

text.

Type on a Path tool lets

you create and edit type

on paths.

Pencil tool lets you draw a

freeform path.

Smooth tool lets you

remove excess angles from

a path.

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.

Ellipse Frame tool lets you

create a circle or oval

placeholder.

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See also

“Understanding paths and shapes” on page 317

Gallery of transformation tools

See also

“Transforming objects” on page 384

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 oval.

Polygon tool lets you

create multi-sided shape.

Rotate tool lets you rotate

objects around a fixed

point.

Scale tool lets you resize

objects around a fixed

point.

Shear tool lets you skew

objects around a fixed

point.

Free Transform tool lets

you rotate, scale, or shear

an object.

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Gallery of modification and navigation tools

Viewing the workspace

Zoom in and out

Use the Zoom tool or the Zoom commands to magnify the size of documents.

See also

“Keys for tools” on page 679

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.

Eyedropper tool lets you

sample color or type

attributes from objects

and apply them to other

objects.

Measure tool measures

the distance between two

points.

Gradient Swatch tool lets

you adjust the beginning

and ending points and

angle of gradients within

objects.

Gradient Feather tool lets

you fade an object into the

background.

Scissors tool cuts paths at

specified points.

Hand tool moves the page

view within the document

window.

Zoom tool increases and

decreases the view

magnification in the

document window.

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•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.

1Click the Hand tool .

To activate the grabber hand, you can also hold down the spacebar or hold down Alt/Option while in text mode.

2With 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.

3With 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.

4Release 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.

See also

“Keys for viewing documents and document workspaces” on page 685

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.

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.

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•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.

•To go to the first or last page, click the First Spread button or Last Spread button at the lower left of

the document window, or choose Layout > First Page or Last Page.

•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.

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 Horizontally or Tile Vertically 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).

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•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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Display Performance

(Mac OS).

2From 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.

3Select 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Display Performance

(Mac OS).

2From 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.

3For Greek Type Below, type a value.

4To 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, and then click OK.

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.

1In 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.

2Type a simple mathematical expression using a single mathematical operator, such as + (plus), - (minus),

* (multiplication), / (division), or % (percent).

For example, 0p0+3 or 5mm + 4.

3Press Enter or Return to apply the calculation.

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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).

See also

“Enter values in panels and dialog boxes” on page 36

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.

See also

“Rulers and measurement units” on page 48

“Calculate values in panels and dialog boxes” on page 35

Manage connections to web services

In Adobe® Creative Suite® 4, the Connections panel lets you manage connections to web services and the locally

installed extensions that interact with them. The Connections panel itself is an extension. Additional extensions

installed with Creative Suite applications include the following:

Adobe ConnectNow Collaborate with dispersed working teams over the web, sharing voice, data, and multimedia.

Kuler™ panel Quickly create, share, and explore color themes online.

Search for Help In the upper-right corner of applications, enter search terms to access Community Help. Community

Help includes Adobe product Help, plus additional content from the design and production communities.

Visit www.adobe.com to learn about additional services and extensions.

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Log into Adobe web services

Regardless of which application you use to access the Connections panel, logging in automatically connects you to

services such as ConnectNow meetings.

1In Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, choose Window > Extensions >

Connections.

2Enter your Adobe ID and password. (If you lack an ID or can’t remember it, click the appropriate link.)

3(Optional) To remain logged in when you restart the computer, select Remember Me On This Computer.

4Click Log In.

Disable automatic extension updates

By default, the Connections panel automatically updates installed extensions. However, you can disable automatic

updates and instead check for them manually.

1From the Connections panel menu , select Update Preferences.

2Deselect Check For Updates Automatically.

3Restart any open Adobe Creative Suite applications.

Manually check for updated extensions

❖From the Connections panel menu , select Check For Updates.

Disable web services

If your work environment disallows online connections, you can disable web services. You can also use this option to

disable your product from accessing online Community Help. When you disable web services and search for help, the

product provides results from the local help system only.

Note: Local Help includes only a portion of the full version of online product Help.

1From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.

2Select Keep Me Offline.

To disable the Connections panel and web services only in Photoshop, deselect Allow Extensions To Connect in the

Plug-Ins section of the Preferences dialog box.

See also

“Help and support” on page 2

Working with ConnectNow

Adobe® ConnectNow provides you with a secure, personal online meeting room where you can meet and collaborate

with others via the web in real time. With ConnectNow, you can share and annotate your computer screen, send chat

messages, and communicate using integrated audio. You can also broadcast live video, share files, capture meeting

notes, and control an attendee's computer.

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You can access ConnectNow directly from the application interface.

1Choose File > Share My Screen.

2In the Share My Screen dialog box, enter your Adobe ID and password, and click Sign In. If you don’t have an

Adobe ID and password, click the Create a Free Adobe ID link at the top of the dialog box.

3To share your screen, click the Share My Computer Screen button at the center of the ConnectNow application

window.

For complete instructions on using ConnectNow, see

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Acrobat.com/ConnectNow/index.html.

For a video tutorial about using ConnectNow, see Using ConnectNow to share your screen (7:12). (This

demonstration is in Dreamweaver.)

Setting preferences

About preferences and defaults

Preferences include settings such as panel positions, measurement options, and display options for graphics and

typography. Preference settings specify how InDesign documents and objects behave initially.

Numerous program preferences and default settings are stored in the Adobe InDesign preferences files. These files,

including the InDesign Defaults file, are saved each time you exit from InDesign. The settings files are located here:

Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[language]

Windows Vista Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[version]\[language]

Mac OS [username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe/InDesign/[version]/[language]

Note: InDesign preference settings are fully scriptable. To share a consistent set of preferences across user groups, develop

a script to set the preferences, and then have all users in the group run the script on their computers. Don’t copy and paste

one user’s preferences files onto another computer, as doing so might cause application instability. For more information

about scripting, see the Scripting Guide on the InDesign CS4 DVD.

Set general preferences

This section covers preference settings in the General tab of the Preferences dialog box. For information on other

preferences, search for the appropriate setting.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and then choose

the type of preferences you want to specify.

2In the Page Numbering section, choose a page numbering method from the View menu. (See “Display absolute or

section numbering in the Pages panel” on page 88.)

3In the Font Downloading and Embedding section, specify a threshold to trigger font subsetting based on the

number of glyphs a font contains. This setting affects font downloading options in the Print and Export dialog

boxes.

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4In the When Scaling section, you can determine how scaled objects are reflected in panels and how the content of

scaled frames behaves.

•Select Apply To Content if you want the point size to change when a text frame is scaled. (See “Scale type” on

page 238.) If this option is selected when a graphics frame is scaled, the percentage size of the image changes, but

the frame reverts its percentage to 100%. (See “Scale objects” on page 395.)

•Select Adjust Scaling Percentage to display the original point size with the new point size in parentheses when you

scale text. If this option is selected when you scale graphics frames, the percentage size of both the frame and image

changes.

5In the Scripting section, select Enable Attached Scripts to allow JavaScript actions to be attached to features in

InDesign. You may want to turn off this option if you’re opening an InDesign document from an unknown source.

6Click Reset All Warning Dialogs to display all warnings, even the ones you’ve already checked not to display. (As

warnings appear, you can select a check box to prevent the warning from appearing again.)

Set defaults

If you change settings when no documents are open, your changes set the defaults for new documents. If a document

is open when you change settings, the changes affect only that document.

Similarly, if you change settings when no objects are selected, your changes set the defaults for new objects.

Change default settings for new documents

1Close all documents.

2Change any menu items or panel or dialog box settings.

If you use the same page size and language for most of your documents, you can change these defaults with no

document open. For example, to change the default page size, close all documents, choose File > Document Setup, and

select a desired page size. To set a default dictionary, close all documents, choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary

(Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS), and select an option from the Language menu.

Specify default settings for new objects in a document

1With document open, choose Edit > Deselect All.

2Change any menu items or panel or dialog box settings.

Restore all preferences and default settings

When InDesign is behaving erratically, deleting preferences (also referred to as “trashing preferences” or “removing

preferences”) often solves the problem.

❖Do one of the following:

•(Windows) Start InDesign, and then press Shift+Ctrl+Alt. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference

files.

•(Mac OS) While pressing Shift+Option+Command+Control, start InDesign. Click Yes when asked if you want to

delete preference files.

About InDesign styles and presets

You can store settings for reuse, including settings for the following items:

•Creating paragraph and character styles. (See “Add paragraph and character styles” on page 182.)

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•Creating object styles. (See “Object styles” on page 196.)

•Creating table and cell styles. (See “Table and cell styles” on page 285.)

•Creating PDF export presets. (See “Customize Adobe PDF presets” on page 500.)

•Creating print presets. All the attributes in the Print dialog box are included in the style. (See “Print a document or

book” on page 584.)

•Creating trap presets. (See “Trapping color” on page 484.)

•Creating transparency flattener presets. (See “Flattening transparent artwork” on page 426.)

•Creating table of contents styles. (See “Create or import TOC styles” on page 299.)

•Saving the workspace configuration.

•Creating document presets. (See “Define document presets” on page 45.)

•Creating stroke styles. (See “Define custom stroke styles” on page 338.)

In general, change the feature settings in the dialog box, and then save the settings. Styles and presets are stored in the

document in which they are created. You can use the settings from another document by importing or loading the

styles and presets from that document. In addition, most presets can be exported or saved to a separate file and

distributed to other computers.

You can also share styles and presets across all documents in a book file. For more information, see “Synchronize book

documents” on page 293.

Recovery and undo

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.

See also

“Adobe Version Cue” on page 101

Find recovered documents

1Restart your computer.

2Start 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.

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3Do 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

1Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).

2Under Document Recovery Data, click Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).

3Specify 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).

•To close a dialog box without applying changes, click Cancel.

What to do if InDesign freezes

Unfortunately, system errors may occur while you use Adobe InDesign. System errors can manifest in many different

ways, including a blank or flickering dialog box, a frozen cursor or screen, a blue screen, an unexpected restart, or an

error such as “Application Error.” If you’re experiencing multiple system errors while using InDesign, see one of the

following tech notes:

Troubleshoot system errors and freezes in InDesign and InCopy (Windows)

Troubleshoot system errors and freezes in InDesign and InCopy (Mac OS)

Common InDesign error messages

This is an incomplete list of error messages you may encounter while installing or using InDesign. If you’re looking

for information for an error that’s not on this list, please leave a comment below.

Windows crash errors

The following errors may appear if InDesign crashes in Windows:

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“Application Error”

“The instruction at ‘[memory address]’ referenced memory at ‘[memory address]’. The memory could not be

‘read’.”“[filename] has generated errors and will be closed by Windows.”“This program has performed an illegal

operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.”“InDesign caused a General

Protection Fault in module [filename].”“InDesign caused an Invalid Page Fault in module [filename].”“Unhandled

exception detected. Application will be terminated.”“Illegal Instruction.”“Segment load failure in

[filename].”“InDesign has encountered a problem and needs to close.”“Fatal System Error.”

If any of these errors recur, see the tech note on Troubleshooting system errors and crashes in InDesign (Windows).

Mac OS crash errors

“The application ‘InDesign/InCopy’ has unexpectedly quit. The system and other applications have not been affected.”

See the tech note on Troubleshooting system errors and crashes in InDesign (Mac OS).

Installation and licensing errors

“Licensing for this product has stopped working.” See this tech note.

“Error 1603. A fatal error occurred during installation.” See tech note

“Unable to read Adobe file version for path /Library/Fonts/MinionPro-Bold.otf.” See tech note.

“The feature... is on a network resource that is unavailable" or “Error 1714.” See tech note.

“Please insert Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection Disk 1.” See tech note.

Other installation errors or problems for Windows XP (see tech note), Windows Vista (see tech note), or Mac OS (see

tech note).

Other InDesign errors

“Cannot open the document... not a valid InDesign Interchange document.” See tech note.

“Failed to export PDF.” See tech note.

Looking for an error message not listed? Leave a comment.

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Chapter 3: Layout

The decisions you make when you first set up a document affect how efficiently you can design and produce pages.

Proper planning helps you and your vendors save money and time.

Creating documents

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.

For a video tutorial on setting up new documents, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4273_id.

See also

“Recommended workflow for InDesign documents” on page 97

“Use document templates” on page 102

“Add documents to a book file” on page 291

Create a new document

1Choose 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.

2Choose a Page Size or specify a custom Width and Height for your document.

3Click the orientation for the page, either Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide).

4Specify options in the Margins and Columns sections, if necessary.

5To 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 . (See “New Document options” on page 43.)

6Click OK to open a 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

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” on page 64.)

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Master Text Frame 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” on page 122.)

The Master Text Frame option is available only when you’ve chosen File > New > Document.

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.

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.

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 Save Preset 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” on page 590.)

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” on

page 75.

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•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.

Creating custom page sizes

If you routinely specify a custom page size, you can add it to the Page Size menu in the New Document dialog box.

You add custom page sizes to the Page Size menu by editing the New Doc Sizes text file in the Presets folder (in the

InDesign application folder). This text file is self-documenting; to define custom page sizes, open the file in a text editor

and follow the instructions in the file itself.

Page sizes defined in the New Doc Sizes file will appear in the New Document dialog box and the Document Settings

dialog box.

Note: You can also specify a custom page size in the New Document dialog box or the Document Settings dialog box;

however, custom page sizes specified in these dialog boxes are not available to other documents you create.

See also

“Change document setup, margins, and columns” on page 46

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.

1Choose File > Document Presets > Define.

2Click New in the dialog box that appears.

3Specify a name for the preset and select basic layout options in the New Document Preset dialog box. (See “New

Document options” on page 43 for a description of each option.)

4Click 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

1Do 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.

2Make 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.

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.

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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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard

(Mac OS).

2Under 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 the Document Setup dialog box).

Slug Sets the color of the slug area (which is set in the Document Setup dialog box).

Preview Background Sets the color of the pasteboard when in the Preview mode.

3To set how close an object must be to snap to a guide or grid, specify a value in pixels for Snap To Zone.

4To display guides behind objects, select Guides In Back.

5To specify how far the pasteboard extends out from the page or spread (or the bleed or slug area, if specified), enter

a value for Minimum Vertical Offset.

6Click 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.

See also

“Ruler guides” on page 55

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” on page 83.

1Choose File > Document Setup.

2Specify the document options, and then click OK. (See “New Document options” on page 43.)

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.

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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 “Change text frame properties” on page 123.) Text frame columns can also be

affected by the Layout Adjustment feature.

1Do 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.

2Choose 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.

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.

1Go to the master or spread you want to change.

2If column guides are locked, choose View > Grids & Guides > Lock Column Guides to deselect it.

3Using 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” on page 55.)

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Rulers and measurement units

Change rulers and measurement units

You can change measurement units for the on-screen rulers and for use in panels and dialog boxes; you can also change

these settings at any time and temporarily override the current measurement units as you enter a value. By default,

rulers begin measuring from the upper-left corner of a page or spread. You can change this by moving the zero point.

(See “Change the zero point” on page 50.)

Changing the measurement units doesn’t move guides, grids, and objects, so when ruler tick marks change, they might

not line up with objects aligned to the old tick marks.

Rulers in a document window

A. Labeled tick marks B. Major tick marks C. Minor tick marks

You can set up different measurement systems for horizontal and vertical rulers. The system you select for the

horizontal ruler governs tabs, margins, indents, and other measurements. Each spread has its own vertical ruler;

however, all vertical rulers use the same settings you specify in the Units & Increments preferences dialog box.

The default units of measure for the rulers are picas (a pica equals 12 points). However, you can change custom ruler

units and control where the major tick marks appear on a ruler. For example, if you change the custom ruler units for

the vertical ruler to 12 points, a major ruler increment appears every 12 points (if such display is possible in the current

magnification). The tick mark labels include your customized major tick marks, so when the ruler reads 3 in the same

example, it marks the third instance of the 12-point increment, or 36 points.

Vertical ruler using inches (left), and custom 12-point increments (right)

Setting custom ruler increments in the vertical ruler is useful for lining up a ruler’s major tick marks with a baseline

grid.

See also

“Grids” on page 53

“Keys for selecting and moving objects” on page 680

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Show or hide rulers

❖In Normal View Mode (View > Screen Mode > Normal), choose View > Show Rulers or Hide Rulers.

Change measurement units and rulers

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments

(Mac OS).

2To change the origin of the zero point, in the Origin menu under Ruler Units, do one of the following:

•To set the ruler origin at the top-left corner of each spread, choose Spread. The horizontal ruler measures across

the entire spread.

•To set the ruler origin at the top-left corner of each page, choose Page. The horizontal ruler starts at zero for each

page in a spread.

•To set the ruler origin at the center of the spine, choose Spine. The horizontal ruler measures in negative

numbers to the left of the spine and positive numbers to the right of the spine.

3To change the measurement system used for rulers, dialog boxes, and panels, choose the desired system for

Horizontal and Vertical, or choose Custom and type the number of points at which you want the ruler to display

major tick marks.

If you specify a measurement system other than points, the Increment Every baseline grid value is still displayed in

points. This makes it easier to match text size and leading values, which are displayed in points.

4To change the value you want used for calculating points, specify the desired point size per inch for Points/Inch.

5Set any of the following Keyboard Increments:

Cursor Key Controls the increment for the arrow keys when nudging objects.

Size/Leading Controls the increment for increasing or decreasing the point size or leading using the keyboard

shortcuts.

Baseline Shift Controls the increment for shifting the baseline using the keyboard shortcuts.

Kerning/Tracking Controls the increment for kerning and tracking using the keyboard shortcuts.

6Click OK.

You can also change ruler units by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac OS) a ruler and choosing the

units from the context menu. By right-clicking or Control-clicking at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical

rulers, you can change the ruler units for both rulers at the same time.

Override default measurement units

You can specify a unit of measurement that is different from the default.

❖Highlight the existing value in a panel or dialog box, and type the new value using the notation in the following

table:

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Change the zero point

The zero point is the position at which the zeros on the horizontal and vertical rulers intersect. By default, the zero

point is at the top left corner of the first page of each spread. This means that the default position of the zero point is

always the same relative to a spread, but may seem to vary relative to the pasteboard.

The X and Y position coordinates in the Control panel, Info panel, and Transform panel are displayed relative to the

zero point. You can move the zero point to measure distances, to create a new reference point for measurement, or to

tile oversized pages. By default, each spread has one zero point at the upper left corner of the first page, but you can

also locate it at the binding spine, or specify that each page in a spread has its own zero point.

Adjust the zero point

When you move the zero point, it moves to the same relative location in all spreads. For example, if you move the zero

point to the top left corner of the second page of a page spread, it will appear in that position on the second page of all

See also

“Ruler guides” on page 55

Snap objects to the document grid

1Choose View > Grids & Guides and make sure that Snap To Document Grid is selected (checked). If it is not

selected, click it.

Note: The Snap to Guides command controls both snapping to guides and snapping to the baseline grid.

2To specify the snap-to zone, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign >

Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Mac OS), type a value for Snap to Zone, and click OK. The Snap to Zone value

is always in pixels.

To snap an object to a grid, drag an object toward a grid until one or more of the object’s edges is within the grid’s

snap-to zone.

Ruler guides

Create ruler guides

Ruler guides are different from grids in that they can be positioned freely on a page or on a pasteboard. You can create

two kinds of ruler guides: page guides, which appear only on the page on which you create them, or spread guides,

which span all pages and the pasteboard of a multiple-page spread. You can drag any ruler guide to the pasteboard. A

ruler guide is displayed or hidden with the layer on which it was created.

New ruler guides always appear on the target spread. For example, if several spreads are visible in the document

window and you drag a new guide into the window, the new guide becomes visible only on the target spread.

Guides in the document window

A. Spread guide B. Page guide

See also

“Layers” on page 75

“Customize the pasteboard and guides” on page 45

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Create a ruler guide

1Make sure that both rulers and guides are visible, make sure the correct spread is targeted, and view the document

in Normal View mode, not Preview mode.

2If the document contains multiple layers, click a layer name in the Layers panel to target the layer.

3Do one of the following:

•To create a page guide, position the pointer inside a horizontal or vertical ruler and then drag to the desired location

on the target spread. If you drop the guide onto the pasteboard, it spans the pasteboard and spread; it will act as a

page guide if you later drag it onto a page.

•To create a spread guide, drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler, keeping the pointer in the pasteboard but

positioning the guide at the desired location on the target spread.

•To create a spread guide when the pasteboard is not visible (for example, when you’ve zoomed in), press Ctrl

(Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler to the target spread.

•To create a spread guide without dragging, double-click a specific position on the horizontal or vertical ruler. If you

want to snap the guide to the nearest tick mark, hold down the Shift key when you double-click the ruler.

•To create vertical and horizontal guides simultaneously, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you drag

from the target spread’s ruler intersection to the desired location.

A vertical and horizontal guide created concurrently

To reposition a ruler guide numerically, select the guide and enter values for X and Y in the Control panel.

Create a set of evenly spaced page guides

1If the document contains multiple layers, click a layer name in the Layers panel to target the layer.

2Choose Layout > Create Guides.

3For Number, type a value to specify the number of rows or columns you want to create.

4For Gutter, type a value to specify the spacing between rows or columns. Start with a low value, such as 1 pica; large

gutters leave little space for columns.

Columns created with the Create Guides command are not the same as those created with the Layout > Margins And

Columns command. For example, columns created using Create Guides cannot control text flow when a text file is

placed. Use the Margins And Columns command to create major column divisions appropriate for autoflow text, and

use the Create Guides command to create column grids and other layout aids.

5For Fit Guides To, click Margins to create the guides within the page margins, or click Page to create the guides

within the page edges.

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Ruler guides evenly spaced within page margins (left) and page edges (right)

6To delete any existing guides (including guides on locked or hidden layers), select Remove Existing Ruler Guides.

7If you like, select Preview to see the effect of your settings on the page, and then click OK.

Note: The Create Guides command can create page guides only; it cannot create spread guides.

To space existing guides a uniform distance apart, select the guides (by dragging or pressing Shift as you click with the

mouse). Then, select Use Spacing from the Control panel, type the space value in the text box, and press Enter or

Return to confirm. Click either Distribute Horizontal Centers or Distribute Vertical Centers to the left of the Use

Spacing option.

Show or hide guides

•To show or hide all margin, column, and ruler guides, choose View > Grids & Guides > Show/Hide Guides.

•To show or hide ruler guides on one layer only without changing the visibility of the layer’s objects, double-click

the layer name in the Layers panel, select or deselect Show Guides, and then click OK.

•To show or hide guides and all other non-printing elements, click the Preview Mode icon at the bottom of the

Toolbox.

Work with ruler guides

You can change the attributes of individual ruler guides, and you can move, cut, copy, paste, or delete multiple ruler

guides simultaneously. Cut or copied ruler guides can be pasted to other pages or documents, but not to other

programs. To change attributes of specific guides, you must select the guides you want to change. When no guides are

selected, the Ruler Guides command sets the defaults for new guides only.

Select ruler guides

Unselected ruler guides appear light blue by default. Selected ruler guides are highlighted in their layer color. When a

guide is selected, the Reference Point icon in the Control panel changes to or , representing the selected guide.

•To select a single ruler guide, use the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool and click the guide to highlight

it in its layer color.

If you can’t select a ruler guide and the View > Grids & Guides > Lock Guides command is already deselected, the

guide might be on that page’s master, or on a layer where guides are locked.

•To select multiple ruler guides, hold down Shift as you click guides using the Selection or Direct Selection tool. You

can also drag over multiple guides, as long as the selection marquee doesn’t touch or enclose any other object.

•To select all ruler guides on the target spread, press Ctrl+Alt+G (Windows) or Command+Option+G (Mac OS).

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Move ruler guides

❖Using Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool , do any of the following:

•To move a ruler guide, drag it.

•To move multiple ruler guides, shift-select the guides you want to move, and then drag them.

Move selected guides just as you would any other selected object, including nudging with the arrow keys and using the

Control or Transform panels.

•To make a guide snap to a ruler tick mark, press Shift as you drag it. Or select the guide, press and hold down the

Shift key, and then click the mouse button.

•To move a spread guide, drag the part of the guide that’s on the pasteboard, or press Ctrl (Windows) or Command

(Mac OS) as you drag the guide from within the page.

•To move guides to another page or document, select one or more guides, choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut, go to

another page, and then choose Edit > Paste. If you’re pasting onto a page of the same size and orientation as the

guides’ original page, the guides appear in the same position.

Note: The Paste Remembers Layers option affects the layer on which pasted guides appear.

Delete ruler guides

•To delete individual guides, select one or more ruler guides and then press Delete. (You can also drag ruler guides

and drop them on a ruler to delete them.)

•To delete all ruler guides on the target spread, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) a selected guide or

ruler, and choose Delete All Guides.

If you cannot delete a guide, it may be locked, it may be on a master page, or it may be on a locked layer.

Customize ruler guides

1Do one of the following:

•To change options for one or more existing ruler guides, select those ruler guides.

•To set default options for new ruler guides, deselect all guides by clicking in an empty area.

2Choose Layout > Ruler Guides.

3For View Threshold, specify the magnification below which ruler guides do not appear. This prevents ruler guides

from appearing too close together at lower magnifications.

4For Color, choose a color or choose Custom to specify a custom color in the system color picker. Then click OK.

You can set the current magnification as the view threshold for new ruler guides by pressing Alt (Windows) or Option

(Mac OS) as you drag the ruler guides you’ve selected.

Lock or unlock ruler guides

•To lock or unlock all ruler guides, choose View > Grids & Guides > Lock Guides to select or deselect the menu

command.

•To lock or unlock ruler guides on one layer only, without changing the visibility of the layer’s objects, double-click

the layer name in the Layers panel, select or deselect Lock Guides, and then click OK.

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Change ruler guide stacking order

By default, ruler guides appear in front of all other guides and objects. However, some ruler guides may block your

view of such objects as lines with narrow stroke widths. You can change the Guides in Back preference to display ruler

guides in front of or behind all other objects. However, regardless of the Guides in Back setting, objects and ruler

guides are always in front of margin and column guides. Also, although putting guides on different layers organizes

them structurally, it does not affect their visual stacking order—the Guides in Back preference stacks all ruler guides

as a single set in relation to all page objects.

Default stacking order

A. Ruler guides B. Page objects C. Margin and column guides D. Page

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard

(Mac OS).

2Select Guides in Back, and click OK.

Snap objects to guides and grids

To precisely align objects to guides, use the Snap To Guides and Snap To Document Grid commands. Object edges

will snap to (be pulled toward) the nearest grid intersection or guide when you draw, move, or resize the objects.

The exact range within which an object snaps to guides is called the snap-to zone, which you can adjust. When you

select both the Snap To Guides and the Snap To Document Grid commands, the grid takes precedence.

Keep the following guidelines in mind as you align objects to guides and grids:

•To snap an object to a guide, drag an object toward a guide until one or more of the object’s edges is within the

guide’s snap-to zone.

•Guides must be visible for objects to snap to them. However, objects can snap to the document and baseline grids

whether the grids are visible or not.

•Objects on one layer snap to ruler guides visible on any other layer. If you don’t want objects to snap to guides on

a certain layer, hide that layer’s guides.

•For the baselines of text to snap to the baseline grid, press the Align to Baseline Grid button for individual

paragraphs or paragraph styles.

1Choose View > Grids & Guides and make sure that Snaps To Guides is selected (checked).

Note: The Snap To Guides command controls both snapping to guides and snapping to the baseline grid.

2To specify the snap-to zone, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign >

Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Mac OS), type a value for Snap To Zone, and click OK. The Snap To Zone

value is always in pixels.

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Use smart guides

The Smart Guides feature makes it easy to snap objects to items in your layout. As you drag or create an object,

temporary guides appear, indicating that the object is aligned with an edge or center of the page or with another page

item.

By default, the Smart Guides feature is selected. You can turn off smart guides, or you can turn off any of the smart

guide categories:

Smart Object Alignment Smart object alignment allows for easy snapping to page item centers or edges. In addition to

snapping, smart guides dynamically draw to indicate which object is being snapped to.

Smart Dimensions Smart dimension feedback appears when you’re resizing, creating, or rotating page items. For

example, if you rotate one object on your page 24 degrees, a rotation icon appears as you rotate another object close to

24 degrees. This hint lets you snap the object to the same rotation angle of the adjacent object. Similarly, as you resize

an object next to another object, a line segment with arrows at each end lets you snap the object to the same width or

height as the adjacent object.

Smart Spacing Smart spacing lets you quickly arrange page items with the help of temporary guides that indicate when

the spacing between objects is even.

Smart Cursors Smart cursor feedback appears in a gray box as X and Y values when you’re moving or resizing object

or as a measurement when you’re rotating values. The Show Transformation Values option in Interface preferences

lets you turn smart cursors on and off.

For a video tutorial on using smart guides, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4029_id.

Turn smart guides on or off

❖Choose View > Grids & Guides > Smart Guides.

Turn smart guide categories on or off

1Open the Guides & Pasteboard preferences.

2Indicate whether you want Align To Object Center, Align To Object Edge, Smart Dimensions, and Smart Spacing

turned on or off, and click OK.

To turn off smart cursors, which displays the X and Y values of objects you mouse over, deselect Show Transformation

Values in Interface preferences.

Change the appearance of smart guides

1Open the Guides & Pasteboard section of the Preferences dialog box.

2Choose a different color from the Smart Guides menu, and click OK.

Tips for using Smart Guides

•Smart Guides take effect only on page items and intersections that are in the current page view. If you have many

objects on a page and are trying to align an object to another object or objects in particular, zoom in on that area

specifically.If you don’t want Smart Guides to snap to column guides, turn off Snap To Guides temporarily by

choosing View > Grids & Guides > Snap To Guides.The Smart Guides feature is accurate regardless of zoom

percentage, so it isn’t necessary to zoom in to see if two objects are really aligned at their left edges, for example.

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Pages and spreads

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.

Pages panel

A. Page icons B. Page with master “A” applied C. Selected spread

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.

1If the Pages panel isn’t visible, choose Window > Pages.

2Choose Panel Options in the Pages panel menu.

3In 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.

4In 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.)

5In 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.

6Choose 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.

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•To maintain the size of the Masters section and resize only the Pages section, choose Masters Fixed.

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.

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.

Page 1 is targeted and page 5 is selected (left), and page 1 is targeted and entire spread is selected (right).

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.

Move, duplicate, and delete pages and spreads

You can use the Pages panel to freely arrange, duplicate, and recombine pages and spreads. Keep the following

guidelines in mind when adding, arranging, duplicating, or removing pages within a document:

•InDesign preserves the threads between text frames.

•InDesign redistributes pages according to how the Allow Document Pages To Shuffle command is set.

•An object that spans multiple pages stays with the page on which the object’s bounding box covers the most area.

A A A A

2–3 4–5

6–7

A A A A

2–3 4–5

6–7

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See also

“Control spread pagination” on page 64

“Move or copy pages between documents” on page 64

“Copy masters” on page 72

Move pages using Move Pages command

1Choose Layout > Pages > Move Pages, or choose Move Pages from the Pages panel menu.

2Specify the page or pages you want to move.

3For Destination, choose where you want to move the pages, and specify a page if necessary. Click OK.

Move pages by dragging

❖As you drag, the vertical bar indicates where the page will appear when you drop it. If the black rectangle or bar

touches a spread when Allow Pages to Shuffle is turned off, the page you’re dragging will extend that spread;

otherwise, document pages will be redistributed to match the Facing Pages setting in the File > Document Setup

dialog box.

In the Pages panel, drag a page icon to a new position within the document.

Moving a page’s position using the Pages panel

Duplicate a page or spread

❖In the Pages panel, do one of the following:

•Drag the page range numbers under a spread to the New Page button. The new spread appears at the end of the

document.

•Select a page or spread, and then choose Duplicate Page or Duplicate Spread in the Pages panel menu. The new page

or spread appears at the end of the document.

•Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag the page icon or page range numbers under a spread to a new

location.

Note: Duplicating a page or spread also duplicates all objects on the page or spread. Text threads from the duplicated

spread to other spreads are broken, but all text threads within the duplicated spread remain intact—as do all text threads

on the original spread.

Remove a page from a spread while keeping it in the document

1Select the spread and deselect Allow Selected Spread To Shuffle in the Pages panel menu.

2In the Pages panel, drag a page out of the spread until the vertical bar is not touching any other pages.

Delete a page or spread from the document

❖Do one of the following:

•In the Pages panel, drag one or more page icons or page-range numbers to the Delete icon.

•Select one or more page icons in the Pages panel, and click the Delete icon.

A A A A

2–3

6–7

A A AA

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•Select one or more page icons in the Pages panel, and then choose Delete Page(s) or Delete Spread(s) in the Pages

panel menu.

Move or copy pages between documents

When you move or copy a page or spread from one document to another, all of the items on the page or spread,

including graphics, links, and text, are copied to the new document. Section markers are preserved. Threaded text

frames are also included, but text that is threaded to pages outside the spread does not transfer. If the page or spread

you are copying contains styles, layers, or masters with the same names as their counterparts in the destination

document, the destination document’s settings are applied to the page or spread.

If you copy a page from a document that has a different size than the document you are copying to, it will be resized

to the dimensions of the destination.

If you move or copy a spread with a rotated view, the rotated view is cleared in the target document.

If you want to move or copy a multiple-page spread, deselect Allow Document Pages To Shuffle in the destination

document to keep the spread together.

See also

“Copy masters” on page 72

Move or copy pages between documents

1To move pages from one document to another, open both documents.

2Choose Layout > Pages > Move Pages, or choose Move Pages from the Pages panel menu.

3Specify the page or pages you want to move.

4Choose the destination document name from the Move To menu.

5For Destination, choose where you want to move the pages, and specify a page if necessary.

6If you want to remove the pages from the original document, select Delete Pages After Moving.

Note: When you copy pages between documents, their associated masters are copied automatically. If the new document

contains a master with the same name as the master applied to the copied page, however, the master of the new document

is applied to the copied page instead.

Move or copy pages between documents by dragging

1To move pages from one document to another, make sure that both documents are open and visible.

You can choose Window > Arrange > Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically to display documents side-by-side.

2Drag the original document’s page icon to the new document.

3In the Insert Pages dialog box, specify where the pages will be added.

4If you want to remove the pages from the original document, select Delete Pages After Inserting.

Control spread pagination

Most documents use two-page spreads exclusively. When you add or remove pages before a spread, the pages shuffle

by default. However, you may want to keep certain pages in a spread together. For example, you can create gatefold or

accordion foldouts by creating a multiple-page spread (also called an island spread) and adding pages to it. By not

allowing pages to shuffle, you can ensure that pages are kept in the same spread.

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Pages panel

A. One-page spread B. Four-page spread, identified by brackets around page numbers C. Entire two-page spread selected

Create a multiple-page spread

1Do one of the following:

•To keep a single spread together, select a spread in the Pages panel, and then deselect Allow Selected Spread To

Shuffle in the Pages panel menu. You can identify an island spread in the Pages panel by the brackets around its

page numbers.

•To allow the creation of spreads of more than two pages in the entire document and to preserve those spreads when

you add, remove, or arrange preceding pages, deselect Allow Document Pages To Shuffle on the Pages panel menu.

InDesign will preserve spreads of more than two pages while letting two-page spreads repaginate normally.

2Add pages to the selected spread either by using Insert Pages to insert a new page in the middle of a spread or by

dragging an existing page to the spread in the Pages panel. To drag an entire spread, drag its page numbers.

Adding a page to a spread using the Pages panel

Note: You can include up to ten pages in a spread. When you have reached the limit, the black vertical bar will not appear.

Redistribute pages

You can redistribute a spread’s pages to match the Facing Pages setting in the File > Document Setup dialog box.

❖Do either of the following:

•If an individual spread has been allowed to shuffle, select the spread, and choose Allow Selected Spread To Shuffle

in the Pages panel menu to select it.

•If document pages have been allowed to shuffle and you added pages to a spread, choose Allow Document Pages

To Shuffle from the Pages panel menu to select it. Click No to redistribute pages. If you click Yes to maintain the

multiple-page spreads, brackets surround the numbers on those spreads in the Pages panel, indicating that those

spreads are not allowed to shuffle.

Start a document with a two-page spread

Instead of beginning the document with a right-facing (recto) page, you can delete the first page and begin your

document with a left-facing (verso) page that’s part of a spread.

A A A

6–7 8–9 9

A A A

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Important: Because of the settings that make it necessary to keep a left-facing page as the starting page, it can be difficult

to insert spreads into a document when following this method. To avoid this difficulty, it is best to work in the document

with a right-facing page starting page (which should be left blank). When you have inserted all of the pages needed in the

document, delete the first page by following the steps below.

1Make sure page 1 of the document is blank.

2Choose File > Document Setup. Be sure the document contains at least three pages and that the Facing Pages option

is selected. Click OK.

3In the Pages panel, select all the pages except page 1. (The easiest way to do this is to select page 2 and then Shift-

select the last page of the document.)

4In the Pages panel menu, deselect Allow Selected Spread To Shuffle.

5Select page 1. In the Pages panel menu, choose Delete Spread.

To add a spread to a document that starts on a left-facing page, first make sure Allow Selected Spread To Shuffle is

deselected and Allow Document Pages To Shuffle is selected. Then, insert three pages, and delete the extra page.

Rotate the spread view

In some instances, you need to edit rotated content. Instead of turning your head sideways to look at the rotated

content, you can rotate the spread view. This option is especially useful for working on rotated calendars and tables.

Rotating the spread view does not affect printing or output. However, if you leave the spread view rotated when you

print, you may need to change the orientation in the Setup section of the Print dialog box to make sure the rotated

spread prints properly. Or, clear the rotation before printing.

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Rotating the spread

A. Before rotating spread B. Rotated spread view C. Rotate icon in Pages panel

For a video tutorial on rotating the spread view, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4031_id.

1In the Pages panel, select the page or spread that you want to rotate.

2Do any of the following:

•From the Pages panel menu, choose Rotate Spread View > 90° CW, 90° CCW, or 180°.

•Choose View > Rotate Spread > 90° CW, 90° CCW, or 180°.

A rotation icon appears next to the rotated spread in the Pages panel.

Objects you place or create mirror the rotated view. For example, if you create a text frame when the spread view is

rotated 90 degrees, the text frame is also rotated. However, objects you paste are not rotated.

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When transforming objects, keep in mind that you’re working on a rotated page view. For example, if you’re editing a

table on a rotated spread view, changing the “left” side of the table will change what appears to be the top of the table

in the rotated view.

Before you output the file or send it to someone else, it’s a good idea to avoid confusion by clearing the spread rotation.

Choose View > Rotate Spread > Clear Rotation.

Master pages

About masters, stacking order, and layers

A master is like a background that you can quickly apply to many pages. Objects on a master appear on all pages with

that master applied. Master items that appear on document pages are surrounded by a dotted border. Changes you

make to a master are automatically applied to associated pages. Masters commonly contain repeating logos, page

numbers, headers, and footers. They can also contain empty text or graphic frames that serve as placeholders on

document pages. A master item cannot be selected on a document page unless the master item is overridden.

Masters can have multiple layers, just like pages in your document. Objects on a single layer have their own stacking

order within that layer. Objects on a master page layer appear behind objects assigned to the same layer in the

document page.

If you want a master item to appear in front of objects on the document page, assign a higher layer to the object on the

master. A master item on a higher layer appears in front of all objects on lower layers. Merging all layers will move

master items behind document page objects.

Master items (top left) appear behind page objects on the same layer (bottom left); moving a master item to a higher layer (top right) moves it

in front of all objects on lower layers (bottom right).

Tips and guidelines for masters

•You can compare alternative design ideas by creating a variety of masters and applying them in turn to sample

pages containing typical content.

•To quickly lay out new documents, you can save a set of masters in a document template, along with paragraph and

character styles, color libraries, and other styles and presets.

•If you change column or margin settings on a master, or apply a new master with different column and margin

settings, you can force objects on the page to adjust to the new layout automatically. (See “About automatic layout

adjustment” on page 83.)

•Automatic page numbers inserted on a master display the correct page number for each section of the document

to which the master is applied. (See “Add basic page numbering” on page 85.)

A • Section

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See also

“Override or detach master items” on page 72

Create masters

By default, any document you create has a master page. You can create additional masters from scratch or from an

existing master page or document page. After you apply master pages to other pages, any changes made to the source

master carry forward to the masters and document pages that are based on it. With careful planning, this provides an

easy way to make layout changes to multiple pages across your document.

For a video tutorial on working with master pages, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0069.

See also

Master Pages video

“Apply master pages” on page 71

Create a master from scratch

1Choose New Master in the Pages panel menu.

2Specify the following options, and click OK:

•For Prefix, type a prefix that identifies the applied master for each page in the Pages panel. You can type as many

as four characters.

•For Name, type a name for the master spread.

•For Based On Master, choose an existing master spread on which you’ll base this master spread, or choose None.

•For Number Of Pages, type a value for the number of pages you want in the master spread (as many as ten).

Create a master from an existing page or spread

•Drag an entire spread from the Pages section of the Pages panel to the Masters section.

•Select a spread in the Pages panel and choose Save As Master from the Pages panel menu.

Any objects on the original page or spread become part of the new master. If the original page used a master, the new

master is based on the original page’s master.

Creating a new master spread based on another page or spread

Base one master on another

You can create a master variation that is based on and updates with another master (called the parent master) within

the same document. The master spreads based on the parent master are called child masters. For example, if your

document has ten chapters that use master spreads that vary only slightly, base all of them on a master spread that

contains the layout and objects common to all ten. This way, a change to the basic design requires editing just the

parent master instead of editing all ten separately. Vary the formatting on your child masters. You can override parent

master items on a child master to create variations on a master, just as you can override master items on document

pages. This is a powerful way to keep a consistent yet varied design up to date.

None

4–5 6–7 8–9

None

4–5 6–7 8–9

A-Master B-Master

A-Master

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Original parent and child masters (left); when the parent master is modified, the child masters are automatically updated (right)

❖To base one master on another, in the Masters section of the Pages panel, do either of the following:

•Select a master spread, and choose Master Options for [master spread name] in the Pages panel menu. For Based

On Master, choose a different master, and click OK.

•Select the name of the master spread you want to use as the base and drag it onto the name of another master to

apply it.

B-Master based on A-Master

Edit the layout of a master

You can edit the layout of master pages at any time; changes you make are automatically reflected on all pages with

that master applied. For example, any text or graphic you add to a master will appear on document pages to which the

master is applied.

Note: When you override or detach a master page object on a particular page, that object may not update to reflect

changes made on the master page.

1In the Pages panel, double-click the icon for the master you want to edit, or select the master page from the text box

list at the bottom of the document window. The master spread appears in the document window.

2Make changes to the master.

InDesign automatically updates any pages using that master.

Use multiple views to see the results of master edits. Choose Window > Arrange > New Window, and then choose

Window > Arrange > Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically. Set one view to a page and the other view to the master

applied to that page. Then edit the master and watch the page update.

See also

“Create headers and footers” on page 90

Change master page options

You can edit master page options to change the name or prefix of the master, base the master on another master, or

change the number of pages in the master spread.

1In the Pages panel, click the name of a master spread to select the master spread.

2Choose Master Options For [master name] in the Pages panel menu.

[None]

10–11 12–13 14–15

[None]

10–11 12–13 14–15

A-Master B-Master A-Master B-Master

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3Change any option, and then click OK.

Apply master pages

If your document contains custom spreads (such as a 3- or 4-page foldout in a magazine), any master you apply should

contain the same number of pages.

Note: Master items on a document page have a dotted border. If you cannot view master items on a document page, the

master item may be hidden on a lower layer or the master items may be hidden. Choose Show Master Items from the

Pages panel menu.

Apply a master to a document page or spread

•To apply a master to one page, drag the master page icon to a page icon in the Pages panel. When a black rectangle

surrounds the desired page, release the mouse button.

•To apply a master to a spread, drag the master page icon to a corner of the spread in the Pages panel. When a black

rectangle surrounds all pages in the desired spread, release the mouse button.

Applying a master to a page (left) and applying a master to a spread (right)

Apply a master to multiple pages

❖Do one of the following:

•In the Pages panel, select the pages to which you want to apply a new master. Then press Alt (Windows) or Option

(Mac OS) as you click a master.

•Choose Apply Master To Pages from the Pages panel menu, select a master for Apply Master, make sure that the

page ranges in the To Pages option are the ones you want, and click OK. You can apply a master to multiple pages

at once. For example, you can type 5, 7-9, 13-16 to apply the same master to pages 5, 7-9, and 13-16. (See “Display

absolute or section numbering in the Pages panel” on page 88.)

Applying a master to a discontiguous range of pages

Unassign masters from document pages

❖Apply the None master from the Masters section of the Pages panel.

When you unassign a master from a page, its layout and items no longer apply to the page. If a master contains most

of the elements you want, but you need to customize the appearance of a few pages, you can override master items and

edit or modify them on those document pages, instead of unassigning the master.

None

10–11 12–13

A-Master B-Master

14–15

None

10–11 12–13 14–15

A-Master B-Master

AA AA

2–3 4–5

6–7

BA BA

2–3 4–5

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Copy masters

You can copy masters within the same document or from one document to another to use as the starting point for a

new master. You can also copy masters to other documents when you synchronize documents in a book or import

master pages from another document.

See also

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

“Import a master from another document” on page 74

Copy a master within a document

❖In the Pages panel, do one of the following:

•Drag the page name of a master spread to the New Page button at the bottom of the panel.

•Select the page name of a master spread, and choose Duplicate Master Spread [spread name] in the panel menu.

When you copy a master, the page prefix of the copied master becomes the next letter in the alphabet.

Copy or move a master to another document

1Open the document you want to add the master to. Then open the document with the master you want to copy.

2In the Pages panel of the source document, do either of the following:

•Click and drag the master spread to the destination document’s window to copy it.

•Select the master you want to move or copy. Choose Layout > Pages > Move Master, and choose the destination

document name from the Move To menu. If you want to remove the page or pages from the source document,

select Delete Pages After Moving, and then click OK.

If the target document already has a master with the same prefix, the moved master is assigned the next available letter

in the alphabet.

Delete a master from a document

1In the Pages panel, select one or more master page icons.

To select all unused master pages, choose Select Unused Masters in the Page panel menu.

2Do one of the following:

•Drag a selected master page or spread icon to the Delete icon at the bottom of the panel.

•Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the panel.

•Choose Delete Master Spread [spread name] in the panel menu.

When you delete a master, the [None] master is applied to any document page to which the deleted master was applied.

Override or detach master items

When you apply a master page to a document page, all objects on the master, called master items, appear on the

document page. Sometimes you want a specific page to be only slightly different from a master. In this situation you

don’t need to re-create the master layout on the page or create a new master. You can override or detach the master

item, and other master items on the document page will continue to update with the master.

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Note the difference between overriding and detaching master items on a document page:

Override master item attributes Overriding a master item puts a copy of it on the document page without breaking its

association with the master page. Once the item itself is overridden, you can selectively override one or more attributes

of the item to customize it. For example, you can change the fill color of the local copy. After that, changes to the fill

color on the master page itself will not update to the local copy. However, other attributes, such as size, will continue

to update because they have not been overridden on the local copy. Overrides can be removed later to make the object

match the master.

Attributes you can override for a master page object include strokes, fills, contents of a frame, and any transformations

(such as rotating, scaling, shearing, or resizing), corner options, text frame options, lock state, transparency, and object

effects.

Detach items from their master On a document page, you can detach (disassociate) a master item from its master. The

item must be overridden on the document page, creating a local copy, before you can detach it. A detached item does

not update with the master because its association with the master page is broken.

See also

“Apply text wrap on master page items” on page 214

Override a master item

1Make sure the master item can be overridden.

You can override a master item only if Allow Master Item Overrides On Selection is selected in the Pages panel menu

for that item.

2Do either of the following:

•To override specific master items on a document page, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS)

and click the item (or drag to select multiple items). Change the selected master items as desired. The item can now

be selected like any other page item, but retains its association with the master page.

•To override all master page items on a document spread, target the spread, and then choose Override All Master

Page Items in the Pages panel menu. You can now select and modify any and all master items as you wish.

Once you override any master item, its dotted bounding box becomes a solid line, to show that a local copy has been

created.

Note: If you override a threaded text frame, all visible frames in that thread are overridden, even if they are on a different

page in a spread.

Detach a master item

•To detach a single master item from its master, first override it by pressing Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or

Command+Shift (Mac OS) and clicking the item on a document page. Then choose Detach Selection From Master

in the Pages panel menu.

•To detach all overridden master items on a spread, override the master page items you want to detach, and target

that spread in the document. (Don’t go to the original master page.) Choose Detach All Objects From Master from

the Pages panel menu. If the command isn’t available, there aren’t any overridden objects on that spread.

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Prevent a master item from being overridden

In some instances, you want to override all but a few master items. For example, you may want to override master items

such as background images on a document page, but you want to prevent a page-numbering header from being

overridden. By preventing the header from being overridden, you can choose the Override All Master Items option to

override all master items except for the header.

1On the master page, select the item.

2Deselect Allow Master Item Overrides On Selection on the Pages panel menu.

Master items that do not allow overrides have no frame edge when displayed on the document page. If you prevent a

threaded text frame from being overridden, all text frames in that thread have the same setting applied.

Reapply master items

If you’ve overridden master items, you can restore them to match the master page. When you do this, the object’s

attributes revert to their state on the corresponding master, and will once again update when you edit the master. The

local copy of the object is removed, and the master item cannot be selected, as indicated by its dotted border. You can

remove overrides for selected objects or all objects on a spread, but not across an entire document at once.

❖Do one of the following:

•To remove master overrides from one or more objects, select objects that were originally master items. In the Pages

panel, target a spread and choose Remove Selected Local Overrides in the Pages panel menu.

•To remove all master overrides from a spread, in the Pages panel, target the spread (or master spread) from which

you want to remove all master overrides. Choose Edit > Deselect All to make sure that no objects are selected. In

the Pages panel, choose Remove All Local Overrides in the Pages panel menu.

If you’ve detached master page objects, you cannot restore them to the master page; however, you can delete the

detached objects and reapply the master to the page.

If you reapply a master to a page that contains overridden master page objects, the objects with overrides are detached

and all master page objects reapplied. This may result in two copies of some objects on the page. You’ll need to delete

the detached objects to exactly match the look of the master.

Hide master items

Use the Hide Master Items to hide master page items on one or more pages in your document. Hidden master items

are not printed or output.

1In the Pages panel, select the pages and spreads on which you’d like the master items to be hidden.

2From the Pages panel menu, choose Hide Master Items.

To display master items again, select the spreads in the Pages panel and choose Show Master Items from the Pages

panel menu.

Import a master from another document

You can import masters from another InDesign document (any version) into the active document. If your destination

document contains master pages that have different names from any master page in the source document, those pages

and their document page overrides will be unchanged.

1In the Pages panel menu, choose Load Master Pages.

2Locate and double-click the InDesign document containing the master pages you want to import.

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3Determine what should occur if a loaded master has the same name as a master in the current document.

•Choose Replace Master Pages if you want the masters from the source to override the destination document’s

masters with the same names. If your destination document does not have any overridden items, it is safe to Replace

Master Pages on import.

•Choose Rename Master Pages to change the page prefixes to the next available letter in the alphabet.

Once you have imported masters from a source document, a link is set up between the source document and the

destination document. When you subsequently load masters from the same source document, the association between

overridden items and their parent items on reloaded master pages is maintained. This association lets you keep master

pages in different documents consistent without putting those documents into a book.

If you want to use this method of keeping master pages consistent, you should load the master pages from the source

document before overriding any objects on the master. If your document has overridden items and you have never

imported masters from any source, those overridden items become detached the first time you load from a source

document and replace master pages with the same name as the parent master of the overridden items.

If you subsequently import masters from a different source document, however, and choose Replace Master Pages, the

overridden items may become detached. Any same-named masters from the new source document will be applied to

the document page containing overridden items, creating two sets of objects.

Layers

About layers

Each document includes at least one named layer. By using multiple layers, you can create and edit specific areas or

kinds of content in your document without affecting other areas or kinds of content. For example, if your document

prints slowly because it contains many large graphics, you can use one layer for just the text in your document; then,

when it’s time to proofread the text, you can hide all other layers and quickly print the text layer only. You can also use

layers to display alternate design ideas for the same layout, or versions of advertisements for different regions.

Think of layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. If a layer doesn’t have objects on it, you can see

through it to any objects on layers behind it.

Additional layer notes:

•Objects on masters appear at the bottom of each layer. Master items can appear in front of document page objects

if the master page objects are on a higher layer. (See “About masters, stacking order, and layers” on page 68.)

•Layers involve all pages of a document, including masters. For example, if you hide Layer 1 while editing page 1 of

your document, the layer is hidden on all pages until you decide to show it again.

•For information on converting layers from Adobe PageMaker® or QuarkXPress, see “Converting QuarkXPress and

PageMaker documents” on page 107.

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The Layers panel lists layers with the frontmost layer appearing at the top of the panel.

For a video tutorial on using layers, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0074.

Create layers

You can add layers at any time using the New Layer command on the Layers panel menu or the New Layer button at

the bottom of the Layers panel. The number of layers a document can have is limited only by the RAM available to

InDesign.

See also

“Show or hide frame edges” on page 82

Create layers

1Choose Window > Layers.

2To create a new layer using default settings, do one of the following:

•To create a new layer at the top of the Layers panel list, click the New Layer button.

•To create a new layer above the selected layer, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you click the

New Layer button.

•To create a new layer below the selected layer, hold down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS) as

you click the New Layer button.

Specify layer options

1Choose New Layer in the Layers panel menu, or double-click an existing layer.

2Specify the layer options, and then click OK.

Color Assign a color to identify the objects on that layer.

Show Layer Select this option to make a layer visible. Selecting this option is the same as making the eye icon visible

in the Layers panel.

Show Guides Select this option to make the guides on the layer visible. When this option is not selected for a layer, the

guides cannot be made visible, even by selecting View > Show Guides for the document.

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Lock Layer Select this option to prevent changes to any objects on the layer. Selecting this option is the same as making

the crossed-out pencil icon visible in the Layers panel.

Lock Guides Select this option to prevent changes to all ruler guides on the layer.

Print Layer Select this option to allow the layer to be prevented from printing. When printing or exporting to PDF,

you can determine whether to print hidden and nonprinting layers.

Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden Select this option if you want text on other layers to flow normally when

the layer is hidden and it contains objects with text wrap applied.

Assign a layer color

Assigning a color to a layer makes it easier to distinguish the layers of different selected objects. For each layer that

contains a selected object, the Layers panel displays a dot in the layer’s color. On the page, each object displays the color

of its layer in its selection handles, bounding box, text ports, text wrap boundary (if used), frame edges (including the

X displayed by an empty graphics frame), and hidden characters. The layer color does not appear for a deselected frame

if its edges are hidden.

1In the Layers panel, double-click a layer or select a layer and choose Layer Options for [layer name].

2For Color, choose a color or choose Custom to specify a color in the system color picker.

Add objects to layers

Any new object is placed on the target layer, the layer currently displaying the pen icon in the Layers panel. Targeting

a layer also selects it. If multiple layers are selected, targeting one of them doesn’t change the selection, but targeting a

layer outside the selection deselects the other layers.

You can add objects to the target layer by any of the following methods:

•Creating new objects with the Type tool or drawing tools.

•Importing, placing, or pasting text or graphics.

•Selecting objects on other layers, and then moving them to the new layer.

You cannot draw or place a new object on a hidden or locked layer. When you select a drawing tool or the Type

tool, or place a file when the target layer is hidden or locked, the pointer changes to the crossed-out-pencil icon

when it is positioned over the document window. Either show or unlock the target layer, or target a visible,

unlocked layer. If you choose Edit > Paste when the target layer is hidden or locked, an alert message gives you the

choice of showing or unlocking the target layer.

When you click a layer in the Layers panel to target it, the pen icon appears on the layer you clicked, and the layer also

highlights to indicate that it is targeted.

Changing the target layer for the next new object

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Select, move, and copy objects on layers

By default, you can select any object on any layer. In the Layers panel, dots mark layers that contain selected objects.

The layer’s selection color helps you identify an object’s layer. To prevent selecting objects on a specific layer, lock the

layer.

❖Do any of the following:

•To select all objects on a specific layer, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click a layer in the

Layers panel.

•To move or copy objects to another layer, use the Selection tool to select one or more objects on a document

page or master. In the Layers panel, drag the colored dot on the right side of the layer list to move the selected

objects to the other layer.

Moving an object to a new layer

To move selected objects to a hidden or locked layer, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you drag

the colored dot. To copy selected objects to another layer, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag

the colored dot on the right side of the layer list to the other layer. To copy selected objects to a hidden or locked layer, hold

down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS) as you drag the colored dot.

Paste objects into different layers

The Paste Remembers Layers command affects how objects pasted from other locations interact with existing layers.

If the Paste Remembers Layers command is selected, objects cut or copied from different layers retain their layer

assignments when pasted to the new page or position. If you paste objects to a document that doesn’t have the same

layers as the document from which they were copied, InDesign adds the objects’ layer names to the Layers panel in the

second document, and pastes each object on its layer.

If the Paste Remembers Layers command is deselected, objects cut or copied from different layers are pasted together

on the target layer.

1Make sure that Paste Remembers Layers is deselected in the Layers panel menu.

2Select objects and choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut.

3In the Layers panel, click the other layer to target it.

4Choose Edit > Paste.

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Duplicate a layer

When you duplicate a layer, you copy its contents and settings. The duplicate layer then appears above the original

layer in the Layers panel. Any duplicated frames that were threaded to other frames on the layer remain threaded.

Duplicated frames whose originals were threaded to frames on other layers are no longer threaded to those frames.

❖In the Layers panel, do one of the following:

•Select the layer name and choose Duplicate Layer [layer name] in the Layers panel menu.

•Drag a layer name and drop it on the New Layer button.

Change the order of layers

Change the stacking order of layers in your document by rearranging the layers on the Layers panel. Rearranging layers

changes the order of layers on every page, not just on the target spread.

❖In the Layers panel, drag a layer up or down in the list. You can also drag multiple selected layers.

Reordering layers

Show or hide layers

You can hide or display any layer at any time. Hidden layers can’t be edited, and don’t appear on screen or in print.

Hiding layers can be useful when you want to do any of the following:

•Hide parts of a document that are not meant to appear in the final document.

•Hide alternate versions of a document.

•Simplify the display of a document, to make it easier to edit other parts of the document.

•Prevent a layer from printing.

•Speed up screen redraw when a layer contains high-resolution graphics.

By default, text continues to wrap around objects on hidden layers. To ignore text wrap settings for hidden objects,

choose Layer Options from the Layers panel menu, and then select the Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden

option.

❖Do any of the following:

•To hide or show one layer at a time, in the Layers panel, click the square at the far left of a layer name to hide or

show the eye icon for that layer.

•To hide all layers except the selected layer, choose Hide Others in the Layers panel menu. Or, Alt-click (Windows)

or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer you want to remain visible.

•To show all layers, choose Show All Layers in the Layers panel menu. Or, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac

OS) a visible layer.

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Set a layer as nonprinting

1Select the layer in the Layers panel.

2Choose Layer Options from the Layers panel menu.

3To prevent the layer from being printed, deselect Print Layer, and then click OK.

Note: When you print or export to PDF, you will still have the option of printing hidden and nonprinting layers.

Lock or unlock layers

Locking is useful for preventing accidental changes to a layer. A locked layer displays a crossed-out pencil icon in the

Layers panel. Objects on locked layers cannot be selected or edited directly; however, if objects on locked layers have

attributes that can be edited indirectly, they will change. For example, if you edit a tint swatch, objects on locked layers

using that tint swatch will reflect the change. Similarly, putting a series of threaded text frames on both locked and

unlocked layers will not prevent text on locked layers from recomposing.

❖Do any of the following:

•To lock or unlock one layer at a time, in the Layers panel, click a square in the second column from the left to show

(lock) or hide (unlock) the crossed-out-pencil icon for a layer.

•To lock all layers except the target layer, choose Lock Others in the Layers panel menu. Or, Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac OS) the layer you want to remain unlocked.

•To unlock all layers, choose Unlock All Layers in the Layers panel menu.

Delete layers

Remember that each layer is document-wide—it appears on every page of a document. Before deleting a layer, consider

hiding all other layers first, and then turn to each page of the document to verify that it is safe to delete the remaining

objects.

❖Do any of the following:

•To delete a layer, drag a layer from the Layers panel to the Delete icon or choose Delete Layer [layer

name] from the Layers panel menu.

•

To delete multiple layers, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while you click the layers you want to delete.

Drag the layers from the Layers panel to the Delete icon or choose Delete Layers from the Layers panel menu.

•To delete all empty layers, choose Delete Unused Layers in the Layers panel menu.

Merge layers in a document

You can reduce the number of layers in a document without deleting any objects by merging layers. When you merge

layers, objects from all selected layers are moved to the target layer. Of the layers you merge, only the target layer

remains in the document; the other selected layers are deleted. You can also flatten a document by merging all layers.

Note: If you merge layers containing a mix of page objects and master items, the master items move to the back of the

resulting merged layer.

1In the Layers panel, select any combination of layers. Be sure to include the layer you want to target as the merged

layer. If you’re flattening the document, select all layers in the panel.

2Click any selected layer to make it the target layer, indicated by the pen.

3Choose Merge Layers in the Layers panel menu.

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You can also merge identically named layers for exporting a book to PDF.

See also

“Prepare layers before exporting a book to PDF” on page 497

Laying out frames and pages

About paths and frames

You can draw objects in a document and use them as paths or as frames. Paths are vector graphics like those you create

in a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator®. Frames are identical to paths, with only one difference—they can be

containers for text or other objects. A frame can also exist as a placeholder—a container without contents. As

containers and placeholders, frames are the basic building blocks for a document’s layout.

Paths and frames

A. Path B. Frame as graphic container C. Frame with placed graphic

You can draw both paths and frames using tools in the Toolbox. You can also create frames by simply placing

(importing) or pasting contents into a path.

Note: In QuarkXPress, paths are referred to as lines, and frames are referred to as boxes.

Because a frame is just a container version of a path, you can do anything to a frame that you can do to a path, such as

add a color or a gradient to its fill or stroke, or edit the shape of the frame itself with the Pen tool. You can even use a

frame as a path, or a path as a frame, at any time. This flexibility makes it easy to change your design and provides a

wide range of design choices.

Frames can contain text or graphics. A text frame determines the area to be occupied by text and how text will flow

through the layout. You can recognize text frames by the text ports in their respective upper left and lower right

corners.

A graphics frame can function as a border and background, and can crop or mask a graphic. When acting as an empty

placeholder, a graphics frame displays a crossbar.

Text frame (left) and empty graphics frame (right)

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If you don’t see the crossbar inside an empty graphics frame, the frame edges display may be turned off.

For a video tutorial on working with objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0071.

See also

“Understanding paths and shapes” on page 317

Working with Objects video

Show or hide frame edges

Unlike paths, you can see the nonprinting strokes (outlines) of frames by default even when the frames aren’t selected.

If the document window is getting crowded, use the Show/Hide Frame Edges command to simplify the screen display

by hiding the frame edges. Doing this also hides the crossbar in a graphics placeholder frame. The display setting for

frame edges doesn’t affect the display of the text ports on text frames.

Note: The frame edge is defined as a frame’s stroke, not the outer edge of the stroke’s weight.

❖Do any of the following:

•To show or hide frame edges, choose View > Show/Hide Frame Edges.

•To hide frame edges, click Preview Mode at the bottom of the Toolbox.

Using placeholders to design pages

When your final text and graphics are available, you can simply add them to a document; InDesign automatically

creates frames when you import them (unless you’re importing text or graphics directly into existing frames).

However, when you don’t have the content yet or you want to block out the design before adding text and graphics,

you can use frames as placeholders.

Types of placeholders

A. Graphics frame placeholder B. Text frame placeholder

For example, you might use any of these strategies:

•Draw text frames using the Type tool, and draw graphics frames using the drawing tools. Thread empty text frames

together so that importing final text takes just one step.

•Draw empty placeholder shapes using drawing tools. When you’re ready to start designating areas for text and

graphics, redefine the placeholders as either text or graphics frames.

•Set frame fitting options for a placeholder frame so that when you place an image in the frame, the image is cropped

and fit accordingly.

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See also

“Use document templates” on page 102

“Draw a placeholder shape” on page 320

“Set frame fitting options” on page 407

Redefine the purpose of paths and frames

•To use a path or text frame as a graphics placeholder frame, select a path or an empty text frame, and then choose

Object > Content > Graphic.

•To use a path or graphics frame as a text placeholder frame, select a path or an empty graphics frame, and then

choose Object > Content > Text.

•To use a text or graphics frame as a path only, select an empty frame, and then choose Object > Content >

Unassigned.

Note: When a frame contains text or graphics, you cannot redefine it using the Object > Content menu. However, if you

replace a graphic with text, the content type is automatically redefined.

About automatic layout adjustment

If you use the Document Setup or Margins and Columns commands to make changes to an existing layout, such as

altering column widths or page orientation, you could spend considerable time and effort in rearranging objects to fit

the new layout. The Layout Adjustment feature can do much of that work automatically. For example, you can quickly

reformat a wide four-column document designed for an A4-size page to a tall two-column format on a U.S. legal-size

page. With Layout Adjustment, text and graphics frames are moved and resized as necessary based on the new relative

positions of column guides, page margins, and page edges.

Note: Dragging column guides does not trigger layout adjustment.

The Layout Adjustment feature produces more predictable results when a layout is tightly based on a framework of

margins, page columns, and ruler guides, and where objects are snapped to guides. Results are less predictable when

objects don’t adhere to margins, columns, and guides, or when extraneous ruler and column guides clutter a page.

Layout adjustment is not affected by the document grid or the baseline grid.

Page designed vertically, for print (left); page orientation changed for on-screen viewing, with layout automatically refitted by the Layout

Adjustment feature (right)

You can modify the rules in the Layout Adjustment dialog box. The Layout Adjustment feature attempts to

approximate the proportions of the old layout in the new layout by doing the following:

•Adding or removing column guides, if the new layout specifies a different number of columns.

•If the page size changes, moving ruler guides to maintain proportional distances from page edges, margins, or

column guides.

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•Moving objects already aligned to any margin, column, bleed/slug, or ruler guide, or to any two guides

perpendicular to each other, so that the objects stay with those guides if the guides move during layout adjustment.

Also, objects already aligned to any page edge or to any page edges perpendicular to each other are moved.

•Proportionally resizing objects already aligned to two parallel margin, column, bleed/slug, or ruler guides or to

guides on three sides, so that the objects stay with those guides if the guides move during layout adjustment. Also,

objects aligned to two parallel page edges or to page edges on three sides are moved.

•Maintain the relative position of objects that are anchored to the text as specified in the Anchored Object Options

dialog box.

•Moving objects to keep them in the same relative position on the page, if the page size changes.

Note: Layout Adjustment affects columns inside a text frame differently than it does page columns. If the frame itself is

resized by Layout Adjustment and the Fixed Column Width option is not selected in the Object > Text Frame Options

dialog box, text frame columns are resized proportionally. If the Fixed Column Width option is selected, columns are

added or removed as necessary.

Set options for layout adjustment

Note that changing options in the Layout Adjustment dialog box does not immediately change anything. Layout

adjustment is triggered only by changes to page size, page orientation, margins, or column settings, or when a new

master is applied. When you want to restore a layout to its previous state, you must undo the action that triggered the

layout adjustment.

1Choose Layout > Layout Adjustment.

2Select Enable Layout Adjustment.

3Specify the layout adjustment options, and click OK.

Layout Adjustment options

Enable Layout Adjustment Select this option so that layout adjustment will occur whenever you change page size, page

orientation, margins, or columns.

Snap Zone Type a value to specify how near an object must be to the closest margin guide, column guide, or page edge

to snap to that element during layout adjustment.

Allow Graphics And Groups To Resize Select this option to let the Layout Adjustment feature scale graphics, frames,

and groups. When deselected, graphics and groups can be moved by Layout Adjustment, but not resized.

Allow Ruler Guides To Move Select this option when you want ruler guides to be repositioned by the Layout

Adjustment feature.

Ignore Ruler Guide Alignments Select this option when ruler guides are not well positioned for layout adjustment.

Objects will still align to column and margin guides and to page edges.

Ignore Object And Layer Locks Select this option when you want the Layout Adjustment feature to reposition objects

that are locked individually, or locked as a result of being on a locked layer.

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Numbering pages, chapters, and sections

Add basic page numbering

You can add a 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.

For a video tutorial on numbering pages, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0217.

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.

1In the Pages panel, double-click the master page to which you want to add your page number.

2Create 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.

3In the page number text frame, add any text that will come before or after the page number (such as “Page “).

4Position the insertion point where you want the page number to appear, and then choose Type > Insert Special

Character > Markers > Current Page Number.

5Apply the master page to the document pages on which you want the page numbering to appear.

To change the numbering style or to use more advanced numbering options such as section and chapter numbering,

see “Numbering pages, chapters, and sections” on page 85.

To add page numbering to documents in a book, see “Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book” on page 295.

To create an effect such as “Page x of y” in which x is the current page and y is the total number of pages, insert a

Current Page Number for x, and insert the Last Page Number variable for y.

To add header and footer variables, such as creation date or file name, see “Create variables for running headers and

footers” on page 94.

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Add page, section, and chapter numbering

Determine what kind of numbering you want to use for your document or book. For long documents, you can assign

chapter numbers. Each document can be assigned only one chapter number. If you want to use different numbering

within a document, you can define ranges of pages as sections; these sections can be numbered differently. For

example, the first ten pages of a document (the front matter) might use Roman numerals, and the rest of the document

might use Arabic numerals.

A single InDesign document can contain up to 9,999 pages, but page numbers can be as large as 99,999. (For example,

you can correctly number a 100-page document that starts on page 9,949.) By default, the first page is a recto (right)

page numbered 1. Odd-numbered pages always appear on the right; if you use the Section Options command to

change the first page number to an even number, the first page becomes a verso (left) page.

For a video tutorial on numbering pages, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0217.

See also

“Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book” on page 295

Add an automatically updated page number

For information on creating basic page numbering in a document, see “Add basic page numbering” on page 85.

❖Position the insertion point where you want the page number to appear, and then choose Type > Insert Special

Character > Markers > Current Page Number.

The Current Page Number marker is also available in a context menu. To see the context menu, position the text

insertion point in the page number text frame, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS), and choose Insert

Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number.

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.

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.

Add an automatically updated chapter number

You can add a chapter number variable to your document. Like page numbers, chapter numbers can be updated

automatically and formatted and styled as text. A chapter number variable is commonly used in documents that are

part of a book. A document can have only one chapter number assigned to it; if you want to divide a single document

into chapters, you can create sections instead.

Note: Chapter numbers cannot be included as a prefix in a generated index or table of contents (such as 1-3, 1-4, and so

on). If you want chapter numbers to be included as prefixes, use section prefixes instead of chapter numbers.

1If necessary, create a text frame where you want a chapter number to appear. If you want a chapter number to

appear on several pages, create the text frame on a master page, and apply that master page to the document pages.

2In the chapter number text frame, add any text that will come before or after the chapter number.

3Place the insertion point where you want the chapter number to appear, and then choose Type > Text Variables >

Insert Text Variable > Chapter Number.

You can update the starting number and format of chapter numbering by choosing Layout > Numbering & Section

Options.

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Add an automatically updated section marker

1Define sections in your document. (See “Define section numbering” on page 87.)

2On a page or master that you’re using in a section, drag the Type tool to create a text frame large enough for the

section marker text, or click in an existing frame.

3Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section Marker.

On master page A, section marker (left) and section marker with page number marker inserted (right)

Change the format of page and chapter numbering

1Choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options.

2Under Page Numbering or Document Chapter Numbering, select a new number format for Style.

3Click OK.

Define section numbering

By default, page and chapter numbers in a book are numbered consecutively. Using Numbering & Section Options,

you can restart page numbering at a specified page, add prefixes to page numbers, and change the numbering style of

both pages and chapters.

You can define a section prefix to label section pages automatically. For example, if you specify A– for Section Prefix

on page 16 of a document and include the section prefix, the page will appear in the table of contents or index as A–

16. Text you type for a section marker appears when you choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section

Marker.

Pages panel

A. Section indicator icon shows start of section B. Page number is changed for new section C. Status bar displays document length

See also

“Add page, section, and chapter numbering” on page 86

“Number pages, chapters, and paragraphs in a book” on page 295

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Define sections in a document

1In the Pages panel, select the first page in the section you want to define.

2Choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options, or choose Numbering & Section Options in the Pages panel.

3If you’re changing the numbering options for any page other than the first page of the document, make sure that

Start Section is selected. This option marks the selected page as the beginning of a new section.

4As necessary, specify the numbering and section options (see “Document numbering options” on page 89), and

then click OK.

A section indicator icon appears above the page icon in the Pages panel, indicating the start of a new section.

5To end the section, repeat the section numbering steps on the first page that follows the section.

Edit or remove section numbering

1In the Pages panel, double-click the section indicator icon that appears above the page icon in the Pages panel.

Or, select a page that uses a section marker, and choose Numbering & Section Options in the Pages panel menu.

2Do any of the following, and then click OK:

•To change the style or starting number, change section and numbering options.

•To remove a section, deselect the Start Section option.

To quickly identify a section in the Pages panel, position the pointer precisely over any section indicator icon . A

tool tip appears, displaying the starting page number or section prefix.

Display absolute or section numbering in the Pages panel

The Pages panel can display absolute numbering (labeling all pages with consecutive numbers, starting at the first page

of the document) or section numbering (labeling pages by section, as specified in the Section Options dialog box).

Changing the numbering display affects how pages are indicated in the InDesign document, as in the Pages panel and

in the page box at the bottom of a document window. The numbering display also affects how you specify page ranges

when printing and exporting the document. However, the numbering display does not change the appearance of page

numbers on document pages.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2For Page Numbering, choose a numbering method in the View menu.

Pages panel showing absolute numbering (left) and section numbering (right)

A A A

6–7 4

A A A

2–3

B B

4–5 iv–1 1 i 2–3 ii–iii

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Document numbering options

You can change document numbering options when you choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options or when you

choose Document Numbering Options from the Book panel menu.

Automatic Page Numbering Select if you want the page numbers of the current section to follow the numbering of the

previous section. Using this option, the page numbers in the document or section update automatically when you add

pages prior to it.

Start Page Numbering At Type the starting number for your document or for the first page of the current section. For

example, if you want to restart the numbering for a section, type 1 . The remaining pages in the section will be

renumbered accordingly.

Note: If you chose a non-Arabic page-numbering style (such as Roman numerals), you still must type an Arabic numeral

in this box.

Section Prefix Type a label for the section. Include the spaces or punctuation you want to appear between the prefix

and the page number (for example, A–16 or A 16). The prefix is limited to eight characters.

You cannot enter a blank space by pressing the spacebar—copy and paste a fixed-width space character from the

document window instead. Note that plus (+) or comma (,) symbols cannot be used in section prefixes. (See “Insert

white space characters” on page 169.)

Style (Page Numbering)

Choose a page-numbering style from the menu. The style applies to all pages in this section only.

Section Marker Type a label that InDesign inserts on the page at the location of a section marker character that appears

when you choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section Marker.

Include Prefix When Numbering Pages Select if you want the section prefix to appear when you generate a table of

contents or index, or when you print pages that contain automatic page numbers. Deselect this option to display the

section prefix in InDesign but hide the prefix in the printed document, index, and table of contents.

Section prefix in document window

A. Section prefix in the page box at the bottom of the document window B. Section marker and prefix on the page itself

Style (Document Chapter Numbering) Choose a chapter-numbering style from the menu. This chapter style is used

throughout the document.

Automatic Chapter Numbering Select this option to number chapters sequentially in a book.

Start Chapter Numbering At Specify the starting number of the chapter numbering. This option is useful if you don’t

want chapters to be numbered sequentially in the book.

Same As Previous Document In The Book The same chapter number as the previous document in a book is used. Select

this option if the current document is part of the same chapter as the previous document in a book.

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Create headers and footers

Headers and footers run through the top and bottom of the pages in your document, providing important background

information. They can include such items as page, chapter, or section numbers; title or heading text; the author’s name;

and the document’s filename and creation or modification date.

You can add many of these items by using text variables. InDesign includes several preset variables, such as Creation

Date and File Name. You can modify these variables, and you can create your own. For example, you can create a

variable that displays the first use of a Heading paragraph style in the header or footer. Once you create or edit the

variables you need, you assemble them on the master page to create your header and footer, and then you apply the

master page to the appropriate document pages.

Using page numbers and variables to create a footer

A. Footer variable inserted on master page B. Variable text on document page that grabs text from the first heading on the page

For a video tutorial on creating headers and footers, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0078.

1If necessary, create or edit the variables you want to use in your header or footer. (See “Create variables for running

headers and footers” on page 94.)

2Go to the master page where you want to add the header or footer.

The header or footer will appear on any document page to which the master page is applied.

3Create a text frame large enough to include all the header or footer information. Place the text frame above or below

where the content of the document pages will appear.

4Add text, page numbers, and variables as needed.

5Apply the master page to document pages where you want the header or footer to appear.

6If necessary, create headers and footers for additional master pages.

See also

“Master pages” on page 68

“Text variables” on page 92

Headers/Footers video

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Add automatic page numbers for story jumps

You can easily maintain the jump lines of stories that continue to other pages, such as a line that says “Continued on

page 42.” Use a jump line page number to automatically update the number of the page containing a story’s next or

previous threaded text frame when you move or reflow the story’s threaded text frames.

Usually the jump line page number should be in a separate text frame from the story it tracks. That way, the jump line

page number remains in position even if the story’s text reflows.

If you insert a Current Page Number character in the Find/Change dialog box, jump line page numbers can also be

found.

1With the Type tool, drag to create a new text frame where you want the jump line to appear.

2With the Selection tool , position the new text frame so that it touches or overlaps the frame containing the story

you want to track.

Make sure text frame touches or overlaps the story you want it to track.

3Select the Type tool and click an insertion point in the new text frame. Then type the text that you want to appear

before the page number, such as “Continued on” or “Continued from”.

4Then choose Type > Insert Special Character > Marker and one of the following options:

Next Page Number Inserts the number of the page containing the story’s next frame. Use this character when creating

a “continued on” jump line.

Previous Page Number Inserts the number of the page containing the story’s previous frame. Use this character when

creating a “continued from” jump line.

The page number automatically updates to reflect the current location of the next or previous frame of the story.

5To prevent the story from being moved without its jump line, Shift-select the frames with the Selection tool, then

choose Object > Group.

6If necessary, repeat this procedure to add more jump lines.

Note: If an unwanted character appears at the beginning of the page number (so that, for example, a jump line reads

“Cont’d on page A16” instead of “Cont’d on page 16”), you probably included a section prefix in the Numbering & Section

Options dialog box. Turn off or edit the prefix.

See also

“Cross-references” on page 532

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Text variables

See also

“Create headers and footers” on page 90

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.

1If 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.

2Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.

3Click New, or select an existing variable and click Edit.

4Type a name for the variable, such as “Full Chapter” or “Running Title.”

5From 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.

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.

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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

dDay 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 or 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

HHour, 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

sSecond, no leading zero 7

ss Second, leading zero 07

aAM or PM, two characters PM

z or zzzz Time zone, abbreviated or expanded PST or Pacific Standard Time

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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.

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.

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.

Create variables for running headers and footers

By default, the Running Header variables insert the first occurrence (on the page) of the text to which the specified

style is applied.

1If your content is not already formatted, create and apply the paragraph style or character style for the text you want

to appear in the header (such as a title or heading style).

2Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.

3Click New, and then type a name for the variable.

4From the Type menu, choose Running Header (Paragraph Style) or Running Header (Character Style).

5Specify the following options:

Style Choose the style to display in your header or footer.

Use Decide whether you want the first or last occurrence of the style that’s applied on the page. First On Page is defined

as the first paragraph (or character) that begins on a page, not one that begins on a previous page and ends on the

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current page. If there is no occurrence of the style on the page, the previous occurrence of the applied style is used. If

there is no previous occurrence in the document, the variable is empty.

Delete End Punctuation If selected, the variable displays the text minus any end punctuation (periods, colons,

exclamation points, and question marks).

Change Case Select this option to change the case of the text that appears in the header or footer. For example, you

may want to use sentence case in your footer, even though the heading on the page appears in title case.

6Click OK, and then click Done in the Text Variables dialog box.

You can now insert the variable in a header or footer you create on the master page.

Insert text variables

1Place the insertion point where you want the variable to appear.

2Choose 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.

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.

1Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.

2Select the variable, and then click Delete.

3Specify 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

1Choose Type > Text Variables > Define.

2Click Load, and then double-click the document that has the variables you want to import.

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3In 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.

4Choose Done, and then click OK.

You can also copy variables to other documents when you synchronize a book file.

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Chapter 4: Working with documents

Open, save, and export Adobe InDesign content using a variety of different formats. If you’re switching to InDesign

from QuarkXPress or Adobe PageMaker, learn the best way to convert your files.

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” on page 102.)

Open documents locally

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.

Consider using a file-sharing application such as Adobe Version Cue. (See “Adobe Version Cue” on page 101.)

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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.

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. For best results, use native Photoshop and Illustrator files rather than converting them to EPS or

TIFF. 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.

•In some cases, it works better to transform (for example, skew or rotate) graphics before placing them in InDesign.

When you print a graphic that is transformed in InDesign, InDesign sends the graphic to the printer in its

untransformed state and then appends the transformation instructions to it. This process may cause longer print

times and require more printer memory to perform the transformation.

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.

For a video tutorial on creating documents, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4273_id.

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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. In Windows, 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).

See also

“Save backwards to the previous InDesign version” on page 104

“Add documents to a book file” on page 291

“About missing and mismatched color profiles” on page 481

“Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries” on page 172

Use the Open command

1Choose File > Open and select one or more documents.

2Do 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.

3If 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.)

4If 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” on page 161.

5If 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” on page 369.

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.

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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” on page 172.

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 CS4 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” on page 100.

•Library files created in earlier versions of InDesign will open and convert in InDesign CS4, 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.

•InDesign CS3 can’t open InDesign CS4 documents directly. To open an InDesign CS4 document in InDesign CS3,

you must do two thing. First, choose File > Export in InDesign CS4 to save the document in INX format. Second,

update InDesign CS3 with special plug-ins. (See “Save backwards to the previous InDesign version” on page 104.)

If you’re experiencing problems with a document that was created in a previous version of InDesign, use the Export

dialog box in InDesign CS4 to save the document in InDesign Markup (IDML) format. Then open the IDML file and

save it as an InDesign document.

See also

“Save backwards to the previous InDesign version” on page 104

“Plug-ins” on page 636

About Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge is a cross-platform application included with Adobe Creative 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 Suite component (except Adobe Acrobat® 9), 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.

•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” on page 373.

•Work with Adobe Version Cue®-managed assets. See “Adobe Version Cue” on page 101.

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•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.

For a video overview on using Adobe Bridge, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4011_bri.

See also

Adobe Bridge overview video

“Reusing graphics and text” on page 373

Adobe Version Cue

Adobe Version Cue® CS4 is an asset management system that lets designers work collaboratively on a set of common

files without having to change their workflow significantly. Designers can easily track and manipulate multiple

versions of files.

Version Cue handles the following tasks:

•Creating versions of your files

•Enabling workgroup collaboration (file sharing, version control, the ability to check files in and out)

•Organizing files into private or shared projects

•Providing thumbnails so you can browse and view files

•Organizing data so you can view and search on file information, version comments, and file status

•Creating and managing user access, projects, and PDF reviews by way of Version Cue Server Administration

Version Cue consists of two pieces: the Adobe Version Cue Server and Adobe Drive.

Adobe Version Cue Server The Version Cue Server can be installed locally or on a dedicated computer. It hosts

Version Cue projects and PDF reviews.

Adobe Drive Adobe Drive connects to Version Cue CS4 servers. The connected server appears like a hard drive or

mapped network drive in Windows Explorer, Mac OS Finder, and dialog boxes such as Open and Save As.

Note: The “Use Adobe Dialog” option that appears in CS3 applications does not appear in CS4 applications. This option

is no longer necessary. Connecting to the Version Cue Server using Adobe Drive lets you view project files from any

application.

Version Cue is included with Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium and Standard, Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web

Premium and Standard, Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, and Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection.

Version Cue enables versioning and asset management in all applications, but it includes enhanced features for the

following products: Adobe Flash®, Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe InDesign®, Adobe InCopy®, Adobe Photoshop®, and

Adobe Bridge. When you use any of these applications to edit a file stored on a Version Cue server, the file is checked

out automatically. For all other applications, use the context menu to check in and check out files manually.

For a video overview on Version Cue, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4038_vc. For Version Cue Help, see

www.adobe.com/go/learn_vc_versioncuehelp_cs4.

See also

Version Cue Help

Version Cue video

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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” on page 75.

Save a document as a template

1Choose File > Save As, and specify a location and filename.

2Choose InDesign CS4 Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.

Start a new document from a template

1Choose File > Open.

2Locate and select a template.

3Select Normal (Windows) or Open Normal (Mac OS), and then click Open.

4Save the new document with its own name.

Open a sample template

1Choose File > New > Document From Template.

2In Adobe Bridge, double-click the folder (such as Flyers or Catalogs) that contains the type of template you want

to open.

3Double-click the template file.

Edit an existing template

1Choose File > Open.

2Locate and select a template.

3Select Original (Windows) or Open Original (Mac OS), and then click Open.

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

You can also use search to locate additional resources for specialty documents. Check comments below for additional

recommendations.

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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.

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” on

page 607.)

❖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.

Important: 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 Save All

command.

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See also

“Use document templates” on page 102

“Recover documents” on page 40

“Print thumbnails” on page 595

Include previews in saved documents

Thumbnail previews of documents and templates provide easy identification of those files in Adobe Bridge and in

Version Cue file dialog boxes. 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 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 As dialog box.

1Do 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.

2Select Always Save Preview Images With Documents.

3If you are setting the preview using the Preferences dialog box, choose an option from the Preview Size menu.

Note: Selecting the preview option in the Save As dialog box also selects the option in the Preferences dialog box, and uses

the default Preview Size setting.

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.

1Choose File > Export.

2From the File Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, choose InDesign Markup (IDML).

3Click Save.

You can open the saved IDML file in InDesign CS4 but not in any previous version of InDesign. To save a file for use

in InDesign CS3, choose the InDesign CS3 Interchange (INX) option.

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 CS4 document in InDesign CS3, do two things. First, in InDesign CS4, export the document to

the InDesign CS3 Interchange (INX) format.

Second, make sure that the computer running InDesign CS3 is updated with the appropriate plug-ins so that it can

open the exported INX file. The person running InDesign CS3 can obtain the compatibility plug-ins by choosing

Help > Updates and following the prompts. Plug-ins can also be installed from the Adobe website: Choose Support >

Updates in the Adobe website, and go to the InDesign Downloads page.

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Opening a document in a previous version of InDesign is also referred to as “saving down.”

Note: Content created using features specific to InDesign CS4 may be modified or omitted when you open the document

in InDesign CS3.

1Choose File > Export.

2From the File Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, choose InDesign CS3 Interchange.

3Click Save.

You can open the .inx file in InDesign CS3 to convert it to an untitled InDesign document.

Note: To open the InDesign CS4 document in InDesign CS2, open the exported INX file in InDesign CS3, export to INX

again, and then open the exported file in InDesign CS2. Make sure that all versions have been updated.

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

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 (for example, Adobe Version

Cue) 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 Info dialog 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 Info dialog 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.

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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.

1Choose File > File Info (InDesign) or File > Content File Info (InCopy).

2Select 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

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.

Mobile SWF Lists information about mobile media files, including title, author, description, and content type.

Categories Lets you enter information based on Associated Press categories.

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.

3Type the information to add in any displayed field.

4Click OK to apply the changes.

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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 Info dialog box.

1Choose File > File Info (InDesign) or File > Content File Info (InCopy).

2Choose Export from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog box.

3Type 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.

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

1Make sure that the original application file is closed.

2To ensure that all links are maintained, copy all linked files to the same QuarkXPress document folder.

3In InDesign, choose File > Open.

4In Windows, choose QuarkXPress (3.3-4.1x) or QuarkXPress Passport (4.1x) from the Files Of Type menu.

5Select 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.

6If 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.

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7To 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

1Open the template in InDesign.

2Choose File > Save As and specify a location and filename.

3Choose InDesign CS4 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.

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” on page 366.

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.

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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.

•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.

See also

PageMaker Conversion Guide

Open a PageMaker document or template

1Make sure that the original application file is closed.

2In InDesign, choose File > Open.

3In Windows, choose PageMaker (6.0-7.0) in the Files of Type menu.

4Select 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.

5If 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

1Open the template in InDesign.

2Choose File > Save As and specify a location and filename.

3Choose InDesign CS4 Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.

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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.

•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.

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•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.

•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.

Exporting

Export text

You can save all or part of an InDesign story in file formats that you can open later in other applications. Each story

in a document exports to a separate document.

InDesign can export text in several file formats, which are listed in the Export dialog box. The formats listed are used

by other applications, and they may retain many of the type specifications, indents, and tabs set in your document.

You can save sections of commonly used text and page layout items as snippets.

1Using the Type tool , click in the story you want to export.

2Choose File > Export.

3Specify a name and location for the exported story, and select a text file format under Save as Type (Windows) or

Format (Mac OS).

If you don’t see a listing for your word-processing application, you can save the document in a format the application

can import, such as RTF. If your word-processing application doesn’t support any other InDesign export formats, use

a text-only format. Note, however, that exporting in text-only format removes all character attributes from the text.

4Click Save to export the story in the format you’ve selected.

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To retain all formatting, use the Adobe InDesign Tagged Text export filter. For more information, view the Tagged

Text PDF at www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_taggedtext_cs4_en(PDF).

See also

“Export to PDF” on page 496

“Use snippets” on page 373

Export to JPEG format

JPEG uses a standardized image compression mechanism to compress full-color or grayscale images for onscreen

display. Use the Export command to export a page, spread, or selected object in JPEG format.

1If desired, select an object to export. (You do not need to select anything to export a page or spread.)

2Choose File > Export.

3Specify a location and a filename.

4For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose JPEG, and click Save.

The Export JPEG dialog box appears.

5In the Export section, do one of the following:

•Select Selection to export the currently selected object.

•Select Range and enter the number of the page or pages you want to export. Separate numbers in a range by using

a hyphen, and separate multiple pages or ranges by using commas.

•Select All to export all pages in the documents.

•Select Spreads to export facing pages in a spread to a single JPEG file. Deselect this option to export each page in a

spread as a separate JPEG file.

6For Image Quality, choose from a range of options that determine the trade-off between file compression (smaller

file size) and image quality:

•Maximum includes all available high-resolution image data in the exported file and requires the most disk space.

Choose this option if the file will be printed on a high-resolution output device.

•Low includes only screen-resolution versions (72 dpi) of placed bitmap images in the exported file. Choose this

option if the file will be displayed onscreen only.

•Medium and High include more image data than Low, but use varying levels of compression to reduce file size.

7For Format Method, choose one of the following options:

•Progressive displays a JPEG image in increasing detail as it is downloaded to a web browser.

•Baseline displays a JPEG image after it has been downloaded completely.

8Select or type the resolution for the exported JPEG image, and then click Export.

See also

“JPEG (.jpg) files” on page 353

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Exporting content for the web

To repurpose InDesign content for the web, you have several options:

Dreamweaver (XHTML) Export a selection or the entire document to a basic, unformatted HTML document. You can

link to images on a server or create a separate folder for images. You can then use any HTML editor, such as Adobe

Dreamweaver®, to format the content for the web. See “Export content to Dreamweaver” on page 113.

Copy and paste Copy text or images from the InDesign document and paste it into your HTML editor.

Adobe PDF Export a document to Adobe PDF and post the PDF on the web. The PDF can include interactive elements

such as movies, sound clips, buttons, and page transitions. See “Dynamic PDF documents” on page 523.

Flash (SWF) Export to a SWF file that’s ready to be viewed immediately in Flash Player or on the web. A SWF file can

include buttons, hyperlinks, and page transitions such as wipe, dissolve, and page curl. See “Create interactive SWF

(Flash) files for the web” on page 518.

Flash (XFL) Export to an XFL file that can be edited in Adobe Flash Professional. See “Create XFL (Flash) files for the

web” on page 520.

Digital Editions Export a document or book as a reflowable XHTML-based eBook that is compatible with the Adobe

Digital Editions reader software. See “Export content for Digital Editions (eBook)” on page 115.

XML For advanced repurposing workflows, export the content from InDesign in XML format, which you can then

import into an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver. See “Working with XML” on page 553.

Export content to Dreamweaver

Exporting to XHTML is an easy way to get your InDesign contents into web-ready form. When you export contents

to XHTML, you can control how images are exported, but the formatting of text is not preserved. However, InDesign

preserves the names of paragraph, character, object, table, and cell styles applied to the exported contents by marking

the XHTML 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 are also exported, but certain formatting, such as table and cell strokes, is not exported.

What doesn’t get exported InDesign does not export objects you draw (such as rectangles, ovals, and polygons),

movie files (except for SWF), hyperlinks (except for links to web pages and links applied to text that jump to text

anchors in the same document), pasted objects (including pasted Illustrator images), text converted to outlines, XML

tags, books, bookmarks, SING glyphlets, page transitions, index markers, objects on the pasteboard that aren’t selected

and don’t touch the page, or master page items (unless they’re overridden or selected before export).

Reading order InDesign determines the reading order of page objects by scanning left to right and top to bottom. In

some instances, especially in complex, multi-column documents, the design elements may not appear in the desired

reading order. Use Dreamweaver to rearrange and format the contents.

Before you export, you may want to influence the reading order by grouping related objects. Objects grouped in

InDesign are also grouped in XHTML.

1If you’re not exporting the entire document, select the text frames, range of text, table cells, or graphics you want

to export.

2Choose File > Export For Dreamweaver.

3Specify the name and location of the HTML document, and then click Save.

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4In the XHTML Export Options dialog box, specify the desired options in the General, Images, and Advanced areas,

and then click Export.

A document with the specified name and an .html extension (such as “newsletter.html”) is created; if specified, a web

images subfolder (such as “newsletter-web-images”) is saved in the same location.

XHTML export options

In the XHTML dialog box (File > Export For Dreamweaver), specify the following options.

General options

The General area includes the following options.

Export Determines whether only the selected items or the entire document is exported. If a text frame is selected, the

entire story—including overset text—is exported.

If Document is selected, all page items from all spreads are exported, except for master page items that have not been

overridden and page items on invisible layers. XML tags and generated indexes and tables of contents are also ignored.

Bullets Select Map To Unordered List to convert bullet paragraphs into List Items, which are formatted in HTML

using the <ul> tag. Select Convert To Text to format using the <p> tag with bullet characters as text.

Numbers Determines how numbers are converted in the HTML file.

•Map To Ordered List Converts numbered lists into List Items, which are formatted in HTML using the <ol> tag.

•Map To Static Ordered List Converts numbered lists into List Items, but assigns a <value> attribute based on the

paragraph’s current number in InDesign.

•Convert To Text Converts numbered lists into paragraphs that begin with the paragraph’s current number as text.

Images options

From the Copy Images menu, determine how images are exported to HTML.

Original Exports the original image to the web images subfolder. When this option is selected, all other options are

dimmed.

Optimized Lets you change settings to determine how the image is exported.

•Formatted Preserves InDesign formatting, such as rotation or scale, as much as possible for web images.

•Image Conversion Lets you choose whether the optimized images in your document are converted to GIF or JPEG.

Choose Automatic to let InDesign decide which format to use in each instance.

•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 choice may cause unexpected results.

•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.

•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

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Baseline to make each JPEG file display only after it has been completely downloaded; a placeholder appears in its place

until the file displays.

Link To Server Path Rather than exporting images to a subfolder, this option lets you enter a local URL (such as

“images/”) that appears in front of the image file. In the HTML code, the link attribute displays the path and extension

you specify. This option is especially effective when you’re converting images to web-compatible images yourself.

Note: InDesign does not check the path you specify for Java™ scripts, external CSS styles, or image folders, so use

Dreamweaver to verify paths.

Advanced options

Use the Advanced area to set CSS and JavaScript options.

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. The content of your page—

the HTML code—resides in the HTML file itself, while the CSS rules defining the presentation of the code reside in

another file (an external style sheet) or within the HTML document (usually in the Head section). For example, you

can specify different font sizes for selected text, and you can use CSS to control the format and positioning of block-

level elements in a web page.

When exporting to XHTML, you can create a list of CSS styles that appears in the Head section of the HTML file with

empty declarations (attributes). You can edit later these declarations in Dreamweaver. You can choose No CSS to omit

the CSS section, or you can specify an external CSS. If you select External CSS, 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, so you’ll want to use Dreamweaver to confirm your external CSS setup.

JavaScript Options Select Link To External JavaScript to run a JavaScript when the HTML page is opened. Specify the

URL of the JavaScript, which is usually a relative URL. InDesign does not check whether the JavaScript exists or is valid.

Export content for Digital Editions (eBook)

You can export a document or book as a reflowable eBook that is compatible with the Adobe Digital Editions reader

software.

1Do either of the following:

•To export a document, open the document and choose File > Export For Digital Editions.

•To export an entire book, open the book and choose Export Book For Digital Editions from the Book panel menu.

2Specify a filename and location, and then click Save.

3In the Digital Editions Export Options dialog box, specify the desired options in the General, Images, and Contents

areas, and then click Export.

InDesign creates a single .epub file containing the XHTML-based content. The exported file includes a JPEG

thumbnail image from the first page in the specified document (or the style source document if a book was selected).

This thumbnail is used to depict the book in the Digital Editions Reader library view. To view the file, you need the

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 the .epub file, change the extension from .epub

to .zip, and then extract the contents. This is especially useful for editing the CSS file.

For more information on the ePub format, see www.idpf.org (English only).

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Digital Editions General export options

The General section of the Digital Editions Export Options dialog box includes the following options.

Include Document Metadata The metadata from the document (or the style source document if a book was selected)

is included with the exported file.

Add Publisher Entry Specify the publisher information that appears in the eBook metadata. You may want you to

specify a URL for the publisher so that someone who receives the eBook can visit the web page and purchase the eBook.

Base For CSS Styles Specify an option to determine which text formatting is included in the eBook stylesheet. If you

specify Local Formatting, local text formatting such as italicized words is retained in the style, in addition to defined

paragraph and character styles. If Defined Styles is selected, the stylesheet includes the defined paragraph and

character styles without local formatting. If Style Names Only is selected, the stylesheet contains empty styles.

Bullets Select Map To Unordered List to convert bullet paragraphs into List Items, which are formatted in HTML

using the <ul> tag. Select Convert To Text to format using the <p> tag with bullet characters as text.

Numbers Determines how numbers are converted in the HTML file.

•Map To Ordered List Converts numbered lists into List Items, which are formatted in HTML using the <ol> tag.

•Map To Static Ordered List Converts numbered lists into List Items, but assigns a <value> attribute based on the

paragraph’s current number in InDesign.

•Convert To Text Converts numbered lists into paragraphs that begin with the paragraph’s current number as text.

Include Embeddable Fonts Includes in the eBook all fonts that are allowed to be embedded. Fonts include embedding

bits that determine whether the font is allowed to be embedded.

View eBook After Exporting Starts the Adobe Digital Editions Reader, if present. An alert message appears if your

system doesn’t have a reader configured to view .epub documents.

Digital Editions Images options

The Images section of the Digital Editions Export Options dialog box includes the following options. From the Copy

Images menu, determine how images are exported to HTML.

Original Exports the original image to the eBook. When this option is selected, all other options are dimmed.

Optimized Lets you change settings to determine how the image is exported.

•Formatted Preserves InDesign formatting, such as rotation or scale, as much as possible for web images.

•Image Conversion Lets you choose whether the optimized images in your document are converted to GIF or JPEG.

Choose Automatic to let InDesign decide which format to use in each instance.

•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 may cause unexpected results.

•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.

•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

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Baseline to make each JPEG file display only after it has been completely downloaded; a placeholder appears in its place

until the file displays.

Digital Editions Contents options

The Contents section of the Digital Editions Export Options dialog box includes the following options.

Format For EPUB Content Specify whether you want to use the XHTML or DTBook format.

Include InDesign TOC Entries Select this option if you want to generate a table of contents on the left side of the eBook.

From the TOC Style menu, specify the TOC style you want to use in the eBook. You can choose Layout > Table Of

Contents Styles to create a special TOC style for your eBook.

Suppress Automatic Entries For Documents Select this option if you don’t want the document names to appear in the

eBook table of contents. This option is especially useful when you’re creating an eBook from a book.

Export content to SWF

The SWF file format is a vector-based graphics file format for scalable, compact graphics for the web. When you export

an InDesign document to a SWF file, the SWF file is ready for playback in a Flash Player. If you want to edit the

exported file in Flash Professional, export using XFL instead of SWF.

For a video and instructions on exporting to SWF, see

www.adobe.com/designcenter/indesign/articles/lrvid4030_id.html.

To view a sample SWF file and see tips on exporting to SWF, see Exporting Interactive Documents to SWF.

1Set up your document for exporting to SWF. For example, you may want to add navigation buttons and page

transitions. See “Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web” on page 518.

2Choose File > Export.

3Specify a location and a filename.

4For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose SWF, and click Save.

5In the Export SWF dialog box, specify the following options, and then click OK.

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.

Pages Indicate whether all pages in the document are included, or specify a page range, such as 1-7, 9 to print pages

1 through 7 and 9. See “Specifying pages to print” on page 586.

Spreads If this option is selected, each spread is treated as a single clip in the SWF file, regardless of how many

pages appear in each spread. If this option is not selected, each page acts as a separate clip, like its own slide in a

slideshow.

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.

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.

Text Specify how InDesign text is output. Choose InDesign Text To Flash Text to output searchable text that results

in the smallest file size. Choose InDesign Text To Vector Paths to output the text as a series of smooth straight lines,

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like converting text to outlines. Choose InDesign Text To Raster Image to output the text in a bitmap image.

Rasterized text may appear jagged when zoomed in on.

Interactivity Specify which options are included in the exported SWF file: buttons, hyperlinks, page transitions,

and interactive page curls. If Include Interactive Page Curl 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.

Image Compression Choose Auto to let InDesign determine the best quality for color and grayscale images. For

most files, this option produces satisfactory results. Choosing JPEG 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 Lossless (Do Nothing) exports the JPEG file without lossy compression.

If you notice a loss of image quality in transparent images when you export to SWF, choose Lossless (Do Nothing)

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 Lossless (Do Nothing) for Image Compression.

Curve Quality Specifies the accuracy of the Bezier curves. A low number decreases the exported file size with a

slight loss of curve quality. A high number increases the accuracy of the Bezier curve reproduction, but results in a

slightly larger file size.

See also

“Flash export issues” on page 522

Export to Flash video

Export content to XFL

Exporting content to XFL format lets you edit the exported file in Adobe Flash Pro. Interactive elements such as

hyperlinks, page transitions, and button actions are not included in the XFL file.

While an InDesign document is based on pages and spreads, an XFL file is based on movie clips in a timeline. When

you export an InDesign document to XFL format, each page or spread becomes a separate clip. Each page or spread is

mapped to a new keyframe.

For a video tutorial on exporting an InDesign document to XFL, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4092_id.

1Set up your document for exporting to XFL. See “Create XFL (Flash) files for the web” on page 520.

2Choose File > Export.

3Specify a location and a filename.

4For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose Adobe Flash CS4 Pro (XFL), and click Save.

5In the Export Adobe Flash CS4 Professional (XFL) dialog box, specify the following options, and then click OK.

Size (Pixels) Specify whether the XFL file is scaled by a percentage, fit to a monitor size you specify, or sized

according to a width and height you specify.

Pages Indicate whether all pages in the document are included, or specify a page range, such as 1-7, 9 to print pages

1 through 7 and 9. See “Specifying pages to print” on page 586.

Spreads If this option is selected, each spread is treated as a single clip in the XFL file, regardless of how many pages

appear in each spread. If this option is not selected, each page acts as a separate clip, like its own slide in a slideshow.

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Rasterize Pages This option converts all InDesign page items to bitmap. Selecting this option results in a larger

XFL 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.

Text Specify how InDesign text is output. Choose InDesign Text To Flash Text to output searchable text that results

in the smallest file size. Choose InDesign Text To Vector Paths to output the text as a series of smooth straight lines,

like converting text to outlines. Choose InDesign Text To Raster Image to output the text in a bitmap image.

Rasterized text may appear jagged when zoomed in on.

6Open and edit the exported XFL file in Adobe Flash Pro.

For a video tutorial on editing an exported XFL file in Flash Pro, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4093_fl.

See also

“Flash export issues” on page 522

Use the web color swatch library

InDesign includes a color swatch library called Web, which consists of the colors most web browsers use to display text

and graphics in web pages. The 216 colors in the library, often called web-safe colors, are consistent across platforms,

because they are a subset of the colors that browsers use in both Windows and Mac OS. The web-safe colors in

InDesign are the same as those in the Adobe Photoshop web-safe color palette and the Adobe Illustrator browser-safe

color palette.

Each color in the library is named by its RGB values. Each color’s hexadecimal code, which HTML uses to define the

color, is stored within the color swatch.

1Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.

2For Color Mode, choose Web.

3Select the web-safe color, and then click OK.

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Chapter 5: Text

Adobe InDesign CS4 gives you the tools you need to add text to pages with both flexibility and precision.

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.) For a video tutorial on making a text frame, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4274_id.

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 to enter or edit text in a frame.

•Use the Selection tool for general layout tasks such as positioning and sizing a frame.

•Use the Direct Selection tool to alter a frame’s shape.

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.

❖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.

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•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.

See also

“Threading text” on page 133

“Place (import) text” on page 128

“Object styles” on page 196

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 to a selection tool, hold down Ctrl

(Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then drag the frame.

See also

“Create text frames” on page 120

Move a text frame

•Using the Selection tool, drag the frame.

•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” on page 238.)

•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.

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.

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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” on page 238.)

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.

•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.

See also

“Override or detach master items” on page 72

“Use Smart Text Reflow” on page 137

“Master pages” on page 68

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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.

1Using the Selection tool , select a frame, or using the Type tool , click inside the text frame or select text.

2Choose Object > Text Frame Options, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and then double-click the

text frame using a selection tool.

3Change 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” on

page 196.

See also

“Change document setup, margins, and columns” on page 46

“Using text frames on master pages” on page 122

“Grids” on page 53

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.

1Using the Selection tool, select a frame, or using the Type tool, click inside the text frame or select text.

2Choose Object > Text Frame Options.

3Specify 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.

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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)

Change text frame inset spacing (margins)

1Using the Selection tool, select a frame, or using the Type tool, click inside the text frame or select text.

2Choose Object > Text Frame Options.

3In 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.

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.

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•If Grids In Back is selected in Grids Preferences, then frame-based baseline grids take precedence over document-

based baseline grids. If Grids In Back is not selected, then document-based baseline grids take precedence over

frame-based baseline grids.

1Choose View > Grids & Guides > Show Baseline Grid to display all baseline grids, including those in a text frame.

2Select 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.

3Click the Baseline Options tab.

4Under 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

1Place 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.

2Choose Window > Info to display the Info panel.

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.

See also

“Info panel overview” on page 52

Working with additional languages

You can assign languages to different text. Assigning the appropriate language to text is especially useful for spell-

checking and hyphenating. (See “Assign a language to text” on page 236.)

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 Hewbrew, Arabic,

Farsi, and Urdu, that use right-to-left text formatting. This version is called InDesign ME.

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For more information on purchasing InDesign ME or an Asian-language version of InDesign, see the Adobe website.

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 word-

processing 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 word-

processing, 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.

See also

“Place (import) text” on page 128

“Work with missing fonts” on page 228

Type text in a document

1To 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.

2Begin 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

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Advanced Type (Mac OS).

2Select Use Inline Input For Non-Latin Text, and then click OK.

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.

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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.

1Use the Selection tool to select one or more text frames, or use the Type tool to click in a text frame.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Drag and drop text” on page 128

Paste text from another application

1To 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.

2Cut or copy text in another application or in an InDesign document.

3If you like, select text or click in a text frame. Otherwise, the text will be pasted into its own new frame.

4Do 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

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2Select 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.

1To 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.

2Select the text that you want to move or copy.

3Hold 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.

4Do 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.

See also

“Paste text” on page 127

Place (import) text

When you place a text or spreadsheet file, you can specify options to determine how the imported text is formatted.

For a video tutorial on importing content into InDesign, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0067. For a video tutorial on

placing and flowing text, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4278_id.

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).

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2Do 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.

•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.

3Choose File > Place.

4Select 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.

5Select Show Import Options, and then double-click the file you want to import.

6Set 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.

If you receive an alert that the requested filter wasn’t found, you may be trying to place a file from a different word-

processing 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.

See also

“Flow text manually or automatically” on page 136

“Link or embed imported text files” on page 133

“Convert Word styles to InDesign styles” on page 184

“Work with missing fonts” on page 228

“Open QuarkXPress files in InDesign” on page 107

Importing Content video

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 appears next to imported

styles. (See “Convert Word styles to InDesign styles” on page 184.)

•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.

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•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 located in the InDesign application folder.

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 For InCopy Selecting this option causes highlighting and strikeout to appear when you edit the

imported text in InCopy while Track Changes is turned on; deselecting this option causes all the imported text to be

highlighted as a single addition. Track Changes can be viewed in InCopy, not in InDesign.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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•Unformatted Tabbed Text The table is imported as tab-delimited text, which you can then convert to a table in

InDesign or InCopy.

•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_cs4_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. This option creates another style name, with “copy” appended to it in the Style panel.

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

1When placing a Word or RTF file, make sure that Show Import Options is selected, and choose Open.

2In the Import Options dialog box, specify the desired settings.

3Click 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.

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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 update the linked file using the

Links panel.

1Do 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.

2Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).

3To 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).

See also

“Managing graphics links” on page 366

“Convert Word styles to InDesign styles” on page 184

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 > Show Text Threads to see visual representatives of threaded frames. You can thread text frames

whether or not they contain text.

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See also

“Add text to a document” on page 126

“Move and resize text frames” on page 121

Add a new frame to the thread

1Using 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.

2Position 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.

Add an existing frame to the thread

1Using the Selection tool, select a text frame, and then click the in port or the out port to load a text icon.

2Position 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

3Click inside the second frame to thread it to the first.

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” on page 91.)

Add a frame inside a sequence of threaded frames

1Using 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.

2Drag to create a new frame, or select a different text frame. InDesign threads the frame into the series of linked

frames containing the story.

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Adding frame inside a thread (top) and result (bottom)

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.

1Using the Selection tool, select one or more frames (Shift-click to select multiple objects).

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2Choose 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.

3If 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.

1To 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.

2Press Backspace or Delete.

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 . When you position the

loaded text icon next to a guide or grid snapping point, the black pointer becomes white .

You can flow text using four methods:

For a video tutorial on placing and flowing text, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4278_id.

Flow text manually

1Use the Place command to select a file, or click the out port of a selected text frame.

2Do 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.

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.

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.

Autoflow by Shift-clicking. Adds pages and frames until all text is flowed into your document.

Fixed-page autoflow by holding down Shift+Alt (Windows)

or Shift+Option (Mac OS) when you click.

Flows all text into the document, adding frames as necessary without

adding pages. Any remaining text is overset.

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3If 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.

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”

on page 68.)

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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2Select Smart Text Reflow.

3Select 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.

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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.”

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.

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.

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” on page 139.

See also

“Keys for navigating through and selecting text” on page 685

Change what triple-clicking does

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

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Select text in a frame that is covered

1Using the Selection tool , hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click to select the text frame.

2Select the Type tool, and then click inside the text frame or select text.

View hidden (nonprinting) characters

❖Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.

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)

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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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)

Bookmark or hyperlink destination marker (often a text anchor)

Bookmark or hyperlink destination marker (in Story Editor)

Hidden character What it represents

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Add column, frame, and page breaks

Control column, frame, and page breaks by inserting special break characters in the text.

1Using the Type tool, click to place the insertion point where you want the break to occur.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Ways to control paragraph breaks” on page 242

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 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.

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)

Hidden character What it represents

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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.

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.

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.

See also

“Working with tables in Story Editor” on page 276

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Open the Story Editor

1Select the text frame, click an insertion point in the text frame, or select multiple frames from different stories.

2Choose 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.

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 All Footnotes.

•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:

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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.

Attribute Icon

Table

Inline objects

XML tags

Variables

Hyperlink sources

Hyperlink anchors

Cross-reference

Hidden conditional text

Note

Footnotes

Index markers

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Conditional text shown

A. All conditions shown B. Conditional indicators

Conditional text hidden

A. “Mac” condition hidden B. Hidden condition symbols

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.

For a video tutorial on using conditional text, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4026_id.

See also

“Use Smart Text Reflow” on page 137

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.

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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 cross-

reference is unresolved when the “Mac” condition is hidden. “HT” appears next to the cross-reference in the

Hyperlinks panel.

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.

1Choose Window > Type & Tables > Conditional Text to display the Conditional Text panel.

2Choose New Condition from the Conditional Text panel menu, and type a name for the condition.

3In 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.

4Click OK.

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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.

1Select the text to which you want to apply the condition.

2In 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.

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.

1Apply conditions to text as necessary.

2If the Set menu doesn’t appear in the Conditional Text panel, choose Show Options from the Conditional Text

panel menu.

3In the Conditional Text panel, make the conditions visible or hidden as needed.

4Choose Create New Set from the Set menu, specify a name for the set, and click OK.

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The new set becomes the active set.

5Do 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].”

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 Command-click

(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.

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.

1Show any conditional text you want included in the search.

Hidden text is excluded from the search.

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2Choose Edit > Find/Change.

3If the Find Format and Change Format boxes don’t appear at the bottom of the dialog box, click More Options.

4Click 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.

5Click 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.

6Click Find, and then use the Change, Change/Find, or Change All buttons to replace the condition.

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

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.

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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.

For a video tutorial on finding and changing text, objects, and expressions, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0080.

See also

Find/Change video

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.

See also

“Find and change fonts” on page 161

Find and change text

1To 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.

2Choose Edit > Find/Change, and then click the Text tab.

3Specify 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.

4In 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.

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•Use a predefined query to find and replace text. (See “Find/change items using queries” on page 162.)

5In 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.

6Click Find.

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).

8Click 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

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2If the Find Format and Change Format options don’t appear, click More Options.

3Click the Find Format box, or click the Specify Attributes To Find icon to the right of the Find Format Settings

section.

4On 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.

5If 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.

6Use 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.

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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.

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 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 in Adobe Version Cue or 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 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.

1Choose Edit > Find/Change, and click the GREP tab.

2At 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.

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3In the Find What box, do any of the following to construct a GREP expression:

•Enter the search expression manually. (See “Metacharacters for searching” on page 156.)

•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.

4In the Change To box, type or paste the replacement text.

5Click Find.

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.

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.

See also

“Create GREP styles” on page 194

“Metacharacters for searching” on page 156

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” on page 156.

•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” on page 162.)

•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.

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.

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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 two

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)

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

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206 555 3982 = $1 $2 $3

Additional GREP examples

Experiment with these examples to learn more about GREP searches.

Expression Search string Sample text Matches (in bold)

Class of characters

[ ]

[abc]

Finds the letter a, b, or c.

Maria cuenta bien. Mariacuentabien.

Beginning of

paragraph

^~_.+

This searches the beginning of the paragraph

(^) for an em dash (~_) followed by any

character ( . ) one or more times (+).

“We saw—or at least we

think we saw—a purple

cow.”

—Konrad Yoes

“We saw—or at least we think we

saw—a purple cow.”

—Konrad Yoes

Negative lookahead

(?!pattern)

InDesign (?!CS.*?)

The negative lookahead matches the search

string only if it is not followed by the specified

pattern.

InDesign, InDesign 2.0,

InDesign CS, and InDesign

CS2

InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign

CS, and InDesign CS2

Positive lookahead

(?=pattern)

InDesign (?=CS.*?)

The positive lookahead matches the search

string only if it is followed by the specified

pattern.

Use similar patterns for negative lookbehinds

(?<!pattern) and positive lookbehinds

(?<=pattern).

InDesign, InDesign 2.0,

InDesign CS, and InDesign

CS2

InDesign, InDesign 2.0, InDesign

CS, and InDesign CS2

Groupings

( )

(quick) (brown) (fox) The quick brown fox jumps

up and down.

The quick brown fox jumps up

and down.

All found text = quick brown fox;

Found Text 1= quick; Found Text 2

= brown; Found Text 3= fox

Non-marking

parentheses

(?:expression)

(quick) ($:brown) (fox) The quick brown fox jumps

up and down.

The quick brown fox jumps up

and down.

All found text = quick brown fox;

Found Text 1= quick; Found Text 2

= fox

Case-insensitive on

(?i)

(?i)apple

You can also use (?i:apple)

Apple apple APPLE AppleappleAPPLE

Case-insensitive off

(?-i)

(?-i)apple Apple apple APPLE Apple apple APPLE

Multiline on

(?m)

(?m)^\w+

In this example, the expression looks for one or

more (+) word characters (\w) at the beginning

of a line (^). The (?m) expression allows all lines

within the found text to be treated as separate

lines.

(?m)^\w matches the beginning of each

paragraph. (?-m)^\w matches only the

beginning of the story.

One Two Three Four Five Six

Seven Eight

One Two ThreeFour Five SixSeven

Eight

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Metacharacters for searching

Metacharacters represent a character or symbol in InDesign. Metacharacters in the Text section of the Find/Change

dialog box begin with a caret (^); metacharacters in the GREP section begin with a tilde (~) or backslash (\). You can

type metacharacters in the Text tab or GREP tab of the Find/Change dialog box.

Save time fixing punctuation errors by saving search strings as queries.

Multiline off

(?-m)

(?-m)^\w+ One Two Three Four Five Six

Seven Eight

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Eight

Single-line on

(?s)

(?s)c.a

The searches for any character ( . ) between the

letters c and a. The (?s) expression matches any

character, even if it falls on the next line.

(.) matches anything other than a paragraph

return. (?s)(.) matches anything, including

paragraph returns.

abc abc abc abc abc abcabc abc

Single-line off (?-s)c.a abc abc abc abc abc abc abc abc

Repeat number of

times

{ }

b{3} matches exactly 3 times

b(3,} matches at least 3 times

b{3,}? matches at least 3 times (shortest match)

b{2,3} matches at least 2 times and not more

than 3

b{2,3}? matches at least 2 times and not more

than 3 (shortest match)

abbc abbbc abbbbc

abbbbbc

abbc abbbc abbbbc abbbbbc

Character: Text tab metacharacter: GREP tab metacharacter:

Tab Character ^t \t

End of Paragraph ^p \r

Forced Line Break ^n \n

Any Page Number ^# ~#

Current Page Number ^N ~N

Next Page Number ^X ~X

Previous Page Number ^V ~V

* Any Variable ^v ~v

Section Marker ^x ~x

* Anchored Object Marker ^a ~a

* Footnote Reference Marker ^F ~F

* Index Marker ^I ~I

Bullet Character ^8 ~8

Expression Search string Sample text Matches (in bold)

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Caret Character ^^ \^

Backslash Character \ \\

Ellipsis ^e ~e

Tilde ~ \~

Paragraph Symbol ^7 ~7

Registered Trademark Symbol ^r ~r

Section Symbol ^6 ~6

Trademark Symbol ^d ~d

Open Parenthesis Character ( \(

Close Parenthesis Character ) \)

Open Brace Character { \{

Close Brace Character } \}

Open Bracket Character [ \[

Close Bracket Character ] \]

Em Dash ^_ ~_

En Dash ^= ~=

Discretionary Hyphen ^- ~-

Nonbreaking Hyphen ^~ ~~

Em Space ^m ~m

En Space ^> ~>

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 " "

Character: Text tab metacharacter: GREP tab metacharacter:

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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

* 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

Character: Text tab metacharacter: GREP tab metacharacter:

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* 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) ??

* Zero or More Times (Shortest Match) *?

* One or More Times (Shortest Match) +?

* Marking Subexpression ( )

* Non-marking Subexpression (?: )

* Character Set [ ]

* Or |

* Positive Lookbehind (?<= )

* Negative Lookbehind (?<! )

* Positive Lookahead (?= )

* Negative Lookahead (?! )

* Case-insensitive On (?!)

* Case-insensitive Off (?-!)

* Multiline On (?m)

* Multiline Off (?-m)

* Single-line On (?s)

Character: Text tab metacharacter: GREP tab metacharacter:

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* Can be entered in the Find What box only, not the Change To box.

^ Can be entered in the Change To box, not the Find What box.

Find and change objects

You can use the Find/Change command to find and replace the attributes and effects applied to objects, graphics

frames, and text frames. For example, to give drop shadows a uniform color, transparency, and offset distance, you can

use the Find/Change command to search for and replace drop shadows throughout a document.

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2Click the Object tab.

3Click the Find Object Format box, or click the Specify Attributes To Find icon .

4On 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.

5If 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.

6Click 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.

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

* Single-line Off (?-s)

* Any alphanumeric character [[:alnum:]]

* Any alphabetic character [[:alpha:]]

* Any blank character, either space or tab [[:blank:]]

* Any control character [[:control:]]

* Any graphical character [[:graph:]]

* Any printable character [[:print:]]

* Any punctuation character [[:punct:]]

* Any character whose code is greater than 255 (applies only to

the wide character traits classes)

[[:unicode:]]

* Any hexadecimal digit character 0-9, a-f, and A-F [[:xdigit:]]

* Any character of a certain glyph set, such as a, à, á, â, ã, ä, å, A,

À, Á, Â, Ã, Ä and Å

[[=a=]]

Character: Text tab metacharacter: GREP tab metacharacter:

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2At 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.

3Under 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.

4Do 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.

5Under Change Glyph, enter the replacement glyph by using the same techniques you use to enter the glyph you’re

searching for.

6Click Find.

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).

8Click 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 .

•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.

1Choose Type > Find Font.

2Select one or more font names in the Fonts In Document list.

3Do 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.

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4To 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.

5To 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.

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.

6If you clicked Change, click Find Next to locate the next instance of the font.

7Click 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

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2Choose a query from the Query list.

The queries are grouped by type.

3Specify a range to search on the Search menu.

The search range is not stored with the query.

4Click Find.

5To 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.

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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.

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2Select Text, GREP, or a different tab to undertake the search you want.

3Below 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.

4Define the Find What and Change To fields. (See “Metacharacters for searching” on page 156 and “Search using

GREP expressions” on page 152.)

5Click the Save 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.

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]\Find-

Change Queries\[query type]

Windows Vista Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Find-Change

Queries\[query type]

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.

C D

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See also

“OpenType fonts” on page 225

“Glyphs panel overview” on page 163

Insert special characters

You can insert common characters such as em dashes and en dashes, registered trademark symbols, and ellipses.

1Using the Type tool, position the insertion point where you want to insert a character.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Create and edit custom glyph sets” on page 167

Insert a glyph from a specified font

1Using the Type tool, click to place the insertion point where you want to enter a character.

2Choose Type > Glyphs to display the Glyphs panel.

3To 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” on page 167.)

4Scroll 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.

5Double-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.

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Selecting alternate glyphs in OpenType font

1Choose Type > Glyphs to display the Glyphs panel.

2Select Alternates For Selection from the Show list.

3Using the Type tool, select a character in your document.

4Do 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.

Show menu options in the Glyphs panel

1In the Glyphs panel, choose an OpenType font from the font list.

2Choose 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” on page 226. For more information on OpenType fonts, see

www.adobe.com/go/opentype.

Highlight alternate glyphs in the text

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).

2Select Substituted Glyphs, and then click OK. Substituted glyphs in the text are highlighted in nonprinting yellow.

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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

1Choose Type > Glyphs.

2Do 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.

3Type the name of the glyph set.

4Choose 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.

5To 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

1Choose Edit Glyph Set from the Glyph panel menu, and then choose the custom glyph set.

2Select 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.

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Delete glyphs from custom glyph sets

1In the Glyphs panel, choose the Custom Glyph Set from the Show menu.

2Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a glyph, and then choose Delete Glyph From Set.

Delete custom glyph sets

1Do one of the following:

•From the Glyphs panel menu, choose Delete Glyph Set.

•From the context menu, choose Delete Glyph Set.

2Click the name of a custom glyph set.

3Click 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]\Presets\Glyph Sets

Windows XP

Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Glyph Sets

Windows Vista 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.

See also

“Create hanging punctuation” on page 243

Specify which quotation marks to use

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).

2Choose a language from the Language menu.

3Do 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.

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•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.

1Using the Type tool, position the insertion point where you want to insert a certain amount of white space.

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.

White space options

The following options appear on the Type > Insert White Space menu:

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” on page 266.)

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.

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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.

See also

“Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries” on page 172

“Assign a language to text” on page 236

Set spelling preferences

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Spelling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Spelling (Mac OS).

2Do 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.

3Select Enable Dynamic Spelling to underline potentially misspelled words while you type.

4Specify 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

1If 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.

2Choose Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling.

Spell-checking begins.

3If 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.

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4When 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Mac OS).

2Choose Enable Autocorrect. (You can also choose Edit > Spelling > Autocorrect to turn this feature on or off

quickly.)

3From the Language menu, choose which language the autocorrections are applied to.

4To 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.

5To 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.

6Continue 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.

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.

1To enable dynamic spelling, choose Edit > Spelling > Dynamic Spelling.

Potentially misspelled words are underlined in your document.

2Right-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.

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•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.

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” on page 607). 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 Control panel or 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. (See “Assign a language to text” on

page 236.)

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.

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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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).

2From the Language menu, choose the language with which you want to associate the dictionary.

3Do 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 , select the user dictionary file, which includes

a .udc or .not extension, and then click Open.

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.

1Open the document.

2Select the Selection tool from the toolbar and make sure no items are selected in the document.

3Choose Type > Character.

4Choose 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

1Start InDesign, but do not open a document.

2Choose Type > Character.

3Choose 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

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).

2From the Language menu, choose the language to which the dictionary belongs.

3Do any of the following:

•To remove a dictionary from the list, select it and click the Remove User Dictionary icon . You must have at least

one dictionary per language.

•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.

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•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.

1Choose Edit > Spelling > Dictionary.

2In 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.

3In 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.

4In the Dictionary List menu, choose Added Words.

5In the Word box, type or edit the word to be added to the word list.

6Click Hyphenate to see the word’s default hyphenation. Tildes (~) indicate possible hyphenation points.

7If 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 (\~).

8Click 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” on page 264.)

Remove or edit words in dictionaries

1Choose Edit > Spelling > Dictionary.

2In the Language menu, choose a language.

3In 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.

4In 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.

5In the word list, edit the word, or select the word and click Remove.

6Click Done.

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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.

1Choose Edit > Spelling > Dictionary.

2Choose the language from the Language menu and the dictionary from the Target menu that contains the list of

words you want to export.

3Click 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

1Choose Edit > Spelling > Dictionary.

2Choose the language from the Language menu and the dictionary from the Target menu.

3Click 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.

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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS).

2For Language, specify the language for which you want to edit settings or change the hyphenation or spelling

vendor.

3Create, add, or remove user dictionaries. (See “Create or add user dictionaries” on page 173.)

4If you have installed a hyphenation component from a company other than Adobe, select it in the Hyphenation

menu.

If you have installed a spelling dictionary component from a company other than Adobe, select it in the Spelling menu.

6In 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.

7To add the exceptions list stored in the external user dictionary to the exceptions list stored within the document,

select Merge User Dictionary Into Document.

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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.

8To 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.

9Click 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.

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.

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. Footnotes

cannot space columns in a text frame.

You cannot create endnotes in InDesign. Endnotes in converted Microsoft Word documents are formatted as text, not

footnoes.

For a video tutorial on creating footnotes, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0218.

1Place the insertion point where you want the footnote reference number to appear.

2Choose Type > Insert Footnote.

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3Type the footnote text.

Footnote added to document

A. Reference number B. Footnote text

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 possible. 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. In

such a case, you should 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.

See also

“Place (import) text” on page 128

Creating Footnotes video

Change footnote numbering and layout

Changes you make to footnote numbering and layout affect existing footnotes and all new ones.

1Choose Type > Document Footnote Options.

2In the Numbering And Formatting tab, select options that determine the numbering scheme and formatting

appearance of the reference number and footnote text.

3Click the Layout tab, and select options that control the look of the footnote section on the page.

4Click OK.

See also

“Overprint rules above footnotes” on page 627

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, you may want to start the

footnote numbering in each chapter to continue where the last chapter left off.

The Start At option is especially useful for documents in a book. Footnote numbering is not continued across

documents in a book.

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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 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 you think the footnote reference number is too close to the preceding text, adding one of the space characters as a

prefix might improve 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 You may want to choose a character style to format the footnote reference number. For example,

instead of using superscript, you might want to use a character style at a normal position with an elevated baseline. The

menu displays the character styles available in the Character Styles panel.

Paragraph Style You may want to 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” on page 123.

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.

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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.

Footnote split across column.

If Allow Split Footnotes is turned on, you can still prevent an individual footnote from splitting by placing the insertion

point in the footnote text, choosing Keep Options from the Paragraph panel menu, and selecting the 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.

Rule Above Specify the location and appearance of the footnote divider line that appears above the footnote text and

the divider line that 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 don’t want a rule to appear, deselect Rule On.

Delete footnotes

❖To delete a footnote, select the footnote reference number that appears in text, and then press Backspace or Delete.

If you delete only the footnote text, the footnote reference number and footnote structure remain.

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, you need to 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 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.

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•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 by placing the

insertion point at the beginning of the footnote text, right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac OS), and

choosing Insert Special Character > Markers > Footnote Number.

•Text wrap has no effect on footnote text.

•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.

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Chapter 6: Styles

A style is a collection of formatting attributes that can be applied to items throughout a document. You can create styles

for paragraphs, characters, objects, tables, and cells in a table.

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.

When you change the formatting of a style, all text to which the style has been applied will be updated with the new

format.

For a video tutorial on making a paragraph style, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4277_id. For a video tutorial on using

text styles, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0076.

[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” on

page 184.)

To use the Next Style feature, choose a style from the Next Style menu when you’re creating or editing a style.

To view a video tutorial on using the Next Style feature by Jeff Witchel, go to www.layersmagazine.com/using-the-

next-style-paragraph-feature-in-indesign.html.

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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

See also

“Group styles” on page 201

“Create nested styles” on page 190

“Apply styles” on page 184

“Duplicate styles or style groups” on page 201

Define paragraph or character styles

1If 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.

2Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu, or choose New Character Style from the

Character Styles panel menu.

3For Style Name, type a name for your new style.

4For 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.

5For Next Style (Paragraph Styles panel only), specify which style is applied after the current style when you press

Enter or Return.

6To 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.

7If you want the new style to be applied to the selected text, select Apply Style To Selection.

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8To 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.

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.

9For 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.

1Create a new style.

2In 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.

3Specify 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.

1In 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.

2Double-click the InDesign document containing the styles you want to import.

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3In 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” on page 293.)

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.

1Do 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.

2Select Preserve Styles And Formatting From Text And Tables.

3Select Customized Style Import, and then click Style Mapping.

4In 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.

5Click OK to close the Style Mapping dialog box, and then click OK to import the document.

See also

“Place (import) text” on page 128

“Paste text” on page 127

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.

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See also

“Use Quick Apply” on page 223

“Override character and paragraph styles” on page 187

Apply a character style

1Select the characters to which you want to apply the style.

2Do 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

1Click in a paragraph, or select all or part of the paragraphs to which you want to apply the style.

2Do 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.)

3If 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.

1Select the paragraphs to which you want to apply the styles.

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2In 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.

See also

“Override character and paragraph styles” on page 187

Edit a style using the dialog box

1Do 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.

2Adjust settings in the dialog box, and then click OK.

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.

1Using the Type tool , select the text formatted with the style you want to redefine.

2Make changes to the paragraph or character attributes as necessary.

3Choose 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.

1Select the style name in the Styles panel.

2Do 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.

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3In 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.

4Click 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.

See also

“Group styles” on page 201

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.

See also

“Redefine a style to match selected text” on page 186

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.

•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

1Select the text containing the overrides. You can even select multiple paragraphs with different styles.

2In the Paragraph Styles panel, do any of the following:

•To remove paragraph and character formatting, click the Clear Overrides icon , or choose Clear Overrides from

the Paragraph Styles panel.

•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.

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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.

1Select the text that is marked with the style that you want to break from.

2Choose 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.

1In the Paragraph Styles panel, select the style that contains the bullets and numbering.

2In 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.

See also

“Create a paragraph style for running lists” on page 259

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.

1Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2For Search, select Document to change the style throughout the document.

3Leave 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.

4Click 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.

5Click 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.

6Click Find, and then use the Change, Change/Find, or Change All buttons to replace the style.

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See also

“Find and change text” on page 150

“Find and change fonts” on page 161

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 drop-

cap 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

1Create a character style that has the formatting you want to use for the drop-cap character.

2Do 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.

3Specify the number of drop-cap lines and characters, and then choose the character style.

4If 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.

5If the drop cap character overlaps the text below it, select Scale For Descenders.

6Click 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” on page 190.)

See also

“Use drop caps” on page 240

hat you don’t feel,

you will not grasp by art,

Unless it wells out of your soul

And with sheer pleasure takes control,

Compelling every listener’s heart.

But sit – and sit, and patch and knead,

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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.

Create one or more nested styles

1Create one or more character styles that you want to use to format text.

2Do 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.

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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.

3Click New Nested Style one or more times.

4Do 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.

1Create one or more character styles that you want to use to format text.

2Do 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.

3Click New Nested Line Style one or more times.

4Click 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.

5Specify 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.

6Click 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.

1Create the character styles you want to use.

2Edit or create a paragraph style, or place the insertion point in the paragraph you want to format.

3In 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.

4Do 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

5Click 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.

NIGHT&DAY 4/2 (MON) Dana Bettis - 8pm 4/3 (TUE) Mot Mazu - 8 & 10pm

4/4 (WED) Osamu Noda & Electric Wires - 9pm 4/5 (THU) Zagaby - 9pm

4/6-7 (FRI&SAT) Stan Macoo - 9 & 11pm

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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.

1Place the insertion point where you want the nested style to end.

2Choose 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

For a video tutorial on creating GREP styles, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4028_id.

1Do 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.

2Click New GREP Style.

3Click 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.

4Click 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” on page 156.)

•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.

5Click OK.

See also

“Search using GREP expressions” on page 152

GREP styles video

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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.

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.

For a video tutorial on using object styles, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0072.

See also

Object Styles video

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.

Open the Object Style panel

❖Choose Window > 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.

1Select the object or text frame that uses the settings you want the object style to include.

2Choose New Object Style from the Object Styles panel menu, or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the

Create New Style button.

3In the New Object Style dialog box, type a name for the style.

4To base the style on another style, choose a style for Based On.

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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.

5To 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.

6Under 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.

7To 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.

8Click 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.)

1Select an object, frame, or group.

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2Click an object style in the Control panel or the Object Styles panel to apply a style.

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.

See also

“Use Quick Apply” on page 223

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.

•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.

•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.

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.

Clear object style overrides

1Select an object or group that you want to change.

2In 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.

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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.

1Select an object or group that you want to change.

2In 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.

1Select the object that has the object style applied to it.

2Choose 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

1Make sure no objects are currently selected so that a style isn’t mistakenly applied.

2In the Object Styles panel, double-click the object style you want to rename.

3In 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

1Do 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.

2In the Object Style Options dialog box, select the category that contains the options you want to change, and change

the desired settings.

3Determine whether object style categories are turned on, turned off, or ignored.

4Click OK.

Delete an object style

1In the Object Styles panel, select an object style.

2Choose Delete Style from the panel menu or drag the style to the Delete icon at the bottom of the Object Styles

panel.

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3If 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, choose Select 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.

1Select an object that is using the style you want to change.

2Adjust the desired appearance attributes.

3In the Object Styles panel, choose Redefine Object 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 (for

example, from Burnt Orange to Burnt Orange 2).

1Select Load Object Styles from the Object Styles panel menu.

2Select the file from which you want to import object styles, and click Open.

3In 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

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.

The object styles appear in the Object Styles panel.

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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

1In 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.

2Choose New Style Group from the Styles panel menu, or choose New Group From Styles to move the selected styles

into the new group.

3Type the name of the group and click OK.

4To 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.

1Select the style or group you want to copy.

2Choose Copy To Group from the Styles panel menu.

3Select 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.

Delete style groups

Deleting a style group deletes the group and everything inside it, including styles and other groups.

1Select the group you want to delete.

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2Choose Delete Style Group from the Styles panel menu, and then click Yes.

3For 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.

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Chapter 7: Combining text and objects

To enhance your design, try blending graphics and text by using anchored objects, text wrap, or type on a path.

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” on page 220.)

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)

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For a video tutorial on working with anchored frames, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0073.

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.

1Do 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.

2To 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” on page 26.)

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” on page 208.

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 custom-positioned anchored object” on page 208.

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 the leftmost point on this proxy, the object’s reference point

will align with the left edge of the text frame and the baseline of the text.

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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.

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

A B

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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.

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

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•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.

•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.

1Select the object and choose Object > Anchored Object > Options.

2From 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.

3To 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.

4Click the point on the Anchored Object Reference Point proxy that represents the point on the object that you

want to align to the page.

5From 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.

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6From 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).

7Click 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.

8Specify an X Offset or Y Offset to nudge or move the object away from the alignment point.

9To 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.

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.

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 > 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 > 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 to select the object, and then

drag vertically. You can move inline objects vertically only, not horizontally.

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 an inline anchored object parallel to the baseline, place the insertion point before or after the object and

specify a new value for kerning.

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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” on page 388 and “Rotate objects” on

page 390.)

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.

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.

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.

For a video tutorial on using text wrap, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4280_id.

See also

“Compound paths and shapes” on page 340

Wrap text around simple objects

1To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.

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2Using the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool , select the object you want to wrap text around.

3In 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).

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

5Specify 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.

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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.

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.

1To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.

2Select an imported image, and in the Text Wrap panel, click Wrap Around Object Shape .

3Specify offset values. Positive values move the wrap away from the frame; negative values move the wrap within the

frame.

4Choose Show Options from the Text Wrap panel menu to display additional options.

5From the Type menu, choose a contour option:

Bounding Box Wraps text to the rectangle formed by the image’s height and width.

Detect Edges Generates the boundary using automatic edge detection. (To adjust edge detection, select the object and

choose Object > Clipping Path > Options.)

Alpha Channel Generates 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 Path Generates 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 Frame Generates the boundary from the container frame.

Same As Clipping Generates the boundary from the imported image’s clipping path.

6To 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

1Using the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool , select an object, such as a compound path, that will allow

text to wrap inside it.

2To display the Text Wrap panel, choose Window > Text Wrap.

Apply a text wrap to an object, and select the Invert option. Invert is commonly used with the Object Shape text wrap.

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Object Shape text wrap (left) and with Invert option selected (right)

Change the shape of a text wrap

1Using 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.

2Do 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.

1Select the object on the master page.

2From 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.

See also

“Master pages” on page 68

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.

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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.

1In the Layers panel, double-click the layer that contains the wrap object.

2Select Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden.

Justify text next to wrap objects

When you specify how text is justified next to wrap objects, the change applies to the entire document.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

Justify Text Next To An Object

A. Option turned off B. Option turned on

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.

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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.

1Select the text frame, and choose Object > Text Frame Options.

2Select Ignore Text Wrap, and click OK.

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.

Type on a path

A. Start bracket B. In port C. Center bracket D. End bracket E. Out port indicating threaded text

1Select the Type On A Path tool . (Click and hold the Type tool to display a menu containing the Type On A Path

tool.)

2Position 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” on page 218.)

Changing location of type on path

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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.

3Type 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

1Using 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.

2Edit and format the text as needed.

Delete type from a path

1Using the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool , select one or more type-on-a-path objects.

2Choose 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

1Using the Selection tool or the Type tool, select the type on a path.

2Choose Type > Type on a Path > Options, or double-click the Type On A Path tool.

3For 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

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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

1Using the Selection tool , select the type on a path.

2Position the pointer over the path type’s start or end bracket until a small icon appears next to the pointer . Do

not position it over the bracket’s in port or out port.

Zoom in on the path to more easily select the bracket.

3Drag the start or end bracket along the path.

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

1Using the Selection tool , select the type on a path.

2Position 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.

3Drag 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

1Click the Selection tool , and select the type on a path.

2Position the pointer over the type’s center bracket until a center bracket icon appears next to the pointer .

3Drag the center bracket across the path.

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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

1Using the Selection tool or the Type tool, select the type on a path.

2Choose Type > Type on a Path > Options, or double-click the Type On A Path tool.

3Choose 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.

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•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

1Using 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.

2Add the anchored object. You can add inline or above line anchored objects or frames to the path. (See “Anchored

objects” on page 203.)

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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Chapter 8: Typography

Typography gives visual form to language. AdobeInDesign CS4 gives you the tools you need to set type that suits your

content. The fonts you choose and the settings you select for leading and kerning are examples of decisions you can

make about the appearance of the text in your document.

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.

For a video tutorial on formatting characters, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4275_id. For a video tutorial on formatting

paragraphs, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4276_id.

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.

•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” on

page 39.

•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.

For a video tutorial on working with text, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0075.

1Select the Type tool .

2Click to place an insertion point, or select the text that you want to format.

3In 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

4Specify formatting options.

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See also

Working with Text video

“Control panel overview” on page 22

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.

See also

“Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool” on page 441

Copy type attributes to unselected text

1With the Eyedropper tool , click the text that is formatted with the attributes you want to copy. (The text can be

in another open InDesign 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 .

2With 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.

3To 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.

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

1With the Type tool or Path Type tool , select the text to which you want to copy attributes.

2Using 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.

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good guard,

Until their greater

at are to censure

CORDELIA: We

Who, with best me

worst.

EDMUND : So

away: good guard,

Until their greater

at are to censure

CORDELIA: We

Who, with best me

worst.

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Type attributes copied to selected text

Change which text attributes the Eyedropper tool copies

1In the toolbox, double-click the Eyedropper tool.

2Choose Character Settings or Paragraph Settings in the Eyedropper Options dialog box.

3Select 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.

1Select the text or frame to which you want to apply the style, menu command, script, or variable.

2Choose Edit > Quick Apply, or press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac OS).

3Start 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.

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.

4Select 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).

EDMUND : Some oc

away: good guard, Unti

leasures rst be know

censure them.

CORDELIA: We are n

Who, with best meaning,

the worst.

EDMUND : Some oc

away: good guard, Unti

leasures rst be know

censure them.

CORDELIA: We are no

Who, with best meaning,

the worst.

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•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.

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.

Installing fonts

When you install InDesign or the Adobe Creative Suite, fonts are automatically installed in the system fonts folder—

Windows\Fonts in Windows or Library/Fonts in Mac OS. 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

Adobe® InDesign® CS4 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.

See also

“Installing OpenType fonts” on page 226

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.

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.

1Select the text you want to change.

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2Do 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.

1Select 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.

2Do 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.

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.

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.

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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.

Installing OpenType fonts

InDesign includes fonts from various OpenType families, including Adobe Garamond Pro, Adobe Caslon Pro, Trajan

Pro, Caflisch Script Pro, Myriad Pro, Lithos, and Adobe Jenson Pro.

OpenType fonts are installed automatically when you install InDesign or Adobe Creative Suite 4. Additional

OpenType fonts are located in the Adobe Fonts folder in the Goodies folder on the application DVD. For information

on installing and using OpenType fonts, browse the application DVD or see the Adobe website.

See also

“Installing fonts” on page 224

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.

See also

“Insert glyphs and special characters” on page 164

“OpenType fonts” on page 225

Apply OpenType font attributes

1Select text.

2In the Character panel or Control panel, make sure that an OpenType font is selected.

3Choose 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.

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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.

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” on page 234.

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” on page 237.

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 non-

standard 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.

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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.

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.

See also

“Find and change fonts” on page 161

“Installing fonts” on page 224

Make missing fonts available

❖Do any of the following:

•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” on page 224.

•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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows®) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS®).

2Select Substituted Fonts, and then click OK.

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Multiple master fonts

Multiplemaster 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2Select Automatically Use Correct Optical Size, and click OK.

Leading

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

1Select the text you want to change.

2Do 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.

ocers take them away: good

guard,Until their greater

pleasures rst be known at

are to censure them.

CORDELIA: We are not the

rst Who, with best meaning,

have incurr'd the worst.

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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

1Select the paragraphs that you want to change.

2Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu or from the Control panel menu.

3For Auto Leading, specify a new default percentage. The minimum value is 0%, and the maximum value is 500%.

Apply leading to whole paragraphs

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Type (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

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.

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

kern-pair 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.

Before applying the optical kerning option to the “W” and “a” pair (top), and after (bottom)

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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.

See also

“Keys for working with type” on page 683

Use metrics kerning

1Set the text insertion point between the characters you want to pair kern, or select text.

2In the Character panel or Control panel, select Metrics in the Kerning menu.

To avoid using the built-in kerning information of a font for selected text, choose “0” in the Kerning menu.

Use optical kerning

1Set the text insertion point between characters you want to pair kern or select the text you want to kern.

2In the Character panel or Control panel, select Optical in the Kerning menu.

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Adjust kerning manually

1Using 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.

2Do 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

1Select text.

2In 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

1Select a range of characters.

2In 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

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Formatting characters

For a video tutorial on formatting characters, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4275_id.

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

1Select text.

2In 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.

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

1Select text.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Apply OpenType font attributes” on page 226

Apply underline or strikethrough

The default weight of an underline and strikethrough depends on the size of the type.

Apply underline or strikethrough

1Select text.

2Choose Underline or Strikethrough in the Character panel menu or the Control panel.

10 th 1/2 10th 1

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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

1From the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu, choose Underline Options or Strikethrough Options.

2Do 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.

•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)

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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.

1Select text.

2Choose Ligatures from the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu.

See also

“OpenType fonts” on page 225

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.

Swatches

A. Swatch affects fill or stroke B. Swatch affects container or text C. Tint percentage

1Do 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.

2In 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.

3Do 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” on page 336.)

You can also apply a gradient to text by dragging across the selected text using either the Gradient Swatch tool or

the Gradient Feather tool , which you can select by clicking and holding down the Gradient Swatch tool.

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.

A B C

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See also

“Applying color” on page 437

“Add rules (lines) above or below paragraphs” on page 241

“Applying gradients to text” on page 456

Add transparency effects to text

1Use the Selection tool to select the text frame.

2Choose Object > Effects > [effect].

3Choose 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.

4Specify 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.

See also

“Transparency effects” on page 417

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.

1Do 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.

2In 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

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See also

“Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries” on page 172

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.

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.

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” on page 226.)

1Select text.

2Choose 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

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Advanced Type (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Advanced Type (Mac OS).

2For Small Caps, type a percentage of the original font size for text to be formatted as small caps. Then click OK.

Change capitalization

1Select text.

2Choose 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.

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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.

Scaling fonts horizontally

A. Unscaled type B. Unscaled type in condensed font C. Scaled type in condensed font

Adjust vertical or horizontal scaling

1Select text you want to scale.

2In the Character panel or Control panel, type a numeric value to change the percentage of Vertical Scaling or

Horizontal Scaling .

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” on page 395.)

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.

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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%.

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:

1Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2Select 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

1Select text.

2In 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.

Formatting paragraphs

For a video tutorial on formatting paragraphs, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4276_id.

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 insert extra space before the paragraph. 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.

1Select text.

2In the Paragraph panel or the Control panel, adjust the appropriate values for Space Before and Space After .

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To ensure formatting consistency, change paragraph spacing in the paragraph styles you define.

See also

“Add paragraph and character styles” on page 182

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.

One-character, three-line drop cap (left), and five-character, two-line drop cap (right)

See also

“Drop caps and nested styles” on page 189

“Apply a character style to a drop cap” on page 189

Create a drop cap

1With the Type tool selected, click in the paragraph where you want the drop cap to appear.

2In 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.

3For Drop Cap One Or More Characters , type the number of drop cap characters you want.

4To 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

1With the Type tool selected, click in the paragraph where the drop cap appears.

2In the Paragraph panel or Control panel, type 0 for Drop Cap Number Of Lines or Drop Cap Number Of

Characters.

Aer breakfast I wa

man and guess out

but Jim didn’t wan

bad luck; and besides, h

ha’nt us; he said a man t

likely to go a-ha'nting

planted and comforta

reasonable, so I didn’t s

After breakfas

guess ou

want to. He said it would f

come and ha'nt us; he sai

to go a-ha'nting around t

at sounded pretty reas

keep from studying over i

and what they done it for

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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

Add a rule above or below a paragraph

1Select text.

2Choose Paragraph Rules from the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu.

3At the top of the Paragraph Rule dialog box, select Rule Above or Rule Below.

4Select 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.

5Select Preview to see what the rule will look like.

6For 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.

7Select Overprint Stroke when you want to make sure that the stroke doesn’t knock out underlying inks on a printing

press.

8Do 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.

9Choose 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.

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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

1Using the Type tool , click in the paragraph containing the paragraph rule.

2Choose Paragraph Rules from the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu.

3Deselect Rule On and click OK.

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” on page 263.

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.

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To highlight paragraphs that violate Keep Options, choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or

InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS), select Keep Violations, and click OK.

1Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to affect.

2Choose Keep Options in the Paragraph panel menu or Control panel menu. (You can also change keep options

when creating or editing a paragraph style.)

3Select any of these options and then click OK:

•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.

•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.

See also

“Add column, frame, and page breaks” on page 141

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

1Select a text frame, or click anywhere in the story.

2Choose Type > Story.

3Select Optical Margin Alignment.

4Select 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.

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Aligning text

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.

1Select text.

2Click 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.

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.

See also

“Align or justify text vertically within a text frame” on page 246

“Change Justification settings” on page 266

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.

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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.

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.

See also

“Grids” on page 53

“Set baseline grids for a text frame” on page 124

Align paragraphs to the baseline grid

1Select text.

2In 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

1Select the paragraphs you want to align.

2Choose Only Align First Line To Grid from the Paragraph menu or Control panel menu.

3In 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, pull-

quotes, and centered paragraphs.

Before and after applying Balance Ragged Lines to the title

1Click in the paragraph you want to balance.

2In 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.

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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.

Bottom vertical alignment (left) and vertical justification (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.

•Vertical justification isn’t applied to text that takes on a non-rectangular shape due to influences such as text frame

shape, text wrap, or corner effects. In these cases, top alignment is applied. When a corner effect is applied, vertical

justification is possible if you make the text area rectangular by increasing the Inset value in the Text Frame Options

dialog box, relative to the Size value in the Corner Options dialog box.

1Do one of the following:

•With the Selection tool, select a text frame.

•With the Type tool , click in a text frame.

2Choose Object > Text Frame Options.

3In 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.

Yo u don’t know about

me, without you have

read a book by the name

of “e Adventures of

Tom Sawyer,” but that

ain’t no matter.

at book was made by

Mr. Mark Twain, and he

told the truth, mainly.

Yo u don’t know about

me, without you have

read a book by the name

of “e Adventures of

Tom Sawyer,” but that

ain’t no matter.

at book was made by

Mr. Mark Twain, and he

told the truth, mainly.

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4If 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)

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.

5Click 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.

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

Open the Tabs dialog box

1Using the Type tool, click in the text frame.

2Choose 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.

EDMUND : Some

ocers take th m away:

good guard,Until their

greater pleasures rst

be known at are to

censure them.

CORDELIA: We are

not the rst Who, with

best meaning, have

incurr’d the worst.

EDMUND : Some

ocers take th m away:

good guard,Until their

greater pleasures rst

be known at are to

censure them.

CORDELIA:We are

not the rst Who, with

best meaning, have

incurr’d the worst.

ACD

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Align the Tabs dialog box ruler with your text

1Scroll through your document to display the top of the text frame.

2Click 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.

1Using the Type tool , click an insertion point in the paragraph.

2Press 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

3To specify which paragraphs will be affected, select a paragraph or a group of paragraphs.

4For 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.

5Do one of the following:

•Click a location on the tab ruler to position a new tab.

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.

6For subsequent tabs with different alignments, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Act 1Scene 1: King Lear’s palace.

Scene 2: e Earl of Gloucester’s castle.

Scene 3: e Duke of Albany’s palace.

Scene 4: A hall in the same.

Scene 5: Court before the same.

Act 2Scene 1: Gloucester’s castle

Scene 2: Before Gloucester’s castle.

Scene 3: A wood.

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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.

1Click an insertion point in the paragraph.

2In the Tabs panel, select a tab stop on the ruler.

3Choose 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

1Using the Type tool , click an insertion point in the paragraph.

2In the Tabs dialog box, select a tab on the tab ruler.

3Do 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

1Click an insertion point in the paragraph.

2Do one of the following:

•Drag the tab off the tab ruler.

•Select the tab, and choose Delete Tab from the panel menu.

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•To return to the default tab stops, choose Clear All from the panel menu.

Change a tab from one alignment to another

1In the Tabs dialog box, select a tab on the tab ruler.

2Click 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.

1In the Tabs panel, create or select a decimal tab on the tab ruler.

2In 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.

1In the Tabs panel, select a tab stop on the ruler.

2Type 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.

3To 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.

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.

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•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.

1Using the Type tool , click on the line where you want to add the right indent tab.

2Choose 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.

See also

“Create bulleted or numbered lists” on page 254

Set an indent using the Tabs dialog box

1Using the Type tool , click in the paragraph you want to indent.

2Choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs dialog box.

3Do 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.

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” on page 247.

Set indents using the Paragraph panel or the Control panel

1Using the Type tool , click in the paragraph you want to indent.

2Adjust 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 .

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•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” on page 251.

Reset indents

1Click in the paragraph in which you want to reset indents to the zero mark.

2Choose 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)

1Using the Type tool , click in the paragraph you want to indent.

2In the Tabs dialog box or the Control panel, specify a left indent value greater than zero.

3To 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.

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.

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Last line right indent

1Type 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.

2Select the paragraphs.

3To create a right indent for paragraphs, specify a value (such as 2p) in the Right Indent field of the Paragraph panel

or Control panel.

4To 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 is visible.

Indent To Here special character

1Using the Type tool , click the insertion point where you would like to indent.

2Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Indent To Here.

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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

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).

For a video tutorial on creating bulleted and numbered lists, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0077.

1Select the set of paragraphs that will become the list, or click to place the insertion point where you want the list to

begin.

2Do 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.

3To continue the list in the next paragraph, move the insertion point to the end of the list and press Enter or Return.

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the cherries, sugar,

corn starch and orange in

a large saucepan.

2. Cook on medium heat

until the mixure comes

to a full boil, then let it

stand for about 10 minutes

to thicken, stirring a couple

of times during the cooling.

3. Transfer to a shallow baking

dish.

Filling Ingredients

• 4 cups pitted red cherries

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons corn starch

• 2 tablespoons orange juice

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4To 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.

See also

“Create a paragraph style for running lists” on page 259

“Create multi-level lists” on page 260

Bulleted and Numbered Lists video

Format a bulleted or numbered list

1Using the Type tool , select the bulleted or numbered paragraphs you want to reformat.

2Do 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 .

3In 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.

4To 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.

Tab Position Activates the tab position to create space between the bullet or number and the start of the list item.

Position settings

A. Hanging indent B. Left-aligned list

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.

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.

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the cherries, sugar,

corn starch and orange in

a large saucepan.

2. Cook on medium heat

until the mixure comes

to a full boil, then let it

stand for about 10 minutes

to thicken, stirring a couple

of times during the cooling.

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the cherries, sugar,

corn starch and orange in

a large saucepan.

2. Cook on medium heat

until the mixure comes

to a full boil, then let it

stand for about 10 minutes

to thicken, stirring a couple

of times during the cooling.

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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.

Bullets And Numbering dialog box

A. Bullet without remembered font B. Bullet with remembered font

Change the bullet character

1On the Control panel menu or Paragraph panel menu, select Bullets And Numbering.

2In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu.

3Select a different bullet character, and then click OK.

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the cherries, sugar, corn starch

and orange in a large saucepan.

2. Cook on medium heat until

the mixure comes to a full boil,

then let it stand for about 10

minutes to thicken, stirring a

couple of times during the cooling.

3. Transfer to a shallow baking dish.

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Add a bullet character

1In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu, then click Add.

2Select the glyph that you want to use as the bullet character. (Different font families and font styles contain different

glyphs.)

3If you want the new bullet to remember the currently chosen font and style, select Remember Font With Bullet.

4Click 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

1In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, select Bullets from the List Type menu.

2Select 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.

1Open the Bullets And Numbering dialog box.

2Under Numbering Style, select the type of numbering you want to use from the Format menu.

3In 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.

•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.

4Choose a character style for the expression. (The style you choose applies to the entire number expression, not just

to the number.)

5For 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.

6Specify any other options, and then click OK.

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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.

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.

Defined lists let you interrupt one list with another.

For a video tutorial on creating bulleted and numbered lists, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0077.

Define a list

1Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

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2Click New in the Define Lists dialog box.

3Enter a name for the list, choose whether you want to continue numbering across stories, and continue numbering

from previous documents in your book.

4Click 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

1Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

2Select a list and click Edit.

3Enter 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.

Delete a defined list

1Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

2Select a list.

3Click 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.

1Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu.

2Enter a style name.

3On the left side of the New Paragraph Style dialog box, click Bullets And Numbering.

4For List Type, select Bullets or Numbering.

5If you are creating a style for numbered lists, choose a defined list from the List menu, or choose New List and define

the list.

6Specify the bullet or numbering characteristics.

7Use 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.

8Specify other paragraph style attributes for the style, and then click OK.

See also

“Add paragraph and character styles” on page 182

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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.

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.

For a video tutorial on creating outlines and multi-level lists, see this video from Instant InDesign:

www.instantindesign.com/index.php?view=391. For step-by-step tutorials on creating outlines or multi-level lists

(such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, and so on), see this site:

http://blogs.adobe.com/indesigndocs/2009/04/numbered_lists_part_i_outlines.html.

1Choose New Paragraph Style from the Paragraph Styles panel menu.

2Enter a style name.

3If 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.

4On the left side of the New Paragraph Style dialog box, click Bullets And Numbering.

5Choose Numbers from the List Type menu.

6Choose 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.

7In the Level box, enter a number that describes which level of the multi-level list you’re creating a style for.

8From the Format menu, choose the type of numbering you want to use.

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9In 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.

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.

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.

1Create 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.

2Choose a defined list from the List menu (or choose New List to define a list).

3Under 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.

4In 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.

5Finish creating the style and click OK.

After you create the style, apply it to text figure captions or table titles.

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You can use the Table Of Contents feature to generate a list of tables or figures.

See also

“Creating a table of contents” on page 297

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

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.

1Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

2Select a list and click the Edit button.

Don’t choose the Default list because it can’t run across stories.

3Select 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).

4Click 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.

1Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

2Select a list and click the Edit button.

3Select 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).

4Click OK twice.

Convert list bullets or numbers to text

1Select the paragraphs containing the bulleted or numbered list.

2Do one of the following:

•From the Paragraph panel menu, choose Convert Numbering To Text or Convert Bullets To Text.

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•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.

See also

“Convert style bullets and numbering to text” on page 188

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.

For a video tutorial on working with text, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0075.

See also

Working with Text video

“Change Justification settings” on page 266

“Justify text next to wrap objects” on page 215

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” on page 264.)

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.

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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

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).

2To use on-screen highlighting to identify compositional problems, select Keep Violations And H&J Violations

(hyphenation and justification).

3To justify text that wraps around an object, select Justify Text Next To An Object.

4Click OK.

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.

See also

“Adjust word and letterspacing in justified text” on page 266

“Hyphenation and spelling dictionaries” on page 172

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.

1Using the Type tool , click where you want to insert the hyphen.

2Do 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.

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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

1Click in a paragraph or select the range of paragraphs you want to affect.

2Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu.

3Select the Hyphenate option.

4Make 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 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.

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

1Select the text you want to keep on the same line.

2Choose 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

1Using the Type tool , click where you want to insert the hyphen.

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2Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens And Dashes > Nonbreaking Hyphen.

Create a nonbreaking space

1Using the Type tool , click where you want to insert the space.

2Choose 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.

Adjust word and letterspacing in justified text

1Insert the cursor in the paragraph you want to change, or select a type object or frame to change all of its paragraphs.

2Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu.

3Enter 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.

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.

4Set 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

1Click an insertion point in a paragraph or select the paragraphs you want to affect.

2Choose Justification from the Paragraph panel menu.

3Type values for Glyph Scaling Minimum, Desired, and Maximum. Then click OK.

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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.

Before and after adding a flush space character

1Using the Type tool , click directly in front of the end-of-story character.

2Choose 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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Composition (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Composition (Mac OS).

2Select H&J Violations and click OK.

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Chapter 9: 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 CS4 or export them from other applications.

Creating tables

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-on-

path frame.

For a video tutorial on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.

See also

“Formatting tables” on page 277

Creating and Formatting Tables video

Create a table from scratch

The table you create fills the width of the text frame.

1Using the Type tool , place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.

2Choose Table > Insert Table.

3Specify the numbers of rows and columns.

4If 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.

6Click 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.)

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Create a table from existing text

Before you convert text to a table, make sure that you set up the text properly.

1To 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.)

2Using the Type tool , select the text you want to convert to a table.

3Choose Table > Convert Text To Table.

4For 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.)

5If 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.

7Click 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

1Do 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 the table, choose Table > Insert Table, specify the number of rows and columns, and then click OK.

2Adjust the cell inset as necessary. (See “Format text within a table” on page 279.)

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 a link to the spreadsheet

formatting, use the Place command to import the table.

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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See also

“Place (import) text” on page 128

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 the table, and then choose Edit > Paste.

•Position the insertion point where you want to add text, choose File > Place, and then double-click a text file.

See also

“Resize columns, rows, and tables” on page 278

“Work with overset cells” on page 281

“Tag items” on page 568

Add graphics to a table

For a video tutorial on placing images into a table, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0083.

❖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.

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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” on page 261.)

For a video tutorial on creating table headers and footers, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0082.

See also

“Break tables across frames” on page 279

“Create variables for running headers and footers” on page 94

Convert existing rows to header or footer rows

1Select the rows at the top of the table to create header rows, or at the bottom of the table to create footer rows.

2Choose Table > Convert Rows > To Header or To Footer.

Change header or footer row options

1Place the insertion point in the table, and then choose Table > Table Options > Headers And Footers.

2Specify the number of header or footer rows. Blank rows may be added to the top or bottom of the table.

3Specify 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.

4Select 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.

5Click OK.

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.

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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.

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.

See also

“Keys for tables” on page 682

Select cells

❖Using the Type tool , do any of the following:

•To select a single cell, click inside a table, 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 table, 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

1Click inside a table, or select text.

2Choose 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 , and then

click to select the entire table.

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Before and after selecting table

•Drag the Type tool across the entire table.

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

1Place the insertion point in a row below or above where you want the new row to appear.

2Choose Table > Insert > Row.

3Specify the number of rows you want.

4Specify 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

1Place the insertion point in a column next to where you want the new column to appear.

2Choose Table > Insert > Column.

3Specify the number of columns you want.

4Specify 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

1With the insertion point in the table, choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.

2Specify 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.

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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.

1Position the Type tool over the border of a column or row so that a double-arrow icon ( or ) appears.

2Hold 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.

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.

1Place 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.

2Click an alignment button (such as Align Center) in the Paragraph panel or Control panel.

See also

“Resize columns, rows, and tables” on page 278

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.

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See also

“Keys for tables” on page 682

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” on page 279.

•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

1Choose Table > Go To Row.

2Do 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.

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.

1Select the cells you want to cut or copy, and then choose Edit > Cut or Copy.

2Do 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.

See also

“Select table cells, rows, and columns” on page 272

Move or copy a table

1To select the entire table, place the insertion point in the table and choose Table > Select > Table.

2Choose Edit > Cut or Copy, move the insertion point where you want the table to appear, and then choose Edit >

Paste.

Convert tables to text

1Using the Type tool , place the insertion point inside the table, or select text in the table.

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2Choose Table > Convert Table To Text.

3For 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.

4Click 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.

1In 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.)

2In 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.)

3Select 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.

See also

“Cut, copy, and paste table contents” on page 275

“Table and cell styles” on page 285

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 text C. 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.

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.

For a video tutorial on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.

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See also

“Table strokes and fills” on page 282

Creating and Formatting Tables video

Resize columns, rows, and tables

You can resize columns, rows, and tables using a number of different methods.

See also

“Change the alignment of a table within a frame” on page 274

Resize columns and rows

1Select cells in the columns and rows you want to resize.

2Do 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” on page 281.)

•Position the pointer over the edge of a column or row so that a double-arrow icon ( or ) 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.

Name

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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

1Select cells in the columns or rows that should be the same width or height.

2Choose Table > Distribute Rows Evenly or Distribute Columns Evenly.

Change the spacing before or after a table

1Place the insertion point in the table and choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.

2Under 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.

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.

1Position the insertion point in the appropriate row, or select a range of cells in the rows you want to keep together.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Rows And Columns.

3To keep the selected rows together, select Keep With Next Row.

4To 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.

See also

“Add table headers and footers” on page 270

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.

❖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.

See also

“Work with overset cells” on page 281

“Specify characters for decimal tabs” on page 250

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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.

1Using the Type tool , place the insertion point where you want to insert a tab.

2Choose 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

1Using the Type tool , select the cell or cells you want to affect.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Text.

3Under 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” on page 246.)

4For 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” on page 123.)

5Click 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

1Position the insertion point in the cell you want to rotate, or select the cells you want to affect.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Text, or display the Table panel.

3Select a value for Rotation, and click OK.

Change cell inset spacing

1Using the Type tool , place the insertion point in or select the cell or cells you want to affect.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Text, or display the Table panel.

3Under 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.

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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.

1Using the Type tool , select the cells you want to merge.

2Choose 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.

1Place the insertion point in the cell you want to split, or select a row, column, or block of cells.

2Choose Table > Split Cell Vertically or Split Cell Horizontally.

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.

1Place the insertion point in the cell you want to clip, or select the cell or cells you want to affect.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Text.

3Select Clip Contents To Cell, and then click OK.

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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.

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.

See also

“Table and cell styles” on page 285

Change the table border

You can change the table border by using either the Table Setup dialog box or the Stroke panel.

1With the insertion point in the table, choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup.

2Under Table Border, specify the desired weight, type, color, tint, and gap settings. (See “Table stroke and fill

options” on page 284.)

3Under 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.

4If you do not want stroke formatting of individual cells to be overridden, select Preserve Local Formatting.

5Click OK.

If you remove the stroke and fill from a table, choose View > 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.

1Using 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.

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2Choose Table > Cell Options > Strokes And Fills.

3In 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.)

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.

4For Cell Stroke, specify desired weight, type, color, tint, and gap settings. (See “Table stroke and fill options” on

page 284.)

5For Cell Fill, specify desired color and tint settings.

6Select Overprint Stroke and Overprint Fill if desired, and then click OK.

Add a stroke to cells by using the Stroke panel

1Select the cell or cells you want to affect. To apply a stroke to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.

2Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.

3In the proxy preview area, specify which lines will be affected by stroke changes.

4In 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.)

5Specify a weight value and stroke type.

Add a fill to cells

1Select the cell or cells you want to affect. To apply a fill to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.

2Choose Window > Swatches to display the Swatches panel.

3Make sure the Object button is selected. (If the Text button is selected, the color changes will affect the text,

not the cells.)

4Select a swatch.

Add a gradient to cells

1Select the cells you want to affect. To apply a gradient to header or footer cells, select the header or footer row.

2Choose Window > Gradient to display the Gradient panel.

3Click in the Gradient Ramp to apply a gradient to the selected cells. Adjust the gradient settings as necessary.

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Add diagonal lines to a cell

1Using the Type tool , place the insertion point in or select the cell or cells in which you want to add diagonal

lines.

2Choose Table > Cell Options > Diagonal Lines.

3Click the button for the type of diagonal line you want to add.

4Under Line Stroke, specify desired weight, type, color, and gap settings; specify a Tint percentage and Overprint

options.

5From 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

1With the insertion point in the table, choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Row Strokes or Alternating

Column Strokes.

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2For 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.

3Under Alternating, specify the stroke or 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.

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” on page 279.)

4Select Preserve Local Formatting if you want formatted strokes previously applied to the table to remain in effect.

5For 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

1With the insertion point in the table, choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Fills.

2For 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.

Under Alternating, specify the stroke or 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.

4Select Preserve Local Formatting if you want previously formatted fills applied to the table to remain in effect.

5For 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

1Place the insertion point in the table.

2Choose Table > Table Options > Alternating Row Strokes, Alternating Column Strokes, or Alternating Fills.

3For Alternating Pattern, choose None, and then click OK.

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].

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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

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.

For a video tutorial on using table styles, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0084.

Table/Cell Styles panels overview

Use the Table Styles panel 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 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 > Type & Tables, and choose Table Styles or Cell Styles.

BCD

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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

For a video tutorial on using table styles, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0084.

1If you want to base a new style on the formatting of an existing table or cell, place the insertion point in a cell.

2If desired, define a paragraph style for the cell style.

Choose New Table Style from the Table Styles panel menu, or choose New Cell Style from the Cell Styles panel menu.

4For Style Name, type a name.

5For Based On, select which style the current style is based on.

6To 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.

7To 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.

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.

8If you want the new style to appear in a style group you’ve created, drag it to the style group folder.

See also

“Group styles” on page 201

Table Styles video

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.

1From the menu of the Cell Styles or Table Styles panel, choose Load Cell Styles, Load Table Styles, or Load Table

And Cell Styles.

2Double-click the InDesign document containing the styles you want to import.

3In 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.

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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.

1Position the insertion point in a table, or select the cells to which you want to apply the style.

2Do one of the following:

•Click the table or cell style in the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel. 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.)

See also

“Use Quick Apply” on page 223

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].

1Create a new style.

2In 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.

3Specify formatting for the new style to distinguish it from the parent style.

See also

“Duplicate styles or style groups” on page 201

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.

1Do 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.

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2Adjust 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.

1Select the style in the Styles panel.

2Do 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.

3Select 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.

4Click 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.

1Place the insertion point in the table or cell that is formatted with the style you want to redefine.

2Make changes to the table or cell as necessary.

3Choose 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.

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.

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•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

1Select the table or cells containing the overrides.

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.

1Select the cells to which the style has been applied.

2Choose Break Link To Style from the Styles panel menu.

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Chapter 10: Long document features

Assemble long documents using books, tables of contents, and indexes. You can group related documents in a book

file so that you can number their pages and chapters sequentially, share styles, swatches, and master pages, and print

or export the group of documents.

Creating book files

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.

1Choose File > New > Book.

2Type 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.

3Add documents to the book file.

See also

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

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.

1Choose Add Document in the Book panel menu, or click the plus button at the bottom of the Book panel.

2Select 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.

3If you included documents created in earlier versions of InDesign, they will be converted to Adobe InDesign CS4

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.

4If necessary, change the order of the documents in the panel by dragging them up or down to the appropriate

locations in the list.

5To designate a document as the style source, click the box next to the document’s name in the panel.

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To open a document in a book file, double-click the document name in the Book panel.

See also

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

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.

See also

“Create a book file” on page 291

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

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

1Select the document in the Book panel.

2Choose 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

1Select the document in the Book panel.

Choose Replace Document in the Book panel menu, locate the document you want to replace it with, and then click Open.

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Synchronize book documents

When you synchronize documents in a book, the items you specify—styles, variables, master pages, trap presets, cross-

reference 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.

For a video tutorial on synchronizing book documents, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0216.

See also

Synchronizing Book Documents video

Select items to synchronize

1Choose Synchronize Options in the Book panel menu.

2Select the items you want to copy from the style source to other book documents.

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.

3Select 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.

4Click 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.

1In 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

2Make sure that the items you want copied from the style source are selected in the Synchronize Options dialog box.

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3In 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.

4Choose 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.

Any master page items that are overridden on document pages before 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 CS4. When

you synchronize, update numbering, print, package, or export a converted book, the documents it contains are also

converted to InDesign CS4 format. You can decide whether you want to overwrite or keep the original document files.

Convert a book file for use with InDesign CS4

1In InDesign CS4, choose File > Open.

2Select 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.

3Choose 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

1Open the book file in InDesign CS4.

2In 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.)

3Do any of the following to convert the documents:

•Choose Synchronize Book from the Book panel menu. (See “Synchronize book documents” on page 293.)

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•Choose Update Numbering > Update All Numbers from the Book panel menu.

4If 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 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” on

page 88.

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.

For a video tutorial on numbering pages in a book, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0217.

See also

“Create a paragraph style for running lists” on page 259

“Add page, section, and chapter numbering” on page 86

Setting Pagination video

Change page and chapter numbering options for each document

1Select the document in the Book panel.

2Choose Document Numbering Options in the Book panel menu, or double-click the document’s page numbers in

the Book panel.

3Specify the page, section, and chapter numbering options. (See “Document numbering options” on page 89.)

4Click 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.

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Start numbering on an odd or even page

You can start document numbering on odd- or even-numbered pages in booked documents.

1Choose Book Page Numbering Options in the Book panel menu.

2Choose Continue On Next Odd Page or Continue On Next Even Page.

3Select 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

1Choose Book Page Numbering Options from the Book panel menu.

2Deselect Automatically Update Page & Section Numbers, and then click OK.

3To 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.

1Open the document that is used as the style source for the book.

2Choose Type > Bulleted And Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

3Click New to define a list or select an existing list and choose Edit.

4Select both Continue Numbers Across Stories and Continue Numbers From Previous Document In Book.

5Click OK.

6Define 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” on page 259.)

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 PDF—selected booked documents or the entire book.

1In 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.

2Choose an output command (such as Print Book or Print Selected Documents) in the Book panel menu.

See also

“Print a document or book” on page 584

“Preflight books” on page 606

“Export to PDF” on page 496

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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

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.

For a video tutorial on creating a table of contents, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0219.

See also

Creating a Table of Contents video

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.

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•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.

See also

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

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)

1Do 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.

2Choose 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.

3In 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.

4Select 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.)

5Determine 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.

6Select 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.

7Specify options to determine how each paragraph style in the table of contents is formatted. (See “Options for

formatting a table of contents” on page 299.)

It’s a good idea to define a TOC style that contains the formatting and other options for your table of contents. To do

so, click Save Style. You can also create TOC styles by choosing Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.

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8Click OK.

A loaded text cursor appears. Before you click, you can move to a different page or create a new page without losing

the loaded text.

9Click 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.

See also

“About character and paragraph styles” on page 181

Create or import TOC styles

If you need to create different tables of contents in your document or book, or if you want to use the same TOC

formatting in another document, create a TOC style for each type of TOC. For example, you can use one TOC style

for a list of contents and another for a list of advertisers, illustrations, or photo credits.

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

1Choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.

2Click New.

3Type a name for the TOC style you are creating.

4In 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.

5From 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.

6Specify options to determine how each paragraph style is formatted. (See “Options for formatting a table of

contents” on page 299.)

Import TOC styles from another document

1Choose Layout > Table Of Contents Styles.

2Click Load, select the InDesign file containing the TOC styles you want to copy, and then click Open.

3Click 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.

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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” on page 182.)

If you want the page numbers of the TOC to include prefixes, or to use a different numbering convention, see “Define

section numbering” on page 87.

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” on page 164.

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” on page 182.)

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” on page 301.

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).

Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 3

Mammals 3

Bears 3

Cats 8

Dogs 10

Chapter 2 26

Birds 27

Parrots 29

Chapter 3 31

Reptiles 32

Lizards 33

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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.

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

1Create a paragraph style with a tab leader. (See “Create a paragraph style with a tab leader” on page 302.)

2To 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).

3Under Include Paragraph Styles, select an item you want to appear with a tab leader in the table of contents.

4For Entry Style, select the paragraph style that contains the tab leader.

5Click More Options.

6Verify that Between Entry And Number is set to ^t (representing a tab). Click OK or Save to exit.

7Update the table of contents, if necessary, by choosing Layout > Update Table Of Contents. Otherwise, place the

new table of contents story.

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Create a paragraph style with a tab leader

1Choose Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph Styles to display the Paragraph Styles panel.

2In 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.

3Enter a name, if necessary, for the paragraph style.

4Click Tabs.

5Select 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.

6For Leader, type a period (.).

7Select 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.

See also

“Edit character and paragraph styles” on page 186

Update a table of contents

1Open the document containing the table of contents.

2Do 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” on page 295.)

•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.

3Select or place the insertion point in the text frame containing the table of contents, 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.

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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.

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” on page 304.)

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” on page 306.)

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3. Generate the index. Generating the index creates a set of entries for markers and their accompanying page

numbers. (See “Generate an index” on page 311.)

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.

For a video tutorial on creating an index, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0220.

See also

“Add index entries” on page 306

Creating an Index video

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.

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. Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a

triangle to expand or collapse all subentries under an entry. Alt-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.

See also

“Add index entries” on page 306

Creating an Index video

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.

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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.

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

1Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.

2Select Topic.

3Choose New Topic from the Index panel menu or click the Create New Index Entry icon at the bottom of the panel.

4Do 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.

5Click Add to add the topic, which will now appear in the New Topic dialog box as well as the Index panel.

6Click 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

1Choose Import Topics in the Index panel menu.

2Select the document containing the index topics you want to import, and then click Open.

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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.

1Open a document containing the index topics.

2In the Index panel, select Topic.

3In the preview area, double-click a topic to edit.

4Edit 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.

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.

See also

“Working with markers” on page 315

“Page range options in indexes” on page 309

“Add “See” or “See also” cross-references to an index” on page 310

Add an index entry

1Using 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).

2Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.

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3Select 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.

4To view index entries from any open documents in a book file, select Book.

5Choose 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.)

6To 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.

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.

7To 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” on page 313.)

8Specify 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” on page 309.)

•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” on page 310.)

9To 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.

animals

bears 9

cats

Calicos 19

bears

Black 10

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•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.

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.

1In the document window, select the word or words you want to index.

2Do 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.)

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.

1In the document window, click an insertion point, or select text where the index marker will appear.

2In the Index panel, select Reference, and scroll the preview area to the entry you want to copy.

3Do one of the following:

•Drag an entry to the New Entry button to insert an index marker at the insertion point, or at the beginning of

the selection.

•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.)

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When searching for occurrences of the selected text, InDesign considers only whole words, and searches are case-

sensitive. For example, if cheetah is selected, cheetahs and Cheetah will not be indexed.

1In the document window, select the text you want to search for.

2In the Index panel, select Reference.

3To create index entries for any open documents in the book, select Book.

4Choose New Page Reference in the Index panel menu.

5Choose 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.

1Open the document containing the index entries.

2In 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.

3In the preview area, select an entry or page reference. To select a page reference, select the page icon below the entry.

4Double-click an entry or page reference to edit.

5Edit 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” on page 89.)

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.

1Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index.

2Select Reference.

3(Optional) Select Book to view index entries from any open documents in a book file.

4Choose New Page Reference in the Index panel menu.

5Enter a topic or topics in the Topic Levels boxes.

6In the Type menu, choose a cross-reference prefix (such as See also) from the bottom of the menu.

7Type a topic in the Referenced box, or drag an existing topic from the topic list at the bottom.

8Click 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.

See also

“Cross-references” on page 532

“Index panel overview” on page 304

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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.

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.

For a video tutorial on creating an index, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0220.

1Do 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.

2Choose 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.

3Click 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.

See also

Creating an Index video

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.

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Index with nested entries

A. Title B. Section heading C. Level 1 entry D. Level 2 subentry E. Topic F. Cross-reference

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” on

page 87.

Cross-reference Select the character style that determines the appearance of cross-reference prefixes (such as See and

See also

“Working with markers” on page 315

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.

1Open the book file and all of the documents it contains.

2Select 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.

1Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.

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2Choose 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

1Choose Show Find Field in the Index panel menu.

2In the Find box, type the name of the entry you want to locate, and then click the Up Arrow or Down Arrow.

Locate index markers in a document

1Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to display index markers in the document window.

2In the Index panel, click Reference, and then select the entry you want to locate.

3Choose 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.

1In the preview area of the Index panel, select an entry.

2Choose Capitalize in the Index panel menu.

3Select 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.

Working with markers

About markers

InDesign inserts a marker in text for items such as index entries, XML tags, and hyperlink text and anchors. These

markers have no width and they don’t affect composition of text. However, you can select these markers and cut, copy,

or delete them. InDesign uses the location of the marker to produce an accurate bookmark or page reference in the

table of contents, index, and exported PDF files.

You can view all markers at once, or view hyperlink or tagged text markers only. You can also view markers in Story

Editor, where they are larger and easier to identify.

Note: When you select a word, all of its markers are also selected. Keep this in mind when you are cutting, copying, or

deleting text.

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Types of markers

A. Tagged text B. Index marker C. Hyperlink

View markers

•To display markers, choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.

•To view hyperlink markers only, choose View > Show Hyperlinks.

•To view tagged text markers only, choose View > Structure > Show Tag Markers.

Select markers

1Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters.

2Place the insertion point next to the marker.

3Holding down Shift, press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to select a marker.

You can also locate markers using different methods. For example, you can locate an index marker by choosing the Go

To Selected Marker option in the Index panel menu.

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Chapter 11: Drawing

With drawing tools, you have complete control over the shape, stroke (outline), and fill of any object you draw. All

graphics options in the Toolbox are available for any object you draw, whether it’s a path for an independent graphic

or a container frame for text or graphics. Use either Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign CS4 to draw paths, and freely

copy and paste them between applications.

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

For a video tutorial on working with objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0071.

See also

Working with Objects video

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).

ABC

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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.

AB C

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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.

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.

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.

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Drawing with the line or shape tools

Draw basic lines and shapes

1In the toolbox, do one of the following:

•To draw a line or shape, select the Line tool , the Ellipse tool , the Rectangle tool , or the Polygon 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 , the Rectangle Frame tool , or the

Polygon Frame tool .

2Drag 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.

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.

See also

“Selecting objects” on page 378

“Gallery of drawing and type tools” on page 30

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.

1In the toolbox, select the Ellipse Frame tool , the Rectangle Frame tool , or the Polygon Frame tool .

2Drag 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

1If you want the polygon settings to apply to existing shapes, select the polygons.

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2Double-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.

1Select the path.

2Do 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.

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.

For a video on drawing with the Pencil tool in Illustrator, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0039.

See also

Pencil tool in Illustrator video

Draw freeform paths with the Pencil tool

1Select the Pencil tool .

2Position 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

1Select the Pencil tool.

2Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and start dragging to draw a path.

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3After 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.

4When 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.

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

1Select an existing path.

2Select the Pencil tool.

3Position 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.

4Drag to continue the path.

Connect two paths with the Pencil tool

1Select both paths (Shift-click or drag around the two with the Selection tool).

2Select the Pencil tool.

3Position the pointer where you want to begin from one path, and start dragging toward the other path.

4After 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.

5Drag 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

1Select the path you want to change.

2Position 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.

3Drag the tool until the path is the desired shape.

Using the Pencil tool to edit a closed shape

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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.

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.

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.

1Select the Pen tool.

2Position 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.

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3Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of

45°).

4Continue 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.

5Complete 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.

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.

1Select the Pen tool.

2Position 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.)

3Drag 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

4Position 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.

AB C

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Drawing the second point in a curve

A. Starting to drag second smooth point B. Dragging away from previous direction line, creating a C curve C. 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.

Drawing an S curve

A. Starting to drag new smooth point B. Dragging in same direction as previous direction line, creating an S curve C. 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.

5Continue 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.

6Complete 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.

For a video on using the Pen tool in Illustrator, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0037.

See also

Pen tool in Illustrator video

ABC

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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:

•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.

•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.

Draw straight lines followed by curves

1Using the Pen tool, click corner points in two locations to create a straight segment.

2Position 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

3Position 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

1Using the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of the curved segment, and release the mouse button.

ABC

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2Reposition 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

3Position 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.

4Reposition the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to end, and click to complete the straight segment.

Drawing a curved segment followed by a straight segment (part 2)

C. Positioning Pen tool over existing endpoint D. Clicking endpoint E. Clicking next corner point

Draw two curved segments connected by a corner

1Using the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of a curved segment.

2Reposition 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.

3Reposition 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

ABC

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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 to select them. Shift-click to select

multiple points.

•Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor

points to select them.

•Make sure the path that contains the anchor points is not selected. Move the Direct Selection tool over the anchor

point until the pointer displays a hollow square, 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.

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 , and drag around part of the path segment. Shift-drag around additional

path segments to select them.

Select all anchor points and segments in a path

1Select the Direct Selection tool or, in Illustrator, the Lasso tool.

2Drag 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.

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•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

1With the Direct Selection tool , select the segment you want to adjust.

2Drag the segment to its new position.

Adjust the length or angle of straight segments

1With the Direct Selection tool , select an anchor point on the segment you want to adjust.

2Drag 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

1With 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.)

2Do 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

1Select the Direct Selection tool , and select the segment you want to delete.

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2Press 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

1Using 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.

2Click the endpoint.

3Do 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.

•To create a smooth point, position the Pen tool where you want to end the new curved segment, and drag.

Connect two open paths

1Using 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.

2Click the endpoint.

3Do 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

1Select the anchor point or path segment.

Note: In Photoshop, you can move only anchor points in this manner.

2Click 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.

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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 Add Anchor Point tool , and the

Delete Anchor Point tool .

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

1Select the path you want to modify.

2Select the Pen tool, the Add Anchor Point tool, or the Delete Anchor Point tool.

3To 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.

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 or InDesign, 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.

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.

1Using the Direct Selection tool , select the path you want to modify.

2Switch 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).

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3Position 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.

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 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 > Paths > Convert Point menu. For example, you can select the smooth point at the bottom of a “U” shape and

choose Object > Paths > Convert Point > Line End. 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 Symmetrical to

create a point with handles of equal length. Choose Smooth to create a point with handles that can have unequal lengths.

See also

“About paths” on page 317

“About direction lines and direction points” on page 319

“Adjust path segments” on page 328

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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.

2Select 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.

3Use the Direct Selection tool to adjust the new anchor point or path segment.

Open a path using the Pathfinder panel

1Select the closed path.

2To open the Pathfinder panel, choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder.

3Click 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

1Select the path.

2Select 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.

3Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to smooth out.

4Continue smoothing until the stroke or path is of the desired smoothness.

5To 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.

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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

1Using 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.

2Position 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.

3Drag 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.

•Selected points that aren’t the focal point move in tandem with the dragged focal point.

•Unselected anchor points are not affected by reshaping.

Crop content using the Position tool

The Position tool in InDesign functions similarly to the Crop tool in Adobe PageMaker. The Position tool works

in conjunction with the Selection tool to help control the placement of content within a frame as well as change the

size of the frame.

The Position tool is dynamic, automatically changing to reflect different states. When it’s placed directly over a

graphic, it changes to the Hand tool, to indicate that you can drag the content within a frame. When it’s over a text

frame, it changes to an I-beam, to indicate a text insertion point.

You can also use the Position tool to adjust inline images and nonimage content, such as text frames and buttons.

1Put the pointer over the Direct Selection tool in the toolbox, and hold down the mouse button. When the

Position tool appears, select the tool.

Selecting the Position tool from the toolbox

2Select the frame of the graphic that you want to crop.

Important: Make sure you select the frame and not the graphic itself.

3To resize the graphics frame, place the Position tool over any handle on the frame, and drag until only the part of

the graphic you want in your document remains. To show more of the graphic, drag away from the center of the

graphic.

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Resizing a graphics frame

A. Increasing frame B. Decreasing frame

4To move the graphic within the frame, place the Position tool over the contents of the graphics frame, and drag the

contents. The Position tool automatically changes to the Hand tool when over the content of the frame.

Moving an image within its frame

Set Position tool options

When using the Position tool to move a graphic, you can hold down the mouse button for a few seconds to display

a dynamic graphics preview (a ghosted-back image) of any part of the image that is outside of the frame. You can

control the display and delay of the preview.

1Double-click the Position tool in the toolbox.

2From the Show Masked Portion of Image menu, select the rate at which the entire image will appear while dragging,

or select to turn it off entirely.

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.

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Applying strokes

A. Stroke applied to text frame B. Stroke applied to text outline C. Stroke applied to circle

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” on page 196.

1Select 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.

2Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.

3For 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).

4If additional options are not visible, choose Show Options from the panel menu to display the other stroke

attributes.

5Change other stroke attributes as desired.

Note: If you want to change the stroke’s color, use the toolbox and Swatches panel. See “Apply color” on page 437.

See also

“Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text” on page 235

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.

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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.

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.

1Use the Line tool to draw a line, or create an open path.

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2With 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

1Using the Direct Selection tool , select a path.

2Choose 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

Custom stroke styles can be saved and loaded into other InDesign documents.

1Choose Window > Stroke to display the Stroke panel.

2In the panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.

3Click New.

4Enter a name for the stroke style.

5For 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.

6For Pattern Length, specify the length of the repeating pattern (dashed or dotted styles only). The ruler updates to

match the length you specify.

7To 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 . You can also select the dash and then enter values for

Start (where the dash starts on the ruler) and Length.

•To adjust the position of a dot, move its ruler marker . You can also select the dot and then enter a value for

Center (where the center of the dot is positioned).

•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.

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•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

8To preview the stroke at different line weights, specify a line weight using the Preview Weight option.

9For dashed and dotted patterns, use the Corners option to determine how dashes or dots are positioned to keep a

pattern regular around a corner.

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

1In the Stroke panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.

2Select a custom stroke style and click Save.

Note: You cannot save or edit the default stroke styles (enclosed in square brackets).

3Specify a name and location for the stroke style (.inst) file, and click OK.

To load a custom stroke style

1In the Stroke panel menu, choose Stroke Styles.

2Click Load.

3Select 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.

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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.

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

Apply corner effects

1Using a selection tool, select a path.

2Choose Object > Corner Options.

3Choose a corner effect in the Effect menu.

4For Size, type a value to specify the radius by which the corner effect extends from each corner point.

5Select Preview if you want to see the results of the effect before applying it. Then click OK.

Tips for applying corner effects

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.

•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.

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.

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•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).

•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.

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You can change the shape of any part of a compound path by using the Direct Selection tool to select an anchor

point on one subpath.

1Use the Selection tool to select all of the paths you want to include in the compound path.

2Choose 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.

Two separate closed paths (left) and two subpaths of the same compound path (right); the compound path uses the center circle as a hole

1With 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.

2Do 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.

1Using the Selection tool , select a compound path.

2Choose 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.

1Using the Direct Selection tool , select a point on the subpath you want to reverse. Don’t select the entire

compound path.

2Choose Object > Paths > Reverse Path, or click Reverse Path in the Pathfinder panel.

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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.

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)

See also

“Selecting objects” on page 378

BCDE F

ABC

DEF

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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.

Gradient applied to a compound shape (left) compared to gradient applied to one part of the compound shape (right)

1Choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder to open the panel.

2Select the objects you want to combine in a compound shape.

3Click 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.

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•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.

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.

See also

“Compound paths and shapes” on page 340

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.

1Use the Selection tool to select a text frame, or use the Type tool to select one or more characters.

2Choose Type > Create Outlines.

Convert a copy of text outlines to paths

1Use the Selection tool to select a text frame, or use the Type tool to select one or more characters.

2Hold 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.

CAB

&&&&&&&&

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&&&&&&&&

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Chapter 12: Graphics

The versatile importing capabilities of Adobe InDesign CS4 make it a powerful tool for integrating graphics from

many other programs and file formats, including images from Adobe Photoshop and drawings from Adobe Illustrator.

You can even place pages from PDF files and other InDesign files in an InDesign document.

Understanding graphics formats

Choosing the right graphics format

InDesign can import a wide range of graphics file formats. Consult with the service providers who will help you

produce your document to clarify which formats to use. You can then plan your document around those formats and

the options that best apply to your project.

The following table summarizes what graphics formats would work best for the kind of document you’re designing.

About vector graphics

Vector graphics (sometimes called vector shapes or vector objects) are made up of lines and curves defined by

mathematical objects called vectors, which describe an image according to its geometric characteristics.

You can freely move or modify vector graphics without losing detail or clarity, because they are resolution-

independent—they maintain crisp edges when resized, printed to a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF file, or imported

into a vector-based graphics application. As a result, vector graphics are the best choice for artwork, such as logos, that

will be used at various sizes and in various output media.

The vector objects you create using the drawing and shape tools in Adobe Creative Suite are examples of vector

graphics. You can use the Copy and Paste commands to duplicate vector graphics between Creative Suite components.

See also

“About bitmap images” on page 347

Final output Graphics type Format

High resolution (>1000 dpi) Vector drawings Illustrator, EPS, PDF

Bitmap images Photoshop, TIFF, EPS, PDF

Process-color separations Vector drawings Illustrator, EPS, PDF

Color bitmap images Photoshop, CMYK TIFF, DCS, EPS, PDF

Color-managed graphics Illustrator, Photoshop, RGB TIFF, RGB EPS, PDF

Low-resolution printing, or PDF for

online viewing

All Any (BMP images only)

Web All Any (InDesign converts graphics to JPEG and GIF when

exporting to HTML)

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About bitmap images

Bitmap images—technically called raster images—use a rectangular grid of picture elements (pixels) to represent

images. Each pixel is assigned a specific location and color value. When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels

rather than objects or shapes. Bitmap images are the most common electronic medium for continuous-tone images,

such as photographs or digital paintings, because they can more efficiently represent subtle gradations of shades and

color.

Bitmap images are resolution-dependent—that is, they contain a fixed number of pixels. As a result, they can lose detail

and appear jagged if they are scaled to high magnifications on-screen or if they are printed at a lower resolution than

they were created for.

Example of a bitmap image at different levels of magnification

Bitmap images sometimes require large amounts of storage space, and often need to be compressed to keep file sizes

down when used in certain Creative Suite components. For instance, you compress an image file in its original

application before you import it into a layout.

Note: In Adobe Illustrator, you can create bitmap effects in your artwork using effects and graphic styles.

See also

“About vector graphics” on page 346

Image resolution guidelines for final output

Bitmap images contain a fixed number of pixels, usually measured in pixels per inch (ppi). An image with a high

resolution contains more, and therefore smaller, pixels than an image of the same printed dimensions with a low

resolution. For example, a 1-inch-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 72 ppi contains a total of 5184 pixels (72 pixels

wide x 72 pixels high = 5184). The same 1-inch-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 300 ppi would contain a total of

90,000 pixels.

For imported bitmap images, image resolution is determined by the source file. For bitmap effects, you can specify a

custom resolution. To determine the image resolution to use, consider the medium of final distribution for the image.

The following guidelines can help you determine your requirements for image resolution:

Commercial printing Commercial printing requires 150 to 300 ppi (or more) images, depending on the press (dpi) and

screen frequency (lpi) you’re using; always consult your prepress service provider before making production decisions.

Because commercial printing requires large, high-resolution images, which take more time to display while you’re

working with them, you may want to use low-resolution versions for layout and then replace them with high-

resolution versions at print time.

In Illustrator and InDesign, you can work with low resolution versions by using the Links panel. In InDesign you can

choose either Typical or Fast Display from the View > Display Performance menu; in Illustrator you can choose

View > Outline, or change settings in the Display Performances preferences. Alternatively, if your service provider

supports Open Prepress Interface (OPI), they may provide low-resolution images to you.

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Desktop printing Desktop printing usually requires images within the range of 72 ppi (for photographs printed on

a 300 ppi printer) to 150 ppi (for photographs printed on devices up to 1000 ppi). For line art (1-bit images), make sure

that the resolution of your graphics matches the resolution of the printer.

Web publishing Because online publishing generally requires images with pixel dimensions that fit the intended

monitor, the images are usually less than 500 pixels wide and 400 pixels tall, to leave room for browser window controls

or such layout elements as captions. Creating an original image at screen resolution—96 ppi for Windows–based

images, and 72 ppi for Mac OS–based images—lets you see the image as it will likely appear when viewed from a typical

web browser. When you’re publishing online, the only times you’re likely to need resolutions above those ranges are

when you want viewers to be able to zoom in for more detail in a PDF document, or when you’re producing a

document for printing on demand.

Importing files from other applications

Importing Adobe Illustrator graphics

How you import Illustrator graphics depends on how much editing the graphics require after you import them. You

can import Illustrator graphics into InDesign in their native (.ai) format.

If you want to adjust layer visibility in InDesign...

Import the graphic using the Place command, and when you want to edit it, choose Edit > Edit Original to open the

graphic in Illustrator. For example, for a multilanguage publication, you can create a single illustration that includes

one text layer for each language. You can transform the illustration as a single object in InDesign but you cannot edit

the paths, objects, or text within the illustration.

Layered file with Spanish and English layers

If you want to edit objects and paths in InDesign...

Copy the art from Illustrator and paste it into your InDesign document. For example, in a magazine, you might use

the same design element in each issue, but change its color every month. By pasting a graphic into InDesign, you can

change objects’ color, path, and transparency using the InDesign tools designed for that purpose.

Importing Illustrator graphics with multiple artboards

Illustrator CS4 graphics can include multiple artboards. When you import an Illustrator graphic with multiple

artboards, you can use Import Options to specify which artboard, or “page,” will be imported.

See also

“Control graphics’ display performance” on page 364

“Acrobat (.pdf) and Illustrator (.ai) import options” on page 358

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“Control layer visibility in imported images” on page 361

“Paste or drag graphics” on page 363

Create a layered PDF in Adobe Illustrator

You can save an Illustrator graphic as a layered PDF and control the visibility of layers in InDesign. Adjusting layer

visibility in InDesign lets you vary an illustration depending on context. Rather than create multiple versions of the

same illustration, say for a multilanguage publication, you can place the same illustration where needed and adjust the

visibility of the layers as appropriate.

You can transform a PDF as a single object (you can rotate or resize it, for example), but you cannot edit the paths,

objects, or text within the illustration.

If you’re placing an Illustrator file that includes multiple artboards, you can specify which artboard is used, as when

placing multipage PDF files.

Note: Don’t place layers in nested layer sets if you want to adjust layers in InDesign.

1In Illustrator, choose File > Save As.

2In the Save As dialog box, type a filename and choose a location for the file.

3For Format, choose Adobe PDF (.pdf), and click Save.

4In the Adobe PDF Options dialog box, choose Acrobat 6 (1.5) or later for Compatibility.

5Select Create Acrobat Layers From Top-Level Layers, and click Save PDF.

Pasting Illustrator graphics into InDesign

When you paste a graphic from Illustrator 8.0 or later into an InDesign document, the artwork appears in InDesign as

a grouped collection of editable objects. For example, if you paste an Illustrator drawing of a soccer ball with

individually created patches into InDesign, the patches are pasted as a group, which can be ungrouped and edited using

tools in InDesign. You cannot change the visibility of layers within the illustration.

Illustration of soccer ball in Illustrator (left) and same illustration pasted into InDesign (right)

Important: Before pasting a graphic, make sure that Illustrator is configured to copy as AICB (see Illustrator Help). In

InDesign, make sure that Prefer PDF When Pasting isn’t selected in the Clipboard Handling preferences. If these options

aren’t set properly, the Illustrator graphic cannot be edited in InDesign.

Issues you may encounter when pasting or dragging art from Illustrator to InDesign

Color Illustrator supports the Grayscale, RGB, HSB, CMYK, and Web Safe RGB color models. InDesign supports

LAB, CMYK and RGB. When you paste or drag artwork from Illustrator into InDesign, RGB and CMYK colors

convert in the expected color model. Grayscale colors are converted to the appropriate K value in a CMYK color in

InDesign. HSB and Web Safe RGB objects are converted to RGB color in InDesign. Colors in smooth shades and

gradients can be edited in InDesign.

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Gradients Linear or radial gradients created in Illustrator can be modified using the Gradient tool or Gradient panel

in InDesign. Gradients with multiple spot colors or complex patterns may appear as non-editable items in InDesign.

If your illustration contains complex gradients, import it using the Place command instead.

Transparency Transparency is flattened when Illustrator art is pasted or dragged into InDesign.

Graphic styles Illustrator Graphic Styles don’t become InDesign Object Styles when art is pasted or dragged into

InDesign.

Patterns Illustrator objects filled or stroked with patterns become embedded EPS images when pasted or dragged into

InDesign.

Text If you drag text from Illustrator into InDesign, it’s converted to outlines and isn’t editable with the Text tool. If

you select text using the Text tool in Illustrator, and then copy it into a text frame in InDesign, the text loses its

formatting but is editable. If you drag the text into InDesign without a frame selected, the text loses all formatting and

isn’t editable.

When you paste text from Illustrator, the text is imported as one or more objects that can be transformed and colorized

in InDesign, but not edited. For example, if you create text on a path in Illustrator and paste it into InDesign, the text

can be colorized, rotated, and scaled, but it cannot be edited using the Type tool. If you want to edit the text, use the

Type tool and paste it into a text frame.

Artwork Artwork copied from Illustrator and pasted into InDesign is embedded in the InDesign document. No link

to the original Illustrator file is created.

Importing Adobe Photoshop (.PSD) files

You can place graphics created in Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and later directly into an InDesign layout.

Layers and layer comps You can adjust the visibility of the top-level layers in InDesign, as well as view different layer

comps. Changing layer visibility or layer comps in InDesign does not alter the original Photoshop file.

Paths, masks, or alpha channels If you save paths, masks, or alpha channels in a Photoshop file, InDesign can use them

to remove backgrounds, or to wrap text around graphics. Graphics that contain paths, masks, or alpha channels act as

transparent objects when imported.

ICC color management profile If you place a Photoshop image with an embedded ICC color management profile,

InDesign reads the embedded profile, provided that color management is active. You can override the embedded

profile for the image using the Import Options dialog box or assign a different color profile to the graphic in InDesign.

Overriding the color profile in InDesign will not remove or alter the profile embedded in the Photoshop image.

Spot-color channels Spot-color channels in Adobe Photoshop PSD or TIFF files appear in InDesign as spot colors in

the Swatches panel. If the image uses a spot color that InDesign does not recognize, the spot color may appear gray in

the InDesign document and print incorrectly as a composite. (The image will print correctly on color separations,

however.) To simulate the graphic as a composite, you can create a spot color with the correct color values, and then

alias the PSD color to this new spot color. The graphic will then print correctly as composite and display correctly

on-screen when Overprint Preview is turned on (choose View > Overprint Preview). Be sure to remove the alias before

printing separations, so that the image prints on the plate you expect.

See also

“Import options for graphics” on page 356

“Place (import) graphics” on page 355

“Color management” on page 461

“Create an ink alias for a spot color” on page 629

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Importing PDF pages

Using the Place command, you can specify which pages you want to import from a multipage PDF or an Illustrator

file with multiple artboards. You can place a single page, a range of pages, or all pages. Multipage PDF files let designers

combine illustrations for a publication into a single file.

The page range options appear when you select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box. The dialog box includes

a preview, so you can view a thumbnail of the pages before you place them. If you place multiple pages, InDesign

reloads the graphics icon with the next page, letting you place the pages one after the next. InDesign doesn’t import

movies, sound, links, or buttons when you place a PDF file.

Comparing screen and device resolution in placed PDF pages

A placed PDF page displays at the best resolution possible for the given scale and screen resolution. When printed on

a PostScript output device, a placed PDF page always prints at the resolution of the device. When printed on a non-

PostScript printer, a placed PDF page prints at the same resolution as the other InDesign objects in the document. For

example, vector (drawn) objects will print at the same resolution as other vector objects in the document. Bitmap

images will print at the best resolution supplied in the placed PDF.

Linking to placed PDFs

A placed PDF page appears in the InDesign document as an on-screen preview, which is linked to a specific page in

the original PDF. After placing a PDF page, you may break links by doing any of the following:

•If you add a password to the original PDF that has been placed in an InDesign document, and you update the link,

you’ll be prompted to enter the password.

•If you delete pages in the original PDF, the placed PDF page changes to the page that now falls on the originally

placed page number.

•If you reorder the pages in the original PDF file and update the link, the placed PDF page may be different from

what you expect. When that happens, place the page again.

Color in placed PDF pages

InDesign preserves colors embedded in PDF pages, even if the color comes from a color library not installed with

InDesign (such as the PANTONE Hexachrome® library). In addition, any color traps included in a placed PDF page

are preserved.

When color management is active, InDesign displays the placed PDF using its embedded ICC or output intent profile

(PDF/X only). When color management is turned off, or when you place a PDF that doesn’t contain an ICC or output

intent profile, colors in the placed PDF are calibrated using the color profile in the InDesign document.

When you export or print the document, you can preserve the ICC profile embedded in the placed PDF or replace it

with the document profile instead. Output intent profiles are used for display and are included when you export as

PDF/X; they aren’t used when you print the document, and they aren’t included when you export to any other format.

Security settings in placed PDF pages

Because a placed PDF page is linked to the original PDF, the placed page also includes the security settings of the

original file. If someone later changes the security settings in the original file, the security settings are updated in the

placed PDF page when you update the links.

If you correctly enter a required master password when placing a PDF page, you override any restrictions in the PDF

page, enabling the placed PDF page to export as expected.

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See also

“Acrobat (.pdf) and Illustrator (.ai) import options” on page 358

“Control layer visibility in imported images” on page 361

“Import options for graphics” on page 356

Importing InDesign (.indd) pages

Using the Place command, you can import pages from one InDesign document into another. You can import a page,

a page range, or all of the pages in the document. The pages are imported as objects (much the same way that PDFs are

imported).

Add pages in your document to hold the pages you want to import. After you choose File > Place and select an INDD

file, you can choose Show Import Options and then choose which pages to import, which layers to make visible, and

how to crop the imported pages. You can scroll in the Preview window to examine the thumbnail pages closely. The

page or pages you select are loaded in the graphics icon. If you place multiple pages, InDesign loads the graphics icon

with the following page so you can import pages one after the other.

Note: The Links panel lists the names of each page you imported. If a page you imported contains a graphic or other item

that was imported into it, this item is listed as well in the Links panel. The names of these secondary imported items are

listed under a disclosure triangle in the Links panel to distinguish them from imported pages.

See also

“Place (import) graphics” on page 355

“Control layer visibility in imported images” on page 361

Importing other graphics formats

InDesign supports a variety of graphics formats, including bitmap formats such as TIFF, GIF, JPEG, and BMP, and

vector formats such as EPS. Other supported formats include DCS, PICT, WMF, EMF, PCX, PNG, and Scitex CT

(.sct). You can import an SWF file as a movie file.

See also

“Place (import) graphics” on page 355

“Import options for graphics” on page 356

“Exporting” on page 111

“Import swatches” on page 447

“Movies and sounds” on page 539

TIFF (.tif) files

TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format supported by virtually all painting, image-editing, and page-layout applications.

Also, virtually all desktop scanners can produce TIFF images.

The TIFF format supports CMYK, RGB, grayscale, Lab, indexed-color, and bitmap files with alpha and spot-color

channels. You can select an alpha channel when you place a TIFF file. Spot-color channels appear in InDesign as spot

colors in the Swatches panel.

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You can use an image-editing program such as Photoshop to create a clipping path to create a transparent background

for a TIFF image. InDesign supports clipping paths in TIFF images and recognizes encoded OPI comments.

Graphics Interchange Format (.gif) files

Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a standard for displaying graphics on the World Wide Web and other online

services. Because it compresses image data without losing detail, its compression method is called lossless. Such

compression works well with graphics that use a limited number of solid colors such as logos and charts; however, GIF

cannot display more than 256 colors. For this reason it is less effective for displaying photographs online (use JPEG

instead) and is not recommended for commercial printing. If an imported GIF file contains transparency, the graphic

interacts only where the background is transparent.

JPEG (.jpg) files

The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is commonly used to display photographs and other

continuous-tone images in HTML files over the web and in other online media. The JPEG format supports CMYK,

RGB, and grayscale color modes. Unlike GIF, JPEG retains all of the color information in an RGB image.

JPEG uses an adjustable, lossy compression scheme that effectively reduces file size by identifying and discarding extra

data not essential to the display of the image. A higher level of compression results in lower image quality; a lower level

of compression results in better image quality, but a larger file size. In most cases, compressing an image using the

Maximum quality option produces a result that is indistinguishable from the original. Opening a JPEG image

automatically decompresses it.

Note: JPEG encoding, which can be performed on an EPS or DCS file in an image-editing application such as Photoshop,

does not create a JPEG file. Instead, it compresses the file using the JPEG compression scheme explained above.

JPEG works well for photographs, but solid-color JPEG images (images that contain large expanses of one color) tend

to lose sharpness. InDesign recognizes and supports clipping paths in JPEG files created in Photoshop. JPEG can be

used for both online and commercially printed documents; work with your prepress service provider to preserve JPEG

quality in printing.

Bitmap (.bmp) files

BMP is the standard Windows bitmap image format on DOS and Windows-compatible computers. However, BMP

does not support CMYK, and its color support is limited to 1, 4, 8, or 24 bits. It is less than ideal for commercially

printed or online documents, and it is not supported by some web browsers. BMP graphics can provide acceptable

quality when printed on low-resolution or non-PostScript printers.

Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) files

The Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file format is used to transfer PostScript language artwork between applications,

and is supported by most illustration and page-layout programs. Typically, EPS files represent single illustrations or

tables that are placed into your layout, but an EPS file can also represent a complete page.

Because they are based on the PostScript language, EPS files can contain both vector and bitmap graphics. Since

PostScript cannot normally be displayed on-screen, InDesign creates a bitmap preview for an EPS file for on-screen

display. If you print a page with an EPS file to a non-PostScript printer, only this screen-resolution preview will be

printed. InDesign recognizes clipping paths in Photoshop-created EPS files.

When you import an EPS file, any spot colors it contains are added to the Swatches panel in InDesign. EPS allows for

prepress-quality resolution, precision, and color. This format includes all of the color and image data required to color-

separate DCS images embedded in the EPS graphic. EPS isn’t ideal for online publishing in HTML, but it works well

for online publishing in PDF.

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EPS files can contain Open Prepress Interface (OPI) comments, which let you use fast, low-resolution versions

(proxies) of images for positioning on a page. For final output, either InDesign or your prepress service provider can

automatically replace the proxies with high-resolution versions.

Desktop Color Separations (.dcs) files

Desktop Color Separations (DCS), developed by Quark, is a version of the standard EPS format. The DCS 2.0 format

supports multichannel CMYK files with multiple spot channels. (These spot channels appear as spot colors in the

Swatches panel in InDesign.) The DCS 1.0 format supports CMYK files without spot channels. InDesign recognizes

clipping paths in Photoshop-created DCS 1.0 and DCS 2.0 files.

DCS files are intended to be used in a preseparated, host-based workflow. In most cases, color separations files

associated with a DCS image are excluded when you export or print a composite to a PDF, EPS, or PostScript file. (The

sole exception is made for 8-bit DCS files that were created in Photoshop and that do not contain vector graphics.)

InDesign can rebuild a composite image from DCS 2.0 or 1.0 separations files, if the files were created in Photoshop.

For best results, do not include DCS 1.0 files or DCS 2.0 files created in programs other than Photoshop when you are

creating high-resolution color composite proofs or separating a document in-RIP or from a composite file.

Macintosh PICT (.pict) files

The Macintosh PICT (or Picture) format is used for Mac OS graphics and page-layout applications, and for

transferring files between applications. The PICT format compresses images that contain large areas of solid color.

InDesign can import PICT files created from Mac OS screenshots and a variety of other applications, including clip

art collections. However, PICT files are not recommended for high-resolution commercial printing.

InDesign supports RGB PICT images with variable resolutions and embedded QuickTime images. PICT graphics do

not support color separations, are device-dependent, and are not recommended for high-resolution commercial

printing. The PICT format can provide acceptable quality only when printed on low-resolution or non-PostScript

printers.

Windows Metafile Format (.wmf) and Enhanced Metafile Format (.emf) files

Windows Metafile Format (WMF) and Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) are native Windows formats used

primarily for vector graphics, such as clip art, shared between Windows applications. Metafiles may contain raster

image information; InDesign recognizes the vector information and provides limited support for raster operations.

Color support is limited to 16-bit RGB, and neither format supports color separations. Metafile formats are not an

ideal choice for commercially printed or online documents; they provide acceptable quality only when printed on low-

resolution or non-PostScript printers from a Windows desktop.

PCX (.pcx) files

The PCX format is commonly used in Windows systems. Most Windows software supports version 5 of the PCX

format.

The PCX format supports RGB, indexed-color, grayscale, and bitmap color modes, as well as the RLE compression

method, which is lossless. It does not support alpha channels. Images can have a bit depth of 1, 4, 8, or 24 bits.

However, PCX is not ideal for commercially printed or online documents. PCX graphics can provide acceptable

quality only when printed on low-resolution or non-PostScript printers.

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Portable Network Graphics (.png) files

The Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format uses adjustable, lossless compression to display 24-bit photographs or

solid-color images on the World Wide Web and in other online media. PNG was developed as a patent-free alternative

to the GIF file format. It supports transparency in an alpha channel or a designated color. PNG is best used for online

documents, although its color support makes it better for printed documents than GIF. However, color PNG graphics

placed in an InDesign document are RGB bitmap images, so they print only as composites, not on color separations.

Scitex CT (.sct) files

The Scitex Continuous Tone (CT) format is used for high-end image processing on Scitex computers. Scitex CT files

often come from Scitex scanners, which produce high-quality scans for commercial printing. The Scitex CT format

supports CMYK, RGB, and grayscale files, but does not support alpha channels. Contact Scitex to obtain utilities for

transferring files saved in the Scitex CT format to a Scitex system.

Placing graphics

Place (import) graphics

The Place command is the primary method used to insert graphics into InDesign because it provides the highest level

of support for resolution, file formats, multipage PDF and INDD files, and color. To place graphics is also referred to

as import images and insert pictures.

If you’re creating a document in which those characteristics aren’t critical, you can copy and paste to import graphics

InDesign. Pasting, however, embeds a graphic in a document; the link to the original graphic file is broken and doesn’t

appear in the Links panel, and you can’t update the graphic from the original file. However, pasting Illustrator graphics

allows you to edit paths in InDesign. See “Importing Adobe Illustrator graphics” on page 348.

The options available to you when you place a graphics file depend on the type of graphic. These options appear when

you select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box. If you don’t select Show Import Options, InDesign applies

the default settings or the last settings used in placing a graphics file of that type.

The names of graphics you’ve placed (imported) appear in the Links panel.

Note: If you place or drag a graphic from a removable media, such as a CD-ROM, the link will break when you remove

that media from your system.

For a video tutorial on placing an image, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4279_id.

1Do one of the following:

•To import a graphic without first creating a frame, make sure that nothing in the document is selected.

•To import a graphic into an existing frame, select the frame. If the new image is larger than the frame, you can refit

the frame later by choosing Object > Fitting > [fitting command].

•To replace an existing image, select its graphics frame.

2Choose File > Place and select one or more graphics files of any available format.

If you select multiple files, you can click or drag in the document to place the selected files one at a time. (See “Place

multiple graphics” on page 360.)

3To replace an object you selected, select Replace Selected Item.

4To set format-specific import options, do one of the following:

•Select Show Import Options, and then click Open.

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•Hold down Shift as you click Open or Shift-double-click a file name.

Note: When you place a graphic created in Illustrator 9.0 or later by using the Show Import Options dialog box, the

options are identical to those for PDFs. When you place an Illustrator 5.5–8.x graphic, the options are identical to those

for EPS files.

5If the Place dialog box appears (because you chose to set format-specific import options), select import options and

click OK. (See “Import options for graphics” on page 356.)

6Do one of the following:

•To import into a new frame, drag to create a frame. Or, click the loaded graphics icon in the layout at the place

where you want the upper left corner of the graphic to appear.

Note: When you drag to create a frame, the frame has the same proportions as the graphic unless you Shift-drag.

•To import into an existing, unselected frame, click the loaded graphics icon anywhere in that frame.

•To import into an existing selected frame, you don’t need to do anything. The image automatically appears in that

frame.

•To replace an existing graphic, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the loaded graphics icon

on the graphic you want to replace.

•To place all the specified pages of a multipage file (such as a PDF or INDD file) at the same time, one overlapping

another, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the loaded graphics icon where you want the

pages to appear.

If you accidently replace an existing graphic with an image you’re placing, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z

(Mac OS) to return the original image to the frame and display the loaded graphics icon.

7To place the next graphic or the next page of a multipage PDF, click the loaded graphics icon in the layout where

desired. If necessary, you can scroll to a different location or change pages without losing the loaded graphics icon.

Note: The image you place may appear to have a low resolution, depending on your settings. The display setting of an

image does not affect final output of the file. To change your image display settings, see “Control graphics’ display

performance” on page 364.

See also

“Import options for graphics” on page 356

“About links and embedded graphics” on page 366

“Choosing the right graphics format” on page 346

Importing Content video

Import options for graphics

The options for importing graphics vary depending on the type of image being imported. To display import options,

make sure that Show Import Options is selected in the Place dialog box.

Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) import options

When you place an EPS graphic (or a file saved with Illustrator 8.0 or earlier) and select Show Import Options in the

Place dialog box, you’ll see a dialog box containing these options:

Read Embedded OPI Image Links This option tells InDesign to read links from OPI comments for images included (or

nested) in the graphic.

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Deselect this option if you’re using a proxy-based workflow and plan to have your service providers perform the image

replacement using their OPI software. When this option is deselected, InDesign preserves the OPI links but does not

read them. When you print or export, the proxy and the links are passed on to the output file.

Select this option if you’re using a proxy-based workflow and you want InDesign, instead of your service provider, to

perform image replacement when you output the final file. When you select this option, the OPI links appear in the

Links panel.

Also select this option when you import EPS files containing OPI comments that are not part of a proxy-based

workflow. For example, if you import an EPS file containing OPI comments for an omitted TIFF or bitmap image,

you’ll want to select this option so that InDesign can access the TIFF information when you output the file.

Apply Photoshop Clipping Path Regardless of whether this option is selected, a placed EPS file includes a clipping path

in InDesign. However, deselecting this option may result in a different bounding box size.

Proxy Generation This creates a low-resolution bitmap representation of an image when drawing the file to the screen.

The following settings control how the proxy will be generated:

•Use TIFF Or PICT Preview Some EPS images contain an embedded preview. Select this option to generate the proxy

image of the existing preview. If a preview does not exist, the proxy will be generated by rasterizing the EPS to an

offscreen bitmap.

•Rasterize The PostScript Select this option to ignore the embedded preview. This option is typically slower but

provides the highest-quality results.

Note: When you import more than one single file into the same document, all instances share the proxy setting of the first

instance of the imported file.

Bitmap import options

You can apply color-management options to individual imported graphics when using color-management tools with

a document. You can also import a clipping path or an alpha channel saved with an image created in Photoshop. Doing

so lets you directly select an image and modify its path without changing the graphics frame.

When you place a PSD, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, or BMP file and select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box, you’ll

see a dialog box containing these options:

Apply Photoshop Clipping Path If this option isn’t available, the image wasn’t saved with a clipping path, or the file

format doesn’t support clipping paths. If the bitmap image doesn’t have a clipping path, you can create one in

InDesign.

Alpha channel Select an alpha channel to import the area of the image saved as an alpha channel in Photoshop.

InDesign uses the alpha channel to create a transparent mask on the image. This option is available only for images

that contain at least one alpha channel.

Image imported without clipping path (left) and with clipping path (right)

Click the Color tab to view the following options:

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Profile If Use Document Default is selected, leave this option unchanged. Otherwise, choose a color source profile that

matches the gamut of the device or software used to create the graphic. This profile enables InDesign to properly

translate its color to the gamut of the output device.

Rendering Intent Choose a method for scaling the color range of the graphic to the color range of the output device.

Typically, you’ll choose Perceptual (Images) because it accurately represents colors in photographs. The Saturation

(Graphics), Relative Colorimetric, and Absolute Colorimetric options are better for areas of solid color; they don’t

reproduce photographs well. Rendering Intent options aren’t available for bitmap, grayscale, and index-color mode

images.

Portable Network Graphics (.png) import options

When you place a PNG image and select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box, you’ll see a dialog box with

three sections of import settings. Two sections contain the same options available for other bitmap image formats. The

other section, PNG Settings, contains the following settings:

Use Transparency Information This option is enabled by default when a PNG graphic includes transparency. If an

imported PNG file contains transparency, the graphic interacts only where the background is transparent.

White Background If a PNG graphic does not contain a file-defined background color, this option will be selected by

default. However, it is only enabled if Use Transparency Information is activated. If this option is selected, white is

used as the background color when applying transparency information.

File Defined Background Color If a PNG graphic was saved with a non-white background color, and Use

Transparency Information is selected, this option is selected by default. If you don’t want to use the default background

color, click White Background to import the graphic with a white background, or deselect Use Transparency

Information to import the graphic without any transparency (displaying areas of the graphic that are currently

transparent). Some image-editing programs can’t specify a non-white background color for PNG graphics.

Apply Gamma Correction Select this option to adjust the gamma (midtone) values of a PNG graphic as you place it.

This option lets you match image gamma to the gamma of the device you will use to print or display the graphic (such

as a low-resolution or non-PostScript printer or computer monitor). Deselect this option to place the image without

applying any gamma correction. By default, this option is selected if the PNG graphic was saved with a gamma value.

Gamma Value This option, available only if Apply Gamma Correction is selected, displays the gamma value that was

saved with the graphic. To change the value, type a positive number from 0.01 to 3.0.

When PNG files are imported, the settings in the Image Import Options dialog box are always based on the selected

file, not on the default or last-used settings.

Acrobat (.pdf) and Illustrator (.ai) import options

The layout, graphics, and typography in a placed PDF are preserved. As with other placed graphics, you cannot edit a

placed PDF page within InDesign. You can control the visibility of layers in a layered PDF. You can also place more

than one page of a multipage PDF.

When you place a PDF that was saved with passwords, you’ll be prompted to enter the required passwords. If the PDF

file was saved with usage restrictions (for example, no editing or printing), but no passwords, you can place the file.

When you place a PDF (or a file saved with Illustrator 9.0 or later) and select Show Import Options in the Place dialog

box, you’ll see a dialog box containing the following options:

Show Preview Preview a page in the PDF before you place it. If you’re placing a page from a PDF that contains multiple

pages, click the arrows, or type a page number under the preview image to preview a specific page.

Pages Specify the pages you want to place: the page displayed in the preview, all pages, or a range of pages. For

Illustrator files, you can specify which artboard to place.

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If you specify multiple pages, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while placing the file to place them all at

the same time, overlapping each other.

Crop To Specify how much of the PDF page to place:

•Bounding Box Places the PDF page’s bounding box, or the minimum area that encloses the objects on the page,

including page marks.

•Art Places the PDF only in the area defined by a rectangle that the author created as a placeable artwork (for

example, clip art).

•Crop Places the PDF only in the area that is displayed or printed by Adobe Acrobat.

•Trim Identifies the place where the final produced page will be physically cut in the production process, if trim

marks are present.

•Bleed Places only the area that represents where all page content should be clipped, if a bleed area is present. This

information is useful if the page is being output in a production environment. Note that the printed page may include

page marks that fall outside the bleed area.

•Media Places the area that represents the physical paper size of the original PDF document (for example, the

dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper), including page marks.

Options for cropping placed PDFs

A. Media B. Content C. Bleed D. Trim E. Crop F. Art

Transparent Background Select this option to reveal text or graphics that fall beneath the PDF page in the InDesign

layout. Deselect this option to place the PDF page with an opaque white background.

If you make the background transparent in a frame containing a PDF graphic, you can make it opaque later by adding

a fill to the frame.

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InDesign (.indd) import options

InDesign preserves the layout, graphics, and typography in a placed INDD file. However, the file is treated as an object,

and you can’t edit it, although you can control the visibility of layers and choose which pages of a multi-page INDD

file to import.

When you place an InDesign file and select Show Import Options in the Place dialog box, you’ll see a dialog box

containing the following options:

Show preview Preview a page before you place it. You can type a page number or click the arrows to preview a page

in a multi-page document.

Pages Specify the pages you want to place: the page displayed in the preview, all pages, or a range of pages.

Crop to Specify how much of the page or pages to place, the page itself or the bleed or slug areas on the pasteboard.

Place multiple graphics

The Place command lets you import more than one item at a time.

1Create frames for the graphics if you want to place some or all of them in frames.

2Choose File > Place, and select files.

You can select graphics files, text files, InDesign files, and other files you can add to InDesign documents.

3Optionally, select Show Import Options, click Open, and specify the import options for each file. (See “Import

options for graphics” on page 356.)

A thumbnail image of the first graphic you selected appears next to the loaded graphics icon. A number next to the

loaded graphics icon tells you how many graphics are ready for importing. The names of the graphics appear in the

Links panel, with the letters LP (for “loaded in place cursor”) next to the frontmost graphic.

Placing four files into placeholder frames

Press an arrow key to cycle through the graphics; press Esc to unload the frontmost graphic from the loaded graphics

icon without placing it in InDesign.

Note: You can keep thumbnail images from appearing in the loaded graphics icon if displaying the images slows down

your computer. In the Interface area of the Preferences dialog box, deselect Show Thumbnails On Place.

4Do one of the following:

•To import into a new frame, click the loaded graphics icon where you want the upper left corner of the graphic to

appear.

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•To create a frame of a certain size and import the graphic into the frame, drag to define the frame. The frame

conforms to the proportions of the graphic being placed.

•To import into an existing frame, click the loaded graphics icon in the frame. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click

(Mac OS) to replace the contents of an existing frame.

•To import all the loaded graphics in a grid, hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) and

click or drag. While still dragging, release the modifier keys and press the arrow keys to determine the number of

rows and columns. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change the number of rows and the Left and Right

arrow keys to change the number of columns. To change the spacing between frames, use the Page Up and Page

Down keys or hold down Shift while pressing the arrow keys. Release the mouse button to place the grid of images.

Note: You can load more graphics by choosing File > Place while the graphics icon is displayed.

Control layer visibility in imported images

When you import Photoshop PSD files, layered PDFs, and INDD files, you can control the visibility of top-level layers.

Adjusting layer visibility in InDesign lets you vary an illustration depending on context. For example, in a

multilanguage publication, you can create a single illustration that includes one text layer for each language.

You can adjust layer visibility either when you place a file or by using the Object Layer Options dialog box. In addition,

if the Photoshop file contains layer comps, you can display the desired comp.

See also

“Importing Adobe Illustrator graphics” on page 348

“Create a layered PDF in Adobe Illustrator” on page 349

“Importing Adobe Photoshop (.PSD) files” on page 350

Set layer visibility

1Do one of the following:

•To import a graphic without first creating a frame, make sure that nothing in the document is selected.

•To import a graphic into an existing frame, select the frame.

•To replace an existing image, select the graphics frame.

2Choose File > Place and select a graphics file.

3To replace a selected object, select Replace Selected Item.

4Select Show Import Options, and then click Open.

5In the Image Import Options or Place dialog box, click the Layers tab.

6To view a preview of the image, click Show Preview.

7(PDFs only) If you’re placing a page from a multipage PDF, click the arrows, or type a page number under the

preview image to preview a specific page.

8(Photoshop PSD files only) If the image contains layer comps, choose the layer comp you want to display from the

Layer Comp pop-up menu.

9Do one of the following:

•To open or close a layer set, click the triangle to the left of the folder icon.

•To hide a layer or layer set, click the eye icon next to the layer or layer set.

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•To display the layer or layer set, click the empty eye column next to the layer or layer set.

•To display only the content of a particular layer or layer set, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) its eye

icon. Alt-click or Option-click the eye icon again to restore the original visibility settings of the other layers.

•To change the visibility of multiple items, drag through the eye column.

10 Set the When Updating Link option as desired:

Use Photoshop’s/PDF’s Layer Visibility Matches the layer visibility settings to those of the linked file when you update

the link.

Keep Layer Visibility Overrides Maintains the layer visibility settings as specified in the InDesign document.

11 Click OK, and do one of the following:

•To import into a new frame, click the loaded graphics icon in the layout at the place where you want the upper

left corner of the graphic to appear.

•To import into an existing, unselected frame, click the loaded graphics icon anywhere in that frame.

•To import into an existing selected frame, you don’t need to do anything. The image automatically appears in that

frame.

If you accidently replace an existing graphic with an image you’re placing, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z

(Mac OS) to return the original image to the frame and display the loaded graphics icon.

Set layer visibility for placed AI, PSD, PDF, and INDD files

After you place a Photoshop PSD or layered PDF, an Illustrator AI file, or an InDesign INDD file, you can control the

visibility of its layers by using the Object Layer Options dialog box. If the Photoshop PSD file contains layer comps,

you can choose which comp you want to display. In addition, you can choose whether to maintain the visibility settings

or match the settings of the original file each time you update the link.

1Select the file in the InDesign document.

2Choose Object > Object Layer Options.

3To view a preview of the image, select Preview.

4(Photoshop PSD files only) If the image contains layer comps, choose the layer comp you want to display from the

Layer Comp pop-up menu.

5Do one of the following:

•To open or close a layer set, click the triangle to the left of the folder icon.

•To hide a layer or layer set, click the eye icon next to the layer or layer set.

•To display the layer or layer set, click the empty eye column next to the layer or layer set.

•To display only the content of a particular layer or layer set, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) its eye

icon. Alt-click or Option-click the eye icon again to restore the original visibility settings of the other layers.

•To change the visibility of multiple items, drag through the eye column.

6Set the Updating Link Options as desired:

Use Layer Visibility Matches the layer visibility settings to those of the linked file when you update the link.

Keep Layer Visibility Overrides Maintains the layer visibility settings as specified in the InDesign document.

7Click OK.

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Paste or drag graphics

When you copy and paste or drag a graphic into an InDesign document, some attributes of the original object may be

lost, depending on the limitations of the operating system and the range of data types the other application makes

available for transfer, and the InDesign Clipboard preferences. Pasting or dragging Illustrator graphics lets you select

and edit paths within the graphic.

Copying and pasting or dragging between two InDesign documents, or within a single document, however, preserves

all of the graphics attributes that were imported or applied. For example, if you copy a graphic from one InDesign

document and paste it into another, the new copy will be an exact duplicate of the original, even including the original’s

link information, so that you can update the graphic when the file on disk changes.

See also

“About links and embedded graphics” on page 366

“Pasting Illustrator graphics into InDesign” on page 349

Copy and paste graphics

When copying and pasting a graphic from another document into an InDesign document, InDesign does not create a

link to the graphic in the Links panel. The graphic may be converted by the system clipboard during the transfer, so

both image quality and print quality may be lower in InDesign than in the graphic’s original application.

1In InDesign or another program, select the original graphic, and choose Edit > Copy.

2Switch to an InDesign document window, and choose Edit > Paste.

Drag and drop graphics

The drag-and-drop method works like the Place command, with images appearing in the Links panel after they’re

imported. You cannot set import options for the files you drag and drop; however, you can drag and drop multiple

files at once (the files are loaded in the graphics icon when you drag and drop more than one).

Select a graphic from Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Bridge, Explorer (Windows), the Finder (Mac OS), or your desktop,

and drag it into InDesign. The image must be in a format that InDesign can import.

After dragging and dropping a file from any location other than Illustrator, it appears in the Links panel in InDesign.

Using the Links panel, you can control versions and update as necessary.

1Select the original graphic.

2Drag the graphic into an open InDesign document window.

Note: In Windows, if you try to drag an item from an application that does not support drag and drop, the pointer

displays the Prohibited icon.

To cancel dragging a graphic, drop the graphic onto any panel title bar or the document title bar.

Fixing low-resolution images

Graphics you place in your document may appear pixelated or fuzzy or grainy. In most cases, it’s because InDesign

displays images in low-resolution by default to improve performance.

Check the display settings

To display graphics in high resolution, choose View > Display Performance > High Quality Display. For more details

on changing these display performance settings, see “Control graphics’ display performance” on page 364.

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Use Place instead of Paste

The image may still be low resolution even though you changed the display performance settings. For these images,

make sure that you use the Place command to insert the image into InDesign. In some instances, pasting an image from

another application may result in the preview image being inserted instead of the original file.

Check your print settings

If your image appears in low resolution in print, check your print settings to make sure graphics are printing properly.

In the Graphics section of the Print dialog box, choose Send Data > All.

Avoid transformations in images of borderline quality

In addition, scaling or rotating an image could reduce its quality. You may want to choose Clear Transformations from

the Control panel menu.

Improve the image resolution

In some cases, such as with an image copied from a web page, you may need to replace a low-resolution image with a

high-resolution image.

Control graphics’ display performance

You can control the resolution of graphics placed in your document. You can change the display settings for the entire

document or for individual graphics. You can also change a setting that either allows or overrides the display settings

for individual documents.

Change a document’s display performance

A document always opens using the default Display Performance preferences. You can change the display

performance of a document while it is open, but the setting won’t be saved with the document.

If you’ve set the display performance of any images separately, you can override the settings so all objects use the same

settings.

1Choose View > Display Performance, and select an option from the submenu.

2To force objects that you have set individually to display using the document setting, deselect View > Display

Performance > Allow Object-Level Display Settings. (A check mark indicates it is selected.)

Change an object’s display performance

1To preserve the display performance for individual objects when the document is closed and reopened, make sure

Preserve Object-Level Display Settings is selected in Display Performance preferences.

2Choose View > Display Performance, and make sure Allow Object-Level Display Settings is selected.

3With the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool , select an imported graphic.

4Do one of the following:

•Select Object > Display Performance, and choose a display setting.

•Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the image, and choose a display setting from the Display

Performance submenu.

To remove an object’s local display setting, choose Use View Setting in the Display Performance submenu. To remove

local display settings for all graphics in the document, select Clear Object-Level Display Settings in the View > Display

Performance submenu.

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Display performance options

These options control how graphics are displayed on the screen, but they do not affect the print quality or exported

output.

Use Display Performance preferences to set the default option used to open all documents, and customize the settings

that define those options. Each display option has separate settings for displaying raster images, vector graphics, and

transparencies.

Fast Draws a raster image or vector graphic as a gray box (default). Use this option when you want to quickly page

through spreads that have lots of images or transparency effects.

Typical Draws a low-resolution proxy image (default) appropriate for identifying and positioning an image or vector

graphic. Typical is the default option, and is the fastest way to display an identifiable image.

High Quality Draws a raster image or vector graphic at High Resolution (default). This option provides the highest

quality but the slowest performance. Use this option when you want to fine-tune an image.

Note: Image display options don’t affect output resolution when exporting or printing images within a document. When

printing to a PostScript device, exporting to XHTML, or exporting to EPS or PDF, the final image resolution depends on

the output options you choose when you print or export the file.

Set default display performance

The Display Performance preferences let you set the default display option, which InDesign uses for every document.

You can change a document’s display performance using the View menu, or change the setting for individual objects

using the Object menu. For example, if you work on projects that contain numerous high-resolution photos (such as

a catalog), you may prefer to have all your documents open quickly. You can set the default display option to Fast.

When you want to see the images in more detail, you can switch the document view to Typical or High Quality (leaving

the preference set to Fast).

You can also choose to view or override display settings applied to individual objects. If Preserve Object-Level Display

Settings is selected, any settings applied to objects are saved with the document.

1Select Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Display Performance

(Mac OS).

2For Default View, select Typical, Fast, or High Quality. The display option you choose applies to all documents you

open or create.

3Do one of the following:

•To save display settings applied to individual objects, select Preserve Object-Level Display Settings.

•To display all graphics using the default display option, deselect Preserve Object-Level Display Settings.

4For Adjust View Settings, choose the display option you want to customize, and then move the slider for Raster

Images or Vector Graphics to the desired setting.

5Click OK.

Each display option has separate settings for raster (bitmap) images, vector graphics, and transparency effects.

Create contact sheets

A contact sheet is a grid of thumbnail images, often used for pre-press analysis. You can use a number of different

Adobe applications to create a contact sheet. In Photoshop, you can use either the Contact Sheet or Picture Package

command.

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In previous versions of Adobe Bridge (CS2 and CS3), you can create a contact sheet for InDesign pages using the

Create InDesign Contact Sheet feature. This feature does not appear in Adobe Bridge CS4. Instead, you can use the

Adobe Output Module in Adobe Bridge to create a PDF contact sheet.

You can also create a simple contact sheet in InDesign by placing multiple images in a grid.

1Choose File > Place, select multiple images, and choose Open.

2Hold down Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) and click or drag.

3While still dragging, release the other modifier keys and press the arrow keys to determine the number of rows and

columns. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change the number of rows and the Left and Right arrow

keys to change the number of columns. To change the spacing between frames, use the Page Up and Page Down

keys or hold down Shift while pressing the arrow keys.

4Release the mouse button to place the grid of images.

Managing graphics links

About links and embedded graphics

When you place a graphic, you see a screen-resolution version of the file in the layout so that you can view and position

it. However, the actual graphic file may be either linked or embedded.

•Linked artwork is connected to, but remains independent of, the document, resulting in a smaller document. You

can modify linked artwork using transformation tools and effects; however, you cannot select and edit individual

components in the artwork. You can use the linked graphic many times without significantly increasing the size of

the document; you can also update all links at once. When you export or print, the original graphic is retrieved,

creating the final output from the full resolution of the originals.

•Embedded artwork is copied into the document at full resolution, resulting in a larger document. You can control

versions and update the file whenever you like; as long as the artwork is embedded, your document is self-sufficient.

To determine if artwork is linked or embedded, or change its status from one to the other, use the Links panel.

If the bitmap image you place is 48K or smaller, InDesign automatically embeds the full-resolution image instead of

the screen-resolution version in your layout. InDesign displays these images in the Links panel, so that you can control

versions and update the file whenever you like; however, the link is not necessary for optimal output.

Note: If you move a document to another folder or disk (for example, if you take it to a service provider), be sure that you

also move the linked graphics files; they are not stored inside the document. You can copy all related files automatically,

using the Preflight and Package features.

See also

“Define preflight profiles” on page 603

“Package files” on page 607

Links panel overview

All files placed in a document are listed in the Links panel. These include both local (on disk) files and assets that are

managed on a server. However, files that are pasted from a website in Internet Explorer do not display in this panel.

Note: If you’re working with files from an Adobe Version Cue project, the Links panel displays additional file information.

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Links panel

A. Category columns B. One or more instances modified icon C. Modified icon D. Missing-link icon E. Embedded-link icon F. Show/Hide

Link Information

When the same graphic appears several times in the document, the links are combined under a disclosure triangle in

the Links panel. When a linked EPS graphic or InDesign document contains links, the links are also combined under

a disclosure triangle.

A linked file can appear in the Links panel in any of the following ways:

Up to Date An up-to-date file is blank in the Status column.

Modified This icon means that the version of the file on disk is more recent than the version in your document. For

example, this icon appears if you import a Photoshop graphic into InDesign, and then you or someone else edits and

saves the original graphic in Photoshop.

A slightly different version of the Modified icon appears when a graphic is modified and one or more instances are

updated while others are not.

Missing The graphic is no longer in the location from which it was imported, although it may still exist somewhere.

Missing links can happen if someone deletes the original file or moves it to a different folder or server after it’s been

imported. You can’t know whether a missing file is up to date until its original is located. If you print or export a

document when this icon is displayed, the file may not print or export at full resolution.

Embedded Embedding the contents of a linked file suspends management operations for that link. If the selected link

is currently in an “edit in place” operation, this option is not enabled. Unembedding the file restores management

operations to the link.

If a linked object does not appear on a specific document page, the following codes indicate where the object appears:

PB (pasteboard), MP (master page), OV (overset text), and HT (hidden text).

For a video tutorial on using the Links panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4027_id.

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See also

“Adobe Version Cue” on page 101

Links panel video

Use the Links panel

•To display the Links panel, choose Window > Links. Each linked file and automatically embedded file is identified

by name.

•To select and view a linked graphic, select a link in the Links panel and then click the Go To Link button ,

click the page number of the link in the Page column, or choose Go To Link in the Links panel menu. InDesign

centers the display around the selected graphic. To view a hidden object, you show the layer (or condition if it’s an

anchored object).

•To expand or collapse nested links, click the triangle icon to the left of the link. Nested links occur when the same

graphic appears several times in the document or when the linked EPS graphic or InDesign document contains

links.

•To sort links in the panel, click the category title at the top of the Links panel to sort by that category. Click the same

category again to reverse the order. For example, if you click the Page category, the links appear in their order from

the first page to the last page. If you click Page again, the links are sorted from last page to first. Use Panel Options

to add columns to the Links panel.

Work with Links panel columns

You can display additional categories, such as Creation Date and Layer, in the Links panel to display more information

about the graphics. For each category, you can determine whether the information appears as a column in the Links

panel and in the Link Info section at the bottom of the Links panel.

1Choose Panel Options from the Links panel menu.

2Select the check boxes under Show Column to add columns in the Links panel.

Folder 0 is the folder that contains the linked file; Folder 1 is the folder that contains Folder 0, and so on.

3Select the check boxes under Show In Link Info to display the information in the Link Info section at the bottom of

the Links panel.

4Click OK.

You can change the order of columns by selecting a column and dragging it to a different location. Drag the column

boundaries to change the column width. Click a category title to sort the links by that category in ascending order.

Click again to sort in descending order.

Change the Links panel rows and thumbnails

1Choose Panel Options from the Links panel menu.

2For Row Size, select Small Rows, Regular Rows, or Large Rows.

3For Thumbnails, determine whether thumbnail representations of the graphics appear in the Name column and in

the Link Info section at the bottom of the Links panel.

4Click OK.

Display link information

The Link Info section of the Links panel lists information about the selected linked file.

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To change the information displayed in the Link Info section of the Links panel, choose Panel Options from the Links

panel menu, and select check boxes in the Show In Link Info column.

❖Double-click a link, or select a link and click the Show/Hide Link Information icon, which is a triangle on the left

side of the panel.

View metadata via the Links panel

If a linked or embedded file contains metadata, you can view the metadata using the Links panel. You cannot edit or

replace metadata associated with a linked file.

❖Select a file in the Links panel and choose Utilities > XMP File Info from the panel menu.

Embed an image within the document

Rather than link to a file that you’ve placed in a document, you can embed (or store) the file within the document.

When you embed a file, you break the link to the original. Without the link, the Links panel doesn’t alert you when the

original has changed, and you cannot update the file automatically.

Embedding a file increases the document file size.

Embed a linked file

1Select a file in the Links panel.

2Do any of the following:

•Choose Embed File in the Links panel menu.

•If there are multiple instances of the file, choose Embed All Instances Of [Filename] in the Links panel menu. To

embed only one instance, select it and choose Embed File.

The file remains in the Links panel marked with the embedded-link icon .

Note: For a text file that appears in the Links panel, select Unlink in the Links panel menu. When you embed a text file,

its name is removed from the Links panel.

Unembed a linked file

1Select one or more embedded files in the Links panel.

2Do one of the following:

•Select Unembed in the Links panel menu. If there are multiple instances of the file, choose Unembed All Instances

Of [Filename] in the Links panel menu.

•Click the Relink button or select Relink in the Links panel menu.

3Choose to link the file to the original file or to a folder InDesign creates from the embedded data stored in the

document.

Update, restore, and replace links

Use the Links panel to check the status of any link, or to replace files with updated or alternate files.

When you update or reestablish (relink) a link to a file, any transformations performed in InDesign are preserved (if

you choose Relink Preserved Dimensions in the File Handling preferences). For example, if you import a square

graphic and rotate it 30°, and then you relink it to an unrotated graphic, InDesign rotates it 30° to match the layout of

the graphic it’s replacing.

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Note: Placed EPS files may contain OPI links, which appear in the Links panel. Don’t relink OPI links to files other than

those originally intended by the creator of the EPS file; doing so can cause problems with font downloading and color

separations.

Choose how relinked graphics are scaled

When you relink to replace one graphic with a different source file, you can keep the image dimensions of the file that’s

being replaced, or you can display the incoming file in its actual dimensions.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).

2Choose Preserve Image Dimensions When Relinking if you want images to appear at the same size as the images

they’re replacing. Deselect this option to have relinked images appear at their actual size.

Update modified links

InDesign first looks for a missing link in the folder in which another file has been relinked in the current session. Next,

it looks for a link in the same folder where the document is located. If it’s still not found, it looks in the parent folder

of the document.

Modified links are also called “out of date” links.

❖In the Links panel, do one of the following:

•To update specific links, select one or more links marked with the modified-link icon . Then click the Update

Link button , or choose Update Link from the Links panel menu.

•To update all modified links, choose Update All Links from the Links panel menu, or Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac OS) the Update Link button.

•To update only one link to a graphic that appears in several places in the document, select only the sublink and

choose Update Link. If you select the “parent” link, you can update all links to the modified graphic.

Replace a link with a different source file

Select any link in the Links panel, and click the Relink button or choose Relink from the Links panel menu. If a

“parent” link of multiple instances is selected, choose Relink All Instances Of [Filename] from the Links panel menu.

2In the dialog box that appears, select Search For Missing Links In This Folder if you want InDesign to search the

folder for files that have the same names as other missing linked files. If this option is not selected, only the selected

image is relinked.

3Choose Show Import Options to control how the new source file is imported.

4Locate and double-click the new source file.

5Choose import options if you clicked the Show Import options option. (See “Import options for graphics” on

page 356.)

Restore missing links

1To restore a missing link, select any link marked with the missing link icon in the Links panel, and click the

Relink button .

2In the dialog box that appears, select Search For Missing Links In This Folder to relink any missing file that appears

in the specified folder. Locate and double-click a file.

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Find missing links

By default, InDesign checks for missing links and tries to resolve them when you open a document. Two preference

options let InDesign check for and find missing links automatically when you open a document.

Check Links Before Opening Document If you turn off this option, InDesign opens the document immediately, and

the link statuses remain pending until links are determined to be up-to-date, missing, or modified. If you turn on this

option, InDesign checks for modified or missing links.

Find Missing Links Before Opening Document If you turn off this option, InDesign does not attempt to resolve the

missing links. You may want to turn off this option if links slow performance to a server or if unexpected linkings

occur. This option is dimmed if Check Links Before Opening Document is turned off.

Search For Missing Links Use the Search For Missing Links command to search for and resolve missing links in your

document. This command is useful if you turned off the preferences option that checks for missing links when you

open a document, and now you have missing links. This command is also useful if you mount a server where images

are stored after opening a document.

•To change link settings, open the File Handling section of the Preferences dialog box, and determine whether the

Check Links Before Opening Document and Find Missing Links Before Opening Document options are selected.

•To let InDesign attempt to resolve missing links, choose Utilities > Search For Missing Links from the Links panel menu.

This command is dimmed if the document contains no missing links.

Specify a default Relink folder

1In the Preferences dialog box, select File Handling.

2From the Default Relink Folder menu, choose either of the following options, and then click OK:

Most Recent Relink Folder This option displays the most recently used folder you selected when relinking, matching

InDesign CS3 behavior.

Original Relink Folder This option displays the original location of the linked file, matching the behavior of InDesign

CS2 and earlier.

Copy links to a different folder

Use the Copy Link(s) To command to copy graphics files to a different folder and redirect the links to the copied files.

This command is especially useful for moving files to a different drive, such as moving files from a DVD to a hard drive.

1Select the links to the files you want to copy, and choose Utilities > Copy Link(s) To from the Links panel menu.

2Specify the folder where the linked files will be copied and choose Select (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).

Relink to a different folder

When you use the Relink To Folder command, you can point to a folder that contains files with the same names as

your out-of-date links. For example, if your current links point to low-resolution images, you can specify a different

folder that contains high-resolution images. You can specify a different extension for the files, allowing you to change

links from .jpg to .tiff, for example.

1Select one or more links in the Links panel.

2Choose Relink To Folder from the Links panel menu.

3Specify the location of the new folder.

4To use a different extension, select Match Same Filename But This Extension, and specify the new extension (such

as AI, TIFF, or PSD).

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5Click Select (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).

Replace an imported file using the Place command

1Do one of the following:

•To replace the contents of a graphics frame, such as an imported graphic, use the Selection tool to select the

frame.

•To replace the contents of a text frame, use the Type tool to click an insertion point in a text frame, and choose

Edit > Select All.

2Choose File > Place.

3Locate and select the new file.

4Make sure that Replace Selected Item is selected, and then click Open.

Copy the link pathname

You can copy either the full path of the linked image or the platform style path. Copying the full path of the image is

useful for notifying team members where art is located. For example, you can copy the full path and paste it into an

email message. Copying the platform path is useful for scripting or for specifying image fields in a data merge.

1Select a link in the Links panel.

2From the Links panel menu, choose Utilities > Copy Full Path or Copy Platform Style Path.

3Paste the path.

Edit original artwork

The Edit Original command lets you open most graphics in the application in which you created them so that you can

modify them as necessary. Once you save the original file, the document in which you linked it is updated with the new

version.

Note: In InDesign, if you check out and select a managed graphics frame (one that has been exported to InCopy), rather

than the graphic itself, the graphic opens in InCopy.

Edit original artwork using the default application

By default, InDesign relies on the operating system to determine which application is used when opening the original.

If you edit artwork using a different application, InDesign uses the most recently used application.

1Do any of the following:

•In the Links panel, select the link and click the Edit Original button . Alternatively, choose Edit Original from

the panel menu.

•Select the linked artwork on the page, and choose Edit > Edit Original.

2After making changes in the original application, save the file.

Edit original artwork using a different application

1Select the image.

2Choose Edit > Edit With, and then specify the application you want to use to open the file. If the application does

not appear, choose Other, and browse to locate the application.

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Reusing graphics and text

Ways to reuse graphics and text

InDesign offers several different ways to repurpose graphics and text.

Snippets A snippet is a file that contains objects and describes their location relative to one another on a page or

spread. (See “Use snippets” on page 373.)

Object libraries An object library provides a convenient place to store items such as logos, sidebars, pull-quotes, and

other repeating items. (See “Use object libraries” on page 374.)

Templates A template is a document that includes placeholder text and graphics. (See “Use document templates” on

page 102.)

See also

“XML” on page 553

“Exporting” on page 111

Use snippets

A snippet is a file that holds objects and describes their location relative to one another on a page or page spread. Use

snippets to conveniently reuse and position page objects. Create a snippet by saving objects in a snippet file, which has

the .IDMS extension. (Previous InDesign versions use the .INDS extension.) When you place the snippet file in

InDesign, you can determine whether the objects land in their original positions or where you click. You can store

snippets in the Object library and in Adobe Bridge as well as on your hard disk.

Snippets contents retain their layer associations when you place them. When a snippet contains resource definitions

and these definitions are also present in the document to which it is copied, the snippet uses the resource definitions

in the document.

Snippets you create in InDesign CS4 cannot be opened in previous versions of InDesign.

See also

“Working with XML” on page 553

“Use object libraries” on page 374

Create snippets

❖Do one of the following:

•Using a selection tool, select one or more objects, and then choose File > Export. From the Save As Type (Windows)

or Format (Mac OS) menu, choose InDesign Snippet. Type a name for the file and click Save.

•Using a selection tool, select one or more objects, and then drag the selection to your desktop. A snippet file is

created. Rename the file.

•Drag an item from Structure View to your desktop.

Add snippets to a document

1Choose File > Place.

2Select one or more snippet (*.IDMS or *.INDS) files.

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3Click the loaded snippet cursor where you want the upper-left corner of the snippet file to be.

If you placed the insertion point in a text frame, the snippet is placed in the text as an anchored object.

All objects remain selected after you place the snippet. By dragging, you can adjust the position of all objects.

4If you loaded more than one snippet, scroll and click the loaded snippet cursor to place the others.

You can drag a snippet file from your desktop into the InDesign document and click where you want the upper-left

corner of the snippet to be.

Choose how to place snippets

Rather than place snippet objects according to where you click on a page, you can place them in their original locations.

For example, a text frame that appeared in the middle of a page when it was made part of a snippet can appear in the

same location when you place it as a snippet.

•In File Handling preferences, choose Position At Original Location to preserve objects’ original locations in

snippets; choose Position At Cursor Location to place snippets according to where you click a page.

You can press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) to override the Position setting you selected for handling snippets. For

example, if you selected Position At Cursor Location but you want to place snippet objects in their original locations,

hold down the Alt/Option key when you click the loaded snippet cursor on the page.

Use object libraries

Object libraries help you organize the graphics, text, and pages you use most often. You can also add ruler guides, grids,

drawn shapes, and grouped images to a library. You can create as many libraries as you need—for example, you can

create different object libraries for varied projects or clients.

During a work session, you can open as many libraries as system memory will allow. Object libraries can be shared

across servers, and across platforms, but only one person can have the library open at a time. If an object library

includes text files, make sure that the file’s fonts are available and active on all systems that will access the library.

When you add a page element, such as a graphic, to an object library, InDesign preserves all attributes that were

imported or applied. For example, if you add a graphic from an InDesign document to a library, the library copy will

duplicate the original, including the original’s link information, so that you can update the graphic when the file on

disk changes.

If you delete the object from the InDesign document, the object’s thumbnail will still appear in the Library panel, and

all of the link information will remain intact. If you move or delete the original object, a missing link icon will appear

next to the object’s name in the Links panel the next time you place it in your document from the Library panel.

Within each object library, you can identify and search for an item by title, by the date it was added to the library, or

by keywords. You can also simplify the view of an object library by sorting the library items and displaying their

subsets. For example, you can hide all items except EPS files.

Object library in Library panel

A. Object thumbnail and name B. Library Item Information button C. Show Library Subset button D. New Library Item button E. Delete

Library Item button

BCDE

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When adding an item to an object library, InDesign saves all page, text, and image attributes, and maintains

interrelationships among library objects and other page elements in the following ways:

•Elements grouped in an InDesign document when dragged to the Library panel stay grouped when dragged out of

the Library panel.

•Text retains its formatting.

•Paragraph styles, character styles, and object styles that have the same name as styles used in the destination

document are converted to the destination document’s styles; those that have different names are added to the

document.

•The original layers of an object are preserved when the Paste Remembers Layers option is selected in the Layers

panel menu.

Create an object library

An object library exists as a named file on disk. When you create an object library, you specify where to store it. When

you open a library, it appears as a panel that you can group with any other panel; the object library’s file name appears

in its panel tab. Closing an object library removes it from the current session, but doesn’t delete its file.

You can add or remove objects, selected page elements, or an entire page of elements to or from an object library. You

can also add or move library objects from one library to another.

1Choose File > New > Library.

2Specify a location and name for the library, and click Save. Remember that the name you specify becomes the name

of the library’s panel tab.

Open an existing library

❖Do one of the following:

•If you’ve already opened a library in the current session (and haven’t closed it), choose the library file in the

Window menu.

•If you have not opened a library, choose File > Open, and select one or more libraries. In Windows, library files use

the INDL extension. InDesign converts newly opened libraries from previous versions of the program to the new

library format; you are asked to save these libraries under a new name.

Close a library

1Click the tab for the library you want to close.

2Do one of the following:

•Choose Close Library in the Object Library panel menu.

•Choose the library file name on the Window menu.

Delete a library

❖In Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), drag a library file to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac OS).

In Windows, library files have the INDL extension.

Add an object or page to a library

❖Do any of the following:

•Drag one or more objects from a document window to an active Object Library panel.

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•Select one or more objects in a document window, and click the New Library Item button in the Object Library

panel.

•Select one or more objects in a document window, and choose Add Item in the Object Library panel menu.

•Choose Add Items On Page [number] As Separate Objects in the Object Library panel menu to add all the objects

as separate library objects.

•Choose Add Items On Page [number] in the Object Library panel menu to add all the objects as one library object.

•Drag an element from the Structure pane to an active Object Library panel.

If you hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while you perform any of the above commands, the Item

Information dialog box appears as the item is added to the library.

Add an object from a library to a document

❖Do one of the following:

•Drag an object from the Object Library panel to a document window.

•In the Object Library panel, select an object, and choose Place Item(s) in the Object Library panel menu. This

method places the object at its original X,Y coordinates.

•Drag an XML element to a parent element in the Structure pane or to the page.

Manage library objects

Use the Object Library panel to manage objects.

Update a library object with a new item

1In the document window, select the item you want to add to the Library panel.

2In the Library panel, select the object you want to replace, and then choose Update Library Item from the Object

Library panel menu.

Copy or move an object from one library to another

1Drag one library’s panel tab out of the Object Library panel group to separate them, so you can see both libraries at

the same time.

2Do one of the following:

•To copy an object from one library to another, drag an item from one Library panel tab to the other.

•To move an object out of one library into another, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag an

item from one Library panel tab to the other.

Delete an object from an object library

❖In the Object Library panel, select an object, and do one of the following:

•Click the Delete Library Item button.

•Drag the item to the Delete Library Item button.

•Choose Delete Item(s) in the Object Library panel menu.

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Change the object library display

The object library displays objects as thumbnails or as a text list. You can sort the thumbnails or list by object name,

age, or type. The list view and sorting options work best if you’ve cataloged the objects.

❖Do any of the following:

•To view objects as thumbnails, choose Thumbnail View or Large Thumbnail View from the Object Library

panel menu.

•To view objects as a text list, choose List View from the Object Library panel menu.

•To sort the objects, choose Sort Items from the Object Library panel menu, and choose a sort method.

View all objects

❖Choose Show All in the Object Library panel menu.

View, add, or edit library information

With large or numerous object libraries, library information can be cataloged using the display objects’ names, by type

of object, or words in a description.

1In the Object Library panel, do one of the following:

•Double-click any object.

•Select an object, and click the Library Item Information button.

•Select an object, and choose Item Information in the Object Library panel menu.

2View or change the Item Name, Object Type, or Description options as necessary, and click OK.

Find objects in a library

When you search for objects, all objects except the results of your search are hidden from view. You can also use the

search feature to show and hide specific categories of objects. For example, you can display only object items with the

word “star” in their names.

1Choose Show Subset in the Object Library panel menu, or click the Show Library Subset button.

2Do one of the following:

•To search all objects in the library, select Search Entire Library.

•To search only within the objects currently listed in the library (refining a previous search), select Search Currently

Shown Items.

3Choose a category in the first menu in the Parameters section.

4In the second menu, specify whether the category you chose in the first menu must be contained in or excluded

from the search.

5To the right of the second menu, type a word or phrase you want to search for within the category you specified.

6To add search criteria, click More Choices up to five times; each click adds one search term. To remove search

criteria, click Fewer Choices as necessary; each click removes one search term.

7To display only those objects that match all search criteria, select Match All. To display objects that match any of

the criteria, select Match Any One.

8Click OK to begin the search.

To show all objects again, choose Show All in the Object Library panel menu.

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Chapter 13: Frames and objects

Laying out your artwork in Adobe InDesign CS4 is made easy using tools that let you select, stack, and transform

objects precisely. Create complex shapes and appearances by combining or masking objects.

Selecting objects

Overview of selection methods

InDesign provides the following selection methods and tools:

Selection tool Allows you to select text and graphics frames, and work with an object using its bounding box.

Direct Selection tool Allows you to select the contents of a frame, such as a placed graphic, or work directly with

editable objects, such as paths, rectangles, or type that has been converted to a text outline.

Type tool Allows you to select text in a text frame, on a path, or in a table.

Select submenu Allows you to select an object’s container (or frame) and its contents. The Select submenu also lets

you select objects based on their position relative to other objects. To view the Select submenu, choose Object > Select.

You can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an object to display its context menu, and then choose

Select.

Select buttons on the Control panel Lets you the select the content using the Select Content button or the container

using the Select Container button . You can also use the Select Next Object or Select Previous Object to select the

next or previous objects in a group or on a spread.

Position tool Allows you to resize an image, move an image within a frame, and move both the frame and the

image to a new location in the document.

Select All and Deselect All commands Allow you to select or deselect all objects on the spread and pasteboard,

depending on which tool is active and what is already selected. Choose Edit > Select All or Edit > Deselect All.

Double-click an object to switch between the selection tools. Double-click a text frame to place the insertion point and

switch to the Type tool.

See also

“Keys for selecting and moving objects” on page 680

Select objects

An object is any printable element on a page or on the pasteboard, such as a path or an imported graphic. A frame or

path is a shape you draw or a container for text or graphics. A bounding box is a rectangle with eight selection handles

that represents an object’s vertical and horizontal dimensions. Before you can modify an object, you must select it using

a selection tool.

For a video on selecting objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0070.

There are two ways to select an object in InDesign:

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Path with bounding box selected (left), path selected (middle), and path with anchor point selected (right)

•You can use the Selection tool to select the object’s bounding box for performing general layout tasks, such as

positioning and sizing objects.

•You can use the Direct Selection tool to select the contents of a container (such as an imported graphic) or

individual points on a path for tasks involving resizing imported graphics, drawing and editing paths, and editing text.

Note: An imported graphic is always contained within a frame. It’s possible to select the graphic and its frame, the graphic

only, or its frame only. The frame and bounding box of an imported graphic can be different sizes. To see how InDesign

indicates what’s selected, see “Modifying objects using graphics frames” on page 405.

Bounding box selected (left) compared to rectangular path selected (right)

With rectangular objects, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the object’s bounding box and the path of the

object itself. A bounding box always displays eight large hollow anchor points. A rectangular path always displays four

small anchor points (which can be hollow or solid).

See also

“About paths and frames” on page 81

“Understanding paths and shapes” on page 317

“Select nested or overlapping objects” on page 382

“Ruler guides” on page 55

“Keys for selecting and moving objects” on page 680

Selecting Objects video

Select a bounding box

For any object, you can select its bounding box—a rectangle that represents the object’s horizontal and vertical

dimensions. (For grouped objects, the bounding box is a dashed rectangle.) The bounding box makes it possible to

quickly move, duplicate, and scale the object without having to use any other tool. For paths, the bounding box makes

it easy to work with an entire object without accidentally altering the anchor points that determine its shape.

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Note: For more precise moving and scaling, and for other modifications such as rotation, use the Control panel or the

Transform panel.

❖Using the Selection tool , do one of the following:

•Click the object. If the object is an unfilled path, click its edge.

•Drag a dotted selection rectangle or marquee around part or all of the object.

•With a graphic object or nested content selected, click the Select Container button on the Control panel.

When you select one or more objects with the Selection tool, you see a bounding box that indicates the size of each

object. If you don’t see a bounding box when an object is selected, you may have selected the object using the Direct

Selection tool .

If you click a frame and it is not selected, the frame may be on a locked layer or master page. If the frame is on a locked

layer, a pencil icon appears. If the frame is on a master page, you can override it to select it.

Select a path or points on a path

Paths in InDesign are defined by anchor points, end points, and direction lines. You select anchor points and end

points using the Direct Selection tool.

A path with a single point selected (left) and multiple points selected (right)

1Using the Direct Selection tool , click the path to select it.

Notice how the tool changes when it’s above a path or a point .

2Do any of the following:

•To select an individual point, click it.

•To select multiple points on the path, press Shift as you click each point.

•To select all of a path’s points at once, click the point at the center of the object, or hold down Alt (Windows) or

Option (Mac OS) and click the path. If you direct-select any part of the object, the Select All command also selects

all the points.

Select text inside a frame

•To select text by dragging, click on a text frame using the Type tool. An insertion point appears.

•To create an insertion point in text, double-click a text frame using any selection tool. InDesign switches to the Type

tool automatically.

Select an object inside a frame

❖Do any of the following:

•Click the object using the Direct Selection tool . The Direct Selection tool automatically changes to the Hand tool

when placed over a graphic object inside a frame (but not when placed over a non-graphic object, such as a path).

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•With a frame selected, choose Select > Content from the Object menu or the frame’s context menu.

•With a frame selected, click the Select Content button on the Control panel.

Select multiple objects

•To select all the objects in a rectangular area, use the Selection tool to drag a marquee over the objects you want

to select.

•To select nonadjacent objects, use the Selection tool to select an object and then press Shift as you click additional

objects. Clicking selected objects deselects them.

•To add more objects to a selection, press Shift as you use the Selection tool to drag a marquee over additional

objects. Dragging over selected objects deselects them.

You can use these same techniques with the Direct Selection tool to select objects nested inside groups or frames.

Select or deselect all objects

To deselect all objects on the spread and its pasteboard, choose Edit > Deselect All. Or, with the Selection tool or Direct

Selection tool, click at least 3 pixels away from any object.

The Select All command has a different effect depending on the situation:

•If the Selection tool is active, all paths and frames on the spread and pasteboard are selected, with their bounding

boxes active.

•If the Direct Selection tool is active and an object is direct-selected, Select All selects all the anchor points of that

object but does not select any other object. If nothing is selected, Select All selects all the path objects on the spread

and pasteboard.

•If the Type tool is active and there is an insertion point in a text frame (indicated by a flashing vertical line), Select

All selects all text in that text frame and any text frames threaded to it, but selects no other objects.

•If an object in a group is selected, Select All selects the rest of the objects in the group but no other objects on the

spread.

1Select the tool you want to use. If desired, select an object or place the insertion point in a text frame.

2Choose Edit > Select All.

Note: The Select All command doesn’t select nested objects, objects that are positioned on locked or hidden layers, master

page items that are not overridden on document pages, or objects on other spreads and pasteboards (except for threaded

text).

Unable to select objects

Not being able to select an object may be the result of the following issues:

•The object is covered by another object in a stack. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then

click the same place repeatedly until you’ve selected the frame or group you want. See “Select nested or overlapping

objects” on page 382.

•The object is a master page item, as indicated by a dotted border. To select a master page item, either turn to the

master page that is applied to the document page, or override the master page item. See “Override a master item”

on page 73.

•The object is on a locked layer. Click the lock icon next to the layer in the Layers panel to unlock the layer. See “Lock

or unlock layers” on page 80.

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Select nested or overlapping objects

When a frame contains an object, the contained object is said to be nested inside a container, or frame. Three common

kinds of nesting are: paths inside frames, frames inside frames, and groups inside groups. Always be aware of exactly

which objects or object attributes you need to select, which ones are currently selected, and which selection tools to use

to modify selections.

You control selections in nested groups using the Direct Selection and Selection tools, as well as the Select Content and

Select Container buttons. You can select text characters using the Type tool at any time, no matter how deeply a text

frame is nested.

Select nested, grouped, or overlapping objects

When you nest objects or place objects on top of each other on the same layer, it can be difficult to select a single object

or frame. The Object menu and context menu contain selection options to make it easier to select the object you want.

Selecting nested objects

A. Image selected B. Path of the frame containing the image is selected C. Group containing frame selected

Opening the Info panel makes it easier to see which object is selected.

1Using the Direct Selection tool , click the nested or grouped object.

2If you can’t select the object you want, use one of the following techniques:

•Choose Object > Select, and choose one of the selection options.

•Position the pointer over the object you want to select and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to

display the context menu. Then choose Select and the desired selection option.

Note: Selecting objects using the context menu commands is not the same as using the Object > Select menu commands.

From the context menu, the selections are based on the exact point where you clicked to display the context menu. This

means that the next object above or below the mouse click would be selected, rather than the next object in the stacking

order.

•Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and then click the same place repeatedly until you’ve selected

the frame or group you want. (Do not click an anchor point.)

•To select all objects in a group individually, use the Selection tool to select the group, click the Select Content

button on the Control panel, and then choose Select All.

3To progressively drill down or up through a stack of objects, do one of the following:

•Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS), and then choose an option from the Select context menu.

Choose Object > Select > Next Object Below or Next Object Above repeatedly until the object you want is selected.

When you reach the beginning or end of the stack, the selection doesn’t change.

•

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click the stack to drill down from the top of the stack. When

you reach the end of the stack, the selection starts over at the top of the stack. To drill up from the bottom of the

stack, hold down Alt+Ctrl (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) and click the stack using the Selection tool.

C A B

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Note: The context menu options are sensitive to the location of the pointer.

Select multiple nested objects

1Using the Direct Selection tool , click the nested object.

2Hold down Shift as you click each additional nested object you want to select.

Selection options

Options on the Select submenu (choose Object > Select or choose Select on the context menu) help you select

overlapping, nested, or grouped objects. The availability of some options depends on the type of objects you’re working

with. When using the context menu, the object selected depends on the position of the pointer.

First Object Above Selects the object at the top of the stack.

Next Object Above Selects the object just above the current object.

Next Object Below Selects the object just below the current object.

Last Object Below Selects the object at the bottom of the stack.

Content Selects the content of the selected graphics frame, or, if a group is selected, selects an object within the group.

You can also click the Select Content button in the Control panel.

Container Selects the frame enclosing the selected object, or, if an object within a group is selected, selects the group

that contains it. You can also click the Select Container button in the Control panel.

Previous Object / Next Object Selects the next or previous object in the group if the selected object is part of a group,

or, if an ungrouped object is selected, selects the next or previous object on the spread. Shift-click to skip by five. Ctrl-

click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) to select the first or last object in a stack.

Arrange objects in a stack

Overlapping objects are stacked in the order in which they are created or imported. You can use the Arrange submenu

to change the stacking order of objects.

Arranging objects is not the same as using the Layers panel. A separate stack of objects exists within each named layer,

and the Object > Arrange menu commands control stacking only within each named layer. If you haven’t created any

named layers, your document contains just one stack of objects on the single default layer. Objects on masters exist at

the back of each named layer.

Note: Grouping objects might change their stacking order (in relation to ungrouped objects).

1Select the object you want to move forwards or backwards in a stack.

2Do any of the following:

•To move a selected object to the front or back of a stack, choose either Object > Arrange > Bring to Front or

Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

•To move a selected object forward or backward past the next object in a stack, choose either Object > Arrange >

Bring Forward or Object > Arrange > Send Backward.

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Transforming objects

Transform panel overview

Use the Transform panel to view or specify geometric information for any selected object, including values for

position, size, rotation, and shearing. Commands in the Transform panel menu provide additional options and quick

ways to rotate or reflect objects.

Note: The buttons and panel menu commands in the Transform panel are also available in the Control panel.

Transform panel

A. Reference point locator B. Constrain Proportions icon C. Panel menu

Display the Transform panel

❖Choose Window > Object & Layout > Transform.

View geometric information about objects

When you select an object, its geometric information appears in the Transform and Control panels. If you select

multiple objects, the information represents all selected objects as a unit.

❖Select one or more objects, and display the Transform panel (Window > Object & Layout > Transform).

Position information is relative to the ruler origin and the reference point of the object. Angle information is relative

to the pasteboard, where a horizontal line has an angle of 0°.

Change transformation settings

The Transform panel includes several options that determine how objects are transformed and how transformations

are displayed in the Transform and Control panels.

See also

“Keys for transforming objects” on page 681

“Determine how scaling is tracked” on page 396

Change the reference point for selected objects

All transformations originate from a fixed point on or near the object, called the reference point. The reference point

is marked by an icon when a transformation tool, such as the Scale tool, is active.

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Reference point moved to center (left), and object scaled (right)

❖Do one of the following:

•To specify a different reference point for the selected object, click any of the nine points on the reference point

locator in the Transform or Control panel.

As you click different reference points on the Transform or Control panel (top left and right), the reference point for the selected object changes

(bottom left and right).

•To move the selected object’s reference point to a specific location, select the Rotate tool , the Scale tool , or

the Shear tool , position the tool over the reference point icon, and then drag it to a new location. Or, with one

of these tools selected, click anywhere on the object or page. The reference point moves to that location.

Note: When a transform tool is selected, clicking away from the object does not deselect it— it moves the reference point.

Choose Edit > Deselect All to deselect an object.

The last-selected reference point on the reference point locator becomes the new default reference point for all tools

and objects. If you drag an object’s reference point icon to a custom location (not on an anchor point), the panel

reference point returns to the default position once the current object is no longer selected. InDesign preserves the

default reference point position for new documents so you don’t have to reset it.

Change the information displayed for nested objects

The Transform panel orients an object to a spread’s pasteboard, where a horizontal line has a rotation angle of 0°. By

default, this is true even if the object is nested inside a transformed container object (that is, if the object is part of a

transformed group or pasted inside a transformed frame). For example, if you paste an unrotated graphic inside a

frame, rotate the frame 10° with the graphic inside, and then select the graphic using the Direct Selection tool, the

Transform panel displays the graphic’s rotation angle as 10°.

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Object’s rotation angle displayed relative to pasteboard

If you prefer, you can deselect the Transformations Are Totals command to see the same information relative to the

nested object’s container. In the example above, if you deselect Transformations Are Totals, the Transform panel

displays the graphic’s rotation angle as zero (the angle it has relative to its rotated container).

Object’s rotation angle displayed relative to container object

1Open the Transform panel or Control panel.

2In the Transform or Control panel menu, do one of the following:

•Leave Transformations Are Totals selected (the default) to display transformation values for nested objects relative

to the pasteboard.

•Deselect Transformations Are Totals to display rotate, scale, and shear values for nested objects relative to the

container object.

Measure the position of selected objects

The Show Content Offset command determines the appearance of the X and Y values in the Transform panel for

nested objects selected with the Direct Selection tool . The selected reference point in the reference point locator of

the Transform and Control panels determines which of the nine reference points on the selected object is being

compared to the zero point of the document or to the zero point of a container frame. The zero point of a container

frame is always its upper-left corner.

The position of selected objects is measured from three positions:

•The position of the container frame in relation to the zero point of the document. With Show Content Offset turned

on or off, select the container frame using the Selection tool.

•The position of the nested object in relation to the zero point of the document. Turn off Show Content Offset and

select the nested object using the Direct Selection tool.

•The position of the nested object in relation to the zero point (upper-left corner) of its container frame. Turn on

Show Content Offset and select the nested object using the Direct Selection tool.

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Parent frame’s position displayed relative to zero point of document

Nested object’s position displayed relative to zero point of document

Nested object’s position displayed relative to container frame

If Show Content Offset is selected, the X and Y values of the embedded object appear relative to the container object,

and the X/Y icons in the Transform panel change to X+/Y+. If this command is deselected, the nested object values

appear relative to the rulers.

❖In the Transform or Control panel menu, select or deselect Show Content Offset.

Include or exclude stroke weight in measurements

Stroke weight can affect an object’s size and position. You can change the stroke’s alignment and then choose whether

the Transform panel measures an object’s size and position from the center or from the edge of its stroke. For

information on changing stroke alignment, see “Stroke panel options” on page 336.

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Note: This option does not change how stroke weights are affected when scaling a frame, only whether any changes affect

measurements.

❖In the Transform or Control panel menu, do one of the following:

•Select Dimensions Include Stroke Weight when you want panel measurements to represent the outer edge of an

object’s stroke. For example, if one frame is 2 points shorter than the other, but the shorter frame’s stroke is 2 points

thicker, this setting will cause both frames to display the same height values in the Transform and Control panels.

•Deselect Dimensions Include Stroke Weight when you want the panel measurements to represent an object’s path

or frame regardless of its stroke weight. For example, two frames of the same height will display the same height

values in the Transform and Control panels, regardless of differences in their stroke weights.

Transform objects

You can modify an object’s size or shape, and change its orientation on the pasteboard, by using tools and commands.

The toolbox includes four transformation tools—the Rotate, Scale, Shear, and Free Transform tools. All

transformations, with the addition of reflection, are available in the Transform and Control panels, where you can

precisely specify transformations.

Transformation tools (top) compared to Transform panel (bottom)

A. Rotation options B. Shearing options C. Scaling options

When transforming objects, note the following:

•The results of a transformation can differ significantly, depending on which selection tool you use. Use the

Selection tool to transform (rotate, scale, or shear) an entire path and its content; use the Direct Selection tool

to transform just the path without its content or the content without its path. To transform the content without its

path, make sure that all anchor points are selected.

To resize both the frame and content, use the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y Percentage fields, not the W and H

fields. The W and H fields change only the selected frame or content, not both. Keep in mind that you’re not limited

to specifying percentages in the Scale fields. You can type dimensions by including the unit of measurement, such as

“6p.”

•A transformation affects all selected objects as a single unit. For example, if you select multiple objects and rotate

them 30°, they all rotate around one reference point. If you want to rotate each selected object 30° around its own

reference point, you must select and rotate them individually.

•When transforming type, you can use either of two selection methods: Use the Selection or Direct Selection tool to

select an entire text frame or text converted to outlines, and then use the transformation tools; or use the Type tool

to select text or to click an insertion point in a text frame, and then specify transformations in the Transform panel,

Control panel, or dialog boxes available when you double-click a tool. In both cases, the transformation affects the

entire text frame.

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•When you rotate, skew, or scale a group, the settings apply to the entire group, as well as to the individual objects

in the group. For example, if you rotate a group 30°, the rotation value in the Transform or Control panel is 30°

whether you select the group itself or direct-select an object in the group.

For a video on working with objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0071.

See also

“Change transformation settings” on page 384

“Gallery of transformation tools” on page 31

“Keys for transforming objects” on page 681

“Repeat transformations” on page 399

“Clear transformations” on page 399

Transform objects with the Transform panel

InDesign no longer includes a Transform Content command. Instead, use the selection tools to determine whether the

content and frame are transformed together or separately.

1Choose Window > Object & Layout > Transform.

2Select an object to transform.

•To transform both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame.

•To transform the content without transforming its frame, use the Direct Selection tool to direct-select the object.

•To transform a frame without transforming the content, direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

3In the Transform panel, specify the reference point for the transformation.

All values in the panel refer to the bounding boxes of the objects. X and Y values refer to the selected reference point

on the bounding box relative to the ruler origin.

4Do any of the following:

•Enter new values in the text boxes.

•Choose values from available pop-up menus.

•Choose commands from the panel menu.

Note: To maintain the object’s proportions when using the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y Percentage options, click the

Constrain Proportions icon in the panel. When the option is not selected, dots appear on both sides of the icon (like a

broken chain link). You can also specify dimensions rather than percentages by specifying the unit of measurement, such

as 6p.

5Press Tab, Enter (Windows), or Return (Mac OS) to apply the change.

Transform objects with the Free Transform tool

The Free Transform tool works the same way it does in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, by providing a way

to perform any transformation with just one tool. You can combine transformations, such as rotating and scaling,

while the Free Transform tool is active.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to instantly switch among the Free Transform tool (press E), the Selection tool (V),

and the Direct Selection tool (A).

1Using the appropriate selection tool, select the object or objects to transform.

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2Select the Free Transform tool .

•To move objects, click anywhere within the bounding box, and then drag.

•To scale objects, drag any bounding box handle until the object is the desired size. Shift-drag the handle to preserve

the selection’s proportions.

•To scale objects from the center of the bounding box, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS).

•To rotate objects, position the pointer anywhere outside the bounding box. When the pointer changes to , drag

until the selection is at the desired angle of rotation.

•To reflect objects, drag a handle of the bounding box past the opposite edge or handle, until the object is at the

desired level of reflection.

•To shear objects, begin dragging a handle, and then hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS). Hold

down Alt+Ctrl (Windows) or Command+Option to shear from both sides of the object.

Rotate objects

You can rotate objects using any of several methods.

See also

“Change transformation settings” on page 384

“Use smart guides” on page 60

Rotate an object using the Rotate tool

1Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To

rotate the content without rotating its frame, use the Direct Selection tool to direct-select the object. To rotate a

frame without rotating the content, direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Select the Rotate tool .

3If you want to use a different reference point for the rotation, click where you want the reference point to appear.

4Position the tool away from the reference point, and drag around it. To constrain the tool to multiples of 45°, hold

down Shift as you drag. For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

You can also rotate by using the Free Transform tool.

If Smart Guides (and Smart Dimensions) are turned on, visual clues indicate when you’re rotating an object the same

degree as a nearby rotated object. For example, if you rotate one object on your page 24 degrees, a rotation icon

appears as you rotate another object close to 24 degrees.

Rotate an object using the Transform or Control panel

1Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To

rotate the content without rotating its frame, direct-select the object. To rotate a frame without rotating the content,

direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do any of the following:

•To rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in 90° increments, click either of the Rotate buttons in the Control panel.

•To rotate by a preset angle, choose an angle from the Rotation Angle pop-up menu in the Transform or Control

panel.

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•In the Rotation Angle box on the Transform or Control panel, type a positive angle to rotate selected objects

counterclockwise, or type a negative angle to rotate selected objects clockwise, and then press Enter (Windows) or

Return (Mac OS).

•To create a copy of the object with the new rotation applied to the copy, type a value in the Rotation Angle box on

the Transform panel and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you press Enter.

When you rotate a single object, the specified value remains displayed in the Transform or Control panel. When you

rotate multiple objects, the Rotation Angle is reset to 0 degrees, even though the objects are rotated.

Rotate an object using the Rotate command

You can use the Rotate command to rotate an object by a specific amount. This command also lets you rotate a copy

of the selected object, leaving the original in place.

1Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To

rotate the content without rotating its frame, direct-select the object. To rotate a frame without rotating the content,

direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following to open the Rotate dialog box:

•Choose Object > Transform > Rotate.

•Double-click the Rotate tool .

•Select the Rotate tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) on or near the object to select a new

reference point.

3Enter the rotation angle, in degrees, in the Angle box. Enter a negative angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a

positive angle to rotate the object counterclockwise.

4Do one of the following:

•To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

•To rotate the object, click OK.

•To rotate a copy of the object, click Copy.

Move objects

You can move objects by cutting them from one spot and pasting them into another, by entering new horizontal and

vertical coordinates, or by dragging them. Dragging also allows you to move a copy of an object or to copy objects

between software applications.

The Smart Guides feature makes it easy to move objects to precise locations in your layout. As you drag an object,

temporary guides appear, indicating that the object you’re moving is aligned with an edge or center of the page or with

another page item.

See also

“Transform objects” on page 388

“Create masters” on page 69

“Change transformation settings” on page 384

“Use smart guides” on page 60

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Move objects

Use the Selection tool to move both the frame and its content; use the Direct Selection tool to move either the frame

or its content.

Note: For best results, use the Selection tool to move multiple objects. If you use the Direct Selection tool to select multiple

objects or paths, dragging moves only the selected graphic, path, or anchor points.

1Select an object to move. To move both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To move

the content without moving its frame, direct-select the object. To move a frame without moving the content, direct-

select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following:

•To paste the object (or a copy of it) in a new location, choose Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy. Target the destination

spread, and choose Edit > Paste. The objects appear in the center of the target spread.

•To paste a copy at the same position as the original, choose Edit > Copy. Then, choose Edit > Paste In Place. (To

offset the copy from the original, nudge it using the arrow keys.)

If you want an object to appear in the same position on many pages, consider creating a master page and paste the

object on it.

•To move an object to a specific numeric location, type a value for each of the X (horizontal) or Y (vertical) position

options in the Transform or Control panel. Then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

•To nudge an object slightly in one direction, press or hold an arrow key; to nudge an object ten times as far, hold

down Shift as you press an arrow key.

•To move an object by dragging, drag the object to a new position. Shift-drag to constrain the movement of the

object horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (in multiples of 45°).

Move objects by a precise amount

You can use the Move command to move an object by a specific amount. This command also lets you move a copy of

the selected object, leaving the original in place.

1Select an object to move. To move both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To move

the content without moving its frame, direct-select the object. To move a frame without moving the content, direct-

select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Choose Object > Transform > Move, or double-click the icon for the Selection or Direct Selection tool in the

toolbox.

3In the Move dialog box, do one of the following:

•Enter the horizontal and vertical distances that you want the object to move. Positive values move the object down

and to the right of the x axis; negative values move the object up and to the left.

•To move an object a precise distance and angle, enter the distance and angle for the move. The angle you enter is

calculated in degrees from the x axis. Positive angles specify a counterclockwise move; negative angles specify a

clockwise move. You can also enter values between 180° and 360°; these values are converted to their corresponding

negative values (for example, a value of 270° is converted to –90°).

4Do any of the following:

•To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

•To move the object, click OK.

•To move a copy of the object, click Copy.

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Move objects to a precise location

1Select an object to move.

2If you want to use a different reference point for the move, click where you want the reference point to appear.

For example, if you want to move the object to the upper-left corner of the page, select the upper-left reference point.

3In the X and Y fields on the Transform panel, enter the coordinates where you want the selection to be moved.

Specify the distance objects move when nudged

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments

(Mac OS).

2For Cursor Key, specify the distance you want each press of an arrow key to move selected objects, and then

click OK.

If you hold down Shift while moving a selection, the selection moves ten times the distance you specify here.

Scaling vs. resizing objects

Resizing and scaling are different actions in InDesign. Resizing is simply changing the Width and Height values of an

object. Scaling involves using a percentage value related to the original scale (100%) of the frame.

The difference between resizing and scaling isn’t always apparent. A good way to see the difference is to resize and scale

a text frame that has a stroke applied to it. When you double the size of the text frame, the text size and stroke weight

remain the same. When you double the scale of the text frame, the text size and stroke weight also double.

Resizing a frame

By default, when the frame (and not the frame contents) is selected, changing the values of the Width and Height fields

changes only the frame, not its contents, regardless of which selection tool is active.

Scaling a frame and its contents

When the frame is selected with the Selection tool, changing the values of the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y

Percentage fields changes the frame and its contents.

Resizing or scaling frame contents

If you want to change only the content (resize or scale) of a frame, use the Direct Selection tool to select the frame

content first. Once selected, you can use the Width and Height fields or the Scale fields, depending on your preference.

Overriding defaults

If you want to scale the frame or its contents by a percentage and have the results returned in the current measurement

system, you can enter in a number with the percent sign to override the default measurement system. For example, if

the current width is 12p, and you want the new width to be 75% of the current value, you can enter 75% in the Width

field. After you press Enter, the new value for the Width displays as 9p.

Similarly, you can use other measurement system values if you want to scale to a specific increment but have the results

display in percent of the original. For example, you can replace 100% with 9p, and InDesign figures out which

percentage is required to make it that width/height.

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See also

“Resize objects” on page 394

“Scale objects” on page 395

Resize objects

When you drag the handle of a frame that includes contents, such as an imported graphic, you may expect the contents

to be resized as well. It’s important to understand that the content and the container frame are separate items, each

with its own bounding box. Simply dragging the frame of an imported graphic will either crop the graphic or leave a

blank space outside the graphic, depending on which direction you drag. Being able to modify the frame apart from

the contents adds flexibility, but it may take some time to get used to.

The Smart Guides feature makes it easy to resize objects based on other items in your layout. As you resize an object,

temporary guides appear, indicating that the object is aligned with an edge or center of the page or is the same height

or width as another page item.

Resizing an imported graphic

A. Frame selected with Selection tool B. Frame resized C. Frame and content scaled

•To resize a frame, drag any handle using the Selection tool. If you hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command

(Mac OS) while dragging, the frame and the content are scaled. Adding the Shift key scales proportionally.

•To resize the content of a graphics frame, use the Direct Selection tool, select the graphic, and then drag any of the

graphics frame handles.

•To resize a frame or its content to a precise size, select the object and enter the size in the width (W) or height (H)

fields on the Transform panel. (You can also use the Control panel.)

To maintain the original proportions of the object when using the Transform panel, make sure the Constrain

Proportions icon is selected.

•To resize both the frame and content, use the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y Percentage fields, not the W and H

fields. The W and H fields change only the selected frame or content, not both. Rather than specifying percentages,

you can type dimensions by including the unit of measurement, such as “6p.”

•To resize a frame or its content to a percentage of its current size, select the object and enter the percentage in the

width or height fields on the Transform panel.

•To create a copy of the selected object with the new size applied to the copy, type a value in the width or height fields

on the Transform panel and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you press Enter.

After you resize a frame or object, you can use a fitting option (Object > Fitting) to fit the content to the frame or the

frame to the content.

AB C

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See also

“Scale objects” on page 395

“Scaling vs. resizing objects” on page 393

“Use smart guides” on page 60

Scale objects

Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it horizontally (along the x axis), vertically (along the y axis), or both horizontally

and vertically, relative to the reference point you specify.

By default, InDesign scales strokes. For example, if you scale a selected object with a 4-point stroke by 200%, the Stroke

panel indicates an 8-point stroke and the stroke visibly doubles in size. You can change the default stroke behavior by

deselecting Adjust Stroke Weight When Scaling in the Transform or Control panel menu.

See also

“Scale type” on page 238

“Keys for transforming objects” on page 681

“Scaling vs. resizing objects” on page 393

“Change transformation settings” on page 384

Scale an object using the Selection tool

❖To scale the content and frame simultaneously, use the Selection tool and hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command

(Mac OS). Add the Shift key to resize the object proportionally.

Scale an object using the Scale tool

1Select an object to scale. To scale both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To scale

the content without scaling its frame, direct-select the object. To scale a frame without scaling the content, direct-

select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Select the Scale tool .

3Position the Scale tool away from the reference point and drag. To scale the x or y axis only, start dragging the Scale

tool along one axis only. To scale proportionally, hold down Shift as you drag the Scale tool. For finer control, start

dragging farther from the object’s reference point.

You can also scale by using the Free Transform tool.

Scale an object using the Transform panel

To maintain the original proportions of the object when using the Transform panel, make sure the Constrain

Proportions icon is selected.

1Select an object to scale. To scale both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To scale

the content without scaling its frame, direct-select the object. To scale a frame without scaling the content, direct-

select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2In the Transform or Control panel, do one of the following:

•Choose a preset percentage value in the Scale X Percentage or Scale Y Percentage pop-up menu.

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•Type a percentage value (such as 120%), or a specific distance (such as 10p) in the Scale X Percentage or Scale Y

Percentage box, and then press Enter or Return.

Scale an object using the Scale command

1Select an object to scale. To scale both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To scale

the content without scaling its frame, direct-select the object. To scale a frame without scaling the content, direct-

select the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following to open the Scale dialog box:

•Choose Object > Transform > Scale.

•Double-click the Scale tool .

•Select the Scale tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) on or near the object to select a new

reference point.

3Type a percentage value in the Scale X or Scale Y box.

To maintain the original proportions of the object when using the Transform panel, make sure the Constrain

Proportions icon is selected.

4Do any of the following:

•To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

•To scale the object, click OK.

•To scale a copy of the object, click Copy.

Determine how scaling is tracked

You can determine how scaling is tracked in the interface. If the Apply To Content preference option is selected in

General preferences, scaling values are reset to 100% in the Transform panel after the object is scaled. If Adjust Scaling

Percentage is selected, scaling values remain as specified (such as 125%).

With multiple objects selected, the scaling value will always display as 100%. However, you can select objects

individually to see the applied effect of the transform (such as 125%) if Adjust Scaling Percentage is selected.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2Under When Scaling, select Apply To Content or Adjust Scaling Percentage, and then click OK.

If Adjust Scaling Percentage is selected and you scale an object, you can choose Redefine Scaling As 100% from the

Transform or Control panel menu to reset the scaling percentages to 100%.

Adjust stroke weight when objects are scaled

❖Select the Adjust Stroke Weight When Scaling option in the Transform or Control panel menu.

For example, if you scale a 4-point stroke by 200% when this option is turned on, the stroke weight becomes 8 points.

If you turn off this option, the object doubles in size but its stroke weight remains 4 points.

If this option is turned on and you scale an object disproportionally, InDesign applies the smallest stroke weight to all

sides. For example, suppose that you scale a selected object with a 4-point stroke only in the X direction by 200%.

Instead of applying an 8-point stroke in the X direction and a 4-point stroke in the Y direction, InDesign applies the

smaller value (4 points) to all sides.

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Reset scaling value to 100%

In some cases, you may want to reset the Scale X and Scale Y values of an object to 100% without resizing the object.

For example, you may have opened a document from a previous version of InDesign that has non-100% scaling values,

or you may have scaled an object with the Adjust Scaling Percentage preference setting selected. When you choose this

command, the scaling values for all selected frames are reset to 100%. Choosing this command does not change the

size or appearance of objects.

1Select one or more objects that have non-100% scaling values.

This command is dimmed if you direct-select an imported image or if an object has 100% scaling values.

2Choose Redefine Scaling As 100% from the Transform or Control panel menu.

Note: Choosing this command may result in unexpected behavior with objects in transformed groups.

Reflect (flip) objects

Reflecting an object flips the object across an invisible axis at the reference point you specify. (See “Change

transformation settings” on page 384.)

Original object (top) reflected using Flip Horizontal (middle) and Flip Vertical (bottom)

The flip/rotate indicator (P) in the middle of the Control panel appears white with a black outline if an object is flipped.

If the object is not flipped, the indicator is solid black.

1Select an object to flip. To flip both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To flip the

content without its frame, direct-select the object. To flip a frame without its content, direct-select the frame, and

select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following:

•To reflect using the reference point as a horizontal axis, click the Flip Horizontal button in the Control panel.

•To reflect using the reference point as a vertical axis, click the Flip Vertical button in the Control panel.

You can also reflect objects by using the Selection tool or Free Transform tool to pull one side of an object’s bounding

box past the opposite side, or by typing negative values into the Scale X Percentage or Scale Y Percentage options in

the Transform or Control panel.

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Shear (skew) objects

Shearing an object slants or skews it along its horizontal or vertical axis, and can also rotate both of the object’s axes.

Shearing is useful for:

•Simulating some types of perspective, such as isometric projection.

•Slanting a text frame.

•Creating cast shadows when you shear a copy of an object.

See also

“Change transformation settings” on page 384

Shear an object

1Select an object to shear. To shear both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To shear

the content without its frame, direct-select the object. To shear a frame without scaling the content, direct-select

the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following:

•To shear selected objects by dragging, select the Shear tool . Then position the Shear tool away from the

reference point, and drag. Shift-drag to constrain shearing to a perpendicular vertical or horizontal axis. If you start

to drag at a non-perpendicular angle and then hold down the Shift key, shearing is constrained to that angle.

Object being sheared by dragging Shear tool with reference point placed in center

If you want to use a different reference point for the shearing, click where you want the reference point to appear.

•To shear using a preset value, in the Transform or Control panel, choose an angle from the Shear pop-up menu.

•To shear using a specific value, in the Transform or Control panel, type a positive or negative angle in the

Shear box, and press Enter or Return.

•To create a copy of the object with the new shear applied to the copy, type a value in the width or height field on

the Transform panel and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you press Enter.

When you shear a single object, the specified value remains displayed in the Transform or Control panel. When you

shear multiple objects, the Shear Angle value is reset to 0 degrees, even though the objects are sheared.

You can also shear by using the Free Transform tool.

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Shear an object using the Shear command

You can shear an object by a specific amount by using the Shear command. This command also lets you shear a copy

of the selected object, leaving the original in place.

1Select an object to shear. To shear both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To shear

the content without its frame, direct-select the object. To shear a frame without scaling the content, direct-select

the frame, and select all the anchor points.

2Do one of the following to open the Shear dialog box:

•Select Object > Transform > Shear.

•Double-click the Shear tool .

•Select the Shear tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to select a new reference point.

3Type a new shear angle.

The shear angle is the amount of slant to be applied to the object, relative to a line perpendicular to the shear axis.

(Shear angle is calculated clockwise from the current axis.)

4Specify the axis along which the object is to be sheared. You can shear an object along a horizontal or vertical axis.

5Do any of the following:

•To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

•To shear the object, click OK.

•To shear a copy of the object, click Copy.

Repeat transformations

You can repeat transformations, such as moving, scaling, rotating, resizing, reflecting, shearing, and fitting. You can

repeat either a single transformation or a sequence of transformations, and you can apply those transformations to

more than one object at a time. InDesign remembers all transformations until you select a different object or perform

a different task.

Note: Not all transformations are recorded. For example, modifying a path or its points is not recorded as a

transformation.

1Select one or more objects, and perform all the transformations you want to repeat.

2Select the object or objects to which you want to apply the same transformations.

3Choose Object > Transform Again and then select one of the following options:

Transform Again Applies the last single transform operation to the selection.

Transform Again Individually Applies the last single transform operation to each selected object individually, rather

than as a group.

Transform Sequence Again Applies the last sequence of transform operations to the selection.

Transform Sequence Again Individually Applies the last sequence of transform operations to each selected object

individually.

Clear transformations

1Select the object or objects that have been transformed.

2Choose Clear Transformations from the Transform or Control panel menu.

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Unless all values are the default values, clearing transformations results in a change of appearance for the objects.

Note: If the Scale values were reset at 100%, clearing the transformations will not change the scale.

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” on page 244.)

•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

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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)

1Select the objects to align or distribute.

2Choose 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.

3From 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.

4Do 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.

AAA

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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 top-

most 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.

See also

“Use smart guides” on page 60

AAA

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Grouping, locking, and duplicating objects

Group or ungroup objects

You can combine several objects into a group so that they are treated as a single unit. You can then move or transform

the objects without affecting their individual positions or attributes. For example, you might group the objects in a logo

design so that you can move and scale the logo as one unit.

Grouped object

Groups can also be nested—grouped into subgroups within larger groups. Use the Selection, Direct Selection, and

Group Selection tools to select different levels of a nested group’s hierarchy.

If you’re working with a stack of overlapping objects, and you group some objects that aren’t adjacent in the stacking

order, the selected objects will be pulled together in the stacking order, right behind the frontmost selected object. (For

example, when objects are stacked as A, B, C, D from front to back, and you group B and D together, the stacking order

becomes A, B, D, C.) If you group objects that exist on different named layers, all of the objects move to the frontmost

layer on which you selected an object. Also, the objects you select must either be all locked or all unlocked.

1Select multiple objects to be grouped or ungrouped. Selecting part of an object (for example, an anchor point) will

group the entire object.

2Choose either Object > Group or Object > Ungroup.

If you’re not sure if an object is part of a group, select it using the Selection tool and look at the Object menu. If the

Object > Ungroup command is available, you’ve selected a group.

See also

“Arrange objects in a stack” on page 383

“Select nested or overlapping objects” on page 382

Lock or unlock objects

You can use the Lock Position command to specify that you don’t want certain objects to move in your document. As

long as an object is locked, it cannot be moved, although you can still select it and change other attributes such as color.

Locked objects stay locked when a document is saved, closed, and then reopened.

1Select the object or objects that you want to lock in place.

2Do one of the following:

•To lock the objects, choose Object > Lock Position.

•To unlock the objects, choose Object > Unlock Position.

You can also use the Layers panel to lock one or more layers. This locks the positions of all objects on a layer, and also

prevents them from being selected.

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See also

“Lock or unlock layers” on page 80

Duplicate objects

You can duplicate objects using a number of different methods.

Duplicate an object using the Duplicate command

Use the Duplicate command to replicate a selected object instantly. The new copy appears on the layout slightly offset

down and to the right from the original.

❖Select an object or objects, and choose Edit > Duplicate.

Duplicate a selected object as you transform

You can duplicate an object each time you change its position, orientation, or proportions. For example, you can create

a flower by drawing one petal, setting its reference point at the base of the petal, and repeatedly rotating at incremental

angles, simultaneously duplicating to leave behind a new copy of the petal at each angle.

❖During a transformation, do one of the following:

•If you’re dragging the Selection tool , the Rotate tool , the Scale tool , or the Shear tool , start dragging,

and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you begin dragging. To constrain the duplicate’s

transformation, Alt+Shift-drag (Windows) or Option+Shift-drag (Mac OS).

•If you’re specifying a value in the Transform or Control panel, press Alt+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return

(Mac OS) after you’ve typed the value.

•If you’re pressing arrow keys to move objects, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you press the keys.

Duplicate objects into rows or columns

Use the Step and Repeat command to instantly create rows or columns of duplicates. For example, you can fill a page

with evenly spaced duplicates of a single business card design.

1Select the object or objects you want to duplicate.

2Choose Edit > Step and Repeat.

3For Repeat Count, specify how many duplicates you want to make, not counting the original.

4For Horizontal Offset and Vertical Offset, specify how far to shift the position of each new duplicate from the

previous duplicate along the x and y axes, respectively, and click OK.

To create a page full of duplicates, first use Step and Repeat with Vertical Offset set to 0 (zero); this will create one row

of duplicates. Then select the entire row and use Step and Repeat with Horizontal Offset set to 0; this will repeat the

row down the page.

Create nonprinting objects

You might want to create objects that appear onscreen, but will not be printed or appear in portable versions of the

document.

You can also use layers to selectively hide or show elements in a document, and you can assign layers a non-printing

status.

1Select the object or text frame that you don’t want to be printed.

2Open the Attributes panel (Window > Attributes).

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3In the Attributes panel, select Nonprinting.

See also

“Set a layer as nonprinting” on page 80

Working with frames and objects

Modifying objects using graphics frames

Adobe InDesign objects include any item you can add or create in the document window, including open paths, closed

paths, compound shapes and paths, type, rasterized artwork, 3D objects, and any placed file, such as an image.

If a graphic exists inside a frame (as all imported graphics do), you can modify it by changing its relationship to its

frame, as in the following examples:

•Crop a graphic by making its frame smaller.

•Create various masking and layout effects by pasting an object into a frame.

•Add a keyline or outline to a graphic by changing the stroke weight and color of its frame.

•Center a graphic against a background rectangle by enlarging its frame and setting the frame’s fill color.

Paste an object into a frame

Use the Paste Into command to nest graphics within container frames. You can even nest graphics into nested frames.

Background image pasted into a frame

1Do one of the following:

•To paste one object inside a frame, select the object.

•To paste two or more objects inside a frame, group them first, because a frame can contain only one object.

•To paste a text frame inside another frame and preserve its current appearance, select the entire text frame using

the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool , not the Type tool.

2Choose Edit > Copy (or Edit > Cut, if you don’t want to keep the original).

3Select a path or frame, and then choose Edit > Paste Into.

Remove a frame’s content

1Do one of the following:

•If you’re removing a graphic or a text frame, select the object with the Direct Selection tool .

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•If you’re removing text characters, select them with the Type tool .

2Do one of the following:

•To permanently remove the content, press Delete or Backspace, or drag items to the Delete icon.

•To place the content elsewhere on the layout, choose Edit > Cut, deselect the frame, and then choose Edit > Paste.

Note: An imported image cannot exist without a frame. If you cut an imported image from its frame and paste it

elsewhere within a document, a new frame will be created for it automatically.

Fit an object to its frame

When you place or paste an object into a frame, it appears at the upper-left corner of the frame by default. If the frame

and its content are different sizes, you can use the Fitting commands to achieve a perfect fit automatically.

Frame alignment options apply to frames that contain either a graphic or another text frame (text frames nested within

another frame), but they do not affect paragraphs inside a text frame—you control alignment and positioning of text

itself using the Text Frame Options command and the Paragraph, Paragraph Styles, and Story panels.

1Select the frame of the object.

2Choose Object > Fitting and one of the following options:

Fit Content To Frame Resizes content to fit a frame and allows the content proportions to be changed. The frame will

not change, but the content may appear to be stretched if the content and the frame have different proportions.

Fit Frame To Content Resizes a frame to fit its content. The frame’s proportions are altered to match the content

proportions, if necessary. This is useful for resetting a graphics frame that you accidentally altered.

To fit a frame to its content quickly, double-click any corner handle on the frame. The frame resizes away from the

point you click. If you click a side handle, the frame resizes only in that dimension.

Aligning an object within a graphics frame

A. Original B. Frame resized to fit content C. Content resized to fit frame

Center Content Centers content within a frame. The proportions of the frame and its content are preserved. The size

of the content and frame are unaltered.

Fit Content Proportionally Resizes content to fit a frame while preserving the content proportions. The frame’s

dimensions are not changed. If the content and the frame have different proportions, some empty space will result.

Fill Frame Proportionally Resizes content to fill the entire frame while preserving the content’s proportions. The

frame’s dimensions are not changed. If the content and the frame have different proportions, some of the content will

be cropped by the bounding box of the frame.

Note: The Fitting commands fit the outer edges of the content to the center of the frame’s stroke. If the frame has a thick

stroke weight, outer edges of the content will be obscured. You can adjust the frame’s stroke alignment to the center, inside,

or outside of a frame edge. (See “Set strokes” on page 335.)

ABC

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Set frame fitting options

You can associate a fitting option to a placeholder frame so that whenever new content is placed in that frame, the

fitting command is applied.

1Select a frame.

2Choose Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options.

3Specify the following options, and then click OK:

Reference Point Specify a reference point for the cropping and fitting actions. For example, if you select the upper-

right corner for a reference point and choose Fit Content Proportionally, the image may be cropped on either the left

or bottom side (away from the reference point).

Crop Amount Specify the location of the image’s bounding box in relation to the frame. Use positive values to crop the

image. For example, you may want to exclude a border that surrounds the placed image. Use negative values to add

space between the image’s bounding box and the frame. For example, you may want white space to appear between

the image and the frame.

If you enter crop values that cause the image not to be visible, those values are ignored, but the fitting option is still

implemented.

Fitting On Empty Frame Specify whether you want to fit the content to the frame (which may cause the image to be

skewed), fit the content proportionally (some empty space may result), or fill the frame proportionally (one or more

sides may be cropped).

The fitting action is applied only when content is placed into a frame. If you resize the frame, the fitting option is not

automatically reapplied.

See also

“Using placeholders to design pages” on page 82

“Object styles” on page 196

Move a graphics frame or its content

When you move a frame using the Selection tool, the frame’s content moves with it. The following techniques include

ways to move a frame or its content independent of each other. These techniques are useful for adjusting how a graphic

is cropped or masked by its frame. For information about using the Position tool, see “Crop content using the Position

tool” on page 334.

If a selection tool doesn’t work the way you expect it to, try deselecting everything first. Do this by pressing

Ctrl+Shift+A (Windows) or Command+Shift+A (Mac OS).

❖Do any of the following:

•To move a frame together with its content, use the Selection tool .

•To move imported content without moving the frame (that is, to pan content behind its frame), use the Direct

Selection tool . The Direct Selection tool automatically changes to the Hand tool when placed over an imported

graphic, but not when placed over text or vector graphics created in InDesign.

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Moving the content, but not its frame

Note: If you hold down the mouse button on a graphic before you move it, a dynamic graphics preview (a ghosted-back

image) of the outside of the frame appears, but the preview of the image that moves inside the frame is not ghosted. This

makes it easier to see how you are positioning the entire image within a frame.

•To move a frame without moving its content, select the Direct Selection tool, click the frame, click its center point

to make all of the anchor points solid, and then drag the frame. Don’t drag any of the frame’s anchor points; doing

so changes the shape of the frame.

Moving the frame, but not its content

•To move multiple frames, use the Selection tool to select the objects, and then drag them. If you use the Direct

Selection tool to select multiple objects, only the item you drag is affected.

Create a border or background

A graphics frame is ideally suited for use as a border or background for its content, because you can change the frame’s

stroke and fill independent of the content.

Adding borders to graphics frames

A. Photo in graphics frame B. Frame with stroke applied C. Frame enlarged with both stroke and fill applied

1Using the Selection tool , click an imported graphic to select its frame.

2To enlarge the frame without resizing the graphic, drag any bounding box handle outward. To maintain frame

proportions, hold down Shift as you drag.

3Use the Swatches panel and the toolbox to apply a stroke and fill color.

4Use the Stroke panel to adjust the frame’s stroke weight, style, or alignment.

CAB

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You can quickly enlarge a frame equally around all sides by using the Transform or Control panel. Select the frame

with the Direct Selection tool , set the panel reference point locator to the center point, and enter new values

for the width and height.

See also

“Applying line (stroke) settings” on page 335

“Apply color” on page 437

Crop or mask objects

Cropping and masking are both terms that describe hiding part of an object. In general, the difference is that cropping

uses a rectangle to trim the edges of an image, and masking uses an arbitrary shape to make an object’s background

transparent. A common example of a mask is a clipping path, which is a mask made for a specific image.

Use graphics frames to crop or mask objects. Because an imported graphic is automatically contained within a frame,

you can crop or mask it immediately without having to create a frame for it. If you haven’t created a frame for an

imported graphic manually, the frame is automatically created at the same size as the graphic, so it may not be obvious

that the frame is there.

Note: For efficient printing, only the data for the visible parts of cropped or masked images is sent when you output the

document. However, you will still save disk space and RAM if you crop or mask images to their desired shapes and sizes

before importing them into your document.

•To crop an imported image or any other graphic already inside a rectangular frame, click the object using the

Selection tool and drag any handle on the bounding box that appears. Press Shift as you drag to preserve the

frame’s original proportions.

Cropping an image using a graphics frame

•To crop or mask any object, use the Selection or Direct Selection tool to select one object you want to mask.

Choose Edit > Copy, select an empty path or frame smaller than the object, and choose Edit > Paste Into.

•To crop frame content precisely, select the frame with the Direct Selection tool, and use the Transform or Control

panel to change the size of the frame.

•To specify crop settings for an empty placeholder frame, choose Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options, and then

specify the crop amount.

With an imported graphic, you can also create a mask by using the drawing tools to change the shape of the graphic’s

existing frame.

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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.

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

CAB

FD E

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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.

1Select an imported graphic, and choose Object > Clipping Path.

2In the Clipping Path dialog box, choose either Photoshop Path or Alpha Channel from the Type menu.

3Choose 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.

4To inset the clipping path, specify a value for Inset Frame.

5To switch the visible and hidden areas, select Invert.

6If 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

1Select an imported graphic, and choose Object > Clipping Path.

2In 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.

3Specify 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.

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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.

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.

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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” on page 414.)

Convert a clipping path to a graphics frame

•Choose Object > Clipping Path > Convert Clipping Path To Frame.

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Chapter 14: 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.

Adding transparency effects

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.

For information on getting started with transparency (PDF), see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_transparency_bp.

Areas of underlying objects appear through transparent object.

See also

“About flattening” on page 426

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” on page 423.)

Opacity Determines the opacity of an object, stroke, fill, or text. (See “Set the opacity of an object” on page 421.)

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” on page 425.)

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” on page 425.)

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” on page 415.)

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.

Apply transparency effects

1Select an object. To apply effects to a graphic, select the graphic with the Direct Selection tool.

2Choose Window > Effects to display the Effects panel.

3Select 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.)

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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 and select Object,

Stroke, Fill, or Text.

4Do 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.

5Choose options and settings for the effect. (See “Common transparency settings and options” on page 418.)

6Click OK.

See also

“Set the opacity of an object” on page 421

Feathering video

Drop Shadows video

Edit a transparency effect

1Select the object or objects to which the effect has been applied.

2Do 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 in the Effects panel, and choose the name

of an effect.

3Edit 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.

•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.

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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.

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.

ABC

DEF

GHI

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Note: In addition to the descriptions covered here, see “Common transparency settings and options” on page 418.

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” on page 423.)

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” on page 421.) 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.

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.

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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.

For a video tutorial on creating drop shadows, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0085.

See also

“Adjust a gradient with the Gradient tools” on page 455

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.

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.

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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.

For a video tutorial on feathering, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0086.

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 Widths Set 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.

Noise Specifies the amount of random elements in the softening glow. Use this option to create a softer glow.

Choke Along 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.

Shape Choose an option—First Edge Only, Leading Edges, or All Edges—to demarcate the object’s original shape.

Angle Rotates 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.

Gradient Feather

Use the Gradient Feather effect to soften the areas of an object by fading them to transparent.

Gradient Stops Create 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.

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•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 Gradient Click to reverse the direction of the gradations. This box is located to the right of the Gradient Slider.

Opacity Specifies the transparency between gradient points. Select a point and drag the Opacity slider.

Location Adjusts the position of a gradient stop. Select a gradient stop before dragging the slider or entering a

measurement.

Type Linear 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.

Angle For 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.

1Do any of the following to open the Global Light dialog box:

•Choose Global Light from the Effects panel menu.

•Choose Object > Effects > Global Light.

2Enter 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.

For videos on adding opacity, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0087 and www.adobe.com/go/vid0088.

1Select 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).”

2Choose 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).

3On 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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See also

“Synchronize color settings across Adobe applications” on page 465

“Applying transparency to groups” on page 422

Applying Opacity Effects video

Setting Opacity video

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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Display Performance (Windows) or Adobe InDesign > Preferences > Display

Performance (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

3Drag the Transparency slider. The default setting is Medium Quality, which displays drop shadows and feathering.

4Click OK.

5When inks overlap with blend modes, choose View > Overprint Preview. This option ensures that you can see on

screen how any inks interact with transparency.

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Use the View menu to quickly change transparency display between Fast Display, Typical Display, and High Quality

Display.

See also

“Control graphics’ display performance” on page 364

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 9, choose Advanced > Print Production

> Output Preview, and then choose Simulate Overprinting.

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.

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.

1Select one or more objects or a group.

2Do one of the following:

•In the Effects panel, choose a blending mode, such as Normal or Overlay, from the menu.

•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.

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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.

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” on page 432.

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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.

1Apply the blending modes and opacity settings to the individual objects whose blending you want to isolate.

2Using the Selection tool, select the objects you want to isolate.

3Choose Object > Group.

4In 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.

Group with Knockout Group option deselected (left) compared to selected (right)

1Apply the blending modes and opacity settings to the individual objects that you want to knock out.

2Using the Selection tool, select the objects that you want to knock out.

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3Choose Object > Group.

4In 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.

See also

“About flattening” on page 426

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.

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.

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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.

[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.

1Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.

2Do one of the following:

•To create a new preset, click New.

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•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.

3Set flattening options.

4Click 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.

1Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.

2Select a preset in the list.

3Do 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

1Choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets.

2Select a preset in the list.

3Do 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.

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 high-

resolution 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.

1Display the spread in the Document window.

2Choose Spread Flattening in the Pages panel menu.

3Choose 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.

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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.

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.

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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 high-

resolution 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.

Stitching, where rasters and vectors meet.

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.

(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

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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

color-coded 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.

1Display the Flattener Preview panel (or dialog box):

•In Illustrator, choose Window > Flattener Preview.

•In Acrobat, choose Advanced > Print Production > Flattener Preview.

•In InDesign, choose Window > Output > Flattener Preview.

2From the Highlight menu, choose the kind of areas you want to highlight. The availability of options depends on

the content of the artwork.

3Select 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.

4If 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.

5At 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.

See also

“About flattening” on page 426

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.

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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:

Important: 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

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.

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•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.

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.

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•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.

See also

“About transparency flattener presets” on page 427

“Options for omitting graphics” on page 598

“Ink Manager overview” on page 628

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Chapter 15: Color

Applying colors and gradients to paths, frames, and type is a common publishing task, whether you’re publishing in

print or exporting to the web. When applying color, keep in mind the final medium in which the artwork will be

published so that you can apply color using the most appropriate color mode.

Understanding spot and process colors

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.

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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.

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 color-

management 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.

See also

“Mixing inks” on page 457

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.

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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.

Applying color

Apply color

Adobe InDesign provides a number of tools for applying color, including the Toolbox, the Swatches panel, the Color

panel, and the Color Picker.

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.

1Select 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, use the Direct Selection tool. You can only apply two colors to a

grayscale or monochrome image.

•For text characters, use the Type tool to change the text color of a single word or the entire text within a frame.

To change the color of gaps in a dashed, dotted, or striped stroke, use the Stroke panel.

2In 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.

3In 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

4Do one of the following:

•Select a color, tint, or gradient using the Swatches or Gradient 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.

1Double-click either the Fill or Stroke box in the Toolbox or the Color panel to open the Color Picker.

2To 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

3To 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.

4To 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.

5Click 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.

1Select the object or text you want to color.

2In the Toolbox, click the Fill button or Stroke button depending on which portion of the text or object you want to

color.

3In 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 to apply the last selected gradient in the Swatches or Gradient panel.

•Click the None button to remove the object’s fill or stroke.

CDE

A B

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Remove fill or stroke color

1Select the text or object whose color you want to remove.

2In the Toolbox, click the Fill button or Stroke button depending on which portion of the text or object you want to

change.

3Click the None button to remove the object’s fill or stroke.

Applying colors by dragging and dropping

An easy way to apply colors or gradients is to drag them from a color source to an object or panel. Dragging and

dropping 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

1Using the Selection tool , select a text or object frame; or using the Text tool , select a range of text.

2If the Swatches panel is not open, choose Window > Swatches.

3In the Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.

4Do one of the following:

aTo apply color to selected text, click the Text button .

bTo apply color to a selected object or text container (such as a frame or a table), click the Object button .

5Click 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.

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 may be familiar with it if you use other Adobe products, such as Adobe Illustrator.

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.

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Note: If you select an object that currently uses a named swatch, editing its color using the Color panel will change 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

1Select the object or text you want to change.

2If the Color panel is not displayed, choose Window > Color.

3Select 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

4If 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.

5Do 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.

6If 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

1In the Color panel, make sure that the active Fill or Stroke box displays the color you want to add.

2Choose 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

1Select one or more objects that have the fill and stroke attributes you want to change.

2Select the Eyedropper tool .

3Click 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.

4To 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

1Press 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.

2Without 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

1In the Toolbox, double-click the Eyedropper tool .

2Choose Fill And Stroke Settings from the menu at the top of the Eyedropper Options dialog box.

3Select the fill and stroke attributes 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.

1Make sure the image is saved as a grayscale or bitmap image and that it’s saved in PSD, TIFF, BMP, or JPF format.

In Photoshop, you can choose Image > Mode > Bitmap or Image > Mode > Grayscale.

2Use the Direct Selection tool to select the image.

3Select a color from the Swatches panel or Color panel.

If the image is in PSD format, it may 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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Working with swatches

Swatches panel overview

The Swatches panel (Window > 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” on page 293.)

See also

“Understanding spot and process colors” on page 435

“Import swatches” on page 447

“Mixing inks” on page 457

“Tints” on page 451

Swatch types

The Swatches panel stores the following types of swatches:

Colors Icons on the Swatches panel identify the spot and process color types, and LAB , RGB ,

CMYK , and Mixed Ink 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 paper-

colored 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.

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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.

Customize swatch display

You can control the size of swatches and whether the name displays with the swatch.

1In 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.

2To 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.

See also

“Using colors from imported graphics” on page 459

“Preflighting files before handoff” on page 603

Create a new color swatch

1Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.

2For Color Type, choose the method you’ll use to print document colors on a printing press.

3For 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.

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4For Color Mode, choose the mode you want to use in defining the color. Avoid changing the mode after you define

a color.

5Do 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.

6If 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.

7Do 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

1Select the object.

2In the Toolbox or Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.

3In 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.

See also

“Import swatches” on page 447

“Inks, separations, and screen frequency” on page 628

“Mixing inks” on page 457

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Edit the default colors in the Swatches panel

You can change the swatches that appear by default in new documents.

1Close all open documents.

2Edit 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.

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.

1In the Swatches panel, select a swatch, and do one of the following:

•Double-click the swatch.

•Choose Swatch Options in the Swatches panel menu.

2Adjust 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.

1Double-click a process color in the Swatches panel.

2Do 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 Color Swatch (this has a number following it if more than one New

Color Swatch exists) when this option is deselected. You can change this name manually.

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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.

1Select one or more swatches.

2Do 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 Interchange (INX) file. Then re-open that file in

InDesign.

3InDesign 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.

Delete all unused swatches

1Choose Select All Unused in the Swatches panel menu. Only swatches that are not currently used in the active file

will be selected.

2Click 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.

1In the Swatches panel, select two or more duplicate swatches.

The first swatch you select is the one the survives (gets merged into).

2Choose 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.

1In the Swatches panel, select the swatches you want to save.

2Choose Save Swatches in the Swatches panel menu.

3Specify 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.

1In the Swatches panel, create the process and spot color swatches you want to share, and remove any swatches you

don’t want to share.

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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.

2Select Save Swatches from the Swatches panel menu, and save the swatch libraries in an easily accessible location.

3Load 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.

See also

“Kuler panel” on page 449

Import selected swatches from a file

1Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.

2Choose Other Library from the Color Mode list, and then select the file from which you want to import swatches.

3Click Open.

4Select the swatches you want import.

5Click OK.

Import all swatches from a file

1From the Swatches panel menu, choose Load Swatches.

2Double-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.”

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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.

1Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.

2Do 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.

3Select one or more swatches from the library, and click Add. (To exit the dialog box without adding swatches,

click OK.)

4When 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.

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.

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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.

Kuler panel

About the Kuler panel

The Kuler™ panel is your portal to groups of colors, or themes, created by an online community of designers. You can

use it to browse thousands of themes on Kuler™, and then download some to edit or to include in your own projects.

You can also use the Kuler panel to create and save themes, and then share them with the Kuler community by

uploading them.

The Kuler panel is available in Adobe Photoshop® CS4, Adobe Flash® Professional CS4, Adobe InDesign® CS4, Adobe

Illustrator® CS4, and Adobe Fireworks® CS4. The panel is not available in the French versions of these products.

For a video on the Kuler panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4088_xp.

For an article on Kuler and color inspiration, see Veerle Pieters' blog at

http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/adobe_kuler_update_and_color_tips/.

Browse themes

An Internet connection is required to browse themes online.

Search themes

1Select Window > Extensions > Kuler, and then select the Browse panel.

2Do either of the following:

•In the Search box, enter the name of a theme, tag, or creator.

Note: Use only alphanumerical characters (Aa-Zz, 0-9) in searches.

•Filter the search results by selecting an option from the pop-up menus above the results.

View a theme online on Kuler

1In the Browse panel, select a theme in the search results.

2Click the triangle on the right side of the theme and select View Online in Kuler.

Saving frequent searches

1Select the Custom option in the first pop-up menu in the Browse panel.

2In the dialog box that opens, enter your search terms and save them.

When you want to run the search, select it from the first pop-up menu.

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To delete a saved search, select the Custom option in the pop-up menu. Then clear the searches you want to delete,

and click Save.

Working with themes

You can use the Kuler panel to create or edit themes, and include them in your projects.

Note: In Illustrator, you create and edit themes with the Edit Color/Recolor Artwork dialog box, rather than the Create

panel. For details, see Illustrator Help.

Add a theme to the Swatches panel of your application

1In the Browse panel, select a theme you want to use.

2Click the triangle on the right side of the theme and select Add To Swatches Panel.

You can also add a theme from the Create panel by clicking the Add To Swatches button at the bottom of the panel.

Edit a theme

1In the Browse panel, locate a theme you want to edit and then double-click the theme in the search results. The

theme opens in the Create panel.

2In the Create panel, edit the theme using the tools at your disposal. For more information, see the Create Panel

Tools topic that follows.

3Do one of the following:

•Save your theme by clicking the Save Theme button.

•Add the theme to your application’s Swatches panel by clicking the Add To Swatches Panel button at the bottom

of the panel.

•Upload the theme to the Kuler service by clicking the Upload button at the bottom of the panel.

Create panel tools

The Create panel provides a variety of tools to create or edit themes.

•Select a harmony rule from the Select Rule pop-up menu. The harmony rule uses the base color as the basis for

generating the colors in the color group. For example, if you choose a blue base color and the Complementary

harmony rule, a color group is created using the base color, blue, and its complement, red.

•Select the Custom rule to create a theme using free-form adjustments.

•Manipulate the colors in the color wheel. As you make your adjustments, the selected harmony rule continues to

govern the colors generated for the color group.

• Move the Brightness slider beside the wheel to adjust the color brightness.

•Set the base color by dragging the Base color marker (the largest, double-ringed color marker) around the wheel.

You can also set the base color by adjusting the color sliders at the bottom of the dialog box.

•Set one of the four other colors in the color group as the base color. Select the color’s swatch and click the bull’s-eye

button below the color group.

•Set the host application’s foreground/background color or stroke/fill color as the base color. Click one of the first

two buttons below the color group.

•Remove a color from the color group by selecting the color’s swatch and clicking the Remove Color button below

the color group. Add a new color by selecting an empty color swatch and clicking the Add Color button.

•Try different color effects by selecting a new harmony rule and by moving the markers in the color wheel.

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•Double-click any of the swatches in the color group to set the active color (foreground/background or stroke/fill)

in your application. If the application doesn't have an active or selected color feature, the Kuler panel sets the

foreground color or the fill color as appropriate.

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

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

1In the Swatches panel, select a color swatch.

2Select the arrow next to the Tint box.

3Drag 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.

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Create a tint swatch using the Color panel

1In the Swatches panel, select a swatch.

2In the Color panel, drag the Tint slider, or enter a tint value in the Percentage box.

3In the Color panel menu, click Add To Swatches.

Drag the Tint slider and then click Add To Swatches.

Create an unnamed tint

1In the Swatches panel, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.

2Drag the Tint slider, or enter a tint value in the percentage box.

Edit a tint or base color swatch

1In the Swatches panel, double-click the tint swatch.

2Do one of the following, and click OK:

•To edit the tint, change the Tint value. This updates all objects using that tint swatch.

•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.

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.

See also

“About printing” on page 583

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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.

1Choose New Gradient Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.

2For Swatch Name, type a name for the gradient.

3For Type, choose Linear or Radial.

4Select the first color stop in the gradient.

First color stop

5For 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.

By default, the first stop of the gradient is set to white. To make it transparent, apply the Paper swatch.

6To change the last color in the gradient, select the last color stop, and repeat step 5.

7To 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.

8To 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.

9Click OK or Add. The gradient is stored in the Swatches panel with its name.

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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 > 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.

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.

1Select the object or objects you want to change.

2Click 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.)

3To open the Gradient panel, choose Window > Gradient, or double-click the Gradient tool in the Toolbox.

4To 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.

5To 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.

6Select either Linear or Radial in the Type menu, and adjust color and midpoint positions as explained in “Create a

gradient swatch” on page 453.

Note: When you change the gradient type, it will reset the gradient’s starting and ending points to its original default for

the currently selected object.

7To 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” on page 349.) 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.

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Add intermediate colors to a gradient

1Double-click a gradient swatch in the Swatches panel, or display the Gradient panel.

2Click 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.

3Adjust the new color stop.

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

1Activate a gradient.

2In 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.

1In the Swatches panel or Toolbox, select the Fill box or the Stroke box, depending on where the original gradient

was applied.

2Select 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.

3Release the mouse button at the place where you want to define the endpoint of the gradient.

Apply a gradient across multiple objects

1Make sure that all selected objects already use a gradient.

2In the Toolbox, select the Fill box or the Stroke box.

3Select 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°.

4Release the mouse button at the place where you want to define the endpoint of the gradient.

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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.

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).

ABC

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For information on converting text outlines to paths, see “Create paths from text outlines” on page 344.

See also

“Change the color, gradient, or stroke of text” on page 235

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.

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.

See also

“Create color swatches” on page 443

“Manage swatches” on page 444

Create a mixed ink swatch

1From the Swatches panel menu, choose New Mixed Ink Swatch. (This option is dimmed until you add a spot color

to the Swatches panel.)

2Type a name for the swatch.

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3To 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.

Adjust the percentage of each ink included in the swatch by using the slider bar or typing a value in the percentage box.

5To 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

1From the Swatches panel menu, choose New Mixed Ink Group. (This option is dimmed until you add a spot color

to the Swatches panel.)

2Type 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).

3To include an ink in the mixed ink group, click the empty box next to its name.

4For 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.

5Click 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%.

6Click 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.

1In the Swatches panel, double-click the parent of the mixed ink group you want to change.

2Do 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.

3Click OK.

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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

1In the Swatches panel, select the parent of the mixed ink group.

2Choose New Color Swatch from the panel menu.

3Specify a name for the swatch, if desired.

4For each ink listed, specify the percentage you want in the mixed ink swatch. (You cannot add or delete inks.)

5Click 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.

1Double-click the mixed ink swatch you want to convert.

2For 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.

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.

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See also

“Apply colors using the Eyedropper tool” on page 441

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.

1In the Swatches panel, double-click the swatch you want to edit.

2In 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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Chapter 16: Color management

A color management system reconciles color differences among devices so that you can be reasonably certain of the

colors your system ultimately produces. Viewing color accurately allows you to make sound color decisions

throughout your workflow, from digital capture through final output. Color management also allows you to create

output based on ISO, SWOP, and Japan Color print production standards.

Understanding color management

Why colors sometimes don’t match

No device in a publishing system is capable of reproducing the full range of colors viewable to the human eye. Each

device operates within a specific color space that can produce a certain range, or gamut, of colors.

A color model determines the relationship between values, and the color space defines the absolute meaning of those

values as colors. Some color models (such as CIE L*a*b) have a fixed color space because they relate directly to the way

humans perceive color. These models are described as being device-independent. Other color models (RGB, HSL, HSB,

CMYK, and so forth) can have many different color spaces. Because these models vary with each associated color space

or device, they are described as being device-dependent.

Because of these varying color spaces, colors can shift in appearance as you transfer documents between different

devices. Color variations can result from differences in image sources; the way software applications define color; print

media (newsprint paper reproduces a smaller gamut than magazine-quality paper); and other natural variations, such

as manufacturing differences in monitors or monitor age.

Color gamuts of various devices and documents

A. Lab color space B. Documents (working space) C. Devices

What is a color management system?

Color-matching problems result from various devices and software using different color spaces. One solution is to

have a system that interprets and translates color accurately between devices. A color management system (CMS)

compares the color space in which a color was created to the color space in which the same color will be output, and

makes the necessary adjustments to represent the color as consistently as possible among different devices.

CMYK

RGB

A B

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A color management system translates colors with the help of color profiles. A profile is a mathematical description of

a device’s color space. For example, a scanner profile tells a color management system how your scanner “sees” colors.

Adobe color management uses ICC profiles, a format defined by the International Color Consortium (ICC) as a cross-

platform standard.

Because no single color-translation method is ideal for all types of graphics, a color management system provides a

choice of rendering intents, or translation methods, so that you can apply a method appropriate to a particular graphics

element. For example, a color translation method that preserves correct relationships among colors in a wildlife

photograph may alter the colors in a logo containing flat tints of color.

Note: Don’t confuse color management with color correction. A color management system won’t correct an image that

was saved with tonal or color balance problems. It provides an environment where you can evaluate images reliably in

the context of your final output.

See also

“About color profiles” on page 474

“About rendering intents” on page 483

Do you need color management?

Without a color management system, your color specifications are device-dependent. You might not need color

management if your production process is tightly controlled for one medium only. For example, you or your print

service provider can tailor CMYK images and specify color values for a known, specific set of printing conditions.

The value of color management increases when you have more variables in your production process. Color

management is recommended if you anticipate reusing color graphics for print and online media, using various kinds

of devices within a single medium (such as different printing presses), or if you manage multiple workstations.

You will benefit from a color management system if you need to accomplish any of the following:

•Get predictable and consistent color output on multiple output devices including color separations, your desktop

printer, and your monitor. Color management is especially useful for adjusting color for devices with a relatively

limited gamut, such as a four-color process printing press.

•Accurately soft-proof (preview) a color document on your monitor by making it simulate a specific output device.

(Soft-proofing is subject to the limitations of monitor display, and other factors such as room lighting conditions.)

•Accurately evaluate and consistently incorporate color graphics from many different sources if they also use color

management, and even in some cases if they don’t.

•Send color documents to different output devices and media without having to manually adjust colors in

documents or original graphics. This is valuable when creating images that will eventually be used both in print and

online.

•Print color correctly to an unknown color output device; for example, you could store a document online for

consistently reproducible on-demand color printing anywhere in the world.

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Creating a viewing environment for color management

Your work environment influences how you see color on your monitor and on printed output. For best results, control

the colors and light in your work environment by doing the following:

•View your documents in an environment that provides a consistent light level and color temperature. For example,

the color characteristics of sunlight change throughout the day and alter the way colors appear on your screen, so

keep shades closed or work in a windowless room. To eliminate the blue-green cast from fluorescent lighting, you

can install D50 (5000° Kelvin) lighting. You can also view printed documents using a D50 lightbox.

•View your document in a room with neutral-colored walls and ceiling. A room’s color can affect the perception of

both monitor color and printed color. The best color for a viewing room is neutral gray. Also, the color of your

clothing reflecting off the glass of your monitor may affect the appearance of colors on-screen.

•Remove colorful background patterns on your monitor desktop. Busy or bright patterns surrounding a document

interfere with accurate color perception. Set your desktop to display neutral grays only.

•View document proofs in the real-world conditions under which your audience will see the final piece. For

example, you might want to see how a housewares catalog looks under the incandescent light bulbs used in homes,

or view an office furniture catalog under the fluorescent lighting used in offices. However, always make final color

judgements under the lighting conditions specified by the legal requirements for contract proofs in your country.

Keeping colors consistent

About color management in Adobe applications

Adobe color management helps you maintain the appearance of colors as you bring images in from external sources,

edit documents and transfer them between Adobe applications, and output your finished compositions. This system

is based on conventions developed by the International Color Consortium, a group responsible for standardizing

profile formats and procedures so that consistent and accurate color can be achieved throughout a workflow.

By default, color management is turned on in color-managed Adobe applications. If you purchased the Adobe Creative

Suite, color settings are synchronized across applications to provide consistent display for RGB and CMYK colors.

This means that colors look the same no matter which application you view them in.

Color settings for Adobe Creative Suite are synchronized in a central location through Adobe Bridge.

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If you decide to change the default settings, easy-to-use presets let you configure Adobe color management to match

common output conditions. You can also customize color settings to meet the demands of your particular color

workflow.

Keep in mind that the kinds of images you work with and your output requirements influence how you use color

management. For example, there are different color-consistency issues for an RGB photo printing workflow, a CMYK

commercial printing workflow, a mixed RGB/CMYK digital printing workflow, and an Internet publishing workflow.

Basic steps for producing consistent color

1. Consult with your production partners (if you have any) to ensure that all aspects of your color management

workflow integrate seamlessly with theirs.

Discuss how the color workflow will be integrated with your workgroups and service providers, how software and

hardware will be configured for integration into the color management system, and at what level color management

will be implemented. (See “Do you need color management?” on page 462.)

2. Calibrate and profile your monitor.

A monitor profile is the first profile you should create. Seeing accurate color is essential if you are making creative

decisions involving the color you specify in your document. (See “Calibrate and profile your monitor” on page 476.)

3. Add color profiles to your system for any input and output devices you plan to use, such as scanners and

printers.

The color management system uses profiles to know how a device produces color and what the actual colors in a

document are. Device profiles are often installed when a device is added to your system. You can also use third-party

software and hardware to create more accurate profiles for specific devices and conditions. If your document will be

commercially printed, contact your service provider to determine the profile for the printing device or press condition.

(See “About color profiles” on page 474 and “Install a color profile” on page 476.)

4. Set up color management in Adobe applications.

The default color settings are sufficient for most users. However, you can change the color settings by doing one of the

following:

•If you use multiple Adobe applications, use Adobe® Bridge to choose a standard color management configuration

and synchronize color settings across applications before working with documents. (See “Synchronize color

settings across Adobe applications” on page 465.)

•If you use only one Adobe application, or if you want to customize advanced color management options, you can

change color settings for a specific application. (See “Set up color management” on page 465.)

5. (Optional) Preview colors using a soft proof.

After you create a document, you can use a soft proof to preview how colors will look when printed or viewed on a

specific device. (See “About soft-proofing colors” on page 469.)

Note: A soft proof alone doesn’t let you preview how overprinting will look when printed on an offset press. If you work

with documents that contain overprinting, turn on Overprint Preview to accurately preview overprints in a soft proof. For

Acrobat, the Overprint Preview option is automatically applied.

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6. Use color management when printing and saving files.

Keeping the appearance of colors consistent across all of the devices in your workflow is the goal of color management.

Leave color management options enabled when printing documents, saving files, and preparing files for online

viewing. (See “Printing with color management” on page 472 and “Color-managing documents for online viewing” on

page 468.)

Synchronize color settings across Adobe applications

If you use Adobe Creative Suite, you can use Adobe Bridge to automatically synchronize color settings across

applications. This synchronization ensures that colors look the same in all color-managed Adobe applications.

If color settings are not synchronized, a warning message appears at the top of the Color Settings dialog box in each

application. Adobe recommends that you synchronize color settings before you work with new or existing documents.

1Open Bridge.

To open Bridge from a Creative Suite application, choose File > Browse. To open Bridge directly, either choose Adobe

Bridge from the Start menu (Windows) or double-click the Adobe Bridge icon (Mac OS).

2Choose Edit > Creative Suite Color Settings.

3Select a color setting from the list, and click Apply.

If none of the default settings meet your requirements, select Show Expanded List Of Color Setting Files to view

additional settings. To install a custom settings file, such as a file you received from a print service provider, click Show

Saved Color Settings Files.

Set up color management

1Do one of the following:

•(Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) Choose Edit > Color Settings.

•(Acrobat) Select the Color Management category of the Preferences dialog box.

2Select a color setting from the Settings menu, and click OK.

The setting you select determines which color working spaces are used by the application, what happens when you

open and import files with embedded profiles, and how the color management system converts colors. To view a

description of a setting, select the setting and then position the pointer over the setting name. The description appears

at the bottom of the dialog box.

Note: Acrobat color settings are a subset of those used in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

In certain situations, such as if your service provider supplies you with a custom output profile, you may need to customize

specific options in the Color Settings dialog box. However, customizing is recommended for advanced users only.

Note: If you work with more than one Adobe application, it is highly recommended that you synchronize your color

settings across applications. (See “Synchronize color settings across Adobe applications” on page 465.)

See also

“Customize color settings” on page 479

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Change the appearance of CMYK black (Illustrator, InDesign)

Pure CMYK black (K=100) appears jet black (or rich black) when viewed on-screen, printed to a non-PostScript

desktop printer, or exported to an RGB file format. If you prefer to see the difference between pure black and rich black

as it will appear when printed on a commercial press, you can change the Appearance Of Black preferences. These

preferences do not change the color values in a document.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance Of Black (Windows) or [application name] > Preferences > Appearance

Of Black (Mac OS).

2Choose an option for On Screen:

Display All Blacks Accurately Displays pure CMYK black as dark gray. This setting allows you to see the difference

between pure black and rich black.

Display All Blacks As Rich Black Displays pure CMYK black as jet black (RGB=000). This setting makes pure black and

rich black appear the same on-screen.

3Choose an option for Printing/Exporting:

Output All Blacks Accurately When printing to a non-PostScript desktop printer or exporting to an RGB file format,

outputs pure CMYK black using the color numbers in the document. This setting allows you to see the difference

between pure black and rich black.

Output All Blacks As Rich Black When printing to a non-PostScript desktop printer or exporting to an RGB file format,

outputs pure CMYK black as jet black (RGB=000). This setting makes pure black and rich black appear the same.

Managing process and spot colors

When color management is on, any color you apply or create within a color-managed Adobe application automatically

uses a color profile that corresponds to the document. If you switch color modes, the color management system uses

the appropriate profiles to translate the color to the new color model you choose.

Keep in mind the following guidelines for working with process and spot colors:

•Choose a CMYK working space that matches your CMYK output conditions to ensure that you can accurately

define and view process colors.

•Select colors from a color library. Adobe applications come with several standard color libraries, which you can load

using the Swatches panel menu.

•(Illustrator, and InDesign) Turn on Overprint Preview to get an accurate and consistent preview of spot colors.

•(Acrobat, Illustrator, and InDesign) Use Lab values (the default) to display predefined spot colors (such as colors

from the TOYO, PANTONE, DIC, and HKS libraries) and convert these colors to process colors. Using Lab values

provides the greatest accuracy and guarantees the consistent display of colors across Creative Suite applications. If

you want the display and output of these colors to match earlier versions of Illustrator or InDesign, use CMYK

equivalent values instead. For instructions on switching between Lab values and CMYK values for spot colors,

search Illustrator or InDesign Help.

Note: Color-managing spot colors provides a close approximation of a spot color on your proofing device and monitor.

However, it is difficult to exactly reproduce a spot color on a monitor or proofing device because many spot color inks exist

outside the gamuts of many of those devices.

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Color-managing imported images

Color-managing imported images (Illustrator, InDesign)

How imported images are integrated into a document’s color space depends on whether or not the image has an

embedded profile:

•When you import an image that contains no profile, the Adobe application uses the current document profile to

define the colors in the image.

•When you import an image that contains an embedded profile, color policies in the Color Settings dialog box

determine how the Adobe application handles the profile.

See also

“Color management policy options” on page 481

Using a safe CMYK workflow

A safe CMYK workflow ensures that CMYK color numbers are preserved all the way to the final output device, as

opposed to being converted by your color management system. This workflow is beneficial if you want to

incrementally adopt color management practices. For example, you can use CMYK profiles to soft-proof and hard-

proof documents without the possibility of unintended color conversions occurring during final output.

Illustrator and InDesign support a safe CMYK workflow by default. As a result, when you open or import a CMYK

image with an embedded profile, the application ignores the profile and preserves the raw color numbers. If you want

your application to adjust color numbers based on an embedded profile, change the CMYK color policy to Preserve

Embedded Profiles in the Color Settings dialog box. You can easily restore the safe CMYK workflow by changing the

CMYK color policy back to Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles).

You can override safe CMYK settings when you print a document or save it to Adobe PDF. However, doing so may

cause colors to be reseparated. For example, pure CMYK black objects may be reseparated as rich black. For more

information on color management options for printing and saving PDFs, search in Help.

See also

“Color management policy options” on page 481

Preparing imported graphics for color management

Use the following general guidelines to prepare graphics for being color-managed in Adobe applications:

•Embed an ICC-compliant profile when you save the file. The file formats that support embedded profiles are JPEG,

PDF, PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator), INDD (InDesign), Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format, and TIFF.

•If you plan to reuse a color graphic for multiple final output devices or media, such as for print, video, and the web,

prepare the graphic using RGB or Lab colors whenever possible. If you must save in a color model other than RGB

or Lab, keep a copy of the original graphic. RGB and Lab color models represent larger color gamuts than most

output devices can reproduce, retaining as much color information as possible before being translated to a smaller

output color gamut.

See also

“Embed a color profile” on page 477

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View or change profiles for imported bitmap images (InDesign)

InDesign allows you to view, override, or disable profiles for imported bitmap images. This may be necessary when

you are importing an image containing no profile or an incorrectly embedded profile. For example, if the scanner

manufacturer’s default profile was embedded but you have since generated a custom profile, you can assign the newer

profile.

1Do one of the following:

•If the graphic is already in layout, select it and choose Object > Image Color Settings.

•If you’re about to import the graphic, choose File > Place, select Show Import Options, select and open the file, and

then select the Color tab.

2For Profile, choose the source profile to apply to the graphic in your document. If a profile is currently embedded,

the profile name appears at the top of the Profile menu.

3(Optional) Choose a rendering intent, and then click OK. In most cases, it’s best to use the default rendering intent.

Note: You can also view or change profiles for objects in Acrobat.

See also

“Convert document colors to another profile (Photoshop)” on page 478

Color-managing documents for online viewing

Color management for online viewing is very different from color management for printed media. With printed

media, you have far more control over the appearance of the final document. With online media, your document will

appear on a wide range of possibly uncalibrated monitors and video display systems, significantly limiting your control

over color consistency.

When you color-manage documents that will be viewed exclusively on the web, Adobe recommends that you use the

sRGB color space. sRGB is the default working space for most Adobe color settings, but you can verify that sRGB is

selected in the Color Settings dialog box (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) or the Color Management preferences

(Acrobat). With the working space set to sRGB, any RGB graphics you create will use sRGB as the color space.

When working with images that have an embedded color profile other than sRGB, you should convert the image’s

colors to sRGB before you save the image for use on the web. If you want the application to automatically convert the

colors to sRGB when you open the image, select Convert To Working Space as the RGB color management policy.

(Make sure that your RGB working space is set to sRGB.) In Photoshop and InDesign, you can also manually convert

the colors to sRGB using the Edit > Convert To Profile command.

Note: In InDesign, the Convert To Profile command only converts colors for native, not placed, objects in the document.

See also

“About color working spaces” on page 479

“Color management policy options” on page 481

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Color-managing PDFs for online viewing

When you export PDFs, you can choose to embed profiles. PDFs with embedded profiles reproduce color consistently

in Acrobat 4.0 or later running under a properly configured color management system.

Keep in mind that embedding color profiles increases the size of PDFs. RGB profiles are usually small (around 3 KB);

however, CMYK profiles can range from 0.5 to 2 MB.

See also

“Printing with color management” on page 472

Color-managing HTML documents for online viewing

Many web browsers do not support color management. Of the browsers that do support color management, not all

instances can be considered color-managed because they may be running on systems where the monitors are not

calibrated. In addition, few web pages contain images with embedded profiles. If you manage a highly controlled

environment, such as the intranet of a design studio, you may be able to achieve some degree of HTML color

management for images by equipping everyone with a browser that supports color management and calibrating all

monitors.

You can approximate how colors will look on uncalibrated monitors by using the sRGB color space. However, because

color reproduction varies among uncalibrated monitors, you still won’t be able to anticipate the true range of potential

display variations.

Proofing colors

About soft-proofing colors

In a traditional publishing workflow, you print a hard proof of your document to preview how its colors will look when

reproduced on a specific output device. In a color-managed workflow, you can use the precision of color profiles to

soft-proof your document directly on the monitor. You can display an on-screen preview of how your document’s

colors will look when reproduced on a particular output device.

Keep in mind that the reliability of the soft proof depends upon the quality of your monitor, the profiles of your

monitor and output devices, and the ambient lighting conditions of your work environment.

Note: A soft proof alone doesn’t let you preview how overprinting will look when printed on an offset press. If you work

with documents that contain overprinting, turn on Overprint Preview to accurately preview overprints in a soft proof. For

Acrobat, the Overprint Preview option is automatically applied.

Using a soft proof to preview the final output of a document on your monitor

A. Document is created in its working color space. B. Document’s color values are translated to color space of chosen proof profile (usually the

output device’s profile). C. Monitor displays proof profile’s interpretation of document’s color values.

AB C

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Soft-proof colors

1Choose View > Proof Setup, and do one of the following:

•Choose a preset that corresponds to the output condition you want to simulate.

•Choose Custom (Photoshop and InDesign) or Customize (Illustrator) to create a custom proof setup for a specific

output condition. This option is recommended for the most accurate preview of your final printed piece.

2Choose View > Proof Colors to toggle the soft-proof display on and off. When soft proofing is on, a check mark

appears next to the Proof Colors command, and the name of the proof preset or profile appears at the top of the

document window.

To compare the colors in the original image and the colors in the soft proof, open the document in a new window before

you set up the soft proof.

Soft-proof presets

Working CMYK Creates a soft proof of colors using the current CMYK working space as defined in the Color Settings

dialog box.

Document CMYK (InDesign) Creates a soft proof of colors using the document’s CMYK profile.

Working Cyan Plate, Working Magenta Plate, Working Yellow Plate, Working Black Plate, or Working CMY Plates

(Photoshop) Creates a soft proof of specific CMYK ink colors using the current CMYK working space.

Macintosh RGB or Windows RGB (Photoshop and Illustrator) Creates a soft proof of colors in an image using either a

standard Mac OS or Windows monitor as the proof profile space to simulate. Both options assume that the simulated

device will display your document without using color management. Neither option is available for Lab or CMYK

documents.

Monitor RGB (Photoshop and Illustrator) Creates a soft proof of colors in an RGB document using your current

monitor color space as the proof profile space. This option assumes that the simulated device will display your

document without using color management. This option is unavailable for Lab and CMYK documents.

Color Blindness (Photoshop and Illustrator) Creates a soft proof that reflects colors visible to a person with color

blindness. The two soft proof options, Protanopia and Deuteranopia, approximate color perception for the most

common forms of color blindness. For more information, see “Soft-proof for color blindness (Photoshop and

Illustrator)” on page 471.

Custom soft-proof options

Device To Simulate Specifies the color profile of the device for which you want to create the proof. The usefulness of

the chosen profile depends on how accurately it describes the device’s behavior. Often, custom profiles for specific

paper and printer combinations create the most accurate soft proof.

Preserve CMYK Numbers or Preserve RGB Numbers Simulates how the colors will appear without being converted to

the color space of the output device. This option is most useful when you are following a safe CMYK workflow.

Rendering Intent (Photoshop and Illustrator) When the Preserve Numbers option is deselected, specifies a rendering

intent for converting colors to the device you are trying to simulate.

Use Black Point Compensation (Photoshop) Ensures that the shadow detail in the image is preserved by simulating the

full dynamic range of the output device. Select this option if you plan to use black point compensation when printing

(which is recommended in most situations).

Simulate Paper Color Simulates the dingy white of real paper, according to the proof profile. Not all profiles support

this option.

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Simulate Black Ink Simulates the dark gray you really get instead of a solid black on many printers, according to the

proof profile. Not all profiles support this option.

In Photoshop, if you want the custom proof setup to be the default proof setup for documents, close all document

windows before choosing the View > Proof Setup > Custom command.

Soft-proof for color blindness (Photoshop and Illustrator)

Color Universal Design (CUD) ensures that graphical information is conveyed accurately to people with various types

of color vision, including people with color blindness. Several countries have guidelines that require CUD-compliant

graphics in public spaces.

The most common types of color blindness are protanopia (reduced sensitivity to red) and deuteranopia (reduced

sensitivity to green). A third of color blind people are affected strongly; the remainder have milder forms of color

blindness.

A. Original image B. Color-blind proof C. Optimized design

To determine whether a document is CUD-compliant, do the following:

1Convert the document to RGB color mode, which provides the most accurate soft-proofs for color blindness.

2(Optional) To simultaneously view the original document and a soft-proof, choose Window > New Window

(Illustrator) or Window > Arrange > New Window (Photoshop).

3Choose View > Proof Setup > Color Blindness, and then choose either Protanopia-type or Deuteranopia-type. (To

comply with CUD, check your document in both views.)

In Photoshop, you can print the proof. For more information, search for “Print a hard proof” in Photoshop Help.

If objects are difficult to distinguish in color blind proofs, adjust the design by doing any of the following:

•Change color brightness or hue:

•Pure red tends to appear dark and muddy; orange-red is easier to recognize.

•Bluish green is less confusing than yellowish green.

•Gray may be confused with magenta, pale pink, pale green, or emerald green.

•Avoid the following combinations: red and green; yellow and bright green; light blue and pink; dark blue and

violet.

•Avoid red items on dark-colored backgrounds, or white items on yellow or orange-red backgrounds.

•Apply different patterns or shapes.

•Add white, black, or dark-colored borders on color boundaries.

•Use different font families or styles.

ABC

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Save or load a custom proof setup (Photoshop, InDesign)

1Choose View > Proof Setup > Custom.

2Do either of the following:

•To save a custom proof setup, click Save. To ensure that the new preset appears in the View > Proof Setup menu,

save the preset in the default location.

•To load a custom proof setup, click Load.

Soft-proof colors (Acrobat)

1Choose Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview.

2Choose the color profile of a specific output device from the Simulation Profile menu.

3Choose a soft-proof option:

Simulate Black Ink Simulates the dark gray you really get instead of a solid black on many printers, according to the

proof profile. Not all profiles support this option.

Simulate Paper Color Simulates the dingy white of real paper, according to the proof profile. Not all profiles support

this option.

Color-managing documents when printing

Printing with color management

Color management options for printing let you specify how you want Adobe applications to handle the outgoing

image data so the printer will print colors consistent with what you see on your monitor. Your options for printing

color-managed documents depend on the Adobe application you use, as well as the output device you select. In

general, you have the following choices for handling colors during printing:

•Let the printer determine colors.

•Let the application determine colors.

•(Photoshop and InDesign) Do not use color management. In this workflow, no color conversion occurs. You may

also need to turn off color management in your printer driver. This method is useful primarily for printing test

targets or generating custom profiles.

Letting the printer determine colors when printing

In this workflow, the application does no color conversion, but sends all necessary conversion information to the

output device. This method is especially convenient when printing to inkjet photo printers, because each combination

of paper type, printing resolution, and additional printing parameters (such as high-speed printing) requires a

different profile. Most new inkjet photo printers come with fairly accurate profiles built into the driver, so letting the

printer select the right profile saves time and alleviates mistakes. This method is also recommended if you are not

familiar with color management.

If you choose this method, it is very important that you set up printing options and turn on color management in your

printer driver. Search Help for additional instructions.

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If you select a PostScript printer, you can take advantage of PostScript color management. PostScript color

management makes it possible to perform color composite output or color separations at the raster image processor

(RIP)—a process called in-RIP separations—so that a program need only specify parameters for separation and let the

device calculate the final color values. PostScript color-managed output workflows require an output device that

supports PostScript color management using PostScript Level 2 version 2017 or later, or PostScript Lanuage Level 3.

Letting the application determine colors when printing

In this workflow, the application does all the color conversion, generating color data specific to one output device. The

application uses the assigned color profiles to convert colors to the output device’s gamut, and sends the resulting

values to the output device. The accuracy of this method depends on the accuracy of the printer profile you select. Use

this workflow when you have custom ICC profiles for each specific printer, ink, and paper combination.

If you choose this option, it is very important that you disable color management in your printer driver. Letting the

application and the printer driver simultaneously manage colors during printing results in unpredictable color. Search

Help for additional instructions.

Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers

If the output profiles that come with your printer don’t produce satisfactory results, you obtain custom profiles in the

following ways:

•Purchase a profile for your type of printer and paper. This is usually the easiest and least expensive method.

•Purchase a profile for your specific printer and paper. This method involves printing a profiling target on your

printer and paper, and providing that target to a company that will create a specific profile. This is more expensive

than purchasing a standard profile, but can provide better results because it compensates for any manufacturing

variations in printers.

•Create your own profile using a scanner-based system. This method involves using profile-creation software and

your own flatbed scanner to scan the profiling target. It can provide excellent results for matte surface papers, but

not glossy papers. (Glossy papers tend to have fluorescent brighteners in them that look different to a scanner than

they do in room light.)

•Create your own profile using a hardware profile-creation tool. This method is expensive but can provide the best

results. A good hardware tool can create an accurate profile even with glossy papers.

•Tweak a profile created using one of the previous methods with profile-editing software. This software can be

complex to use, but it lets you correct problems with a profile or simply adjust a profile to produce results more to

your taste.

See also

“Install a color profile” on page 476

Color-managing PDFs for printing

When you create Adobe PDFs for commercial printing, you can specify how color information is represented. The

easiest way to do this is using a PDF/X standard; however, you can also specify color-handling options manually in the

Output section of the PDF dialog box. For more information about PDF/X and how to create PDFs, search Help.

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In general, you have the following choices for handling colors when creating PDFs:

•(PDF/X-3) Does not convert colors. Use this method when creating a document that will be printed or displayed

on various or unknown devices. When you select a PDF/X-3 standard, color profiles are automatically embedded

in the PDF.

•(PDF/X-1a) Converts all colors to the destination CMYK color space. Use this method if you want to create a press-

ready file that does not require any further color conversions. When you select a PDF/X-1a standard, no profiles

are embedded in the PDF.

•(Illustrator and InDesign) Converts colors that have embedded profiles to the destination color space, but preserves

the numbers for those colors without embedded profiles. You can manually select this option in the Output section

of the PDF dialog box. Use this method if the document contains CMYK images that aren’t color-managed and you

want to make sure that the color numbers are preserved.

Note: All spot color information is preserved during color conversion; only the process color equivalents convert to the

designated color space.

See also

“Using a safe CMYK workflow” on page 467

Working with color profiles

About color profiles

Precise, consistent color management requires accurate ICC-compliant profiles of all of your color devices. For

example, without an accurate scanner profile, a perfectly scanned image may appear incorrect in another program,

simply due to any difference between the scanner and the program displaying the image. This misleading

representation may cause you to make unnecessary, time-wasting, and potentially damaging “corrections” to an

already satisfactory image. With an accurate profile, a program importing the image can correct for any device

differences and display a scan’s actual colors.

A color management system uses the following kinds of profiles:

Monitor profiles Describe how the monitor is currently reproducing color. This is the first profile you should create

because viewing color accurately on your monitor allows for critical color decisions in the design process. If what you

see on your monitor is not representative of the actual colors in your document, you will not be able to maintain color

consistency.

Input device profiles Describe what colors an input device is capable of capturing or scanning. If your digital camera

offers a choice of profiles, Adobe recommends that you select Adobe RGB. Otherwise, use sRGB (which is the default

for most cameras). Advanced users may also consider using different profiles for different light sources. For scanner

profiles, some photographers create separate profiles for each type or brand of film scanned on a scanner.

Output device profiles Describe the color space of output devices like desktop printers or a printing press. The color

management system uses output device profiles to properly map the colors in a document to the colors within the

gamut of an output device’s color space. The output profile should also take into consideration specific printing

conditions, such as the type of paper and ink. For example, glossy paper is capable of displaying a different range of

colors than matte paper.

Most printer drivers come with built-in color profiles. It’s a good idea to try these profiles before you invest in custom

profiles.

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Document profiles Define the specific RGB or CMYK color space of a document. By assigning, or tagging, a document

with a profile, the application provides a definition of actual color appearances in the document. For example, R=127,

G=12, B=107 is just a set of numbers that different devices will display differently. But when tagged with the Adobe

RGB color space, these numbers specify an actual color or wavelength of light–in this case, a specific color of purple.

When color management is on, Adobe applications automatically assign new documents a profile based on Working

Space options in the Color Settings dialog box. Documents without assigned profiles are known as untagged and

contain only raw color numbers. When working with untagged documents, Adobe applications use the current

working space profile to display and edit colors.

Managing color with profiles

A. Profiles describe the color spaces of the input device and the document. B. Using the profiles’ descriptions, the color management system

identifies the document’s actual colors. C. The monitor’s profile tells the color management system how to translate the document’s numeric

values to the monitor’s color space. D. Using the output device’s profile, the color management system translates the document’s numeric values

to the color values of the output device so the correct appearance of colors is printed.

See also

“Calibrate and profile your monitor” on page 476

“Letting the printer determine colors when printing” on page 472

“Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers” on page 473

“About color working spaces” on page 479

About monitor calibration and characterization

Profiling software can both calibrate and characterize your monitor. Calibrating your monitor brings it into

compliance with a predefined standard—for example, adjusting your monitor so that it displays color using the

graphics arts standard white point color temperature of 5000° K (Kelvin). Characterizing your monitor simply creates

a profile that describes how the monitor is currently reproducing color.

Monitor calibration involves adjusting the following video settings:

Brightness and contrast The overall level and range, respectively, of display intensity. These parameters work just as

they do on a television. A monitor calibration utility helps you set an optimum brightness and contrast range for

calibration.

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Gamma The brightness of the midtone values. The values produced by a monitor from black to white are nonlinear—

if you graph the values, they form a curve, not a straight line. Gamma defines the value of that curve halfway between

black and white.

Phosphors The substances that CRT monitors use to emit light. Different phosphors have different color

characteristics.

White point The color and intensity of the brightest white the monitor can reproduce.

Calibrate and profile your monitor

When you calibrate your monitor, you are adjusting it so it conforms to a known specification. Once your monitor is

calibrated, the profiling utility lets you save a color profile. The profile describes the color behavior of the monitor—

what colors can or cannot be displayed on the monitor and how the numeric color values in an image must be

converted so that colors are displayed accurately.

1Make sure your monitor has been turned on for at least a half hour. This gives it sufficient time to warm up and

produce more consistent output.

2Make sure your monitor is displaying thousands of colors or more. Ideally, make sure it is displaying millions of

colors or 24-bit or higher.

3Remove colorful background patterns on your monitor desktop and set your desktop to display neutral grays. Busy

patterns or bright colors surrounding a document interfere with accurate color perception.

4Do one of the following to calibrate and profile your monitor:

•In Windows, install and use a monitor calibration utility.

•In Mac OS, use the Calibrate utility, located on the System Preferences/Displays/Color tab.

•For the best results, use third-party software and measuring devices. In general, using a measuring device such as a

colorimeter along with software can create more accurate profiles because an instrument can measure the colors

displayed on a monitor far more accurately than the human eye.

Note: Monitor performance changes and declines over time; recalibrate and profile your monitor every month or so. If

you find it difficult or impossible to calibrate your monitor to a standard, it may be too old and faded.

Most profiling software automatically assigns the new profile as the default monitor profile. For instructions on how

to manually assign the monitor profile, refer to the Help system for your operating system.

Install a color profile

Color profiles are often installed when a device is added to your system. The accuracy of these profiles (often called

generic profiles or canned profiles) varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can also obtain device profiles from

your service provider, download profiles from the web, or create custom profiles using professional profiling

equipment.

•In Windows, right-click a profile and select Install Profile. Alternatively, copy the profiles into the

WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color folder.

•In Mac OS, copy profiles into the /Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder or the

/Users/[username]/Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder.

After installing color profiles, be sure to restart Adobe applications.

See also

“Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers” on page 473

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Embed a color profile

To embed a color profile in a document you created in Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, you must save or export

the document in a format that supports ICC profiles.

1Save or export the document in one of the following file formats: Adobe PDF, PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator),

INDD (InDesign), JPEG, Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format, or TIFF.

2Select the option for embedding ICC profiles. The exact name and location of this option varies between

applications. Search Adobe Help for additional instructions.

Embed a color profile (Acrobat)

You can embed a color profile in an object or an entire PDF. Acrobat attaches the appropriate profile, as specified in

the Convert Colors dialog box, to the selected color space in the PDF. For more information, see the color conversion

topics in Acrobat Help.

Changing the color profile for a document

There are very few situations that require you to change the color profile for a document. This is because your

application automatically assigns the color profile based on the settings you select in the Color Settings dialog box. The

only times you should manually change a color profile are when preparing a document for a different output

destination or correcting a policy behavior that you no longer want implemented in the document. Changing the

profile is recommended for advanced users only.

You can change the color profile for a document in the following ways:

•Assign a new profile. The color numbers in the document remain the same, but the new profile may dramatically

change the appearance of the colors as displayed on your monitor.

•Remove the profile so that the document is no longer color-managed.

•(Acrobat, Photoshop and InDesign) Convert the colors in the document to the color space of a different profile.

The color numbers are shifted in an effort to preserve the original color appearances.

Assign or remove a color profile (Illustrator, Photoshop)

1Choose Edit > Assign Profile.

2Select an option, and click OK:

Don’t Color Manage This Document Removes the existing profile from the document. Select this option only if you are

sure that you do not want to color-manage the document. After you remove the profile from a document, the

appearance of colors is defined by the application’s working space profiles.

Working [color model: working space] Assigns the working space profile to the document.

Profile Lets you select a different profile. The application assigns the new profile to the document without converting

colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors as displayed on your monitor.

See also

“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 477

Assign or remove a color profile (InDesign)

1Choose Edit > Assign Profiles.

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2For RGB Profile and CMYK Profile, select one of the following:

Discard (Use Current Working Space) Removes the existing profile from the document. Select this option only if you

are sure that you do not want to color-manage the document. After you remove the profile from a document, the

appearance of colors is defined by the application’s working space profiles, and you can no longer embed a profile in

the document.

Assign Current Working Space [working space] Assigns the working space profile to the document.

Assign Profile Lets you select a different profile. The application assigns the new profile to the document without

converting colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors as displayed on your

monitor.

3Choose a rendering intent for each type of graphic in your document. For each graphic type, you can choose one

of the four standard intents, or the Use Color Settings Intent, which uses the rendering intent currently specified in

the Color Settings dialog box. For more information on rendering intents, search in Help.

The graphic types include the following:

Solid Color Intent Sets the rendering intent for all vector art (solid areas of color) in InDesign native objects.

Default Image Intent Sets the default rendering intent for bitmap images placed in InDesign. You can still override this

setting on an image-by-image basis.

After-Blending Intent Sets the rendering intent to the proofing or final color space for colors that result from

transparency interactions on the page. Use this option when your document includes transparent objects.

4To preview the effects of the new profile assignment in the document, select Preview, and then click OK.

See also

“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 477

“View or change profiles for imported bitmap images (InDesign)” on page 468

Convert document colors to another profile (Photoshop)

1Choose Edit > Convert To Profile.

2Under Destination Space, choose the color profile to which you want to convert the document’s colors. The

document will be converted to and tagged with this new profile.

3Under Conversion Options, specify a color management engine, a rendering intent, and black point and dither

options (if available). (See “Color conversion options” on page 482.)

4To flatten all layers of the document onto a single layer upon conversion, select Flatten Image.

5To preview the effects of the conversion in the document, select Preview.

See also

“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 477

Convert document colors to Multichannel, Device Link, or Abstract color

profiles (Photoshop)

1Choose Edit > Convert To Profile.

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2Click Advanced. The following additional ICC profile types are available under Destination Space:

Multichannel

Profiles that support more than four color channels. These are useful when printing with more than four inks.

Device Link Profiles that transform from one device color space to another, without using an intermediate color space

in the process. These are useful when specific mappings of device values (like 100% black) are required.

Abstract Profiles that enable custom image effects. Abstract profiles can have LAB/XYZ values for both input and

output values, which enables generation of a custom LUT to achieve the desired special effect.

Note: Gray, RGB, LAB, and CMYK color profiles are grouped by category in Advanced view. They are combined on the

Profile menu in Basic view.

3To preview the effects of the conversion in the document, select Preview.

See also

“Changing the color profile for a document” on page 477

Convert document colors to another profile

You convert colors in a PDF using the Convert Colors tool on the Print Production toolbar. For more information, see

the color conversion topics in Acrobat Help.

Color settings

Customize color settings

For most color-managed workflows, it is best to use a preset color setting that has been tested by Adobe Systems.

Changing specific options is recommended only if you are knowledgeable about color management and very confident

about the changes you make.

After you customize options, you can save them as a preset. Saving color settings ensures that you can reuse them and

share them with other users or applications.

•To save color settings as a preset, click Save in the Color Settings dialog box. To ensure that the application displays

the setting name in the Color Settings dialog box, save the file in the default location. If you save the file to a different

location, you must load the file before you can select the setting.

•To load a color settings preset that’s not saved in the standard location, click Load in the Color Settings dialog box,

select the file you want to load, and click Open.

Note: In Acrobat, you cannot save customized color settings. To share customized color settings with Acrobat, you must

create the file in InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, and then save it in the default Settings folder. It will then be available

in the Color Management category of the Preferences dialog box. You can also add settings manually to the default

Settings folder.

About color working spaces

A working space is an intermediate color space used to define and edit color in Adobe applications. Each color model

has a working space profile associated with it. You can choose working space profiles in the Color Settings dialog box.

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A working space profile acts as the source profile for newly created documents that use the associated color model. For

example, if Adobe RGB (1998) is the current RGB working space profile, each new RGB document that you create will

use colors within the Adobe RGB (1998) gamut. Working spaces also determine the appearance of colors in untagged

documents.

If you open a document embedded with a color profile that doesn’t match the working space profile, the application

uses a color management policy to determine how to handle the color data. In most cases, the default policy is to

preserve the embedded profile.

See also

“About missing and mismatched color profiles” on page 481

“Color management policy options” on page 481

Working space options

To display working space options in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, choose Edit > Color Settings. In Acrobat,

select the Color Management category of the Preferences dialog box.

To view a description of any profile, select the profile and then position the pointer over the profile name. The

description appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

RGB Determines the RGB color space of the application. In general, it’s best to choose Adobe RGB or sRGB, rather

than the profile for a specific device (such as a monitor profile).

sRGB is recommended when you prepare images for the web, because it defines the color space of the standard

monitor used to view images on the web. sRGB is also a good choice when you work with images from consumer-level

digital cameras, because most of these cameras use sRGB as their default color space.

Adobe RGB is recommended when you prepare documents for print, because Adobe RGB’s gamut includes some

printable colors (cyans and blues in particular) that can’t be defined using sRGB. Adobe RGB is also a good choice

when working with images from professional-level digital cameras, because most of these cameras use Adobe RGB as

their default color space.

CMYK Determines the CMYK color space of the application. All CMYK working spaces are device-dependent,

meaning that they are based on actual ink and paper combinations. The CMYK working spaces Adobe supplies are

based on standard commercial print conditions.

Gray (Photoshop) or Grayscale (Acrobat) Determines the grayscale color space of the application.

Spot (Photoshop) Specifies the dot gain to use when displaying spot color channels and duotones.

Note: In Acrobat, you can use the color space in an embedded output intent instead of a document color space for viewing

and printing. For more information on output intents, see Acrobat Help.

Adobe applications ship with a standard set of working space profiles that have been recommended and tested by

Adobe Systems for most color management workflows. By default, only these profiles appear in the working space

menus. To display additional color profiles that you have installed on your system, select Advanced Mode (Illustrator

and InDesign) or More Options (Photoshop). A color profile must be bi-directional (that is, contain specifications for

translating both into and out of color spaces) in order to appear in the working space menus.

Note: In Photoshop, you can create custom working space profiles. However, Adobe recommends that you use a standard

working space profile rather than create a custom profile. For more information, see the Photoshop support

knowledgebase at www.adobe.com/support/products/photoshop.html.

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About missing and mismatched color profiles

For a newly created document, the color workflow usually operates seamlessly: Unless specified otherwise, the

document uses the working space profile associated with its color mode for creating and editing colors.

However, some existing documents may not use the working space profile that you have specified, and some existing

documents may not be color-managed. It is common to encounter the following exceptions to your color-managed

workflow:

•You might open a document or import color data (for example, by copying and pasting or dragging and dropping)

from a document that is not tagged with a profile. This is often the case when you open a document created in an

application that either does not support color management or has color management turned off.

•You might open a document or import color data from a document that is tagged with a profile different from the

current working space. This may be the case when you open a document that was created using different color

management settings, or scanned and tagged with a scanner profile.

In either case, the application uses a color management policy to decide how to handle the color data in the document.

If the profile is missing or does not match the working space, the application may display a warning message,

depending on options you set in the Color Settings dialog box. Profile warnings are turned off by default, but you can

turn them on to ensure the appropriate color management of documents on a case-by-case basis. The warning

messages vary between applications, but in general you have the following options:

•(Recommended) Leave the document or imported color data as it is. For example, you can choose to use the

embedded profile (if one exists), leave the document without a color profile (if one doesn’t exist), or preserve the

numbers in pasted color data.

•Adjust the document or imported color data. For example, when opening a document with a missing color profile,

you can choose to assign the current working space profile or a different profile. When opening a document with

a mismatched color profile, you can choose to discard the profile or convert the colors to the current working space.

When importing color data, you can choose to convert the colors to the current working space in order to preserve

their appearance.

Color management policy options

A color management policy determines how the application handles color data when you open a document or import

an image. You can choose different policies for RGB and CMYK images, and you can specify when you want warning

messages to appear. To display color management policy options, choose Edit > Color Settings.

To view a description of a policy, select the policy and then position the pointer over the policy name. The description

appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

RGB, CMYK, And Gray (Gray option is available for Photoshop only.) Specifies a policy to follow when bringing colors

into the current working space (either by opening files or importing images into the current document). Choose from

the following options:

•Preserve Embedded Profiles Always preserves embedded color profiles when opening files. This is the

recommended option for most workflows because it provides consistent color management. One exception is if you’re

concerned about preserving CMYK numbers, in which case you should select Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked

Profiles) instead.

•Convert To Working Space Converts colors to the current working space profile when opening files and importing

images. Select this option if you want to force all colors to use a single profile (the current working space profile).

•Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles) This option is available in InDesign and Illustrator for CMYK.

Preserves color numbers when opening files and importing images, but still allows you to use color management to

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view colors accurately in Adobe applications. Select this option if you want to use a safe CMYK workflow. In InDesign,

you can override this policy on a per-object basis by choosing Object > Image Color Settings.

•Off Ignores embedded color profiles when opening files and importing images, and does not assign the working

space profile to new documents. Select this option if you want to discard any color metadata provided by the original

document creator.

Profile Mismatches: Ask When Opening Displays a message whenever you open a document tagged with a profile

other than the current working space. You will be given the option to override the policy’s default behavior. Select this

option if you want to ensure the appropriate color management of documents on a case-by-case basis.

Profile Mismatches: Ask When Pasting Displays a message whenever color profile mismatches occur as colors are

imported into a document through pasting or dragging-and-dropping. You will be given the option to override the

policy’s default behavior. Select this option if you want to ensure the appropriate color management of pasted colors

on a case-by-case basis.

Missing Profiles: Ask When Opening Displays a message whenever you open an untagged document. You will be given

the option to override the policy’s default behavior. Select this option if you want to ensure the appropriate color

management of documents on a case-by-case basis.

Color conversion options

Color conversion options let you control how the application handles the colors in a document as it moves from one

color space to another. Changing these options is recommended only if you are knowledgeable about color

management and very confident about the changes you make. To display conversion options, choose Edit > Color

Settings, and select Advanced Mode (Illustrator and InDesign) or More Options (Photoshop). In Acrobat, select the

Color Management category of the Preferences dialog box.

Engine Specifies the Color Management Module (CMM) used to map the gamut of one color space to the gamut of

another. For most users, the default Adobe (ACE) engine fulfills all conversion needs.

To view a description of an engine or intent option, select the option and then position the pointer over the option

name. The description appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

Intent (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) Specifies the rendering intent used to translate one color space to another.

Differences between rendering intents are apparent only when you print a document or convert it to a different

working space.

Use Black Point Compensation Ensures that the shadow detail in the image is preserved by simulating the full dynamic

range of the output device. Select this option if you plan to use black point compensation when printing (which is

recommended in most situations).

Use Dither (Photoshop) Controls whether to dither colors when converting 8-bit-per-channel images between color

spaces. When the Use Dither option is selected, Photoshop mixes colors in the destination color space to simulate a

missing color that existed in the source space. Although dithering helps to reduce the blocky or banded appearance of

an image, it may also result in larger file sizes when images are compressed for web use.

Compensate For Scene-Rendered Profiles (Photoshop) Compares video contrast when converting from scene to

output profiles. This option reflects default color management in After Effects.

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About rendering intents

A rendering intent determines how a color management system handles color conversion from one color space to

another. Different rendering intents use different rules to determine how the source colors are adjusted; for example,

colors that fall inside the destination gamut may remain unchanged, or they may be adjusted to preserve the original

range of visual relationships when translated to a smaller destination gamut. The result of choosing a rendering intent

depends on the graphical content of documents and on the profiles used to specify color spaces. Some profiles produce

identical results for different rendering intents.

In general, it is best to use the default rendering intent for the selected color setting, which has been tested by Adobe

Systems to meet industry standards. For example, if you choose a color setting for North America or Europe, the

default rendering intent is Relative Colorimetric. If you choose a color setting for Japan, the default rendering intent is

Perceptual.

You can select a rendering intent when you set color conversion options for the color management system, soft-proof

colors, and print artwork:

Perceptual Aims to preserve the visual relationship between colors so it’s perceived as natural to the human eye, even

though the color values themselves may change. This intent is suitable for photographic images with lots of out-of-

gamut colors. This is the standard rendering intent for the Japanese printing industry.

Saturation Tries to produce vivid colors in an image at the expense of color accuracy. This rendering intent is suitable

for business graphics like graphs or charts, where bright saturated colors are more important than the exact

relationship between colors.

Relative Colorimetric Compares the extreme highlight of the source color space to that of the destination color space

and shifts all colors accordingly. Out-of-gamut colors are shifted to the closest reproducible color in the destination

color space. Relative Colorimetric preserves more of the original colors in an image than Perceptual. This is the

standard rendering intent for printing in North America and Europe.

Absolute Colorimetric Leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged. Out-of-gamut colors are

clipped. No scaling of colors to destination white point is performed. This intent aims to maintain color accuracy at

the expense of preserving relationships between colors and is suitable for proofing to simulate the output of a

particular device. This intent is particularly useful for previewing how paper color affects printed colors.

Advanced controls in Photoshop

In Photoshop you display advanced controls for managing color by choosing Edit > Color Settings and selecting More

Options.

Desaturate Monitor Colors By Determines whether to desaturate colors by the specified amount when displayed on

the monitor. When selected, this option can aid in visualizing the full range of color spaces with gamuts larger than

that of the monitor. However, this causes a mismatch between the monitor display and the output. When the option

is deselected, distinct colors in the image may display as a single color.

Blend RGB Colors Using Gamma Controls how RGB colors blend together to produce composite data (for example,

when you blend or paint layers using Normal mode). When the option is selected, RGB colors are blended in the color

space corresponding to the specified gamma. A gamma of 1.00 is considered “colorimetrically correct” and should

result in the fewest edge artifacts. When the option is deselected, RGB colors are blended directly in the document’s

color space.

Note: When you select Blend RGB Colors Using Gamma, layered documents will look different when displayed in other

applications than they do in Photoshop.

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Chapter 17: Trapping color

The quality of a printer’s work depends in large part on getting different inks to print exactly in register. To minimize

the effects of misregistration, commercial printers developed a technique called trapping.

Trapping documents and books

About ink trapping

When an offset printed document uses more than one ink on the same page, each ink must be printed in register

(perfectly aligned) with any other inks that it abuts, so that there is no gap where the different inks meet. However, it’s

impossible to ensure exact registration for every object on every sheet of paper running through a printing press, so

misregistration of inks can occur. Misregistration causes an unintended gap between inks.

You can compensate for misregistration by slightly expanding one object so that it overlaps an object of a different

color—a process known as trapping. By default, placing one ink over another knocks out, or removes, any inks

underneath to prevent unwanted color mixing; but trapping requires that inks overprint, or print on top of each other,

so that at least a partial overlap is achieved.

Misregistration with no trap (left) and with trap (right)

Most traps employ spreading—expanding a light object into a dark object. Because the darker of two adjacent colors

defines the visible edge of the object or text, expanding the lighter color slightly into the darker color maintains the

visual edge.

Trapping methods

Trap a document using any combination of methods, including the following:

•Use process colors that don’t need trapping.

•Overprint black.

•Manually overprint strokes or fills.

•Use Adobe InDesign CS4 built-in trapping or Adobe In-RIP Trapping.

•Trap imported graphics using the trapping features in the illustration programs in which they were created. Refer

to the documentation for these applications.

Choose a trapping solution that complements the color output workflow you’re using, such as Adobe PostScript or PDF.

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Avoid the need for trapping by eliminating the possibility of misregistration in your use of color. Prevent

misregistration by making sure that abutting process colors have common inks. For example, if you specify a dark

purple stroke with a vivid red fill, they will both contain a significant percentage of magenta. The stroke’s and fill’s

common magenta will print as a single area, so that if misregistration occurs in the other process inks, the magenta

printing plate will make any resulting gap hard to see.

See also

“About overprinting” on page 624

About automatic trapping

InDesign can trap color documents with its built-in trapping engine, and can also take advantage of the Adobe In-RIP

Trapping engine available on Adobe PostScript output devices that support Adobe In-RIP Trapping.

Both trapping engines calculate adjustments to the edges of both type and graphics. They apply trapping techniques

to different parts of a single object, even if text or an InDesign object overlaps several different background colors.

Trapping adjustments are made automatically, and you can define trap presets to address the requirements of specific

page ranges. You only see the effects of trapping on color separations generated by a trapping engine; you cannot see

the results on-screen within InDesign.

The trapping engine detects contrasting color edges, and then creates traps based on the neutral densities (lightness or

darkness) of abutting colors, in most cases by spreading lighter colors into adjacent darker colors. The trapping

settings you specify in the Trap Presets panel modify the trapping engine’s results.

Automatic trapping requirements

To trap documents using the InDesign built-in engine, you need a PPD that supports separations.

To trap documents using the Adobe In-RIP Trapping engine, you need the following software and hardware:

•An Adobe PostScript Level 2 or later output device that uses a RIP that supports Adobe In-RIP Trapping. To find

out if a PostScript output device supports Adobe In-RIP Trapping, contact the manufacturer or your prepress

service provider.

•A PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file for a printer that supports Adobe In-RIP Trapping. You must select

this PPD when you install the printer.

See also

“Select a PPD file” on page 592

Differences between built-in trapping and Adobe In-RIP Trapping

Composite color workflow With built-in trapping, you can separate a document by using InDesign or in-RIP

separations. To use Adobe In-RIP Trapping, you must use In-RIP separations.

Trap widths Built-in trapping limits trap widths to 4 points, regardless of the value you enter for the trap widths. For

larger trap widths, use Adobe In-RIP Trapping.

Vector EPS graphics Built-in trapping cannot trap placed vector EPS graphics; Adobe In-RIP Trapping traps all

imported graphics.

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Trapping imported bitmap images

Built-in trapping can trap bitmap images, such as photographs, to text and graphics. Bitmap images must be saved

using a purely pixel-based file format that supports the color requirements of commercial printing. PSD (Photoshop)

and TIFF are the most appropriate formats for commercial printing jobs; before using other formats, consult with your

prepress service provider.

If you’re using an Open Prepress Interface (OPI) server, verify that it creates for-position-only (FPO) images using

TIFF or PSD formats. If the images are TIFF or PSD, it may be possible to use built-in trapping, as long as you don’t

select any Omit For OPI options at output time. (Omit For OPI options are located in the Advanced section of the

Print dialog box when a PostScript printer is targeted.)

Note: The behavior and precision of trapping within an OPI workflow depends on many factors, such as the

downsampling method the OPI server uses to generate FPO images. For best results, consult with your OPI vendor for

information about integrating Adobe trapping solutions with the vendor’s OPI server.

Trapping imported vector graphics

Both Adobe In-RIP Trapping and built-in trapping can trap text and graphics created with InDesign tools and placed

vector PDF files. However, built-in trapping cannot trap placed vector EPS graphics.

The text, paths, and frames you create in InDesign won’t trap correctly if they overlap a frame containing a placed

graphic that built-in trapping won’t trap, such as vector EPS graphics. (However, those objects will trap correctly with

Adobe In-RIP Trapping.) You may be able to use built-in trapping with documents containing vector EPS graphics if

you adjust the graphic’s frame. If the placed EPS graphic isn’t rectangular, try reshaping the frame closer to the graphic

itself, and away from other objects. For example, you might choose Object > Clipping Path to fit the graphics frame

more tightly around the graphic.

InDesign text and graphics that overlap placed EPS graphics (left) won’t trap correctly; to achieve good trapping, reshape the frame so that it

doesn’t touch other objects (right).

Trapping text

Both the Adobe In-RIP and built-in trapping engines can trap text characters to other text and graphics. (Built-in

trapping requires that the text and graphics are created with InDesign, and aren’t contained in imported graphics.) A

text character overlapping different background colors traps accurately to all of the colors.

Adobe In-RIP Trapping can trap all types of fonts. In contrast, built-in trapping works best with Type 1, OpenType,

and Multiple Master fonts only; using TrueType fonts may result in inconsistent traps. If your document must use

TrueType fonts and you want to use built-in trapping, consider converting all TrueType text to outlines by selecting

the text and choosing Type > Create Outlines. The text will become InDesign objects that trap reliably. Text can’t be

edited after you convert it to outlines.

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Maximizing trapping performance

Whether you use Adobe In-RIP trapping or built-in trapping, you can save time by not processing pages that don’t

need trapping, such as pages containing black text only. You can use trap presets to enable trapping only for the page

ranges that require it.

The speed with which built-in trapping is accomplished depends on the speed of your computer system. If you’re

trapping every page of a long document, use the fastest computer system you have. Built-in trapping also makes

extensive use of your computer’s hard disk, so a fast hard disk and data bus will benefit the built-in trapping engine.

To maximize the time your computers are available for other tasks, consider using Adobe In-RIP Trapping, which

processes all traps at the RIP, instead of at your computer.

Setting aside disk space for built-in trapping

To trap the edges of every color that requires trapping, the trapping engine creates a large number of paths that are

used only by the output device (the paths are not stored in your document). While Adobe In-RIP Trapping processes

and stores these additional paths at the RIP, built-in trapping uses your computer’s hard disk as a temporary storage

area for these trap paths. Before you use built-in trapping, make available as much hard disk space as possible.

The amount of disk space you’ll need depends on a wide range of factors, so it isn’t possible to predict exactly what a

particular trapping job will require. However, disk space requirements are most likely to increase when one or more

of the following characteristics of your document increase:

•Number of pages included in trapping page ranges.

•Number of overlapping color objects.

•Number of images that need to be trapped.

•Amount of text that needs to be trapped.

•Resolution of final output.

If the processing of a job that uses built-in trapping is interrupted or exhausts your disk space, trapping data may

be left behind on your hard disk. When necessary, you can exit the application, and then find and delete temporary

data in the C:\Temp folder (Windows). In Mac OS, restart your computer.

Trap a document or book

Do not change the default trapping settings unless you’ve consulted with your prepress service provider, and you

understand how trapping options work in the context of your specific document and printing conditions.

When trapping multiple documents in a book, make sure that you assign any custom trap presets to page ranges within

the individual documents of the book. You cannot assign trapping settings to an entire book at once. However, you

can resolve conflicting presets in a document.

1If necessary, create a trap preset with custom settings for your document and press conditions.

2Assign the trap preset to a page range.

3Choose File > Print to open the Print dialog box.

4Select Output from the list on the left.

5For Color, choose either Separations or In-RIP Separations, depending on whether you’re creating on-host or

in-RIP separations.

6For Trapping, choose one of the following options:

•Application Built-In, to use the trapping engine included with InDesign.

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•Adobe In-RIP. This option works only when you target an output device that supports Adobe In-RIP Trapping.

7If your prepress service provider recommends changing ink settings, click Ink Manager. Select an ink, set the

options specified by your prepress service provider, and then click OK:

8Continue specifying other print options, and then click Print to print your document.

See also

“Create or modify a trap preset” on page 488

“About printing” on page 583

“Assign a trap preset to pages” on page 489

Trap presets

Trap Presets panel overview

A trap preset is a collection of trapping settings you can apply to a page or range of pages in a document. The Trap

Presets panel provides an interface for entering trap settings and saving trap presets. You can apply trap presets to any

or all pages in the current document, or import the presets from another InDesign document. If you don’t apply a trap

preset to a trapping page range, that page range will use the [Default] trap preset.

See also

“About InDesign styles and presets” on page 39

View trap preset settings

1If the Trap Presets panel is not open, choose Window > Output > Trap Presets.

2Do one of the following in the Trap Presets panel:

•Double-click the preset.

•Select the preset and choose Preset Options in the panel menu.

Compress the trap presets list

❖In the Trap Presets panel, choose Small Panel Rows in the panel menu.

Identify unused trap presets

❖In the Trap Presets panel, choose Select All Unused in the panel menu. The trapping engine highlights all presets

(except [Default] and [No Trap Preset]) that have not been assigned to the current document. You can easily delete

these presets.

Create or modify a trap preset

1If the Trap Presets panel is not open, choose Window > Output > Trap Presets.

2Choose New Preset in the panel menu to create a preset, or double-click a preset to edit it.

Note: Clicking the New Preset button at the bottom of the Trap Presets panel creates a preset based on the [Default] trap

preset settings.

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3Specify the following options, and then click OK:

Name Type a name for the preset. You can’t change the name of the [Default] trap preset.

Trap Width Type values to specify the amount of overlap for inks.

Trap Appearance Specify options for controlling the shape of the traps.

Image Specify settings that determine how to trap imported bitmap images.

Trap Thresholds Type values to specify the conditions under which trapping occurs. Many variables affect the values

you’ll need to enter here. For more information, consult with your prepress service provider.

See also

“Trap preset options” on page 490

“Trapping imported bitmap images” on page 486

Manage trap presets

You can duplicate, delete, import, and customize trap presets.

Duplicate a trap preset

❖Do one of the following:

•In the Trap Presets panel, select a preset and choose Duplicate Preset in the panel menu.

•Drag a preset to the New Preset button at the bottom of the panel.

Delete a trap preset

1In the Trap Presets panel, select the preset(s), and then do one of the following:

•Click the Delete button.

•Choose Delete Presets in the panel menu.

2If prompted to replace a trap preset, choose one in the Delete Trap Preset dialog box that appears. This dialog box

appears if at least one of the selected presets has been assigned to a page.

3Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Note: You cannot delete either of the two built-in presets: [Default] and [No Trap Preset].

Import presets from another InDesign document

1In the Trap Presets panel, choose Load Trap Presets in the panel menu.

2Select the InDesign file and click Open.

Assign a trap preset to pages

You can assign a trap preset to a document or to a range of pages in a document. Pages with no abutting colors will

print faster if you disable trapping on those pages. Trapping doesn’t actually occur until you print the document.

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Trap assignments list the presets you have applied to various pages; the trap assignments are updated each time you click Assign.

1In the Trap Presets panel, choose Assign Trap Preset in the panel menu.

2For Trap Preset, choose the preset you want to apply.

3Select the pages to which you want to apply the trap preset.

4Click Assign, and then click Done.

Note: If you click Done without clicking Assign, the dialog box closes without making any changes to the trap assignments.

Trap assignments previously made using the Assign button are preserved.

Set up trapping page ranges

1In the Trap Presets panel, choose Assign Trap Preset in the panel menu.

2For Trap Preset, choose the preset you want to apply to the page ranges.

3Select Range, and type one or more ranges in ascending sequence, using a hyphen for each range, and separating

pages and ranges with commas, or with commas and spaces. For example, 2-4, 6, 9-10, 12- is a valid range.

4Click Assign, and then click Done.

To disable a trapping page range, choose Assign Trap Preset in the panel menu, type a page range, and choose [No

Trap Preset] in the Trap Preset menu. Click Assign, and then click Done.

Trap preset options

You can change trap preset options whenever you create or edit a trap preset. The same trap preset options are available

in Acrobat and InDesign. In Acrobat, you can view trap presets by choosing Tools > Print Production > Trap Presets.

In InDesign, choose Window > Output > Trap Presets.

Trap widths

Trap width is the amount of overlap for each trap. Differences in paper characteristics, screen rulings, and printing

press conditions require different trap widths. To determine the appropriate trap widths for each job, consult your

commercial printer.

Default Specifies the trap width in points for trapping all colors except those involving solid black. The default value

is 0p0.25.

Black Indicates the distance that inks spread into solid black, or the holdback amount—the distance between black

edges and underlying inks for trapping rich blacks. The default value is 0p0.5. This value is often set to be 1.5 to 2 times

the value of the default trap width.

In InDesign, the value you set for Black Color determines the value for a solid black or a rich black, a process black (K)

ink mixed with color inks for increased opacity and richer color.

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Note: (InDesign) If you choose Application Built-In trapping, and you specify a Default trap width or Black trap width

larger than 4 points, the resulting trap width is limited to 4 points. However, the value you specified will continue to be

displayed, because if you switch to Adobe In-RIP Trapping, traps larger than 4 points are applied as you specified.

Trap appearance

A join is where two trap edges meet at a common endpoint. You can control the shape of the outside join of two trap

segments and the intersection of three traps.

Join Style Controls the shape of the outside join of two trap segments. Choose from Miter, Round, and Bevel. The

default is Miter, which matches earlier trapping results to retain compatibility with previous versions of the Adobe

Trapping Engine.

Trap join examples, left to right: miter join, round join, bevel join

End Style Controls the intersection of three-way traps. Miter (the default) shapes the end of the trap to keep it away

from the intersecting object. Overlap affects the shape of the trap generated by the lightest neutral density object that

intersects with two or more darker objects. The end of the lightest trap is wrapped around the point where the three

objects intersect.

Close-up of trap end examples: miter (left) and overlap (right)

Trap thresholds

Step Specifies the color change threshold at which the trapping engine creates a trap. Some jobs need only the most

extreme color changes trapped, while others require traps for more subtle color changes. The Step value indicates the

degree to which components (such as CMYK values) of abutting colors must vary before trapping occurs.

To change how much the component inks in abutting colors can vary before causing those colors to trap, increase or

decrease the value for Step in the New Trap Preset or Modify Trap Preset Options dialog box. The default is 10%. For

best results, use a value from 8% to 20%. Lower percentages increase sensitivity to color differences and result in more

traps.

Black Color Indicates the minimum amount of black ink required before the Black trap width setting is applied. The

default value is 100%. For best results, use a value no lower than 70%.

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Black Density Indicates the neutral density value at or above which InDesign considers an ink to be black. For

example, if you want a dark spot ink to use the Black trap width setting, enter the neutral density value here. This value

is typically set near the default of 1.6.

Sliding Trap Determines when the trapping engine starts to straddle the centerline of the color boundary. The value

refers to the proportion of the lighter color’s neutral density value to a darker, abutting color’s neutral density value.

For example, setting the Sliding Trap value to 70% moves the point at which the trap begins to straddle the centerline

to where the lighter color exceeds 70% of the darker color in neutral density (lighter color’s neutral density divided by

darker color’s neutral density > 0.70). Colors of identical neutral density will always have their traps exactly straddle

the centerline, unless the Sliding Trap is set to 100%.

Trap Color Reduction Indicates the degree to which components from abutting colors are used to reduce the trap

color. This setting is useful for preventing certain abutting colors (such as pastels) from making an unsightly trap that

is darker than either color. Specifying a Trap Color Reduction lower than 100% begins to lighten the color of the trap;

a Trap Color Reduction value of 0% makes a trap with a neutral density equal to the neutral density of the darker color.

Trapping imported graphics

You can create a trap preset to control traps within images, and to control traps between bitmap images (such as

photographs and those saved in raster PDF files) and vector objects (such as those from a drawing program and vector

PDF files). Each trapping engine handles imported graphics differently. It’s important to be aware of these differences

when setting trapping options.

Trap Placement Provides options for determining where the trap falls when you trap vector objects (including objects

drawn in InDesign) to bitmap images. All options except Neutral Density create a visually consistent edge. Center

creates a trap that straddles the edge between objects and images. Choke causes objects to overlap the abutting image.

Neutral Density applies the same trapping rules as used elsewhere in the document. Trapping an object to a

photograph with the Neutral Density setting can result in noticeably uneven edges as the trap moves from one side of

the edge to another. Spread causes the bitmap image to overlap the abutting object.

Trap Objects To Images Ensures that vector objects (such as frames used as keylines) trap to images, using the Trap

Placement settings. If vector objects don’t overlap images in a trapping page range, consider turning this option off to

speed trapping of that page range.

Trap Images To Images Turns on trapping along the boundary of overlapping or abutting bitmap images. This feature

is on by default.

Trap Images Internally Turns on trapping among colors within each individual bitmap image (not just where they

touch vector artwork and text). Use this option only for page ranges containing simple, high-contrast images, such as

screen shots or cartoons. Leave it unselected for continuous-tone and other complicated images, as it will create bad

traps. Trapping is faster when this option is unselected.

Trap 1-Bit Images Ensures that 1-bit images trap to abutting objects. This option doesn’t use the Image Trap

Placement settings, because 1-bit images use only one color. In most cases, leave this option selected. In some cases,

such as with 1-bit images where pixels are widely spaced, selecting this option may darken the image and slow the

trapping.

Set sliding traps

1Choose New Preset in the panel menu to create a preset, or double-click a preset to edit it.

2In the Trap Thresholds section, for Sliding Trap, enter a percentage from 0 to 100, or use the default of 70%. At 0%,

all traps default to centerline; at 100%, sliding traps are turned off, forcing one color to be spread fully into another

regardless of the neutral density relationship of the abutting colors.

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About trapping black

When creating or editing presets, the value you type for Black Color determines what is considered solid black and rich

black. A rich black is any black color that uses a support screen—additional percentages of one or more process inks to

strengthen the black.

The Black Color setting is useful when you must compensate for extreme dot gain (as when using low-grade paper

stock). These situations cause black percentages lower than 100% to print as solid areas. By screening back blacks or

rich blacks (using tints of solid black) and decreasing the Black Color setting from its default of 100%, you can

compensate for dot gain and ensure that the trapping engine will apply the proper trap width and placement to black

objects.

When a color reaches the Black Color value, the Black trap width value is applied to all abutting colors, and keepaway

traps are applied to rich black areas using the Black trap width value.

If support screens extend all the way to the edge of a black area, any misregistration causes the edges of support screens

to become visible, creating an unwanted halo or distorting the edges of objects. The trapping engine uses a keepaway,

or a holdback, for rich blacks to keep support screens a specified distance away from edges of reversed-out or light

elements in the foreground, so that the light elements retain their sharpness. You control the distance of support

screens from the edges of black areas by specifying the Black trap width value.

Note: If the element you’re trapping is a thin element, such as a black keyline around graphics, the trapping engine

overrides the Black trap width setting and limits the trap to half the width of the thin element.

Set the trap width for colors next to black

1Choose New Preset in the panel menu to create a preset, or double-click a preset to edit it.

2In the Trap Width section, for Black, enter a distance (in points) for how far you want other colors to spread into

black, or for how far you want support screens choked back under black. Typically, the Black trap width is set to be

1.5 to 2 times the value of the Default trap width.

3For Black Color and Black Density, set values.

Note: To use black trapping features, a color area must use an ink with a neutral density greater than or equal to the Black

Density, and the ink must occur in percentages greater than or equal to the Black Color.

See also

“Trap Presets panel overview” on page 488

“Trap preset options” on page 490

Printing books with conflicting trap presets

You can apply one trap preset to one sheet of output, such as one page. Normally this is not a concern. However, if you

print multiple documents in a book, and each document or page has a different trap preset, InDesign can resolve some

trap preset conflicts by synchronizing presets among documents:

•If documents in a book use different trap presets with the same name, InDesign assigns the trap preset used in the

master document, provided you’ve selected the Trap Preset option in the Synchronize Options dialog box.

•The synchronizing feature makes all the master document’s presets available to the other documents in the book,

but does not assign them; you have to assign trap presets in each document, or use the [Default] trap preset. The

presets appear in the Trap Preset menu of the document’s Assign Trap Presets dialog box.

Note: If different trap presets are applied to pages in a spread, InDesign honors each trap preset.

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See also

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

Adjusting ink options for trapping

Adjusting ink neutral density values

By adjusting the ink neutral density (ND) values that the selected trapping engine uses, you can determine the precise

placement of traps. The default ND values for process inks are based on the neutral density readings of process ink

swatches that conform to industry standards in different parts of the world. The language version determines which

standard it conforms to. For example, the ND values for the U.S. English and Canadian versions conform to the

Specifications for Web Offset Publications (SWOP) solid ink density values published by the Graphic Arts Technical

Foundation of North America. You can adjust process ink neutral densities to match printing industry standards in

other parts of the world.

The trapping engine derives the ND values for a spot color from its CMYK equivalent. For most spot colors, the ND

values of their CMYK equivalents are accurate enough for proper trap creation. Spot inks that aren’t easily simulated

using process inks, such as metallic inks and varnishes, may need their ND values adjusted so that the trapping engine

can trap them correctly. By typing new values, you can ensure that an ink that is observably darker or lighter is

recognized that way by the trapping engine; the appropriate trap placement is then applied automatically.

You can get the appropriate neutral density value for a given ink by asking your commercial printer. The most accurate

method of determining an ink’s ND value is by measuring a swatch of the ink with a commercial densitometer. Read

the “V” or visual density of the ink (don’t use process filters). If the value differs from the default setting, type the new

value in the ND text box.

Note: Changing the neutral density for a spot color affects only how that color will trap. It doesn’t change the appearance

of that color in your document.

Follow these guidelines when adjusting ND values:

Metallic and opaque inks Metallic inks are usually darker than their CMYK equivalents, while opaque inks obscure

any ink beneath them. In general, you should set the ND values for both metallic and opaque spot colors much higher

than their default values to ensure that these spot colors won’t spread.

Note: Setting an ink to Opaque or Opaque Ignore in the Type menu of the Ink Manager prevents an opaque ink from

spreading into other colors, unless another opaque ink has a higher ND value.

Pastel inks These inks are normally lighter than their process equivalents. You may want to set the ND value for these

inks lower than their default values to ensure that they spread into adjacent darker colors.

Other spot inks Some spot colors, such as turquoise or neon orange, are significantly darker or lighter than their

CMYK equivalents. You can determine whether this is the case by comparing printed swatches of the actual spot inks

to printed swatches of their CMYK equivalents. You can adjust the spot ink’s ND value higher or lower as necessary.

Customize trapping for specialty inks

Using certain inks involves special trapping considerations. For example, if you are using a varnish on your document,

you don’t want the varnish to affect trapping. However, if you’re overprinting certain areas with a completely opaque

ink, you don’t need to create traps for items underneath. Ink options are available for these situations. It’s usually best

not to change the default settings, unless your prepress service provider recommends changing them.

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Note: The speciality inks and varnishes used in the document may have been created by mixing two spot inks or by mixing

a spot ink with one or more process inks.

1Open the Ink Manager and select an ink that requires special treatment.

2For Type, choose one of the following options, and then click OK:

Normal Use for traditional process inks and most spot inks.

Transparent Use for clear inks to ensure that underlying items trap. Use this option for varnishes and dieline inks.

Opaque Use for heavy, nontransparent inks to prevent trapping of underlying colors but allow for trapping along the

ink’s edges. Use this option for metallic inks.

Opaque Ignore Use for heavy, nontransparent inks to prevent trapping of underlying colors and to prevent trapping

along the ink’s edges. Use this option for those inks, such as metallics and varnishes, that have undesirable interactions

with other inks.

See also

“Ink Manager overview” on page 628

“Mixing inks” on page 457

Adjust the trapping sequence

The trapping sequence (also called the trapping order) matches the order in which inks are printed at the press, but it

doesn’t match the order in which separations are produced at the output device.

The trapping sequence is particularly important when you’re printing with multiple opaque colors, such as metallic

inks. Opaque inks with lower sequence numbers are spread under opaque inks with higher sequence numbers. This

process prevents the last applied ink from being spread, and it still creates good traps.

Note: Don’t alter the default trapping sequence without first consulting with your prepress service provider.

1Open the Ink Manager. The current trapping sequence is displayed in the Sequence column of the inks list.

2Select an ink, type a new value for Trapping Sequence, and then press Tab. The sequence number of the selected

ink changes, and the other sequence numbers change accordingly.

3Repeat the previous step for as many inks as necessary, and then click OK.

See also

“Ink Manager overview” on page 628

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Chapter 18: PDF

Exporting Adobe InDesign CS4 documents to PDF format preserves the look and content of the original InDesign

documents. PDF files can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader® on almost any platform. Enhance your PDFs

by adding interactivity features such as bookmarks, hyperlinks, buttons, and media files.

Exporting to Adobe PDF

About Adobe PDF

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, and layout of source

documents created on a wide range of applications and platforms. Adobe PDF is the standard for the secure, reliable

distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. Adobe PDF files are compact and

complete, and can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader® software.

Adobe PDF is highly effective in print publishing workflows. By saving a composite of your artwork in Adobe PDF,

you create a compact, reliable file that you or your service provider can view, edit, organize, and proof. Then, at the

appropriate time in the workflow, your service provider can either output the Adobe PDF file directly, or process it

using tools from various sources for such post-processing tasks as preflight checks, trapping, imposition, and color

separation.

When you save in Adobe PDF, you can choose to create a PDF/X-compliant file. PDF/X (Portable Document Format

Exchange) is a subset of Adobe PDF that eliminates many of the color, font, and trapping variables that lead to printing

problems. PDF/X may be used wherever PDFs are exchanged as digital masters for print production—whether at the

creation or output stage of the workflow, as long as the applications and output devices support PDF/X.

Adobe PDFs can solve the following problems associated with electronic documents:

Export to PDF

Exporting a document or book to Adobe PDF is as simple as using the default High Quality Print settings, or as

customized as you need it to be to suit your task. The PDF export settings you specify are saved with the application,

and will apply to every new InDesign document or book you export to PDF until you change them again. To quickly

apply custom settings to PDF files, you can use presets.

Common problem Adobe PDF solution

Recipients can't open files because they don't have the

applications used to create the files.

Anyone, anywhere can open a PDF. All you need is the free Adobe

Reader software.

Combined paper and electronic archives are difficult to search,

take up space, and require the application in which a document

was created.

PDFs are compact and fully searchable, and can be accessed at any

time using Reader. Links make PDFs easy to navigate.

Documents appear incorrectly on handheld devices. Tagged PDFs allow text to reflow for display on mobile platforms

such as Palm OS®, Symbian™, and Pocket PC® devices.

Documents with complex formatting are not accessible to visually

impaired readers.

Tagged PDFs contain information on content and structure, which

makes them accessible on-screen readers.

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You can export a document, a book, or selected documents in a book as a single PDF file. You can also copy content

from your InDesign layout to the Clipboard, and automatically create an Adobe PDF file of that content. (This is useful

for pasting a PDF file into another application, such as Adobe Illustrator.)

When you export an InDesign file to PDF, you can preserve navigation elements such as table of contents and index

entries, and interactivity features such as hyperlinks, bookmarks, media clips, and buttons. You also have the option

of exporting hidden layers, nonprinting layers, and nonprinting objects to PDF. If you’re exporting a book, you can

merge identically named layers by using the Book panel.

See also

“Adobe PDF options” on page 501

“PDF compatibility levels” on page 502

“Creating interactive documents for PDF” on page 523

Export an open document to PDF

1Choose File > Export.

2Specify a name and location for the file.

3For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose Adobe PDF, and then click Save.

4Do one of the following:

•To use a predefined set of job options, choose a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu.

•To create a PDF/X file, either choose a PDF/X preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu, or choose a predefined

PDF/X format from the Standard menu.

•To customize options, select a category from the list on the left and then set the options.

5For Compatibility, choose the lowest PDF version necessary to open the files you create.

6Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).

To reset options to the default, in the Adobe PDF Export dialog box, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)

and click Reset. (The Cancel button changes to Reset.)

Prepare layers before exporting a book to PDF

When you export a book to PDF, you can show and hide InDesign layers in the PDF document. To avoid duplication

of layer names in the PDF, you can merge the layers on export.

If the Merge Identically Named Layers On Export option is selected, layer names appear under the same book name

in Acrobat or Reader. If this option is not selected, layer names appear separately under each document name.

1If you don’t want certain layers to be merged, give them unique names in each book document.

Layer names are case-sensitive, so “Art” and “art” layers are not merged.

2In the Book panel menu, select Merge Identically Named Layers On Export.

Note: When you export the book to PDF, make sure that Create Acrobat Layers is selected. To select this option, you must

use Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later compatibility.

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Export a book to PDF

1Do one of the following:

•To create a PDF of the entire book, click in a blank area of the Book panel to deselect any selected documents, and

choose Export Book To PDF in the Book panel menu.

•To create a PDF of documents within a book, select the document or documents in the Book panel, and choose

Export Selected Documents To PDF in the Book panel menu.

2Specify a name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.

3Either choose a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu, or select a category from the list on the left of the Export

Adobe PDF dialog box, and then customize the options.

4Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).

Reducing the size of PDFs

For PDF files that are intended to be distributed for viewing purposes only, you may want to reduce the size of PDF

files when you export from InDesign. Here are some of the size reduction techniques you can use in the Export Adobe

PDF dialog box:

•Choose [Smallest File Size] from the Adobe PDF Preset menu.

•In the Compression area, downsample images to 72 pixels per inch, select automatic compression, and select either

low- or medium-image quality for color and grayscale images. When you work with photographic images, use

Automatic (JPEG 2000) compression; when you work with images that are mostly solid color, such as charts and

graphs, use ZIP compression.

•In the Output area, use the Ink Manager to convert spot colors to process colors.

To reduce the size of PDFs, simply open the PDF in Acrobat 8.0 or later, choose Document > Reduce File Size, and

then specify the compatibility level. For greater control, choose Advanced > PDF Optimizer.

For more information on reducing the size of PDF files, see Acrobat Help and the Adobe website.

Adobe PDF presets

A PDF preset is a group of settings that affect the process of creating a PDF. These settings are designed to balance file

size with quality, depending on how the PDF will be used. Most predefined presets are shared across Adobe Creative

Suite components, including InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat. You can also create and share custom

presets for your unique output requirements.

A few of the presets listed below are not available until you move them—as needed—from the Extras folder (where

they are installed by default) to the Settings folder. Typically, the Extras and Settings folders are found in (Windows

Vista) ProgramData\Adobe\AdobePDF, (Windows XP) Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

Data\Adobe\Adobe PDF, or (Mac OS) Library/Application Support/Adobe PDF. Some presets are not available in

some Creative Suite components.

The custom settings are found in (Windows XP) Documents and Settings/[username]/Application

Data/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings, (Windows Vista) Users/[username]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe

PDF/Settings, or (Mac OS) Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings.

Review your PDF settings periodically. The settings do not automatically revert to the default settings. Applications

and utilities that create PDFs use the last set of PDF settings defined or selected.

High Quality Print Creates PDFs for quality printing on desktop printers and proofing devices. This preset uses PDF

1.4 (Windows) or PDF 1.6 (Mac OS), downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to

1200 ppi, embeds subsets of all fonts, leaves color unchanged, and does not flatten transparency (for file types capable

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of transparency). These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later. In InDesign, this preset

also creates tagged PDFs.

Illustrator Default (Illustrator only) Creates a PDF in which all Illustrator data is preserved. PDFs created with this

preset can be reopened in Illustrator without any loss of data.

Oversized Pages (Acrobat only) Creates PDFs suitable for viewing and printing of engineering drawings larger than

200 x 200 inches. These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat and Reader 7.0 and later.

PDF/A-1b: 2005 (CMYK and RGB) (Acrobat only) Used for long-term preservation (archival) of electronic documents.

PDF/A-1b uses PDF 1.4 and converts all colors to either CMYK or RGB, depending on which standard you choose.

These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat and Reader versions 5.0 and later.

PDF/X-1a (2001 and 2003) PDF/X-1a requires all fonts to be embedded, the appropriate marks and bleeds to be

specified, and color to appear as CMYK, spot colors, or both. Compliant files must contain information describing the

printing condition for which they are prepared. PDF files created with PDF/X-1a compliance can be opened in Acrobat

4.0 and Acrobat Reader 4.0 and later.

PDF/X-1a uses PDF 1.3, downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to 1200 ppi,

embeds subsets of all fonts, creates untagged PDFs, and flattens transparency using the High Resolution setting.

Note: The PDF/X1-a:2003 and PDF/X-3 (2003) presets are placed on your computer during installation but are not

available until you move them from the Extras folder to the Settings folder.

PDF/X-4 (2008) In Acrobat 8, this preset is called PDF/X-4 DRAFT to reflect the draft state of the ISO specification at

Acrobat ship time. This preset is based on PDF 1.4, which includes support for live transparency. PDF/X-4 has the

same color management and International Color Consortium (ICC) color specifications as PDF/X-3. You can create

PDF/X-4-compliant files directly with Creative Suite 3 components (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop). In Acrobat

8, use the Preflight feature to convert PDFs to PDF/X-4 DRAFT.

PDF files created with PDF/X-4 compliance can be opened in Acrobat 7.0 and Reader 7.0 and later.

Press Quality Creates PDF files for high-quality print production (for example, for digital printing or for separations

to an imagesetter or platesetter), but does not create files that are PDF/X-compliant. In this case, the quality of the

content is the highest consideration. The objective is to maintain all the information in a PDF file that a commercial

printer or print service provider needs in order to print the document correctly. This set of options uses PDF 1.4,

converts colors to CMYK, downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to 1200 ppi,

embeds subsets of all fonts, and preserves transparency (for file types capable of transparency).

These PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.

Note: Before creating an Adobe PDF file to send to a commercial printer or print service provider, find out what the

output resolution and other settings should be, or ask for a .joboptions file with the recommended settings. You might

need to customize the Adobe PDF settings for a particular provider and then provide a .joboptions file of your own.

Rich Content PDF Creates accessible PDF files that include tags, hyperlinks, bookmarks, interactive elements, and

layers. This set of options uses PDF 1.5 and embeds subsets of all fonts. It also optimizes files for byte serving. These

PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 6.0 and Adobe Reader 6.0 and later. (The Rich Content PDF preset is in the Extras

folder.)

Note: This preset was called eBook in earlier versions of some applications.

Smallest File Size Creates PDF files for displaying on the web, an intranet, or for email distribution. This set of options

uses compression, downsampling, and a relatively low image resolution. It converts all colors to sRGB and embeds

fonts. It also optimizes files for byte serving.

These PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.

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Standard (Acrobat only) Creates PDF files to be printed to desktop printers or digital copiers, published on a CD, or

sent to a client as a publishing proof. This set of options uses compression and downsampling to keep the file size

down, but also embeds subsets of all (allowed) fonts used in the file, converts all colors to sRGB, and prints to a medium

resolution. Note that Windows font subsets are not embedded by default. PDF files created with this settings file can

be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.

For more information about shared PDF settings for Creative Suite components, see the PDF Integration Guide on

the Creative Suite DVD.

Customize Adobe PDF presets

Although the default PDF presets are based on best practices, you may discover that your workflow, or perhaps your

printer’s workflow, requires specialized PDF settings that aren’t available via any of the built-in presets. If this is the

case, you or your service provider can create custom presets. Adobe PDF presets are saved as .joboptions files.

1Choose File > Adobe PDF Presets > Define.

2Do one of the following:

•To create a new preset, click New. If you want to base the new preset on an existing preset, select the preset first. Set

PDF options, and click OK. (See “Adobe PDF options” on page 501.)

•To edit an existing custom preset, select the preset and click Edit. (You cannot edit the default presets.) Set PDF

options, and click OK.

•To delete a preset, select it and click Delete.

•To save a preset in a location other than the default Settings folder in the Adobe PDF folder, select it and click Save

As. Specify a location and click Save.

Alternatively, you can create a custom preset when you save a PDF file by clicking Save Preset at the bottom of the

Export Adobe PDF dialog box. Enter a name for the preset and click OK.

Load Adobe PDF presets

New PDF presets (.joboptions files) that you create are stored in the Settings folder in the following locations:

Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe PDF

Windows Vista Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe PDF

Mac OS User/[username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF

These presets automatically appear in the Adobe PDF Presets menu.

Supplementary InDesign PDF presets are installed in the system’s Adobe PDF\Extras folder. Use your system search

utility to locate additional .joboptions files. You may also receive custom PDF presets from service providers and

colleagues. For these presets to be listed in the Adobe PDF Presets menu, they must be moved to the Settings folder

either manually or by using the Load command.

Load PDF presets

The Load command is useful if you want to load PDF presets that someone sent you, or to load PDF presets from

InDesign CS2.

1Choose File > Adobe PDF Presets > Define.

2Click Load and select the .joboptions file you want to load.

The .joboptions file is copied to the Settings folder where new PDF presets are stored.

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To make a .joboptions file available in the Adobe PDF Presets menu, you can also drag it to the Settings folder where

your PDF presets are stored.

Convert PDF presets from InDesign CS

InDesign CS and earlier export PDF presets with .pdfs extensions, while InDesign CS2 and later export PDF presets

with .joboptions extensions. Importing a PDFS file converts it to a .joboptions file, and overrides settings as necessary.

For example, if Monitor RGB was selected as the destination profile in the Output area in InDesign CS, it is

automatically changed to Document RGB in InDesign CS4.

1Choose File > Adobe PDF Presets > Define.

2Click Load.

3Choose Previous-version PDF Settings Files (.pdfs) from the Files Of Type menu (Windows) or All Files from the

Enable menu (Macintosh).

4Double-click the file you want to convert.

The file becomes selected in the list of Adobe PDF presets.

Adobe PDF options

Adobe PDF option categories

You can set PDF options when you export to PDF or when you create or edit PDF presets. Adobe PDF options are

divided into categories. The categories are listed on the left side of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, with the

exception of the Standard and Compatibility options, which are at the top of the dialog box. When you’re exporting to

PDF, changing any of the options causes “modified” to appear at the end of the preset name.

Standard Specifies a PDF/X format for the file.

Compatibility Specifies a PDF version for the file.

General Specifies basic file options.

Compression

Specifies if artwork should be compressed and downsampled, and if so, which method and settings to use.

Marks and Bleeds Specifies printer’s marks and the bleed and slug areas. Although the options are the same as in the

Print dialog box, the calculations are subtly different because a PDF is not output to a known page size.

Output Controls how colors and PDF/X output intent profiles are saved in the PDF file.

Advanced Controls how fonts, OPI specifications, transparency flattening, and JDF instructions are saved in the PDF

file.

Security Adds security to the PDF file. Security options are not available when you create or edit a PDF preset.

Summary Displays a summary of the current PDF settings. You can click the arrow next to a category (for example,

General) to view individual settings. To save the summary as an ASCII text file, click Save Summary. A warning

icon appears with explanatory text if a setting in the selected preset cannot be honored and must be remapped. For

example, if a preset specifies source profiles that don’t match the current color settings file, then the profiles specified

by the color settings file will be used.

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About PDF/X standards

PDF/X standards are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). PDF/X standards apply to

graphic content exchange. During PDF conversion, the file that is being processed is checked against the specified

standard. If the PDF will not meet the selected ISO standard, a message appears, asking you to choose between

canceling the conversion or going ahead with the creation of a non-compliant file. The most widely used standards for

a print publishing workflow are PDF/X formats such as PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3.

Note: For more information on PDF/X, see the ISO website and the Adobe website.

PDF compatibility levels

When you create PDFs, you need to decide which PDF version to use. You can change the PDF version by switching

to a different preset or choosing a compatibility option when you save as PDF or edit a PDF preset.

Generally speaking, unless there’s a specific need for backward compatibility, you should use the most recent version

(in this case version 1.7). The latest version will include all the newest features and functionality. However, if you’re

creating documents that will be distributed widely, consider choosing Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) or Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) to

ensure that all users can view and print the document.

The following table compares some of the functionality in PDFs created using the different compatibility settings.

Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) Acrobat 7 (PDF 1.6) and

Acrobat 8 and Acrobat 9 (PDF

1.7)

PDFs can be opened with

Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat Reader

3.0 and later.

PDFs can be opened with

Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat Reader

3.0 and later. However, features

specific to later versions may be

lost or not viewable.

Most PDFs can be opened with

Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader

4.0 and later. However, features

specific to later versions may be

lost or not viewable.

Most PDFs can be opened with

Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader

4.0 and later. However, features

specific to later versions may be

lost or not viewable.

Cannot contain artwork that

uses live transparency effects.

Any transparency must be

flattened prior to converting to

PDF 1.3.

Supports the use of live

transparency in artwork. (The

Acrobat Distiller feature flattens

transparency.)

Supports the use of live

transparency in artwork. (The

Acrobat Distiller feature flattens

transparency.)

Supports the use of live

transparency in artwork. (The

Acrobat Distiller feature flattens

transparency.)

Layers are not supported. Layers are not supported. Preserves layers when creating

PDFs from applications that

support the generation of

layered PDF documents, such as

Illustrator CS and later or

InDesign CS and later.

Preserves layers when creating

PDFs from applications that

support the generation of

layered PDF documents, such as

Illustrator CS and later or

InDesign CS and later.

DeviceN color space with 8

colorants is supported.

DeviceN color space with 8

colorants is supported.

DeviceN color space with up to

31 colorants is supported.

DeviceN color space with up to

31 colorants is supported.

Multibyte fonts can be

embedded. (Distiller converts

the fonts when embedding.)

Multibyte fonts can be

embedded.

Multibyte fonts can be

embedded.

Multibyte fonts can be

embedded.

40-bit RC4 security supported. 128-bit RC4 security supported. 128-bit RC4 security supported. 128-bit RC4 and 128-bit AES

(Advanced Encryption

Standard) security supported.

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General options for PDFs

Click the General category in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box to set the following options:

Description Displays the description from the selected preset, and provides a place for you to edit the description. You

can paste a description from the Clipboard.

All Exports all pages in the current document or book.

Range Specifies the range of pages to export in the current document. You can type a range by using a hyphen, and

separate multiple pages or ranges by using commas. This option is unavailable when you’re exporting books or

creating presets.

Spreads Exports pages together as if they were printed on the same sheet.

Important: Do not select Spreads for commercial printing; if you do, the service provider cannot impose the pages.

Embed Page Thumbnails Creates a thumbnail preview for each page being exported, or one thumbnail for each spread

if the Spreads option is selected. The thumbnail is displayed in the InDesign Open or Place dialog boxes. Adding

thumbnails increases the PDF file size.

Optimize For Fast Web View Reduces PDF file size, and optimizes the PDF file for faster viewing in a web browser by

restructuring the file for page-at-a-time downloading (byte serving). This option compresses text and line art,

regardless of the settings you have selected in the Compression category of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box.

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” on page 512.)

Note: If Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later, tags are compressed for smaller file size. If the PDF is then

opened in Acrobat 4.0 or Acrobat 5.0, the tags will not be visible because those versions of Acrobat cannot decompress tags.

View PDF After Exporting Opens the newly-created PDF file in the default PDF viewing application.

Create Acrobat Layers Saves each InDesign layer as an Acrobat layer within the PDF. Also exports any printer’s marks

you’ve included to a separate marks and bleeds layer. 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. For example, if a document will be published in

multiple languages, you can place the text for each language in a different layer. A prepress service provider can then

show and hide the layers to generate different versions of the document.

If you select the Create Acrobat Layers option when you export a book to PDF, identically named layers are merged

by default.

Note: Create Acrobat Layers is available only when Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later.

Export Layers Determines whether visible layers and nonprinting layers are included in the PDF. You can use the

Layer Options settings to determine whether each layer is hidden or set as nonprinting. When exporting to PDF,

choose whether you want to export All Layers (including hidden and nonprinting layers), Visible Layers (including

nonprinting layers), or Visible & Printable Layers.

Bookmarks Creates bookmarks for table of contents entries, preserving the TOC levels. Bookmarks are created from

the information specified in the Bookmarks panel.

Hyperlinks Creates PDF hyperlink annotations for InDesign hyperlinks, table of contents entries, and index entries.

Visible Guides And Baseline Grids Exports margin guides, ruler guides, column guides, and baseline grids currently

visible in the document. Grids and guides export in the same color used in the document.

Non-Printing Objects Exports objects to which you have applied the Nonprinting option in the Attributes panel.

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Interactive Elements Exports all movies, sounds, and buttons. Acrobat 4.0 and 5.0 require that sounds be embedded

and movies be linked. Acrobat 6.0 and later support linking and embedding of movies and sounds.

Multimedia Lets you specify how to embed or link movies and sounds:

•Use Object Settings Embeds movies and sounds according to the settings in the Sound Options and Movie Options

dialog box.

•Link All Links sound and movie clips placed in the document. If you choose not to embed media clips in the PDF

file, be sure to place the media clips in the same folder as the PDF.

•Embed All Embeds all movies and sounds, regardless of embed settings on individual objects.

Note: The Multimedia option is only available when Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later and Interactive

Elements is selected. When Compatibility is set to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) or Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) and Interactive Elements

is selected, InDesign embeds movies and sounds according to the individual object settings.

See also

“Export to PDF” on page 496

“Hyperlinks” on page 526

“Bookmarks” on page 524

“Movies and sounds” on page 539

“Buttons” on page 545

Compression and downsampling options for PDFs

When exporting documents to Adobe PDF, you can compress text and line art, and compress and downsample bitmap

images. Depending on the settings you choose, compression and downsampling can significantly reduce the size of a

PDF file with little or no loss of detail and precision.

The Compression area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box is divided into three sections. Each section provides the

following options for compressing and resampling color, grayscale, or monochrome images in your artwork.

Downsampling If you plan to use the PDF file on the web, use downsampling to allow for higher compression. If you

plan to print the PDF file at high resolution, check with your prepress service provider before setting compression and

downsampling options.

You should also consider whether users need to magnify a page. For example, if you are creating a PDF document of

a map, consider using a higher image resolution so that users can zoom in on the map.

Downsampling refers to decreasing the number of pixels in an image. To downsample color, grayscale, or

monochrome images, choose an interpolation method—average downsampling, bicubic downsampling, or

subsampling—and enter the desired resolution (in pixels per inch). Then enter a resolution in the For Images Above

text box. All images with resolution above this threshold will be downsampled.

The interpolation method you choose determines how pixels are deleted:

•Average Downsampling To Averages the pixels in a sample area and replaces the entire area with the average pixel

color at the specified resolution.

•Subsampling To Chooses a pixel in the center of the sample area and replaces the entire area with that pixel color.

Subsampling significantly reduces the conversion time compared with downsampling but results in images that are

less smooth and continuous.

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•Bicubic Downsampling To Uses a weighted average to determine pixel color, which usually yields better results

than the simple averaging method of downsampling. Bicubic is the slowest but most precise method, resulting in the

smoothest tonal gradations.

Compression Determines the type of compression that is used:

•Automatic (JPEG) Determines automatically the best quality for color and grayscale images. For most files, this

option produces satisfactory results.

•JPEG Is suitable for grayscale or color images. JPEG compression is lossy, which means that it removes image data

and may reduce 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 than ZIP compression.

•ZIP Works well on images with large areas of single colors or repeating patterns, and for black-and-white images

that contain repeating patterns. ZIP compression can be lossless or lossy, depending on the Image Quality setting.

•JPEG 2000 Is the international standard for the compression and packaging of image data. Like JPEG compression,

JPEG 2000 compression is suitable for grayscale or color images. It also provides additional advantages, such as

progressive display. The JPEG 2000 option is only available when Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later.

•Automatic (JPEG 2000) Determines automatically the best quality for color and grayscale images. The Automatic

(JPEG 2000) option is only available when Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later.

•CCITT And Run Length Are only available for monochrome bitmap images. CCITT (Consultative Committee on

International Telegraphy and Telephony) compression is appropriate for black-and-white images and any images

scanned with an image depth of 1 bit. Group 4 is a general-purpose method that produces good compression for most

monochrome images. Group 3, used by most fax machines, compresses monochrome bitmaps one row at a time.

Run Length compression produces the best results for images that contain large areas of solid black or white.

Note: Grayscale images that have been colorized in InDesign are subject to the compression settings for Color Images.

However, grayscale images colorized with a spot color (and [None] applied to their frames) use the compression settings

for grayscale.

Image Quality Determines the amount of compression that is applied. For JPEG or JPEG 2000 compression, you can

choose Minimum, Low, Medium, High, or Maximum quality. For ZIP compression, only 8-bit is available. Because

InDesign uses the lossless ZIP method, data is not removed to reduce file size, so image quality is not affected.

Tile Size Determines the size of the tiles for progressive display. This option is only available when Compatibility is set

to Acrobat 6 (1.5) and later, and Compression is set to JPEG 2000.

Compress Text And Line Art Applies Flate compression (which is similar to ZIP compression for images) to all text

and line art in the document, without loss of detail or quality.

Crop Image Data To Frames May reduce file size by exporting only image data that falls within the visible portion of

the frame. Do not select this option if postprocessors might require the additional information (for repositioning or

bleeding an image, for example).

Marks and Bleeds options for PDFs

Bleed is the amount of artwork that falls outside of the printing bounding box, or outside the crop marks and trim

marks. You can include bleed in your artwork as a margin of error, to ensure that the ink extends all the way to the

edge of the page after the page is trimmed or to ensure that a graphic can be stripped into a keyline in a document.

You can specify the extent of the bleed and add a variety of printer’s marks to the file.

See also

“Printer’s marks and bleeds” on page 593

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Color management and PDF/X output options for PDFs

You can set the following options in the Output area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box. Interactions between

Output options change depending on whether color management is on or off, whether the document is tagged with

color profiles, and which PDF standard is selected.

Note: For quick definitions of the options in the Output area, position the pointer over an option and read the Description

text box at the bottom of the dialog box.

Color Conversion Specifies how to represent color information in the Adobe PDF file. All spot color information is

preserved during color conversion; only the process color equivalents convert to the designated color space.

•No Color Conversion Preserves color data as is. This is the default when PDF/X-3 is selected.

•Convert to Destination Converts all colors to the profile selected for Destination. Whether the profile is included

or not is determined by the Profile Inclusion Policy.

•Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers) Converts colors to the destination profile space only if they have

embedded profiles that differ from the destination profile (or if they are RGB colors, and the destination profile is

CMYK, or vice versa). Untagged color objects (those without embedded profiles) and native objects (such as line art

or type) are not converted. This option is not available if color management is off. Whether the profile is included or

not is determined by the Profile Inclusion Policy.

Destination Describes the gamut of the final RGB or CMYK output device, such as your monitor or a SWOP standard.

Using this profile, InDesign converts the document’s color information (defined by the source profile in the Working

Spaces section of the Color Settings dialog box) to the color space of the target output device.

Profile Inclusion Policy Determines whether a color profile is included in the file. The options vary, depending on the

setting in the Color Conversion menu, whether one of the PDF/X standards is selected, and whether color

management is on or off.

•Don’t Include Profiles Does not create a color-managed document with embedded color profiles.

•Include All Profiles Creates a color-managed document. If the application or output device that uses the Adobe

PDF file needs to translate colors into another color space, it uses the embedded color space in the profile. Before you

select this option, turn on color management and set up profile information.

•Include Tagged Source Profiles Leaves device-dependent colors unchanged and preserves device-independent

colors as the nearest possible equivalent in PDF. This is a useful option for print shops that have calibrated all their

devices, used that information to specify color in the file, and are only outputting to those devices.

•Include All RGB And Tagged Source CMYK Profiles Includes any profiles for tagged RGB objects and tagged CMYK

objects, such as placed objects with embedded profiles. This option also includes the Document RGB profile for

untagged RGB objects.

•Include Destination Profile Assigns the destination profile to all objects. If Convert To Destination (Preserve Color

Numbers) is selected, untagged objects in the same color space are assigned the destination profile so that color

numbers don’t change.

Simulate Overprint Simulates the appearance of printing separations by maintaining the appearance of overprinting

in composite output. When Simulate Overprint is unselected, Overprint Preview must be selected in Acrobat to see

the effects of overlapping colors. When Simulate Overprint is selected, spot colors are changed to their process

equivalents, and overlapping colors display and output correctly, without Overprint Preview selected in Acrobat. With

Simulate Overprint on, and Compatibility (in the General area of the dialog box) set to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3), you can

soft-proof your document’s colors directly on the monitor before they are reproduced on a particular output device.

Ink Manager Controls whether spot colors are converted to process equivalents and specifies other ink settings. If you

make changes to your document using the Ink Manager (for example, if you change all spot colors to their process

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equivalents), those changes will be reflected in the exported file and in the saved document, but the settings won’t be

saved with the Adobe PDF preset.

Output Intent Profile Name Specifies the characterized printing condition for the document. An output intent profile

is required for creating PDF/X-compliant files. This menu is only available if a PDF/X standard (or preset) is selected

in the General area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box. The available options depend on whether color management

is on or off. For example, if color management is off, the menu lists only output profiles that match the destination

profile’s color space. If color management is on, the output intent profile is the same profile selected for Destination

(provided it is a CMYK output device).

Output Condition Name Describes the intended printing condition. This entry can be useful for the intended receiver

of the PDF document.

Output Condition Identifier Indicates a pointer to more information on the intended printing condition. The

identifier is automatically entered for printing conditions that are included in the ICC registry. This option is not

available when using either of the PDF/X-3 presets or standards, because the file would fail compliance when inspected

by the Preflight feature in Acrobat 7.0 Professional and later, or the Enfocus PitStop application (which is a plug-in for

Acrobat 6.0).

Registry Name Indicates the web address for more information on the registry. The URL is automatically entered for

ICC registry names. This option is not available when using either of the PDF/X-3 presets or standards, because the

file would fail compliance when inspected by the Preflight feature in Acrobat 7.0 Professional and later, or the Enfocus

PitStop application (which is a plug-in for Acrobat 6.0).

Font, OPI, and flattening options for PDFs

You can set the following options in the Advanced area of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box.

Subset Fonts When Percent Of Characters Used Is Less Than Sets the threshold for embedding complete fonts based

on how many of the font’s characters are used in the document. If the percentage of characters used in the document

for any given font is exceeded, then that specific font is completely embedded. Otherwise, the font is subsetted.

Embedding complete fonts increases file size, but if you want to make sure you completely embed all fonts, enter 0

(zero). You can also set a threshold in the General Preferences dialog box to trigger font subsetting based on the

number of glyphs a font contains.

OPI Lets you selectively omit different imported graphics types when sending image data to a printer or file, leaving

only the OPI links (comments) for later handling by an OPI server.

Preset If Compatibility (in the General area of the dialog box) is set to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3), you can specify a preset

(or set of options) for flattening transparency. These options are only used when exporting spreads with transparency

in artwork.

Note: Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) and later automatically preserve transparency in artwork. As a result, the Preset and Custom

options are not available for these levels of compatibility.

Ignore Spread Overrides Applies the flattener settings to all spreads in a document or book, overriding the flattener

preset on an individual spread.

Create JDF File Using Acrobat Creates a Job Definition Format (JDF) file and starts Acrobat Professional for

processing the JDF file. A job definition in Acrobat contains references to the files to be printed as well as instructions

and information for prepress service providers at the production site. This option is only available if Acrobat 7.0

Professional or later is installed on your machine. For more information, see Acrobat Help.

See also

“Options for omitting graphics” on page 598

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Adding security to PDF files

When saving as PDF, you can add password protection and security restrictions, limiting not only who can open the

file, but also who can copy or extract contents, print the document, and more.

A PDF file can require passwords to open a document (document open password) and to change security settings

(permissions password). If you set any security restrictions in your file, you should set both passwords; otherwise,

anyone who opens the file could remove the restrictions. If a file is opened with a permissions password, the security

restrictions are temporarily disabled.

The RC4 method of security from RSA Corporation is used to password-protect PDF files. Depending on the

Compatibility setting (in the General category), the encryption level will be high or low.

Note: Adobe PDF presets don’t support passwords and security settings. If you select passwords and security settings in

the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, and then click Save Preset, the passwords and security settings won’t be preserved.

Security options for PDFs

You can set the following options when you create a PDF or when you apply password protection to a PDF. Options

vary depending on the Compatibility setting. Security options are not available for PDF/X standards or presets.

Compatibility Sets the type of encryption for opening a password-protected document. The Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)

option uses a low encryption level (40-bit RC4), while the other options use a high encryption level (128-bit RC4 or

AES).

Be aware that anyone using an earlier version of Acrobat cannot open a PDF document with a higher compatibility

setting. For example, if you select the Acrobat 7 (PDF 1.6) option, the document cannot be opened in Acrobat 6.0 or

earlier.

Require A Password To Open The Document Select this option to require users to type the password you specify to

open the document.

Document Open Password Specify the password that users must type to open the PDF file.

Note: If you forget a password, there is no way to recover it from the document. It’s a good idea to store passwords in a

separate secure location in case you forget them.

Use A Password To Restrict Printing, Editing And Other Tasks Restricts access to the PDF file’s security settings. If the

file is opened in Adobe Acrobat, the user can view the file but must enter the specified Permissions password in order

to change the file’s Security and Permissions settings. If the file is opened in Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe

InDesign, the user must enter the Permissions password, since it is not possible to open the file in a view-only mode.

Permissions Password Specify a password that is required to change the permissions settings. This option is available

only if the previous option is selected.

Printing Allowed Specifies the level of printing that users are allowed for the PDF document.

•None Prevents users from printing the document.

•Low Resolution (150 dpi) Lets users print at no higher than 150-dpi resolution. Printing may be slower because

each page is printed as a bitmap image. This option is available only if the Compatibility option is set to Acrobat 5 (PDF

1.4) or later.

•High Resolution Lets users print at any resolution, directing high-quality vector output to Adobe PostScript and

other printers that support advanced high-quality printing features.

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Changes Allowed Defines which editing actions are allowed in the PDF document.

•None Prevents users from making any changes to the document that are listed in the Changes Allowed menu, such

as filling in form fields and adding comments.

•Inserting, Deleting, And Rotating Pages Lets users insert, delete, and rotate pages, and create bookmarks and

thumbnails. This option is only available for high (128-bit RC4 or AES) encryption.

•Filling In Form Fields And Signing Lets users fill in forms and add digital signatures. This option doesn’t allow them

to add comments or create form fields. This option is only available for high (128-bit RC4 or AES) encryption.

•Commenting, Filling In Form Fields, And Signing Lets users add comments and digital signatures, and fill in forms.

This option doesn’t allow users to move page objects or create form fields.

•Page Layout, Filling in Form Fields, And Signing Lets users insert, rotate, or delete pages and create bookmarks or

thumbnail images, fill out forms, and add digital signatures. This option doesn’t allow them to create form fields. This

option is only available for low (40-bit RC4) encryption.

•Any Except Extracting Pages Lets users edit the document, create and fill in form fields, and add comments and

digital signatures.

Enable Copying Of Text, Images, And Other Content Lets users select and copy the contents of a PDF.

Enable Copying Of Content And Access For The Visually Impaired Lets visually impaired users use screen readers to

read and copy the document. This option is only available for low (40-bit RC4) encryption.

Enable Text Access For Screen Reader Devices For The Visually Impaired Lets visually impaired users read the

document with screen readers, but doesn’t allow users to copy or extract the document’s contents. This option is

available only for high (128-bit RC4 or AES) encryption.

Enable Plaintext Metadata Allows users to copy and extract content from the PDF. This option is only available when

Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later. Selecting this option allows storage/search systems and search

engines to access metadata stored in the document.

Font embedding and substitution

A font can be embedded only if it contains a setting by the font vendor that permits it to be embedded. Embedding

prevents font substitution when readers view or print the file, and ensures that readers see the text in its original font.

Embedding increases file size only slightly, unless the document uses CID fonts, a font format commonly used for

Asian languages. You can embed or substitute fonts in Acrobat or when you export an InDesign document to PDF.

You can embed the entire font, or just a subset of the characters used in the file. Subsetting ensures that your fonts and

font metrics are used at print time by creating a custom font name. That way, for example, your version of Adobe

Garamond®, not your service provider’s version, is always used by the service provider for viewing and printing. Type

1 and TrueType fonts can be embedded if they are included in the PostScript file, or are available in one of the font

locations that Distiller monitors and are not restricted from embedding.

When a font cannot be embedded due to the font vendor settings, and someone who opens or prints a PDF does not

have access to the original font, a Multiple Master typeface is temporarily substituted: AdobeSerifMM for a missing

serif font, and AdobeSansMM for a missing sans serif font.

The Multiple Master typeface can stretch or condense to fit, to ensure that line and page breaks in the original

document are maintained. The substitution cannot always match the shape of the original characters, however,

especially if the characters are unconventional ones, such as script typefaces.

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If characters are unconventional (left), the substitution font does not match (right).

Preparing a document for on-screen viewing

With its small file sizes, platform independence, and online navigation, Adobe PDF is an ideal format for distributing

documents electronically and viewing them on-screen. You can send Adobe PDF documents to other users as e-mail

attachments, or you can distribute the documents on the web or on an intranet.

The following guidelines apply to electronically distributed Adobe PDF files:

•Before putting Adobe PDF documents on a website, check to see that the text, artwork, and layout in the documents

are complete and correct.

•Make sure that table of contents entries, hyperlinks, and bookmarks are generated correctly. Table of contents

entries are generated automatically from information in the Bookmarks panel.

•Set up passwords and other security options.

•Use a file name of no more than eight characters, followed by an extension of up to three characters. Many networks

and e-mail programs shorten long file names.

•Make sure that the file name has a PDF extension if users will view the file on a Windows computer or on the

Internet.

•To apply predefined Adobe PDF export settings for on-screen viewing, choose Smallest File Size.

Note: Adobe PDF files exported from InDesign documents that contain overprints or transparency effects are best

viewed in Acrobat 5.0 and later, or Adobe Reader 7.0 and later, with the Overprint Preview option selected.

See also

“Customize Adobe PDF presets” on page 500

“General options for PDFs” on page 503

Preparing PDFs for service providers

About PDF print publishing tools

In some print publishing workflows, documents are distributed in the format of the authoring application (called the

native format). Once approved, the files are saved in PostScript or a proprietary format for prepress work and final

printing. Because applications generate PostScript in many different ways, PostScript files may be arbitrarily large and

complex. In addition, reliability problems such as missing fonts, corrupt files, missing graphic elements, and

unsupported features can result at output time. In response, Adobe and its partners continue to create reliable, PDF-

based publishing workflow solutions.

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From InDesign, you can export your document to a composite PDF file called a digital master. These digital masters

are compact, reliable files that you or your service provider can view, edit, organize, and proof. Then, at the appropriate

time in the workflow, your service provider can either output the PDF directly, or process it using tools from various

sources for post-processing tasks such as preflight checks, trapping, imposition, and color separation.

PDF files in the workflow

Many large publishers use PDFs to streamline their review and production cycles. For example, numerous magazines

and newspapers have adopted PDF as the standard format for delivering advertisements to local publishing offices via

satellite or ISDN lines. PDFs enable local publishers to instantly view an advertisement exactly as it was designed, make

late-stage text edits, and reliably print from any computer.

PDF workflow technologies and requirements

Adobe is continually addressing the workflow needs of service providers, and recommends that you visit the Adobe

website at www.adobe.com often for the latest developments. Currently, Adobe addresses publishing workflow needs

by providing an integrated system of several technologies:

•Adobe Acrobat 9, with its support for Adobe PDF version 1.7.

•Adobe PostScript 3 printing technology, for device-independent support, Adobe In-RIP Trapping, in-RIP color

separations, and smooth blends.

•Adobe InDesign CS4, with its high-resolution page layout capabilities and direct PDF processing.

•PDF/X, an ISO standard for graphic content exchange that eliminates many of the color, font, and trapping

variables that lead to printing problems.

A high-resolution composite PDF workflow typically includes a PostScript 3 output device whose RIP supports in-RIP

separations. Therefore, if your output device uses PostScript Level 2 or does not support in-RIP separations, use a

preseparated PostScript printing workflow.

See also

“About PDF/X standards” on page 502

Checking your document before exporting

Before creating a PDF for a service provider, make sure that the InDesign document meets your service provider’s

specifications. The following list offers some recommendations:

•Use the InDesign Preflight feature to ensure that image resolution and color spaces are correct, that fonts are

available and can be embedded, that graphics are up-to-date, and so on.

•View your Adobe PDF export settings prior to exporting, and then adjust them as necessary. The Summary area

includes a warning section that indicates when preset settings can’t be honored.

•If your artwork contains transparency (including overprints and drop shadows) and you require high-resolution

output, it’s a good idea to preview the effects of flattening using the Flattener Preview panel before saving the file.

•If your artwork contains transparency, ask your prepress service provider if they want to receive flattened or

unflattened PDF files. Flattening should be done as late in the workflow as possible, preferably by the service

provider. However, if your service provider wants you to flatten transparency, submit a PDF/X-1a compliant file.

•If your document will be separated, you can preview the separations and ink coverage limits using the Separations

Preview panel.

•Use only high-resolution images in your document.

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•For best results, use only CMYK images in a four-color-process job. Alternatively, you can choose to convert RGB

images to CMYK in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box (Output category).

•You can exclude hidden or nonprinting layers from the exported PDF document. (See “Choose which layers are

printed or exported to PDF” on page 589.)

For detailed information about preparing InDesign documents for high-resolution PDF output, see the Adobe

InDesign CS4 Printing Guide for Prepress Service Providers on the Adobe InDesign CS4 DVD or on the Adobe website.

See also

“Define preflight profiles” on page 603

“Flattening transparent artwork” on page 426

“Preview color separations” on page 622

Produce a print-ready Adobe PDF file

A service provider can use Acrobat 7.0 Professional and later to perform preflight checks and color separations.

Subsequent versions of Acrobat Professional contain more advanced preflight tools, including the ability to make

certain corrections automatically. Various prepress applications and in-RIP technologies can also perform preflight

checks, do trapping and imposition, and make the color separations of the pages in the digital master.

If you choose to leave out the images when creating the Adobe PDF file, make sure that the service provider has access

to the original high-resolution images that are required for proper output. In addition, make sure that the service

provider has Acrobat 7.0 or later for accurate viewing of text and color graphics. For best viewing, they should use

Acrobat 8 Professional or later.

If you’re using a color-managed workflow, you can use the precision of color profiles to perform an on-screen preview

(a soft proof). You can examine how your document’s colors will look when reproduced on a particular output device.

Note: Unless you are using a color management system (CMS) with accurately calibrated ICC profiles and are sure you

have properly calibrated your monitor, don’t rely on the on-screen appearance of colors.

1Prepare the document for exporting to Adobe PDF.

2Export using the .joboptions file provided by your service provider. If you don’t have a preferred .joboptions file,

use a PDF/X preset.

3Preflight the PDF in Acrobat 7.0 Professional or later.

4Proof and correct the PDF file.

5Hand off the press-ready PDF to the prepress service provider.

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.

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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.

See also

“Structure pane overview” on page 572

“Tag items” on page 568

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.

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.

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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).

See also

“Rearrange structured elements” on page 574

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.

See also

“Structure pane overview” on page 572

“Tagging content for XML” on page 567

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.

1Choose Window > Tags to display the Tags panel.

2Choose View > Structure > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, to the left of the Document window.

3Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.

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Tags in the Structure pane and Tags panel

Tag page items manually

1Choose Window > Tags to display the Tags panel.

2Choose View > Structure > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, to the left of the Document window.

3Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.

4Select a page item in the document.

5Select 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 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.

See also

“Tag text in tables” on page 570

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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.

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.

1If necessary, choose View > Show Structure to display the Structure pane, and choose Window > Tags to display

the Tags panel.

2Choose Add Untagged Items from the Structure pane menu.

3To make sure the image is tagged as Figure, select the image, and then select Figure in the Tags panel.

4Select the Figure element in the Structure pane, and then choose New Attribute from the Structure pane menu.

5For Name, type either Alt or ActualText (this feature is case-sensitive).

6For 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.

See also

“Structure pane overview” on page 572

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Design your Adobe InDesign CS4 document so that it can be exported to SWF, XFL, or PDF. For SWF and XFL files,

specify the page size according to monitor resolution (such as 800 x 600), and then add buttons, hyperlinks, and page

transitions before exporting in either SWF or XFL format. For PDF files, add bookmarks, hyperlinks, buttons, movies,

and sound clips to create dynamic documents.

Dynamic web documents for Flash

To create slideshow-type content that can be played in Flash Player, you can export to either SWF or XFL. The main

difference is that SWF files are ready to be viewed and cannot be edited, whereas XFL 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, and navigation buttons.

XFL An exported XFL file includes no interactive elements. Instead, you open the XFL file in Flash Pro, where you can

add animation and other effects before exporting to SWF.

Export to Flash

A. Export directly to SWF B. Export to XFL for editing in Flash Pro

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, and hyperlinks added in InDesign. SWF files exported

from InDesign do not include movies or audio files. 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 XFL instead of SWF. See “Create

XFL (Flash) files for the web” on page 520.

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SWF export

A. Document in InDesign before SWF export B. Interactive SWF file in web browser

For a video and instructions on exporting an InDesign document to SWF, see

www.adobe.com/designcenter/indesign/articles/lrvid4030_id.html

1Create 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” on page 522.

•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” on page 545.

•Use the Page Transitions panel (choose Window > Interactive > 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.

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2To export the document to SWF format, choose File > Export. Choose SWF from the Save As Type (Windows) or

Format (Mac OS) menu, and click Save.

3In the Export SWF dialog box, specify the options, and then click OK. For information on export options, see

“Export content to SWF” on page 117.

See also

“Export content to SWF” on page 117

Create XFL (Flash) files for the web

When you export your InDesign document to XFL file format, you can open the file in Adobe Flash® CS4 Professional

to edit the contents. Interactive elements such as hyperlinks, page transitions, and button actions are not included in

the XFL file. Instead, use the Flash authoring environment to 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 XFL. See “Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web” on page 518.

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XFL export

A. Document in InDesign before XFL export B. XFL file opened in Flash Pro

For a video tutorial on exporting an InDesign document to XFL, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4092_id.

1Create 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” on page 522.

2To export the document to XFL format, choose File > Export. Choose Adobe Flash CS4 Pro (XFL) from the Save

As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu, and click Save.

3In the Export Adobe Flash CS4 Professional (XFL) dialog box, specify the options, and then click OK. For

information on export options, see “Export content to XFL” on page 118.

4Open the exported XFL file in Flash Pro.

For a video tutorial on editing the exported XFL file in Flash Pro, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4093_fl.

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See also

“Export content to XFL” on page 118

Flash export issues

Consider the following factors when designing your InDesign document for Flash playback.

Document setup issues

How InDesign pages are converted When you export to SWF or XFL, 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.

Determine whether you want your InDesign document to include facing pages. In some instances, it’s better to create

the document without facing pages (deselect the Facing Pages option in the New Document dialog box). Although you

can deselect the Spreads option during export to SWF to map each page to a keyframe rather than the whole spread,

deselecting Facing Pages simplifies matters.

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 XFL file.

Interactivity features

Buttons, page transitions, and hyperlinks are included in exported SWF files. With exported XFL files, use Flash Pro

to add animation and other effects.

Buttons For buttons in an exported SWF 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.

These actions include Close, Exit, Go To Next/Previous View, Movie, Open File, Sound, and View Zoom.

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” on

page 546.

Although button actions are not included in an exported XFL file, you can add buttons to your layout in InDesign and

use Flash Pro to make them dynamic.

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 XFL files.

Movies and sound clips Movies and sound clips are not included in an exported SWF or XFL file, but their posters are

included. You can add media posters to your layout in InDesign, export the document to XFL, and use Flash Pro to

make them dynamic.

Conversion issues

Color SWF and XFL files use RGB color. When a document is exported to SWF or XFL, 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.

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Text When exporting to SWF or XFL, you can determine whether text is output as Flash text, vector paths, or

rasterized text. Text exported as Flash text remains fully editable when the XFL file is opened in Adobe Flash CS4

Professional and can be searched in web browsers when saved as SWF files.

Images When you export images to SWF, you can change image compression, JPEG quality, and curve quality settings

during export.

When you export images to XFL, images are exported as PNG files without compression. An image placed multiple

times in your InDesign document is saved as a single image asset with a shared location when exported as an XFL file.

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

XFL 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 XFL 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.

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.

Resolution InDesign automatically converts high-resolution print assets to low-resolution web assets upon export to

SWF or XFL.

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 XFL.

In some instances, choosing a lossy compression reduces the quality of images with transparency. When exporting,

choose Lossless (Do Nothing) to improve the quality.

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.

Creating 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.

See “Bookmarks” on page 524.

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”

on page 539.

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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” on page 526.

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” on page 532.

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” on page 543.

To ensure that the interactive elements function in the PDF, make sure that you specify Bookmarks, Hyperlinks, and

Interactive Elements in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box.

See also

“Exporting to Adobe PDF” on page 496

Creating PDF forms

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.

1In 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.

2Export the document to Adobe PDF.

3In Adobe Acrobat, choose Forms > Start Form Wizard command 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.

For a video tutorial on creating a PDF form design in InDesign and finishing it in Adobe Acrobat, see Gabriel Powell's

video on creating forms from scratch (English only).

Bookmarks

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.

1Choose Window > Interactive > Bookmarks to display the Bookmarks panel.

2Click 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.

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3Do 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.

4Do 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.

See also

“General options for PDFs” on page 503

“Export to PDF” on page 496

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.

•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.

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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.

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.

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” on page 532.

Hyperlinks

A. Hyperlink source B. List of hyperlinks in the current document C. Hyperlink status icons

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Open the Hyperlinks panel

•Choose Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks.

•Choose Window > Type & Tables > Cross-References.

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 > 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.

See also

“Add automatic page numbers for story jumps” on page 91

“Export to PDF” on page 496

“Cross-references” on page 532

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 “Buttons” on page 545.)

You may want to create a character style for hyperlinks. Hyperlinks are often formatted in underlined blue text.

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the hyperlink’s source. For example, you can select the text, “See

the Adobe website.”

2In the Hyperlinks panel, use any of the following methods to create a hyperlink to a URL:

•In the URL text box, type or paste the URL name (such as http://www.adobe.com), and then choose New Hyperlink

from the Hyperlinks panel. Choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance options, and click OK.

•If a URL is selected in your document, choose New Hyperlink From URL in the Hyperlinks panel menu. Double-

click the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel, and then choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance

options, and click OK.

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•Select a previously added URL from the URL menu. The hyperlink appearance is the same as that used in the

previous URL.

•Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu. Choose URL from the Link To menu, specify appearance

options, and 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.” Double-click the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel, choose URL from the Link To menu, deselect Shared

Hyperlink Destination, and 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.

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.

2Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the

bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.

3In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose File from the Link To menu.

4For Path, type the pathname or click the folder button to locate and double-click the filename.

5Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the email message to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy

reuse.

6Specify the appearance of the hyperlink source, and then click OK.

Create a hyperlink to an email message

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.

2Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the

bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.

3In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Email from the Link To menu.

4For Address, type the email address, such as username@company.com.

5For Subject Line, type the text that appears in the subject line of the email message.

6Select Shared Hyperlink Destination if you want the email message to be stored in the Hyperlinks panel for easy

reuse.

7Specify 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.

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.

2Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the

bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.

3In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Page from the Link To menu.

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4For 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.

5For Page, specify the page number you want to jump to.

6For 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.

7Specify 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 cross-

reference 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.

1If 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.

2Choose New Hyperlink Destination in the Hyperlinks panel menu.

3Do 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

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.

2Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of

the Hyperlinks panel.

3Choose Text Anchor from the Link To menu.

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4For 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.

5From the Text Anchor menu, choose the text anchor destination you created.

6Specify hyperlink appearance options, and then click OK.

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.

1Select the text, frame, or graphic you want to be the source of the hyperlink.

2Choose New Hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of

the Hyperlinks panel.

3In the New Hyperlink dialog box, choose Shared Destination from the Link To menu.

4For 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.

5Choose a destination from the Name menu.

6Specify 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 > Show Hyperlinks.

Character Style Choose a character style to apply to the hyperlink source. The Character Style option is available only

if the hyperlink source is selected text, not a selected frame or graphic.

If you’re inserting a cross-reference, you can apply a character style when you edit a cross-reference format. You can

also apply character styles to building blocks within a format. See “Using cross-reference formats” on page 533.

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.

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

1In the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the item you want to edit.

2In the Edit Hyperlinks dialog box, make changes to the hyperlink as necessary, and then click OK.

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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.

1In the Hyperlinks panel, select the hyperlink.

2Choose Rename Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu, and specify a new name.

Edit or delete hyperlink destinations

1Open the document in which the destination appears.

2Choose Hyperlink Destination Options in the Hyperlinks panel menu.

3For Destination, select the name of the destination you want to edit.

4Do one of the following:

•Click Edit, and then make changes to the destination as necessary.

•Click Delete to remove the destination.

5When you have finished editing or deleting destinations, click OK.

Reset or update hyperlinks

1Select 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.

2Select the hyperlink in the Hyperlinks panel.

3Do 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.

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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 Hyperlinks panel to insert cross-references into your document. The text being referred to is the destination

text. The text that is generated from the destination text is the source cross-reference.

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. Cross-reference source in document B. Selected destination paragraph C. Click here to create or edit cross-reference format.

For a video tutorial on inserting cross-references, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4024_id.

1Place the insertion point where you want the cross-reference to be inserted.

2Do any of the following:

•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

Hyperlinks panel menu.

•Click the Create New Cross-Reference button in the Hyperlinks panel.

3In the New Cross-Reference 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” on page 529.) Creating a text anchor is especially useful if you want

to use different text than the actual destination paragraph.

4For 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.

5Click 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.)

6Choose 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” on page 533.

7Specify the appearance of the source hyperlink. See “Hyperlink appearance options” on page 530.

8Click 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 cross-

reference 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.

For a video tutorial on editing cross-reference formats, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4024_id.

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.

1Do any of the following:

•Choose Define Cross-Reference Formats from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

•While creating or editing a cross-reference, click the Create Or Edit Cross-Reference Formats button .

2In 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 . This

creates a duplicate of the selected format.

3For Name, specify the name of the format.

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4In the Definition text box, add or remove any text as needed. Click the Building Block icon to insert building

blocks from a menu. Click the Special Characters icon to select dashes, spaces, quotation marks, and other

special characters.

5To 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.

6Click 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 <pageNum/>

on page 23

Paragraph Number Inserts the paragraph number in a cross-

reference to a numbered list.

See <paraNum/>

See 1

In this example, only “1” is used from the paragraph, “1.

Animals.”

Paragraph Text Inserts the paragraph text without the

paragraph number in a cross-reference to a

numbered list.

See “<paraText/>”

See “Animals”

In this example, only “Animals” is used from the

paragraph, “1. Animals.”

Full Paragraph Inserts the entire paragraph, including

paragraph number and paragraph text.

See “<fullPara/>”

See “1. Animals”

Partial Paragraph Lets you create a cross-reference to the first

part of a paragraph, up to the specified

delimiter, such as a colon or em dash.

See <fullPara delim=”:” includeDelim=”false”/>

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” on

page 535.

Text Anchor Name Inserts the text anchor name. You can create

text anchors by choosing New Hyperlink

Destination from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

See <txtAnchrName/>

See Figure 1

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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.

Chapter Number Inserts the chapter number. in chapter <chapNum/>

in chapter 3

File Name Inserts the filename of the destination

document.

in <fileName/>

in newsletter.indd

Character Style Applies a character style to text within a cross-

reference.

See <cs name=”bold”><fullPara/></cs> on page

See Animals on page 23.

Specify the character style name, and include the text you

want to apply the character style to between the <cs

name=””> and </cs> tags.

See “Apply character styles within a cross-reference” on

page 536.

Building block What it does Example

A B

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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 <cs name=”stylename”> tag indicates which style is applied, and the </cs> 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.

1Create the character style you want to use.

2In the Cross-Reference Formats dialog box, create or edit the format you want to apply.

3Under Definition, select the text and building blocks to which you want to apply the character style.

4Choose Character Style from the menu to the right of the definition list.

5Type 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.

6Click 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.

1Choose Load Cross-Reference Formats from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

2Double-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.

1In the Cross-Reference Formats dialog box, select the format you want to delete.

2Click the Delete Format button .

Manage cross-references

When you insert a cross-reference, the Hyperlinks 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 cross-

reference 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” on page 603.

1Select one or more out-of-date cross-references. To update all cross-references, make sure that none are selected.

2Do any of the following:

•Click the Update Cross-References button in the Hyperlinks panel.

•Choose Update Cross-Reference from the Hyperlinks 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.

1In the Cross-References section of the Hyperlinks panel, select the cross-reference you want to relink.

2Choose Relink Cross-Reference from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

3Locate 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.

1Do any of the following:

•Choose Type > Hyperlinks & Cross References > Cross-Reference Options.

•In the Cross-References section of the Hyperlinks panel, double-click the cross-reference you want to edit.

•Select the cross-reference, and choose Cross-Reference Options from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

2Edit the cross-reference, and then click OK.

Delete cross-references

When you delete a cross-reference, the source cross-reference is converted to text.

1In the Cross-References section of the Hyperlinks panel, select the cross-reference or cross-references you want to

delete.

2Click the Delete icon, or choose Delete Hyperlink/Cross-Reference from the panel menu.

3Click 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.

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” on page 446.

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.

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Movies and sounds

Add movies and sound files to documents

You can add movies and sound clips to a document, or you can link to streaming video files on the Internet. Although

media clips cannot be played directly in the InDesign layout, they can be played when you export the document to

Adobe PDF or when you export the document to XML and repurpose the tags.

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

document.

QuickTime 6.0 or later is required to work with movies in InDesign. You can add QuickTime, AVI, MPEG, and SWF

movies. However, QuickTime no longer offers full support of SWF files. You can also add WAV, AIF, and AU sound

clips. InDesign supports only 8- or 16-bit WAV files that are not compressed.

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.

For other users to view media in a PDF document, they must have Acrobat 6.x or later to play MPEG and SWF movies,

or Acrobat 5.0 or later to play QuickTime and AVI movies.

See also

“Export to PDF” on page 496

Add a movie or a sound file

1Do any of the following:

•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.)

•Drag the media file from Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) into the document.

•To convert a frame into a media clip, select the frame and choose Object > Interactive > Movie Options or Sound

Options. This creates an empty movie or sound frame. (After you add a movie using this method, you may want to

choose Object > Fitting > Fit Frame To Content so that the frame is the same size as the movie.)

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 to PDF.

2To change movie, sound, or poster options, double-click the media object.

To preview a media file, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and double-click a movie or sound object

using the Selection tool.

3Export the document to Adobe PDF. Make sure that the Interactive Elements option is selected in the Export Adobe

PDF dialog box.

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Select Interactive Elements so that media clips can be played in the PDF document.

Adding SWF files in InDesign

If you place a SWF file in an InDesign document, Mac OS users may not be able to play the file in the exported PDF.

For best results, leave a blank space in the InDesign document for the SWF file, and then add the SWF file in Adobe

Acrobat 9. When you add a SWF to a PDF in Acrobat 9 (PDF 1.7) you add the animation as the “Rich Media”

animation type, which uses Acrobat’s built-in Flash Player to play SWF content.

Link to a movie on the Internet

You may want an object to link to a web URL that plays a streaming media file. After you export the document to

Adobe PDF or to a different format, clicking the object plays the movie, if an Internet connection is available.

1If necessary, draw a rectangle to be used as the play area. You can add a poster to this frame later.

2Select an object, and then choose Object > Interactive > Movie Options.

3Click Specify A URL, and then type or paste the URL.

4Click Verify URL And Movie Size to make sure that the URL is valid. (You must have an Internet connection.)

5Specify any other options, and then click OK.

Movie options

You can edit movie options by double-clicking the movie play area using the Selection tool, or by selecting the movie

object and choosing Object > Interactive > Movie Options.

Description Type a description that appears if the movie cannot be played in Acrobat. This description also acts as

alternative text for visually impaired users.

Choose A File To specify a different movie clip, click the Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS) button next to

Choose A File, and then double-click the new filename.

Embed Movie In PDF Embedding the media file increases the file size of the PDF document but frees you from having

to copy the media file to make it available to others. This option is not available if Specify A URL is selected.

You can override this setting by linking or embedding all media files, or you can use the settings for each object.

Embedded movies require Acrobat 6.0 and later, or Adobe Reader 6.0 and later.

Specify A URL To play a streaming video from a website, select Specify A URL, and then type or paste the URL.

Poster Specify the type of image that you want to appear in the play area.

Mode Determine whether the movie is played once and then closes (if it’s played in a floating window), played once

but stays open, or played in a continuous loop.

Play On Page Turn Play the movie when someone turns to the page of the PDF document on which the movie is

located.

Show Controller During Play Display a controller that lets users pause, start, and stop the movie.

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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.

Sound options

You can edit sound options by double-clicking the sound play area using the Selection tool, or by selecting the sound

object and choosing Object > Interactive > Sound Options.

Description Type a description that appears if the sound cannot be played in Acrobat. This description also acts as

alternative text for visually impaired users.

File To specify a different sound clip, click the Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS) button next to File, and then

double-click the new filename.

Poster Specify the type of image that you want to appear in the play area.

Play On Page Turn Play the sound clip when someone turns to the page of the PDF document on which the sound is

located.

Do Not Print Poster Select this option if you do not want the poster to print in InDesign.

Embed Sound In PDF Embedding the media file increases the file size of the PDF document but prevents you from

having to send or copy the media file along with the PDF document.

You can override this setting by linking or embedding all media files, or you can use the settings for each object. Sounds

must be embedded to be played in some earlier versions of Acrobat.

Poster options

You cannot simply use a placed image as a poster. Instead, specify any of the following types of poster images in the

Movie Options or Sound Options dialog box:

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.

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/Images folder in the application folder.

Default Poster Displays the poster image packaged with the movie file. If the selected movie doesn’t have a frame

designated as the poster, the first frame of the movie is used as the poster image.

Frame From Movie This option is dimmed unless you specify a frame using the Choose Move Frame As Poster option.

Choose Image As Poster Lets you select an image to use as the poster. Click Browse, and then double-click the image

you want to use. You can select bitmap graphics, not vector graphics, for posters.

To use an image as a poster, you can also use the Direct Selection tool to select the poster frame, and then use the Place

command to place a graphic inside the frame.

Choose Movie Frame As Poster Lets you select any video frame to use as the poster image. Supported formats include

AVI, MPEG, MOV, and SWF. Drag the slider or use the arrow keys to advance through the movie clip to the desired

frame, and then click OK.

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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.

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 and drag one of the corner handles (hold down

Shift to maintain proportions).

•To resize only the frame, use the Selection tool to drag a corner handle.

•To resize the poster or media object, use the Direct Selection tool to select the poster. Switch to the Selection tool,

and then drag a corner handle.

You can also use the Fitting commands (Object > Fitting) to resize a poster within a frame.

Choosing which PDF version to use with media files

When you export the InDesign document to Portable Document Format (PDF), you can determine which PDF

version is used. The PDF version determines which interactive options are available. Before you export, note the

following limitations:

If you export to PDF 1.3/1.4

•Non-RGB movie or sound posters aren’t visible in the exported PDF document.

•SWF and MPEG movies aren’t playable in the exported PDF document.

•Clipping paths applied to movie or sound posters don’t appear in the exported PDF document. Posters are resized

to match the movie page item.

•Movies cannot be embedded.

•Sounds cannot be linked.

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If you export to PDF 1.5 or later

QuickTime is specified as the preferred player when exporting to PDF. To change the preferred player, you must edit

the rendition in Acrobat 6.0 or later.

If you export to any PDF version

•Non-rectangular media frames don’t appear in the exported PDF document.

•Hyperlinks applied to movies, sounds, or buttons are not active in the exported PDF document. However, you can

add those hyperlinks using Acrobat Professional.

•Rotated or sheared movies and posters may not appear correctly in the exported PDF document.

•Any masking applied to movie frames or posters is not supported.

See also

“Export to PDF” on page 496

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.

See also

“Exporting to Adobe PDF” on page 496

“Create interactive SWF (Flash) files for the web” on page 518

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.

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Page turn transition in SWF file

1In 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.

2To display the Page Transitions panel, choose Window > Interactive > Page Transitions.

3Choose 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.

4Customize 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.

•To remove transitions from all spreads, choose Clear All from the Page Transitions panel menu.

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Viewing page transitions in a PDF

To include page transitions when you export the PDF document, select the Interactive Elements option in the Export

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.

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:

•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” on page 546.

•Use the State Appearance section of the Buttons panel to define the appearance the button takes in response to

certain mouse actions. See “Add button states for rollover effects” on page 549.

•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” on page 551.

When working on buttons and designing dynamic documents, select the Interactivity workspace.

Create a button

1Use the Type 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.

2Use 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.

3Choose Object > Interactive > Convert To Button.

You can also click [Normal] in the State Appearance section of the Buttons panel to convert the selected object to a

button, or you can click the Convert Object To A Button icon in the Buttons panel.

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4Choose Window > Interactive > Buttons to display the Buttons panel, use the Selection tool to select the button,

and 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” on page 546.

•Activate additional 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 “Add button states for rollover effects”

on page 549.

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.

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 state. 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” on page 374.) The sample buttons are stored in the

ButtonLibrary.indl file, which is located in the Presets/Button Library folder in the InDesign application folder.

1Choose Sample Buttons from the Buttons panel menu to open the Sample Buttons panel.

2Drag a button from the Sample Buttons panel to the document.

3Select 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.

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.

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.

1Use the Selection tool to select the button.

2Choose 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.

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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.

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: While most of the actions are supported in an exported PDF file, only a few of the actions are supported in a SWF

file. Close, Exit, Go To Next View, Go To Previous View, Movie, Open File, Sound, and View Zoom have no effect in SWF

files.

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.

1Use the Selection tool to select the button you created. See “Create buttons” on page 545.

2In the Buttons panel, choose an event, such as On Release, that determines how actions are activated.

3Click the plus sign button next to Actions, and choose the action to assign to the event.

4Specify 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.

5If 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. (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 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.

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:

Close (PDF) Closes the PDF document.

Exit (PDF) Exits the application, such as Adobe Reader, in which the PDF document is open.

Go To Anchor Jumps to the specified text anchor. See “Create jumps to text anchors” on page 549.

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 Previous View (PDF) Jumps to the most recently viewed page in the PDF document, or returns to the last used

zoom size.

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 Page (SWF Only) Jumps to the page in the SWF file you specify.

Go To URL Opens the web page of the specified URL.

Movie (PDF) Lets you play, pause, stop, or resume the selected movie. Only movies that have been added to the

document appear in the Movie menu.

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).

Show/Hide Buttons Toggles between showing and hiding specified buttons in the exported PDF or SWF file. (Buttons

are also referred to as fields in Acrobat.)

Sound (PDF) 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.

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

1Use the Selection tool to select the button.

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2In 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.

1Use the Selection tool to select the button.

2In the Buttons panel, choose the event such as On Release that will trigger the jump.

3Click the plus sign button next to Actions, and choose Go To Anchor.

4Select 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.

5Specify an anchor that was created using the Bookmarks panel or Hyperlinks panel.

6Select an option from the Zoom menu to determine how the page is displayed.

7Click Add to add the behavior, and then click OK.

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.

See also

“Create bookmarks for PDF” on page 524

“Hyperlinks panel overview” on page 526

Add button states for rollover effects

A button consists of a group of individual objects that each represent a button state. Each button can have as many as

three states: Normal, Rollover, and Click. In the exported file, the Normal state appears unless the mouse pointer

moves into the area (Rollover) or the mouse button is clicked on the button area (Click). You can apply different

appearances to each of these three states to distinguish them from each other.

By default, any button you create is defined with the Normal state containing the button’s text or image. When you

activate a new state, the appearance of the Normal state is copied. To distinguish a state 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 the appearance of a button’s states

If you’re creating a button with multiples states, it’s a good idea to finish designing the button before you activate other

states. When you activate a state, the appearance of the Normal state is copied.

Some changes affect only the selected state, while other changes affect all active states. If you select a state and apply a

different background color or edit the text, the change affects only the selected state. If you use the Selection tool to

move or resize the button, the change affects all states. Keep in mind that each state is an object within the button

group. Use the Direct Selection tool to make changes only to the state, not to the whole group.

1Choose Window > Interactive > Buttons to display the Buttons panel.

2Using the Selection tool , select the button in the layout that you want to edit.

3Click [Rollover] to activate the Rollover state.

The appearance of the Normal state is copied to the Rollover state.

4With Rollover still selected, change the appearance of the button.

•To change the color, click the Stroke or Fill icon in the toolbar, and then click a swatch color in the Swatches panel.

•To place an image in the state, choose File > Place and double-click a file.

•To paste an image or a text frame, copy it to the Clipboard, select the state 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.

5To add the Click state, click [Click] to activate it, and then follow the same procedure to change its appearance.

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.

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.

Delete and disable states

1Select the state in the Buttons panel.

The state selected in the States panel determines the content that appears in the button frame on the InDesign page.

Thumbnail icons in the States panel display the content of each state.

ABC

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2Do any of the following:

•To delete the Rollover or Click state, click the Delete icon at the bottom of the panel. Deleting a state is especially

useful if you edit the Normal state extensively and decide you want to base Rollover or Click on the new Normal

appearance.

•To disable a state without deleting it, click the Eye icon next to the state to deselect it. Disabled states are not

exported to the PDF or SWF file.

Note: You cannot delete or disable the Normal state.

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

is moved 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 States panel. To do this, create

a button in which the [Rollover] state displays an image while the [Normal] state doesn’t display the image.

1Select the image you want to use as a hot spot. Make sure the frame of the image does not have a border or

background.

2In the Buttons panel (choose Window > Interactive > Buttons), click the [Normal] state to convert the selected

image to a button.

3Click the [Rollover] state in the Buttons panel to activate it.

4Click the [Normal] state 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 would

delete the entire button.

5To preview the hot spot effect, export the image to PDF or SWF and move the mouse over the area where the image

should appear.

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.

For a more detailed description, see

http://blogs.adobe.com/indesigndocs/2009/01/two_ways_to_create_button_hot.html.

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.

1Create an object to be used as the source button. In the Buttons panel, click the [Normal] state to convert it to a

button.

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2Place the image you want to be used as the target button. In the Buttons panel, click the [Normal] state to convert

it to the button.

3Select the target image and choose Hidden In PDF from the Buttons panel menu.

The image needs to be hidden is the PDF document so that it can be displayed when the source button is moused over

or clicked.

4Select 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. If either case, use the Show/Hide Buttons action to display and hide the target button.

See “Make buttons interactive” on page 546.

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.

For a more detailed description, see

http://blogs.adobe.com/indesigndocs/2009/01/creating_button_hot_spots_part.html.

Hiding and printing buttons

You may want to hide a button so that you can display it only when you click a different button.

1Use the Selection tool to select the button.

2From the Buttons panel menu, choose an option to specify whether you want the button to be visible or invisible

in the exported PDF document, and whether you want the button to be printed.

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.

1Go to the page containing the buttons.

2Choose Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order.

3Select 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.

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Chapter 20: XML

Adobe InDesign CS4 is one of many applications that can produce and use XML. After you tag content in an InDesign

file, you save and export the file as XML so that it can be repurposed in another InDesign file or another application.

Similarly, you can import an XML file into InDesign and instruct InDesign to display and format the XML data any

way you want.

Working with XML

About XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a way to repurpose data in a file or automate the process of replacing the data

in one file with data from another file. XML employs tags to describe parts of a file—a heading or a story, for example.

These tags mark data so it can be stored in an XML file and handled appropriately when it is exported to other files.

Think of XML as a translation mechanism for data. XML tags label text and other content in a file so that applications

can recognize and present the data.

Extensible language

XML is considered an extensible language because individuals create their own XML tags—they can create one tag for

each type of information that they want to repurpose. XML tags don’t carry information about how data is supposed

to be displayed or formatted. XML tags are strictly for identifying content.

In InDesign, for example, you can create a Heading1 tag and assign it to each first-level heading in a document. After

you save the document as an XML file, the Heading1 content can be imported and put to use—by any application that

can read XML—as a web page, printed catalog, directory, price list, or database table.

InDesign is one of many applications that can produce and use XML. After you tag content in an InDesign file, you

save and export the file as XML so that it can be repurposed in another InDesign file or another application. Similarly,

you can import an XML file into InDesign and instruct InDesign to display and format the XML data any way you

want.

In InDesign, you can create XML tags and tag parts of a document even if you’re not experienced with XML. InDesign

handles XML programming behind the scenes and creates the XML for you when you export a document in XML

format.

Important: Do not confuse XML tags with InDesign tagged text. For more information about tagged text, which is a

different method of exporting and importing InDesign content, view the Tagged Text PDF at

www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_taggedtext_cs4_en(PDF).

XML data structure

The element is the building block of XML data; an element is data that has been tagged. In XML files, elements are

nested within other elements to create a hierarchical structure for the data.

You can see the structure of XML data in the Structure pane, which displays the hierarchy and sequence of elements.

In the XML structure, child elements are contained by parent elements, which in turn may also be child elements. Or,

seen from the other direction, parent elements contain child elements, and these child elements may in turn be parent

elements to other child elements.

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For example, in the following image, you can see a chapter element that contains (is the parent of) several recipe

elements. Each recipe element, in turn, is the parent of elements called recipename, ingredients, instructions,

notes, and servings. All elements are contained inside the Root element, which appears at the top of the Structure

pane.

XML in InDesign Structure pane (left) and placed in layout (right)

For more information on using XML in InDesign, visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_XMLscript.

See also

“Structure pane overview” on page 572

“Place (import) text” on page 128

XML tools

InDesign provides the Structure pane and the Tags panel for working with XML content. The Structure pane displays

all the elements in the document and their hierarchical structure. To help you identify each element, InDesign displays

its element tag and an icon that indicates what type of content it holds. In addition, the Structure pane can display the

first few words of text in an element, called a text snippet, which is not to be confused with snippet files that store

objects for reuse.

Structure pane (left) and Tags panel (right)

A. Triangle to expand or collapse elements B. Element (placed in layout) C. Element (not in layout) D. Text snippet E. Element tag

The Structure pane lets you view, edit, and manage XML elements. You use the Structure pane in many ways when

working with XML. For example, to place imported XML content into the layout, you can drag elements from the

Structure pane directly to a page. You also use the Structure pane to adjust the hierarchy of the elements. You can add

elements, attributes, comments, and processing instructions by way of the Structure pane.

B C D

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The Tags panel lists tags for elements. You can import, export, add, delete, and rename tags. You use the Tags panel

to apply element tags to content that you plan to export to XML, and to apply tags to frames before importing XML

content into them.

See also

“Structure pane overview” on page 572

About DTD files

To share XML data with others, you need to agree on a standard set of tag names and element attributes so that

everyone in your group uses and applies tags the same way. One method for handling the sharing of XML data is to

use a document type definition (DTD) file.

A DTD file provides a set of elements and attributes for members of the group to use. It also defines the rules about

where elements can appear in the structural hierarchy. For example, the DTD file may require the Title element to be

a child of the Story element because the title is supposed to appear inside the story; if you tag a title without tagging the

story it appears in, the DTD file marks the Title element as invalid. You can search for and flag invalid structural errors

in an InDesign file with a DTD file. This process is called validating.

To use a DTD file (if your document doesn’t already contain one), you load it into your document. This imports the

element names from the DTD into the Tags panel. Others who have loaded the same DTD file have the same element

names, which ensures that everyone in the group uses the same elements. The imported elements are locked, which

means they can’t be deleted or renamed unless the DTD file is deleted from the document.

You may find that a DTD file created by a group or industry similar to yours includes tags and structures that meet

your needs. For a current list of registered DTDs, visit www.xml.com/pub/rg/DTD_Repositories (English only).

See also

“Use DTD files to validate XML” on page 578

XML rule sets

XML rule sets are sets of instructions written in a scripting language (such as JavaScript or AppleScript) that evaluate

XML data and take certain actions if that data meets certain conditions. Each rule consists of at least one condition and

at least one action. A rule evaluates the XML data against the conditions, and if a condition is met, then it takes the

appropriate action. For example, an XML rule can specify that whenever the Paragraph element appears under the

Subhead element (a condition), a specific style (an action) is applied; or that whenever the Product element (a

condition) appears, a new frame is created and a product image is imported (actions). XML rules are a means of

dynamically creating and formatting layouts based on XML.

For information on XML rule sets and other XML scripting resources, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_XMLscript.

Preparing XML files for K4 or InCopy workflows

To prepare files with XML tagging for use within the K4 or InDesign/InCopy workflow environments, you may need

to adjust how you prepare the structure and import XML into InDesign files.

There are two methods for importing XML into InDesign: merge and append. Merge can replace the existing structure,

whereas append adds to any existing structure. In both cases, it is important that the root element is not associated

with a text frame. Either use the default element named "Root" or rename this element based on your current workflow

or requirement as needed, again being sure that it is not associated with a text frame.

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For more information on using XML in K4 or InCopy workflows, contact your system administrator.

Importing XML

XML import and layout methods

After you import XML data, the imported content appears as elements (the basic building blocks of XML) in the

Structure pane. InDesign doesn’t create new frames or pages when you import XML.

Append or merge?

You can import XML using one of two modes: append or merge. The method you choose depends on your workflow

(manual or automated), how you want to handle existing content in your document, and whether you want advanced

options for handling the imported data.

Append mode When you append imported content, the existing structure and content of the document are left as is;

the new XML content is placed on the bottom of the Structure pane, in the form of elements.

Merge mode When you merge imported content, InDesign compares the incoming XML with the structure and

names of elements already in your document. If the elements match, imported data replaces existing document

content, and is merged into correctly tagged frames (or placeholders) in the layout. (Elements for which InDesign can’t

find a matching name and hierarchy rank are placed on the Structure pane so that you can place them manually.)

Merge mode not only makes automated layout possible, it provides more advanced import options, including the

ability to filter incoming text and clone elements for repeating data.

Content layout

After importing XML content, your next step is to place it in your document. You can place content manually,

automatically, or by using scripting. The method you choose depends on the content you’re importing, your

document’s layout, and your workflow process.

Place content manually With the manual method, you drag elements from the Structure pane onto the pages of your

document or into frames. This method requires little setup or planning. Use this method if the type of content you

import varies or if you acquire content from multiple sources.

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Manually placing imported XML content

Place content automatically By planning ahead, you can automate the process of placing XML data in your layout. To

place XML content automatically, you first prepare the document by creating tagged placeholder frames to hold

incoming XML. As long as the XML structure and tag names for incoming content matches the tag names and

structure of the placeholder frames, InDesign can place the imported XML automatically in your document. InDesign

can also clone elements to handle repeating data, such as address lists and catalogue material. Use the automatic layout

method as part of a structured workflow process to speed production time and efficiency.

The selected placeholder frame (above) is tagged with the Story element. When XML data is imported (bottom), the Story element placeholder

frame is automatically populated with the Story element content.

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Note: InDesign recognizes special namespace attributes that can specify paragraph or character styles in XML. For more

information, see the XML technical reference guide and other resources at www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_XMLscript.

About merging

You can place XML data in a document using merge mode or append mode. Merging mode allows you to automate

the placement of content. You can also filter data in the XML file to place only certain parts of the content.

Merge incoming XML content when:

•The document contains placeholder frames and you want to fill them with imported XML content.

•The document contains XML content and you want to replace it with imported XML content.

•The document doesn’t contain any XML structure, and you want InDesign to replace the default root with the root

of the incoming XML file.

Merge mode compares incoming XML data to elements already in the document. It moves through the file, element

by element, comparing incoming elements to existing elements in the following manner:

1 InDesign begins comparing at the root element

•If the root elements of the imported XML file and InDesign document don’t match and the Structure pane contains

no existing structure, InDesign replaces the root of the InDesign document with the root of the incoming XML file

and imports the file.

•If the root elements don’t match and the Structure pane already contains elements, InDesign appends the file at the

end of the existing structure.

•If the root elements do match, the merge (and matching) process moves forward.

2 InDesign moves to the element under the root

Starting with the element just beneath the root in the incoming XML file, InDesign searches for a matching element

in the Structure pane. For a match to occur, the incoming XML element must have the same name as an existing

element in the Structure pane, and the two elements must exist at the same level in the hierarchy.

•If InDesign finds a matching element in the Structure pane, it replaces the element in the Structure pane with the

element from the incoming XML file.

•If InDesign doesn’t find a match, it inserts the incoming element in the Structure pane at the starting point of the

search. For example, if the search begins just below the root and a match isn’t found, the incoming element is placed

just below the root.

3 InDesign continues to compare elements

Element by element, InDesign continues to compare the incoming XML against the existing structure. The starting

point for the search in the Structure pane changes as the search progresses, with each search beginning just below the

last element inserted or replaced. InDesign always moves down from the current location; it never places elements

above the previous element it inserted or replaced.

Import and append XML data

When you import XML content, the new elements appear in the Structure pane. From there, you can drag elements to

place them in your document.

1Open an InDesign document or create a new document to receive the XML content.

2Open the Structure pane. (Choose View > Structure > Show Structure.)

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3Choose File > Import XML (or choose Import XML on the Structure pane menu) and select the XML file you want

to import.

4Select Show XML Import Options.

5Select Append Content, and then click Open.

6To link the XML content to the original XML file, select Create Link.

InDesign will list the XML file in the Links panel and display a yellow alert triangle in the panel if the XML file changes.

7Click OK.

See also

“Link or embed imported text files” on page 133

“Import and merge XML” on page 565

Lay out XML manually

You can manually place XML content in your document layout by dragging elements from the Structure pane to the

page or to existing frames. When you place an element, its child elements (and all child elements below those, if any)

are placed as well.

In the Structure pane, a structure-specific blue diamond appears on an element’s icon if the element has been placed

in the document; elements that haven’t been placed show an unplaced icon.

Note: If you imported XML using the Merge Content option, some elements may already be laid out. When you merge

imported content, InDesign automatically flows elements into existing frames if they are identically structured and

tagged.

1Open the Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure) and select the element that you want to lay out.

2Do either of the following for each element you want to place in your document:

•Drag the element onto the page. InDesign creates a frame for the element.

•Drag the element onto an existing frame. If the frame contains content, it is replaced by content from the XML data.

3To format the items you lay out, do any of the following:

•Map XML tags to paragraph, character, table, and cell styles.

•Apply styles to elements.

•Format the selected content manually by choosing text options in the Control panel.

Map XML tags to styles

XML tags are merely data descriptions; they carry no formatting instructions. As such, you need to format XML

content after you import it and lay it out. One way to do that is to map XML tags to paragraph, character, table, or cell

styles. For example, the Byline tag could be mapped to the Author character style, so that all imported and placed

XML content that is tagged Byline is automatically assigned the Author character style. Mapping tags to styles makes

formatting imported XML content easier and less time-consuming.

You don’t need to map every tag to a paragraph or character style. Some elements may not appear in the layout and

others may be easier to format one at a time. Moreover, child elements take on the paragraph or character style that is

assigned to their parent, which can cause confusion unless you are careful to map parent and child elements separately.

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Important: The Map Tags To Styles command reapplies styles throughout a document, sometimes with unwanted

results. When you map a tag to a style, text that was previously assigned to one style may be reassigned to another,

depending on its XML tag. If you’ve already formatted some text, you might prefer to apply styles manually to prevent

your paragraph and character style choices from being overridden.

1Choose Map Tags To Styles from the Tags panel menu or the Structure pane menu.

A menu of styles appears for each tag in the Map Tags To Styles dialog box

2Do any of the following:

•

To import styles, tags, and mapping definitions from another document, click Load, choose a document, and click Open.

•To map tags to styles individually, click the Style column adjacent to a tag, and choose a paragraph or character style

from the menu that appears. (The paragraph symbol identifies paragraph styles in the menu; an “A” identifies

character styles.) Repeat for each tag you want to map.

•To automatically map tags to styles with the same names, click Map By Name. Styles with names that are identical

to tag names are selected in the Style column. To match, a tag and style must not only have the same name, but the

same case; H1 and h1, for example, are not considered a match. (If the same style name exists in two different style

groups, Map By Name doesn’t work and you are alerted to rename one of the styles.)

3Click OK.

See also

“Add paragraph and character styles” on page 182

“Create and load XML tags” on page 567

About automatic layout

Using InDesign, you can automatically place imported XML content into a layout. To do this, you first create

placeholder frames or tables, and tag them with the same tag names as the XML elements you want to place into them.

Then, you import XML content into the placeholders in Merge mode. When tags match by name and by structural

hierarchy, InDesign merges the XML content, replacing any existing content in the document.

This technique is useful when you want to use the same layout for different sets of content. For example, a weekly

newsletter may have the same layout from week to week, but offer different content with each publication.

In order for imported XML to be merged directly into a layout, your document must meet these requirements:

•Frames (or tables) in the document must be tagged with names identical to elements in the XML file that you intend

to import.

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•The structure of the document (as shown in the Structure pane) must parallel the structure of the imported XML

file. In other words, the identically named elements must be found in the same locations in the structure hierarchy

of both files. To achieve this parallel structure, you may have to rearrange and reorder elements (and their child

elements) in the Structure pane or use the Apply XSLT option when you import the XML file.

Note: InDesign flows merged XML content into existing frames only. Any element content that doesn’t fit in its frame (or

series of threaded frames) becomes overset text.

See also

“Threading text” on page 133

“Tag items” on page 568

“Rearrange structured elements” on page 574

Working with repeating data

XML is repeating if the same configuration of elements appears multiple times in a row, but contains unique data in

each instance. For example, database records are repeating. Addresses in a database table contain repeated

information—name, street address, city, state, postal code—for a variety of individuals.

When you import XML content, you can select Clone Repeating Text Elements in the XML Import Options dialog

box. Selecting this option tells InDesign to clone the repeated elements in the structure. Cloning allows you to merge

repeating XML data into a document without having to create placeholder elements in the Structure pane (or

placeholder text in a frame) for every single record. For example, to import an XML address list with 25 entries, create

a matching element structure for one entry in the Structure pane. When you import the complete list, InDesign clones

that structure to create elements for all 25 entries.

Repeating XML content is flowed as a single story when it is merged into the document. If placeholder frames have

been threaded together, the content is flowed from one frame to the next. If there isn’t enough room in the placeholder

frame(s) to accommodate the XML content, you can autoflow the remaining content by creating and threading more

frames; you don’t have to manually drag elements from the Structure pane into individual frames.

Threaded placeholder in layout (left) and layout after import (right)

Create placeholders for automatic layout

Create placeholder frames or tables in your document when you want InDesign to automatically merge imported XML

into your layout.

Note: InDesign flows merged XML content into existing frames only. Any content that doesn’t fit in the frames provided

becomes overset text.

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You can also create placeholder text to ensure XML data is placed and formatted correctly on the page. Placeholder

text can also be used to include tabs, spacing, or labels (called static text) between the XML elements that will appear

in a frame.

Tagged placeholder text (left) and layout after import (right)

A. Returns and static text added between elements B. Placeholder text

For example, if you are importing and placing product information, you can separate the name, description, and price

of the product with a tab, and include labels such as “Product:” or “Price:” before the placeholder text entries for those

elements. When XML data is merged into the frame, static labels, spacing, and tabs are preserved between the content

elements.

Note: If you merge repeating XML data into your document and instruct InDesign to clone repeating elements, the static

text and spacing are also cloned for each instance of the data.

See also

“Thread text frames” on page 133

“Create and load XML tags” on page 567

“Rearrange structured elements” on page 574

“Tag items” on page 568

Create a placeholder frame

1Using the Type tool, create a text frame for the XML content.

If you want imported XML content to flow from one frame to another, create multiple frames and thread them

together.

2Open the Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure) and the Tags panel (Window > Tags).

3If the Tags panel does not contain tags with names identical to the XML elements you plan to import, create the

tags or load the tags from the XML file.

4Tag the placeholder frame with the appropriate tag from the Tags panel. (When you tag a frame, any frames

threaded to it are assigned the same tag.)

5If necessary, arrange or add elements in the Structure pane to match the elements and structure of the XML you

will be importing.

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Create a placeholder table

You can import XML elements into a placeholder table as well as a placeholder frame. In a table, each cell is represented

by an element. InDesign places XML content into the table cell by cell, element by element, starting from the top left

corner of the table, matching the element to the tagged cell. When creating placeholder tables, you must tag the table

as well as each cell in the table. (Merged cells are considered a single cell.)

Because InDesign doesn’t distinguish between rows and columns when importing, the number of columns in the

placeholder must match the number of columns in the imported content. Also, all the table cell elements must be

contained within a single table element. In other words, the cells are all sibling elements under the same parent.

Placeholder table (above) and flow of XML content into placeholder table (below)

1Open the Tags panel (Window > Tags) and the Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure).

2If the Tags panel doesn’t contain tag names identical to the names of the XML table elements you plan to import,

either load tags from an existing document or create the tags.

Note: At a minimum you must have tags for the parent element of the table cells, the table cells, and the element in which

the table will reside.

3Create a table containing the appropriate number of columns for the XML content. You don’t need to create the

exact number of rows, as InDesign will add rows to the table if needed.

4With an insertion point in the table, choose Table > Select > Table, and select the appropriate tag in the Tags panel.

5Tag each cell of the table with the desired tag. Depending on the structure of your XML content, you can either

select and tag the cells individually, or you can select an entire row or column—for example, if you want to tag the

first, or heading row—and tag all the selected cells using the same tag.

6As necessary, rearrange and add elements in the Structure pane so that your document has the same elements and

structure as the XML file you will import.

Create placeholder structure for repeating data

The same rules for merging XML also apply when merging repeating XML: The structure of the elements in the

Structure pane must parallel the structure of the imported XML data, and any placeholder frames must be tagged with

the same tag names as the parent elements in the XML file.

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Structure pane showing structure of placeholder text

A. Element that will contain all repeated elements B. Element that will be cloned as repeating XML content is imported C. Child elements for

data contained in the repeating element

1First, you will need a parent or root element that describes the collection of information, or records, you will import.

For example, a Chapter element that will contain a series of recipes.

2Under that parent, create one element that describes the information (or record) that will repeat.

For example, under the Chapter element, you might create a Recipe element. This is the element that will be cloned

for each record in the imported XML.

3Under this element, create child elements to describe the units of information (or fields) that make up the record.

For example, under the Recipe element, you might create Recipename, Ingredients, Instructions, Notes, and

Serving elements.

To include labels, returns, or tabs between “field” elements in the repeating XML data, create placeholder elements in

the frame the imported content will be merged into. And add spacing or labels as needed between the placeholders.

Create placeholder text

1Open an existing document, or create a new document for the XML.

2Open the Tags panel (Window > Tags) and the Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure).

3Make sure the Tags panel contains tag names that are identical to the names of elements you will import with the

XML file, and create new tags or load the necessary tags if necessary.

Importing a sample of the XML content is the easiest way to obtain all the necessary tags and to ensure that the

document structure matches the XML file.

4Create placeholder frames (and thread them together) as needed for your XML content.

5Using the Text tool, click in the first frame to create an insertion point, and type placeholder text for each element

you want to merge into that frame. Include any spacing you want between elements, as well as any static text.

Note: If you will be importing repeating data, you only need to create one instance of sample text for the elements that

will repeat.

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6Format the text as you want it to appear in the final document.

7Tag the text frame with the tag for the parent element that will contain the elements (or repeating data) you want

to import into that frame.

8Position the insertion point in the placeholder text and choose Edit > Edit In Story Editor.

9Choose View > Structure > Show Tag Markers.

10 Choose Edit > Select All.

11 In the Tags panel, select Add Tag, and then click the tag you assigned to the frame.

InDesign wraps the placeholder text with the tag, and adds the element to the Structure pane.

12 Select the text representing the first child element and click its tag in the Tags panel. Repeat until you have tagged

all the child placeholder text.

Important: When tagging placeholder text, do not select any spacing or static text you want to keep between elements.

Tag only the text you want replaced with XML content.

13 In the Structure pane, review the hierarchy created by your tagging to ensure it matches the structure of the XML

content you will import.

Import and merge XML

After you have created and tagged placeholder frames, tables, and text—and made sure that your document and the

incoming XML file have the same tags and structure—you can import XML content into your layout.

You must use the Merge Content option to import XML into placeholders (or to replace existing content in your

document). When merging content, InDesign replaces identically tagged and structured elements in your document

with the imported XML elements. You can use additional import options to exclude imported (that is, filter) content

that doesn’t match the document structure, to delete document items that aren’t matched or replaced by the imported

XML, and to clone repeating XML elements.

If the imported XML file contains elements that are not found in the document, InDesign places these elements in the

Structure pane without laying them out in your document.

To successfully merge XML into placeholders, keep these rules in mind:

•Tag placeholders with the identical tag name as the XML element that will replace it (or be flowed into it).

•In placeholder text, make sure any spacing, returns, tabs, or static text is outside the placeholder element tags, but

within the parent element for the story.

•When you import the XML, select Do Not Import Contents Of Whitespace-Only Elements. (This preserves spacing

and static text if the XML elements you import consist of white spaces only.)

Merge XML into existing content or placeholders

1Open the InDesign document that contains placeholders for the XML content.

2Open the Structure pane (View > Structure > Show Structure).

3Choose File > Import XML (or choose Import XML on the Structure pane menu), and then select the XML file you

want to import.

4Select Show XML Import Options.

5Select Merge Content, and then click Open.

6To link the XML content to the original XML file, select Create Link.

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InDesign will list the XML file in the Links panel and display a yellow alert triangle in the panel if the XML source file

changes.

7Select additional import options as needed:

Clone Repeating Text Elements If you are importing repeating XML, clones a single placeholder element to create a

container for each record in the file.

Only Import Elements That Match Existing Structure Filters the incoming XML, so that elements that do not exist in

the Structure pane are not imported.

Do Not Import Contents Of Whitespace-Only Elements Preserves any spacing or static text inserted between elements

in a placeholder frame.

Delete Elements, Frames, And Content That Do Not Match Imported XML After XML has been imported, deletes any

elements or placeholders in your document that were not matched (or replaced) by incoming data.

8Click OK.

InDesign merges content into the document starting with the first matching element in the XML file.

XML Import options

When importing and placing XML data using the Merge Content option, the XML Import Options dialog box offers

the following options:

Create Link Links to the XML file so that if the XML file is updated, you can update its XML data in your InDesign

document.

Apply XSLT Applies a stylesheet to define the transformation of the imported XML. Select Browse (Windows) or

Choose (Mac OS) to select an XSLT file (.xsl or .xslt) from the file system. Use Stylesheet From XML, the default

option, causes InDesign to use an XSLT processing instruction, if one is present in the XML file, to transform the XML

data.

Clone Repeating Text Elements Replicates the formatting applied to tagged placeholder text for repeating content.

Create one formatting instance (for example, an address), and then reuse its layout to create other instances

automatically. (See “Working with repeating data” on page 561.)

Only Import Elements That Match Existing Structure Filters the imported XML content so that only elements from the

imported XML file with matching elements in the document are imported.

Import Text Elements Into Tables If Tags Match Imports elements into a table if the tags match the tags applied to the

placeholder table and its cells. For example, use this option to place database records into a table when generating price

lists or inventory sheets.

Do Not Import Contents Of Whitespace-only Elements Leaves any existing content in place if the matching XML

content contains only whitespace (such as a return or tab character). Use this option if you’ve included text between

elements in your placeholder frames and you want to preserve this text. For example, when laying out recipes

generated from a database, you might add labels such as “Ingredients” or “Instructions.” As long as the parent element

that wraps each recipe contains only whitespace, InDesign leaves the label in place.

Delete Elements, Frames, and Content That Do Not Match Imported XML Removes elements from the Structure pane

and the layout of the document if they don’t match any elements in the imported XML file. Use this option to filter

data from the document. For example, when importing names and addresses, you might have placeholder text for an

element containing the company name. If one of the names doesn’t include the company element, InDesign deletes

the element containing the placeholder text.

Import CALS Tables As InDesign Tables Imports any CALS tables in the XML file as InDesign tables.

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Tagging content for XML

Create and load XML tags

Before you tag page items, create (or load) tags to identify each content type or item in your document. You can create

tags from scratch or load them from another source, such as an InDesign document, InCopy document, or DTD file.

Use any of the following methods to create or load XML tags for your document:

•Create a tag with the New Tag command.

•Load tags from an XML file or another document.

•Import a DTD file.

•Import tags (and content) using the Import XML command.

The Tags panel with a list of available tags

See also

“About XML” on page 553

“About DTD files” on page 555

Create an XML tag

1Choose Window > Tags to open the Tags panel.

2Do one of the following:

•Choose New Tag from the Tags panel menu.

•Click the New Tag button on the Tags panel.

3Type a name for the tag. The name must conform to XML standards. If you include a space or an illegal character

in the tag name, an alert message appears.

4Select a color for the tag if you created your tag from the Tags panel menu. (If you created your tag with the New

Tag button, you can choose a color by changing the color of the tag.)

Note: You can assign the same color to different tags. The color you select appears when you apply the tag to a frame and

choose View > Structure > Show Tagged Frames, or when you apply the tag to text within a frame and choose View >

Structure > Show Tag Markers. (Tag colors do not appear in exported XML files.)

5Click OK.

Load XML tags from another source

You can load tags from an XML file, an InDesign document, or an InCopy document.

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Note: InDesign automatically adds tags to the Tags panel when you load an XML file.

1Choose Load Tags from the Tags panel menu.

2Select the file containing the tags you want to load into the Tags panel, and then click Open.

Change tag name or color

1Double-click a tag name in the Tags panel or choose Tag Options in the Tags panel menu.

2Change the name or the color of the tag, and click OK.

Note: You cannot change the name of locked tags. InDesign automatically locks tags specified in a loaded DTD file. To

change the name of these tags, you must edit the DTD file and reload it into the document.

Tag items

Before you export content to an XML file, you must tag the text and other items (such as frames and tables) that you

want to export. You also need to tag items that you have created as placeholders for imported XML content. Items that

have been tagged appear as elements in the Structure pane.

Create (or load) tags to identify each content element that you want to export or import. Then tag text or page items

using one of these techniques:

Manual tagging Select a frame or text, and then click a tag in the Tags panel, or simply drag a tag from the Tags panel

to a text or graphics frame.

Automatic tagging Select a text frame, table, table cells, or image, and then click the Autotag icon in the Tags panel.

Items are tagged according to your tagging preset options.

Map tags to styles Associate tags with paragraph, character, table, or cell styles, and then apply tags automatically to

text, a table, table cells, and paragraphs that were assigned those styles.

When tagging page items, note the following:

•You can apply tags to stories as well as to text within stories. For example, you might want to apply an Article tag

to a story, and then apply more specific tags, such as Title and Body, to paragraphs within the story.

•You can apply only one tag to a story. When you tag a frame in a threaded story, all other frames in the story, along

with any overset text, are assigned the same tag.

•You can apply only one tag to a graphics frame. When you tag a graphics frame, InDesign records a reference to

the graphic’s location (on disk).

•You cannot tag a group of objects. To tag an item that’s part of a group, use the Direct Selection tool to select the item.

•When you tag text within a tagged element (such as a paragraph within a story), it appears as a child of the existing

element in the Structure pane.

•You can tag text or images on a master page, but only one instance of the corresponding element appears in the

Structure pane regardless of how many times the item appears on document pages. However, if you manually

override a master item and then tag it on a document page, the item will appear as a separate element in the

Structure pane.

•You can’t tag a footnote.

Note: Avoid tagging special characters, such as the Automatic Page Number character. When exporting, InDesign strips out

some special characters to comply with XML standards. InDesign warns you when characters cannot be encoded in XML.

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See also

“Work with attributes” on page 575

“Map XML tags to styles” on page 559

Tag frames manually

You can tag frames by using any of these methods.

•Drag a tag from the Tags panel onto a frame.

•Using a selection tool, select a frame, and then click a tag in the Tags panel.

If a frame is part of a group or nested within another frame, use the Direct Selection tool to select the frame.

•Open a frame’s context menu, choose Tag Frame, and then choose a tag.

•Using a selection tool, select an untagged text or graphics frame, drag the frame to the Structure pane, release the

mouse, and then select a tag name from the menu that appears.

Tag text within a text frame manually

When you tag text within a frame, the new element appears in the Structure pane as a child of the frame element in

which the text is located.

1Make sure that the story in which the text appears is tagged. (If a story isn’t tagged and you tag text within the story,

InDesign automatically tags the story using the tag specified in the Tagging Preset Options dialog box.)

2Using the Type tool, select text within the text frame.

3Click a tag in the Tags panel.

Note: You can’t tag footnotes.

Tag text frames, tables, table cells, and images automatically

By clicking the Autotag icon in the Tags panel, you can tag a text frame, table, table cells, or an image automatically.

To tag the item, InDesign applies a default tag that you specify in the Tagging Preset Options dialog box.

1Select the text frame, table, table cells, or image that you want to tag.

2In the Tags panel, click the Autotag icon .

InDesign adds the default tag’s name to the Tags panel after you click the Autotag icon.

Tag content according to paragraph or character style

Paragraph styles and character styles you assign to text can be used as a means of tagging paragraphs and text for XML.

For example, a paragraph style called Caption can be associated with a tag called FigureName. Then, using the Map

Styles To Tags command, you can apply the FigureName tag to all text in your document assigned the Caption

paragraph style. You can map more than one style to the same tag.

Important: The Map Styles To Tags command tags content automatically, including paragraphs and characters that are

tagged already. For example, if a paragraph assigned the Context style has been tagged with the Body tag, but you then

associate the Context style with the Expository tag, the paragraph is retagged; it is stripped of the Body tag and given

the Expository tag instead. If you want to retain existing tags, apply tags manually (or use the Map Styles To Tags

command very carefully).

1Choose Map Styles To Tags from the Tags panel menu.

2For each style in your document, specify the tag that you want it to be mapped to.

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Map Styles To Tags dialog box

3To match style names to tag names, click Map By Name. Styles that are named identically to tag names are selected

in the dialog box. Map By Name is case-sensitive; Head1 and head1, for example, are treated as different tags.

4To use style mappings from a different InDesign file, click Load and select the file.

5Select or deselect Include options:

Master Page Stories Maps styles found on master page text frames to tags.

Pasteboard Stories Maps styles found on text frames on the pasteboard to tags. (Deselect this option to avoid tagging

content on the pasteboard.)

Empty Stories Maps styles located on empty text frames to tags. (Deselect this option to avoid tagging empty frames.)

6Click OK.

The new XML tags are applied throughout your document to paragraph and character styles that you specified in the

Map Styles To Tags dialog box.

Note: You cannot tag images with the Map Styles To Tags command. You need to manually tag images if you want to

include them in an XML file.

Tag text in tables

When you tag a table for XML, you create a table element as well as one cell element for each cell in the table. The cell

elements are child elements of the table element, and are created automatically.

1Click in the table and choose Table > Select > Table.

2Select a tag for the table in the Tags panel.

InDesign creates a cell element for each cell in the table (you can display them in the Structure pane). The tag applied

to table cell elements depends on your Autotag default settings.

3If needed, tag table cells with a different tag.

For example, you can tag the first-row cells with a different tag to identify them as heading cells. To apply tags to cells,

select the actual table cells in your document, and then select a tag. (Selecting cells in the table also selects the

corresponding cell elements in the Structure pane.)

You can also tag a table by selecting it and then clicking the Autotag icon in the Tags panel. The Table tag (or another

tag of your choice) is applied immediately to the table, according to your Autotag default settings.

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Untag an item

Untag an item to remove its tag but retain the associated content.

1Select the element in the Structure pane, or select the page item or tagged text in the document layout.

2Click Untag in the Tags panel.

Retag items

Retag an item to replace the existing tag (you don’t need to untag it first). Use one of these techniques to retag an item:

•Using a selection tool, select a text frame, a graphics frame, or an element in the Structure pane, and then click a

different tag in the Tags panel.

•To retag a story, use the Type tool to place a insertion point anywhere in the story’s text. Select Retag in the Tags

panel, and then click a different tag.

•To retag a text block, use the Type tool to select the entire block of text. Select Retag in the Tags panel, and then

click a different tag. (If you select Add Tag and then click a different tag, a new child element appears in the

Structure pane.)

Specify Autotag defaults

When you select a text frame, table, table cells, or an image, and then click the Autotag icon in the Tags panel, InDesign

applies a default tag to the item you selected. You can specify these default tags in the Tagging Preset Options dialog box.

Note: InDesign applies a default tag when you create an element that requires a parent element, but doesn’t yet have one.

For example, if you tag text within a text frame but the frame itself isn’t tagged, InDesign assigns the frame a tag according

to the Tagging Preset Options. The capability to apply default tags helps InDesign maintain correct XML structure.

1Choose Tagging Preset Options from the Tags panel menu.

2Choose a default tag for text frames, tables, table cells, and images.

If the tag you need isn’t listed, you can choose New Tag from the menu and create a tag.

Show or hide tag markers and tagged frames

Tag markers are brackets that appear on the page around text that has been tagged. Show tag markers to see where

titles, headings, and other text has been tagged on a page. Tagged frames indicate where items such as text frames,

tables, and images have been tagged. The color assigned to a tag in the Tags panel determines the color of tag markers

and tagged frames. Tag markers and tagged frames only appear in Normal view.

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A tagged frame and, within it, tag markers.

❖Do any of the following:

•To display color-coded tagged frames, choose View > Structure > Show Tagged Frames.

•To hide the color-coding of tagged frames, choose View > Structure > Hide Tagged Frames.

•To display color brackets around tagged text, choose View > Structure > Show Tag Markers.

•To hide color brackets around tagged text, choose View > Structure > Hide Tag Markers.

To minimize the risk of accidentally deleting a tag marker, edit tagged text in Story Editor, where tag markers are

more visible.

See also

“Use the Story Editor” on page 142

“Working with markers” on page 315

Delete tags

•To delete a tag from the Tags panel, drag it to the Delete icon at the bottom of the panel. If the tag has been

applied to content, an alert message appears. Select another tag to replace the deleted tag and click OK.

•To delete all unused tags, choose Select All Unused Tags from the Tags panel menu, and then click the Delete icon

at the bottom of the panel.

Note: Tags that were loaded with a DTD file cannot be deleted until the DTD file is deleted.

Structuring documents for XML

Structure pane overview

The Structure pane displays, in hierarchical form, items in a document that have been marked with XML tags. These

items are called elements. You can move elements in the Structure pane to define the order and hierarchy of items. An

element consists of an icon indicating the element type and a tag name.

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Structure pane

A. Triangle to expand or collapse elements B. Element C. Text snippet D. Attribute

Additionally, elements may provide this information:

Blue diamond A blue diamond on an element icon means that the element is attached to an item on the page; the

absence of a blue diamond means that the element has not been attached to a page item.

Underline The tag name is underlined if the item on the page to which the element corresponds is selected. For

example, if you select text to which you assigned the Title tag, the word Title in the text’s element is underlined in the

Structure pane. Underlining shows you whether selected items on the page and elements in the Structure pane

correspond.

Text snippet The first 32 characters of tagged text, called a text snippet, can appear to the right of the element. These

snippets help you identify the page item to which an element corresponds.

Dot and attribute Attributes provide metadata information about an element. If attributes are attached to an element,

a black dot along with attribute names and values appear below the element.

Use the Structure pane

•To open the Structure pane, choose View > Structure > Show Structure.

•To close the Structure pane, choose View > Structure > Hide Structure, or click the splitter button.

•To expand or collapse an element (and display or hide any of its child elements), click the triangle next to the

element.

•To adjust the size of the Structure pane, drag the splitter button.

•To expand or contract an element as well as all elements contained within it, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or

Command (Mac OS) while clicking the triangle next to the element.

•To show or hide text snippets, choose Show Text Snippets or Hide Text Snippets from the Structure pane menu.

Structure pane icons

The following icons appear in the Structure pane:

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Rearrange structured elements

You can change the order and hierarchical rank of elements in the Structure pane. However, observe these rules:

•An XML document is required to have a single root element at the top of the structure. The root element contains

and is the parent to all other elements. Only the DTD (appearing as a DOCTYPE element), comments, and

processing instructions may appear above the root element in the Structure pane.

•Changes to the XML hierarchy structure may affect the appearance of tagged items on InDesign pages. For

example, making a text element the child of an element elsewhere in the structure also moves the text in the layout.

•You cannot drag a table cell element into a table element or move elements into a table element.

❖In the Structure pane, do one of the following:

•To move an element, drag it to a new location within the structure. A line appears when you drag to indicate where

you are inserting the element. The width of the line marks the level within the hierarchy.

•To make an element a child of another element, either position it over the parent element to highlight it or place it

amongst the parent’s other child elements, and then release the mouse button.

•To demote an element by one level in the hierarchy, drag it just above another parent element and move it to the

left slightly until the line indicating its placement spans the width of the parent element.

•To copy or cut an element, select the element or elements in the Structure pane, and then choose Edit > Copy or

Edit > Cut. Select the element directly above where you want to insert the element, and choose Edit > Paste.

Note: When you cut an element, the element and contents are cut to the clipboard, but the frame remains intact.

Icon Name Use

Root element Each document includes one root element at the top, which can be renamed but cannot be moved or

deleted.

Story element Represents tagged stories (one or more linked frames).

Text element Represents tagged text within a frame.

Graphic element Represents a tagged frame that includes a placed image. Each graphic element includes an href

attribute that defines the path or URL to the linked file.

Unplaced text element Unplaced text element not yet associated with a page item.

Unplaced graphic element Unplaced graphic element not yet associated with a page item.

Table element Represents a table.

Header cell element Represents a cell in the header row of a table.

Body cell element Represents a cell within the body of a table.

Footer cell element Represents a cell in the footer row of a table.

Empty element An empty frame is associated with this element.

Attribute Includes metadata, such as keywords or location of a linked image (HREF attribute).

Comment Includes comments that appear in the XML file, but not the InDesign document.

Processing instruction Includes an instruction that triggers an action in applications that can read processing instructions.

DOCTYPE element Tells InDesign which DTD file to use when validating the XML file.

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See also

“Keys for working with XML” on page 687

Insert a parent element

Insert a parent element in the Structure pane to maintain the proper XML structure or organize content better. Before

you can insert a new parent element, you must select the elements that will be the children of the new parent. When

the new parent element is inserted, the selected child elements are demoted by one rank in the structural hierarchy.

With child elements selected (left); a newly inserted parent element includes the child elements (right).

1In the Structure pane, select the elements that will be child elements to the new parent element you want to insert.

Note the following:

•You can’t select the Root or a root-level element.

•The elements must be on the same level of the structural hierarchy.

•The elements must be contiguous.

•The selection must not include table cells or attributes.

2On the Structure pane menu, choose New Parent Element, or right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) and

choose New Parent Element.

3Select a tag for the new parent element and click OK.

Insert a new parent element quickly by selecting Add Tag in the Tags panel and then clicking a tag in the panel. You

can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an element you selected in the Structure pane, choose New

Parent Element, and then choose an element.

Work with attributes

An attribute provides additional information about an XML element. Each attribute consists of a name and a value.

Attributes appear in the Structure pane; they are not placed in the document or used as content in the document.

Include attributes with elements for the benefit of files and applications that will use the XML files you create in

InDesign.

When you tag an image, InDesign automatically creates an href attribute with a value that defines the on-disk location

of the image file. This href attribute allows other files and applications to locate the image on disk so it can be displayed.

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An attribute includes a name (href, in this case) and a value.

You can add attributes to any element except the DOCTYPE element (a DTD file), comments, and processing

instructions. For example, to include keywords for searching in a downstream application, you can create an attribute

called keywords. You could also create attributes to indicate substituted text, track article titles, and record other

content-related information.

If you are using a DTD file, view its contents to see which attributes it allows. Attribute names, like tag names, must

conform to the DTD.

Note: InDesign recognizes special namespace attributes that can specify paragraph or character styles, tables and table

cell styles, as well as control whitespace. For more information, see the XML technical reference and other resources at

www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_XMLscript.

See also

“Exporting XML” on page 580

Add an attribute

1Select an element.

2Do one of the following:

•Click the Add An Attribute button .

•Choose New Attribute on the Structure pane menu.

•Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the selected element and choose New Attribute.

3Specify a name and a value for the attribute, and then click OK.

Show or hide attributes in the Structure pane

❖Choose Show Attributes or Hide Attributes from the Structure pane menu.

You may need to click the triangle icon next to an element to display its attributes.

Edit or delete an attribute

1Select an attribute in the Structure pane.

2Do one of the following:

•To edit the attribute, double-click it or choose Edit from the Structure pane menu.

•To delete the attribute, click the Delete icon or choose Delete from the Structure pane menu.

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Edit href attributes

InDesign creates href attributes automatically to handle image files. The href attribute defines the on-disk location

of the image file so that the image file can be displayed. When you tag a placed image, InDesign creates an href

attribute value that lists the image’s path and filename.

The path can be an absolute link, a relative link to the same folder as the XML file, or a relative link to the Images

subfolder of the folder where the XML file is located. Relative paths are specific to the path where the document is

saved.

•An href attribute with an absolute link looks like the following (in Windows and the Mac OS):

href=file:///C:/Images/Meadow.psd

href=file:///Users/abhayc//Desktop/abc.jpg

•An href attribute to an image file in the same folder as the XML file looks like the following:

href=file:Meadow.psd

•An href attribute to an image file in the Images subfolder looks like the following:

href=file:///Images/Meadow.psd

You can edit the href attribute to specify a new link to an image. For example, you can edit an absolute link to make

it a relative link, thereby making the image file accessible when you export the file.

1In the Structure pane, double-click the href attribute. (You may need to click the triangle icon next to the image

element to display the attribute.)

2For Value, enter the new path to the image, and then click OK.

Add comments and processing instructions

Using InDesign, you can include comments and processing instructions in an XML file. Enter a comment to include

descriptive information about an element. Comments can be viewed in web browsers and text editors. They help

others understand XML structure and XML tags. A processing instruction is a special, application-specific command.

For example, you can enter a page-break processing instruction so that an application to which you export your XML

file understands where to enter a page break. InDesign user-created processing instructions are meant for use in other

programs; InDesign itself does not act on processing instructions.

Comments and processing instructions appear in the Structure pane. You can move, edit, and delete comments and

processing instructions as you can other elements in the Structure pane. They cannot, however, contain child elements

or attributes.

InDesign Structure pane with text snippets showing

A. Processing instruction B. Comment

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See also

“Rearrange structured elements” on page 574

Add a comment

1Select the element about which you will comment.

Note: To add a comment to a table, select a table cell element. You can add comments to table cells, not tables.

2Choose New Comment in the Structure pane menu.

3Type the comment in the New Comment dialog box.

Add a processing instruction

1Select an element for the processing instruction.

Note: To add a processing instruction to a table, select a table cell element. You can add processing instructions to table

cells, not tables.

2Choose New Processing Instruction in the Structure pane menu.

3For Target, enter a name that identifies the processing instruction to an application that reads exported XML files.

4For Data, enter a value that tells the application what to do with the processing instruction.

View comments and processing instructions

❖Choose Show Comments or Show Processing Instructions in the Structure pane menu.

Edit comments and processing instructions

1Select the comment or processing instruction.

2Do any of the following:

•Double-click the comment or processing instruction.

•Choose Edit on the Structure pane menu.

3Edit the comment or processing instruction and click OK.

Use DTD files to validate XML

Validating the XML in a document means to compare the structure, element tag names, and attributes against the

specifications of a DTD file. To validate against a DTD file, you must first load it into your document in InDesign.

Note: Loading a DTD file imports tag names into the Tags panel. These imported tag names are locked; they can’t be

deleted or renamed except by deleting the DTD file from the document.

The DOCTYPE element appears at the top of the Structure pane if a DTD file has been loaded into your document.

(DTDs are sometimes loaded automatically when you import an XML file.) To replace the DTD file in a document,

delete the existing DTD and then load a new one.

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Working with DTD files in InDesign

A. DOCTYPE element from the DTD file (Structure pane) B. Locked tag from the DTD file (Tags panel)

See also

“About DTD files” on page 555

Load a DTD file

When you load a DTD file, InDesign embeds the file in the document.

1Do one of the following:

•In the Structure pane, choose Load DTD from the Structure pane menu.

•In the Tags panel, choose Load DTD from the panel menu.

2Select a DTD file to import, and click Open.

To view tags defined in the DTD file, open the Tags panel by choosing Window > Tags.

View a DTD file

DTDs are written in ASCII text. They may contain embedded instructions and explanations that describe how to apply

tags and order elements correctly. In InDesign, you can only view a DTD that is loaded in a document.

DTD file opened for viewing

❖Do one of the following:

•In the Structure pane menu, choose View DTD.

•Double-click the DOCTYPE element in the Structure pane.

To print a DTD file, copy code from the View DTD window and paste it in a text editor.

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Delete a DTD file

❖Choose Delete DTD from the Structure pane menu.

InDesign deletes the copy of the DTD file stored in the InDesign document, not the original DTD file. Tags that were

imported with the DTD file remain in the Tags panel but are unlocked.

Validate XML structure

When you validate your document, InDesign alerts you if the XML deviates from rules established by the DTD file. It

suggests ways to make the XML meet DTD file requirements. You can fix errors one at a time or view all errors in a

separate window.

Structure pane with Suggestions pane

A. Loaded DTD B. Error or invalidating condition C. Description of error with suggested fix D. Error count E. Validate button F. View all

errors in a separate window

1Choose View > Structure > Show Structure.

2In the Structure pane, click the Validate button .

To change the root element from which InDesign validates, choose DTD Options in the Structure pane menu.

3To fix errors displayed in the Suggestion pane, either click a suggested fix to try it, or edit the XML structure and

tags directly using the Structure pane and the Tags panel.

4To view other errors, do one of the following:

•Click the Left arrow or Right arrow .

•Click the Error Window button to view all errors in a separate window.

•Choose View List Of Errors on the Structure pane menu.

Note: InDesign stops validating after detecting 250 errors. A plus sign in the Error Count box appears when this limit is

reached.

Exporting XML

Export document content to XML

Before you export content from an InDesign document to XML, you must have done the following:

•Created or loaded element tags.

DEF

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•Applied tags to items on the pages of your document.

•Adjusted the hierarchy of tagged elements in the Structure pane, if needed.

You can export all or a portion of the XML content in your document. Only content that is tagged can be exported.

Important: If you are exporting a document that contains tables, you must tag the tables or InDesign will not export them

as part of the XML.

1If you want to export only a portion of the document, select the element in the Structure pane where you want

exporting to begin.

2Choose File > Export.

3For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose XML.

4Specify a name and location for the XML file, and then click Save.

5In the General tab of the Export XML dialog box, choose any of the following:

Include DTD Declaration Exports the reference to the DTD along with the XML file. This option is only available if

there is a DOCTYPE element in the Structure pane.

View XML Using Opens the exported file in a browser, XML editing application, or text editor. Choose the browser or

application from the list.

Export From Selected Element Starts exporting from the element you selected in the Structure pane. This option is

only available if you selected an element before choosing File > Export.

Export Untagged Tables As CALS XML Exports untagged tables in CALS XML format. To be exported, the table must

be in a tagged frame, and the table must not be tagged.

Remap Break, Whitespace, And Special Characters Exports break, whitespace, and special characters as decimal

character entities rather than straight characters.

Apply XSLT Applies a stylesheet to define the transformation of the exported XML to, for example, a modified XML

tree or HTML. Select Browse (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS) to select an XSLT from the file system. The default

setting, Use Stylesheet From XML, uses an XSLT transformation instruction if one is referenced in the XML that is

applied on export.

6Choose an encoding type from the Encoding menu.

7To specify export options for images, click the Images tab, and then select one or more of the following:

Original Images Places a copy of the original image files in an Images subfolder.

Optimized Original Images Optimizes and compresses the original image files and places copies of the files in an

Images sub-folder.

Optimized Formatted Images Optimizes the original image files that contain applied transformation (such as rotation

or scaling) and places them in an Images sub-folder. For example, if the document contains two images, one cropped

and one not, only the cropped image is optimized and copied to the Images sub-folder.

8If you selected Optimized Original Images or Optimized Formatted Images in the previous step, choose options for

the optimizing the images.

9Click Export.

Note: Not all special characters are supported in XML (such as the Automatic Page Number character). InDesign warns

you if it cannot include a character in the exported XML file. This warning also appears if you didn’t tag a table.

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See also

“Create and load XML tags” on page 567

“Tagging content for XML” on page 567

“Rearrange structured elements” on page 574

Optimized image export options

The following options are available when you choose Optimized Original Images or Optimized Formatted Images in

the Images tab of the Export XML dialog box.

Image Conversion Specifies which file format to use for the converted image. If you choose Automatic, InDesign

chooses the best file type based on the image. Hence, you may want to specify both GIF Options and JPEG Options.

GIF Options Specify the formatting for images that are converted to GIF format when exported to XML. You can set

the following options:

•Palette Specifies the color palette you want the image to conform to when converted. Choose the palette for the

final display format of the XML content. Adaptive (no dither) works well for images with primarily solid colors and

can be used when the final output will be to multiple formats.

•Interlace Downloads every other line of the image with each pass, instead of downloading the entire image in one

pass. Interlacing enables a preview of the image to download quickly, as each successive pass adds resolution until the

final quality is met.

JPEG Options Specify the formatting for images that are converted to JPEG format when exported to XML. You can

set the following options:

•Image Quality Specifies the quality of the converted image. The higher the quality setting, the larger the file size and

the longer it takes to download.

•Format Method Specifies how the JPEG image is formatted for download. Baseline downloads the final quality

image in one pass, so that the file displays at its final quality as soon as it opens; this format may take longer to

download than a Progressive formatted image. Progressive downloads the image in a series of passes, with the first pass

a low-resolution version and each successive pass adding resolution to the image until the final quality is attained.

Save tags only as XML

Save tags only so you can load the tags into an InDesign document and make use of them there.

1Choose Save Tags from the Tags panel menu.

2Type a name, specify a location, and then click Save.

The tags in your document, along with their assigned colors, are saved in an XML file.

Edit an exported XML file

After you’ve used InDesign to create and export an XML file, you can make changes to the XML using either of these

methods:

•To make changes directly in the XML file, open it in a text or XML editor.

•To make changes that will be preserved in the source document, open the InDesign file that the XML was exported

from. After you make changes to the content in InDesign, you can export it to XML again, using the original XML

filename if you want to replace the file.

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Chapter 21: Printing

To make optimal decisions about printing, you should understand basic printing principles, including how the

resolution of your printer can affect the way your layout appears when printed. Contact your print service provider to

get information on color choices and make the best printing decisions.

Printing documents

About printing

Whether you are providing a multicolored document to an outside service provider, or just sending a quick draft of a

document to an inkjet or laser printer, knowing a few basics about printing will make the print job go more smoothly,

and help to ensure that the finished document appears as intended.

Types of printing

When you print a file, Adobe InDesign CS4 sends it to a printing device—either to be printed directly on paper or to

a digital printing press, or to be converted to a positive or negative image on film. In the latter case, the film can then

be used to create a master plate for printing by a commercial press.

Types of images

The simplest types of images, such as text, use only one color in one level of gray. A more complex image is one with

color tones that vary within the image. This type of image is known as a continuous-tone image. A photograph is an

example of a continuous-tone image.

Halftoning

To create the illusion of continuous tone, images are broken down into a series of dots. This process is called halftoning.

Varying the sizes and densities of the dots in a halftone screen creates the optical illusion of variations of gray or

continuous color in the printed image.

Color separation

Artwork that will be commercially reproduced and that contains more than a single color must be printed on separate

master plates, one for each color. This process is called color separation.

Getting detail

The detail in a printed image results from a combination of resolution and screen frequency. The higher an output

device’s resolution, the finer (higher) the screen frequency you can use.

Duplex printing

Printer-specific features such as duplex printing are available when you click the Printer button in the Print dialog box.

Duplex printing is available only if the printer supports it. For information on duplex printing, see your printer

documentation.

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Transparent objects

If the artwork contains objects with transparency features that you added using the Effects panel or the Drop Shadow

or Feather commands, the transparent artwork will be flattened according to settings in the flattener preset you choose.

You can affect the ratio of rasterized images to vector images in the printed artwork.

For more information on printing, see the Adobe Print Resource Center at www.adobe.com/go/print_resource. To

troubleshoot printing problems, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_printtrouble.

See also

“About transparency flattener presets” on page 427

“Specify a halftone screen frequency and resolution” on page 630

Adobe Print Resource Center

Print a document or book

1Make sure that you’ve installed the correct driver and PPD for your printer.

2Open the Print dialog box:

•If you have individual documents open, choose File > Print. This opens the Print dialog box for the current

document.

•If you have either no documents or all documents selected in the Book panel, choose Print Book in the Book panel

menu. This will print all documents in a book.

•If you have some documents selected in the Book panel, choose Print Selected Documents in the Book panel menu.

3Specify the printer you’re using in the Printer menu. If a printer preset has the settings you want, choose it in the

Print Preset menu.

4In the General area, type the number of copies to print, choose whether to collate pages or print them in reverse

order, and indicate which pages you want printed.

Note: The Page Range option is unavailable if you’re printing a book.

5Indicate whether you want to print nonprinting objects, blank pages, or visible guides and baseline grids.

6Adjust settings as needed for each area of the Print dialog box.

7Click Print.

Settings you specify in the Print dialog box are saved with the document.

See also

“Use print presets” on page 592

“Specify paper size and page orientation” on page 586

Adobe Print Resource Center

Page printing options

You can print all pages, even or odd pages only, a series of individual pages, or a contiguous range.

Range Specifies the range of pages to print in the current document. Indicate numbers in a range by using a hyphen,

and indicate multiple pages or ranges by using commas or spaces. (See “Specifying pages to print” on page 586.)

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Sequence Choose All Pages to print all pages of a document. Choose Even Pages Only or Odd Pages Only to print only

those pages within the specified range. These options are unavailable when you are using the Spreads or Print Master

Pages options.

Spreads Prints pages together, as if they were bound, or printed on the same sheet. You can print only one spread per

sheet. If the new page is larger than the currently selected paper size, InDesign prints as much as it can, but won’t

automatically scale the page to fit the imageable area, unless you select Scale To Fit in the Setup area of the Print dialog

box. You may also want to specify landscape orientation.

Note: If different trapping styles are applied to pages in the spread, InDesign resolves the differences.

Print Master Pages Prints all master pages, rather than document pages. Selecting this option makes the Ranges option

unavailable.

Examples of page ranges

Options for printing objects

The General area of the Print dialog box contains options for printing elements usually visible only on-screen, such as

grids and guides. Choose from the following options:

Print Layers Determine which layers are printed. (See “Choose which layers are printed or exported to PDF” on

page 589.)

Print Non-printing Objects Prints all objects, regardless of your settings to selectively prevent individual objects from

printing.

Print Blank Pages Prints all pages in the specified page range, even if no text or objects appear on a page. This option

is unavailable when you are printing separations. If you are using Print Booklet for composite printing, use the Print

Blank Printer Spreads option to print blank spreads added to fill out composite signatures.

Print Visible Guides and Baseline Grids Prints visible guides and grids in the same color as shown in the document.

You can control which guides and grids are visible in the View menu. This option is unavailable when you are printing

separations.

Page range Pages printed

11- Page 11 to the last page of the document.

-11 All pages up to and including page 11.

+11 Page 11 only.

-+11 All pages up to and including page 11.

+11- All pages from the eleventh page to the end of document.

1, 3-8, Page 1, plus pages 3 to 8.

+1, +3-+8, Page 1, plus pages 3 to 8.

Sec1 All pages in section labeled “Sec1”.

Sec2:7 Page numbered 7 (not necessarily the seventh page of that section) in section labeled “Sec2.”

PartB:7- Page numbered 7 in section labeled “PartB” to last page of section.

Chap2:7-Chap3 Page 7 in section labeled “Chap2” to end of section labeled “Chap3”.

Sec4:3-Sec4:6, Sec3:7 Pages 3–6 in “Sec4” and page 7 in “Sec3”.

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Specifying pages to print

You can specify a page range using either absolute numbering (the page’s position in the current document) or

page/section numbering (the section and page numbers assigned to the page). By default, dialog boxes in InDesign

honor the format specified for Page Numbering in the Preferences dialog box.

•When Absolute Numbering is selected, numbers you specify for pages or page ranges correspond to the absolute

position of pages in your document. For example, to print the third page in the document, you would enter “3” for

Range in the Print dialog box.

•When Section Numbering is selected in the Preferences dialog box, you can enter pages and page ranges exactly as

they appear in your layout or using absolute numbering. For example, if the page labeled SecA:5 is the fifteenth page

in your document, you could print it by entering “SecA:5” in the Print dialog box or by entering “+15”. The “+” sign

indicates that you want to override the normal section and page numbering to use absolute page numbering.

If you are unsure which format to use when entering page numbers in the Print dialog box, imitate the format used

in the page box at the bottom of the document window.

Specify paper size and page orientation

It’s important to distinguish between page size (as defined in the Document Setup dialog box for your document) and

paper size (the sheet of paper, piece of film, or area of the printing plate you’ll print on). Your page size might be US

Letter (8.5-by-11 inches), but you might need to print on a larger piece of paper or film to accommodate any printer’s

marks or the bleed and slug areas.

The list of paper sizes available to InDesign comes from the PPD (PostScript printers) or from the printer driver (non-

PostScript printers). If the printer and PPD you’ve chosen for PostScript printing support custom paper sizes, you’ll

see a Custom option in the Paper Size menu.

Most imagesetters can accommodate regular paper sizes, such as letter and tabloid, as well as transverse orientation,

where the regular page size is rotated 90° when printed. The transverse orientation is often a more efficient use of

imagesetter media.

Page size and orientations for imagesetters

A. Letter (tall orientation) B. Custom page size (tall orientation) C. Letter (transverse orientation)

Paper sizes are listed by familiar names (such as Letter). The dimensions define the limits of the imageable area—the

total paper size, less any unprintable border used by the printer or imagesetter. Most laser printers cannot print to the

exact edge of a page.

If you select a different paper size (for example, if you change from Letter to Legal), the document is rescaled in the

preview window. The preview window displays the entire imageable area of the selected page; when the preview size

is changed, the preview window automatically rescales to include the imageable area.

Note: The imageable area will vary by PPD file, even for the same paper size (for example, Letter), because different

printers and imagesetters define the sizes of their imageable areas differently.

ABC

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Comparison of printing a letter-size page on Letter, Letter.extra, or Tabloid paper

Note: The preview in the lower-left area of the Print dialog box indicates whether you have enough space to include all

printer’s marks and the bleed and slug areas.

See also

“Specify printer’s marks” on page 593

“Select a PPD file” on page 592

Specify paper size and orientation

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, choose an option in the Paper Size menu.

Make sure that your paper size is large enough to contain your document, the bleed and slug areas (if included), and

any printer’s marks. To conserve imagesetter film or paper, however, select the smallest paper size that will

accommodate your document and the necessary printing information.

3Click an Orientation button to rotate the document on the media.

In most cases, the page orientation specified in Document Setup (File > Document Setup) and the output orientation

specified in the Setup area of the Print dialog box should be the same (both portrait or both landscape), whether you

print normal or transverse. If you’re printing spreads, you may want to choose a different paper size and orientation

(such as landscape) to fit all pages of a spread on a single sheet. If you’ve rotated the spread view, you may want to

change the orientation to print the spread properly.

Orientation buttons

A. Portrait B. Landscape C. Reverse Portrait D. Reverse Landscape

A B C D

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Specify a custom paper size

If you’re using a printer that accommodates various paper sizes, such as a high-resolution imagesetter, you can specify

a custom paper size when you print. InDesign makes the custom option available only if the selected PPD supports

custom paper sizes.

The largest custom paper size you can specify depends on the maximum imageable area of your imagesetter. For more

information, consult the documentation for your specific printer.

Note: Custom paper size options for non-PostScript printers is not accessible from the InDesign Print dialog box. To set

those printer-specific features, click Setup (Windows), Printer (Mac OS), or Page Setup (Mac OS) in the InDesign Print

dialog box. Check the documentation for your non-PostScript printer driver for details.

1Choose File > Print.

2If you are printing a PostScript file, choose PostScript for Printer in the General area of the Print dialog box. Then

select the PPD that supports custom paper sizes.

3In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, choose Custom in the Paper Size menu.

Note: If Custom is not available, the PPD you selected when you set up your printer does not support custom paper sizes.

4To specify width and height, do one of the following:

•To let InDesign determine the smallest paper size needed for your document’s contents, bleed and/or slug areas,

and any printer’s marks, select Auto for Width and Height. Auto, the default option, is also useful if you have

different sized pages in a book and you’re printing on continuous media, such as a roll of film or photosensitive

paper.

•To specify a paper size larger than the default, enter new dimensions in the Width and Height text boxes. Be sure

to increase the values; decreasing the default values may clip your document.

5To change the placement of the page on the film, enter a value for Offset.

The Offset value specifies the amount of space along the left side of the imageable area. For example, entering a value

of 30 points in the Offset option shifts your page 30 points to the right.

6To rotate both media and page contents, select Transverse and click OK.

You can conserve a considerable amount of film or paper by using Transverse in conjunction with Offset. Compare

the following examples of an image printed by InDesign with Transverse selected and deselected.

Transverse deselected (left) compared to Transverse selected (right)

A. Offset value B. Gap C. Film saved

7To specify the distance between individual pages when printing on continuous media, enter a value for Gap.

A A

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Choose which layers are printed or exported to PDF

1To review or change the Show Layer and Print Layer settings for your document, select a layer in the Layers panel,

and then choose Layer Options from the panel menu. Specify layer options, and click OK.

2Do one of the following:

•Choose File > Print, and click General on the left side of the Print dialog box.

•Choose File > Export, specify Adobe PDF, and then click Save. On the left side of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box,

select General.

3From the Print Layers or Export Layers menu, choose which layers you want to print or include in the PDF:

All Layers Prints or outputs all layers in your document, even if they are hidden or set as nonprinting.

Visible Layers Prints or outputs all visible layers, even if they are set as nonprinting in Layer Options.

Visible & Printable Layers Prints or outputs only those layers that are set as both visible and printable.

See also

“Export to PDF” on page 496

Printing to non-PostScript language printers

You can print a document on a non-PostScript language printer. However, because PostScript is the standard page-

description language for professional publishing, many high-end color and graphics features, such as screen

frequencies or color separations, cannot be reproduced on non-PostScript printers. Most imported graphics file

formats print acceptably. In general, a document printed to a non-PostScript printer should look the way it appears

on-screen when you view the document using Preview Mode.

Some vendors sell software programs that add PostScript-language capability to a non-PostScript language printer.

Check with your software reseller for availability and compatibility.

Print as bitmap

When you print to a non-PostScript printer, you can choose to rasterize all artwork during printing. This option is

useful when printing documents that contain complex objects (such as objects with smooth shading or gradients)

because it reduces the possibility of errors.

1Choose File > Print.

2Select Advanced on the left side of the Print dialog box.

3Select Print As Bitmap.

This option is available only if the printer driver identifies the printer as non-PostScript. If this option is selected for

non-PostScript printers in Mac OS 10.3 or later, InDesign prints PostScript, which is then used by Mac OS and the

driver to render the page images. In Windows, the high-end color and graphics features may not be converted

appropriately if this option is not selected.

4Specify a resolution for bitmap printing.

The output resolution may be limited by the printer driver’s resolution. To get the best quality output, set the non-

PostScript printer driver resolution to be equal or greater than the output resolution specified in the InDesign Print

dialog box.

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Preview documents

You can view how the document’s pages fit on the chosen paper size before you print to a PostScript printer. A preview

in the lower-left area of the Print dialog box shows whether your paper and orientation settings will work for your page

size. When you select different options in the Print dialog box, the preview updates dynamically with the combined

effects of your print settings.

1Choose File > Print.

2Click the preview image in the lower-left area of the Print dialog box.

The preview has three views:

Standard view Displays the relationship of a document page to the media. It shows the effects of various options such

as paper size to imageable area, bleed and slug areas, and page marks, as well as the effects of tiling and thumbnails.

Four different page-fit settings in Standard view

A. Default B. Spreads C. Orientation D. 2-by-2 Thumbnails

Text view Lists the numerical values for certain print settings.

Custom page/Cut sheet views Displays the effects of different print settings, depending on your page size. For custom

page sizes, the preview shows how the media fits on the custom output device; the maximum supported media

dimensions of the output device; and the settings for offset, gap, and transverse. For cut sheets, such as Letter and

Tabloid, the preview shows the relationship of the imageable area to the media size.

In both the custom page and cut sheet views, the preview also indicates the output mode using an icon: Separations ,

Composite Grayscale , Composite CMYK , or Composite RGB .

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Custom page view (left) and cut sheet view (right)

A. Direction of media travel B. Transverse deselected C. Paper size D. Media E. Imageable area F. Media

Setting up a printer

InDesign supports printing to both PostScript® (Level 2 and 3) and non-PostScript language printers, using most

current printer drivers. When you print to a PostScript printer, InDesign uses information from a PostScript Printer

Description (PPD) file to determine which settings to display in the Print dialog box.

Follow these basic steps when setting up a printer:

•Install the latest printer driver for your output device. See your operating system documentation for instructions.

•For PostScript printing, select a PPD file when you set up your printer.

See also

“About printing” on page 583

About printer drivers

A printer driver lets you directly access printer features from applications on your computer. Having the correct driver

ensures that you have access to all of the features a particular printer supports.

Adobe recommends upgrading to the latest driver for your operating system.

For more information on recommended and supported PostScript printer drivers, including installation instructions,

search the section on Adobe printer drivers on the Adobe website.

Accessing printer driver features

Printer drivers may support features that are not included in InDesign, such as duplex printing. Support for these

features varies depending on the printer driver you have. Check with your printer manufacturer for details.

If you want to specify settings for a specific printer, InDesign provides access to the printer driver through the

following buttons in the InDesign Print dialog box. (When you choose to print to a PostScript file, these options are

not available.)

Setup (Windows) This button opens the Windows Print dialog box.

Page Setup (Mac OS) This button displays the standard Mac OS Page Setup dialog box.

Printer (Mac OS) This button displays the standard Mac OS Print dialog box.

AB C D

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Note: Some InDesign printing features appear in both the printer driver dialog boxes and the InDesign Print dialog box.

For best results, specify the settings in the InDesign Print dialog box only. If settings overlap, InDesign tries to synchronize

the settings, or to ignore the driver’s settings. Some printer driver features (for example, N-up printing, which prints the

same artwork multiple times on the same page) produce adverse printing results when used with InDesign features such

as separations.

Select a PPD file

A PPD file (PostScript Printer Description file) customizes the behavior of the driver for your specific PostScript

printer. It contains information about the output device, including printer-resident fonts, available media sizes and

orientation, optimized screen frequencies, screen angles, resolution, and color output capabilities. It’s important to set

up the correct PPD before you print. Selecting the PPD that corresponds to your PostScript printer or imagesetter

populates the Print dialog box with the available settings for the output device. You can switch to a different one to suit

your needs. Applications use the information in the PPD file to determine which PostScript information to send to the

printer when printing a document.

For best printing results, Adobe recommends that you obtain the latest version of the PPD file for your output device

from the manufacturer. Many print service providers and commercial printers have PPDs for the imagesetters they

use. Be sure to store PPDs in the location specified by the operating system. For details, consult the documentation for

your operating system.

❖In Windows and in Mac OS, you select a PPD file in the same way you add a printer. The steps for selecting a PPD

file are different for each platform. See your operating system documentation for details.

Use print presets

If you regularly output to different printers or job types, you can automate print jobs by saving all output settings as

print presets. Using print presets is a fast, reliable way to print jobs that require consistently accurate settings for many

options in the Print dialog box.

You can save and load print presets, making it easy to back them up or to make them available to your service

providers, clients, or others in your workgroup.

You can create and review print presets in the Print Presets dialog box.

Create print presets

❖Do one of the following:

•Choose File > Print, adjust print settings, and click Save Preset. Type a name or use the default, and then click OK.

With this method, the preset is saved in the preferences file.

•Choose File > Print Presets > Define, and then click New. In the dialog box that appears, type a new name or use

the default, adjust print settings, and then click OK to return to the Print Presets dialog box. Then click OK again.

Apply print presets

1Choose File > Print.

2Choose a print preset from the Print Preset menu. If you like, confirm the printer settings in the Print dialog box.

3Click Print.

Note: In InDesign, you can also print using a print preset by choosing one from the File > Print Presets menu.

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Edit print presets

❖Do one of the following:

•Choose File > Print, adjust print settings, and click Save Preset. In the Save Preset dialog box that appears, either

type a name in the text box or use the current name. (If the current name is an existing preset, saving overwrites

that preset’s settings.) Click OK.

•Choose File > Print Presets > Define, select a preset from the list, and then click Edit. Adjust print settings, and

click OK to return to the Print Presets dialog box. Then click OK again.

You can edit the default preset as you would any other using the steps outlined above.

Delete print presets

1Choose File > Print Presets > Define.

2Select one or more presets from the list and click Delete. Shift-click to select adjacent presets. Ctrl-click (Windows)

or Command-click (Mac OS) to select nonadjacent presets.

Printer’s marks and bleeds

Specify printer’s marks

When you prepare a document for printing, a number of marks are needed to help the printer determine where to trim

the paper, align separation films when producing proofs, measure film for correct calibration and dot density, and so

on. Selecting any page-mark option expands the page boundaries to accommodate printer’s marks, bleed (the parts of

text or objects that extend past the page boundary to account for slight inaccuracy when trimming), or slug area (an

area outside the page and bleed that contains printer instructions or job sign-off information).

If you are setting crop marks and want the artwork to contain a bleed or slug area, make sure that you extend the

artwork past the crop marks to accommodate the bleed or slug. Also make sure that your media size is large enough

to contain the page and any printer’s marks, bleeds, or the slug area. If a document doesn’t fit the media, you can

control where items are clipped by using the Page Position option in the Setup area of the Print dialog box.

Printer’s marks

A. Crop marks B. Registration mark C. Page information D. Color bars E. Bleed marks F. Slug area

1Choose File > Print.

2Click Marks and Bleed on the left side of the Print dialog box.

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3Select either All Printer’s Marks or individual marks.

Print the bleed or slug areas

Specify the bleed and slug areas in the Document Setup dialog box. The bleed and slug areas are discarded when the

document is trimmed to its final page size. Objects outside the bleed or slug area (whichever extends farthest) are not

printed.

When printing, you can override the default location for bleed marks in the Bleed And Slug area of the Marks And

Bleed area.

Files saved in PostScript file format allow capable post-processing programs to implement their own variable bleed.

1Choose File > Print.

2Click Marks And Bleed on the left side of the Print dialog box.

3Select either All Printer’s Marks or individual marks.

4To override bleed settings in the Document Setup dialog box, uncheck Use Document Bleed Settings and enter

values from 0 to 6 inches (or equivalents) for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right (for single-sided documents), or Top,

Bottom, Inside, and Outside (for double-sided documents with facing pages). To extend the offset evenly on all

sides of the page, click the Make All Settings The Same icon .

5Click Include Slug Area to print objects using the slug area defined in the Document Setup dialog box.

You can preview the bleed and slug areas before printing by clicking the Bleed Preview Mode or the Slug Preview

Mode icon at the bottom of the Toolbox. (These may be hidden by the Preview Mode icon .)

See also

“Creating PostScript and EPS files” on page 609

Marks and Bleed options

The Marks And Bleed area includes the following options:

All Printer’s Marks Selects all printer’s marks including crop marks, bleed marks, registration marks, color bars, and

page information.

Crop Marks Adds fine (hairline) horizontal and vertical rules that define where the page should be trimmed. Crop

marks can also help register (align) one color separation to another. By using together with bleed marks, you can select

overlapped marks.

Bleed Marks Adds fine (hairline) rules that define the amount of extra area to image outside the defined page size.

Registration Marks Adds small “targets” outside the page area for aligning the different separations in a color

document.

Color Bars Adds small squares of color representing the CMYK inks and tints of gray (in 10% increments). Your

service provider uses these marks to adjust ink density on the printing press.

Page Information Prints the filename, page number, current date and time, and color separation name in 6-point

Helvetica in the lower-left corner of each sheet of paper or film. The Page Information option requires 0.5 inches

(13mm) along the horizontal edge.

Type Lets you choose default printer’s marks or custom marks (for Japanese pages, for example). You can create

custom printer’s marks or use custom marks created by another company.

Weight Displays possible weights for crop and bleed mark lines.

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Offset Specifies how far from the edge of the page (not the bleed) InDesign will draw printer’s marks. By default,

InDesign draws printer’s marks 6 points from the edge of the page. To avoid drawing printer’s marks on a bleed, be

sure to enter an Offset value greater than the Bleed value.

Change the page position on the media

When you print a document to a cut-sheet media size that is larger than the document size, you can control where the

slug and bleed areas, printer’s marks, and page fall on the media by using the Page Position options in the Setup area

of the Print dialog box. If a document doesn’t fit the media and needs to be clipped, you can specify which part of the

document is clipped. The preview image in the Print dialog box shows the results.

Note: To see the bleed and slug areas and printer’s marks, use the Scale To Fit option instead of Page Position; scaled

pages are always centered. The Page Position options are unavailable when Scale To Fit, Thumbnails, or Tile is selected.

❖In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, choose a position in the Page Position menu.

Printing thumbnails and oversized documents

Print thumbnails

To fit multiple pages on a single page, you can create thumbnails—small preview versions of your document.

Thumbnails are useful for verifying content and organization. Where appropriate, InDesign automatically changes the

paper orientation to provide the best fit of the page to the paper; however, you’ll need to reset the original orientation

if you deselect the Thumbnails option.

Note: When you print thumbnails, printer’s marks and any items in the bleed and/or slug areas are excluded.

1In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, select Thumbnails.

2In the menu, choose the number of thumbnails per page.

Printing oversized documents

Although you can create InDesign documents as large as 18-by-18 feet, most desktop printers cannot print such large

pages.

To print an oversized document on your desktop printer, you can print each page of your document in pieces, called

tiles, and then trim and assemble those pieces. If you prefer, you can scale the document to fit the available paper size.

See also

“Tile a document” on page 595

“Scale documents” on page 596

“Scale type” on page 238

Tile a document

A document’s dimensions do not necessarily match the paper sizes used by printers. As a result, when you print,

InDesign divides the oversized document into one or more rectangles, or tiles, that correspond to the page size

available on the printer. You can then assemble the overlapping sections.

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You can have InDesign tile a document automatically, or you can specify the tiles yourself. Tiling manually lets you

control the origin point for the upper-left corner of the tile, so that you determine where the page falls on the paper.

Oversized pages divided into printable tiles (left) and the overlapping sections in final assembly (right)

Tile a document automatically

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, select Tile.

3Choose one of the following options in the Tile menu:

Auto Automatically calculates the number of tiles required, including the overlap.

Auto Justified Increases the amount of overlap (if necessary) so that the right sides of the rightmost tiles are aligned

at the right edge of the document’s page, and the bottom sides of the bottommost tiles are aligned at the bottom edge

of the document’s page.

4For Overlap, type the minimum amount of duplicated information you want printed on each tile for ease in

assembly. The Overlap option uses the unit of measure specified for the document. The value should be greater than

the minimum nonprinting margins for the printer. You can specify up to half the size of the shortest side of the

document page to overlap. For example, tiles for a page that measures 11-by-17 inches (279.4mm-by-431.8mm) can

overlap up to 5.5 inches (139.7mm).

Tile a document manually

While tiling a document automatically prints all the tiles at once, tiling a document manually requires you to print each

tile separately.

1If necessary, choose View > Show Rulers to display the rulers.

2Drag the intersection of the rulers to reset the zero point to the desired upper-left corner of the tile you want to

print. Remember to leave room for overlap and printer’s marks.

The size and shape of the area InDesign prints is determined by the current paper size and orientation.

3Choose File > Print, and then click Setup on the left.

4In the Setup area, select Tile, and then choose Manual in the Tile menu.

Scale documents

To fit an oversized document on a smaller piece of paper, you can scale the document’s width and height, either

symmetrically or asymmetrically. Asymmetric scaling is useful when, for example, you’re printing film for use on a

flexographic press: If you know in which direction the plate will be mounted on the press drum, scaling can

compensate for the 2% to 3% stretching of the plate that usually occurs. Scaling does not affect the size of the pages in

the document.

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Note: When you print spreads, each spread is scaled separately.

Scale a document manually

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, select Width to activate the Width and Height boxes.

3To maintain current document width to height proportions, select Constrain Proportions. Otherwise, make sure

that this option is unselected.

4Type percentages from 1 to 1000 in the Width and Height boxes. If you selected Constrain Proportions, you need

to enter only one value; the other is updated automatically.

Scale a document automatically

1In the Setup area of the Print dialog box, make sure that the Tile and Thumbnail options are unselected. (When

these options are selected, the Scale To Fit option is unavailable.)

2Select Scale To Fit. The scaling percentage, which is determined by the imageable area defined by the selected PPD,

appears next to the Scale To Fit option.

Printing graphics and fonts

Options for printing graphics

Choose from the following options in the Graphics area of the Print dialog box to specify how graphics are handled

during output.

Send Data Controls how much image data in placed bitmap images to send to the printer or file.

All Sends full-resolution data, which is appropriate for any high-resolution printing, or for printing grayscale or color

images with high contrast, as in black-and-white text with one spot color. This option requires the most disk space.

Optimized Subsampling Sends just enough image data to print the graphic at the best possible resolution for the

output device. (A high-resolution printer will use more data than a low-resolution desktop model.) Select this option

when you’re working with high-resolution images but printing proofs to a desktop printer.

Note: InDesign does not subsample EPS or PDF graphics, even when Optimized Subsampling is selected.

Proxy Sends screen-resolution versions (72 dpi) of placed bitmap images, thereby reducing printing time.

None Temporarily removes all graphics when you print and replaces them with graphics frames with crossbars,

thereby reducing printing time. The graphics frames are the same dimensions as the imported graphics and clipping

paths are maintained, so you can still check sizes and positioning. Suppressing the printing of imported graphics is

useful when you want to distribute text proofs to editors or proofreaders. Printing without graphics is also helpful

when you’re trying to isolate the cause of a printing problem.

Options for downloading fonts to a printer

Printer-resident fonts are stored in a printer’s memory or on a hard drive connected to the printer. Type 1 and

TrueType fonts can be stored either on the printer or on your computer; bitmap fonts are stored only on your

computer. InDesign downloads fonts as needed, provided they are installed on your computer’s hard disk.

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Choose from the following options in the Graphics area of the Print dialog box to control how fonts are downloaded

to the printer.

None Includes a reference to the font in the PostScript file, which tells the RIP or a post-processor where the font

should be included. This option is appropriate if the fonts reside in the printer. TrueType fonts are named according

to the PostScript name in the font; however, not all applications can interpret these names. To ensure that TrueType

fonts are interpreted correctly, use one of the other font downloading options.

Complete Downloads all fonts required for the document at the beginning of the print job. All glyphs and characters

in the font are included even if they’re not used in the document. InDesign automatically subsets fonts that contain

more than the maximum number of glyphs (characters) specified in the Preferences dialog box.

Subset Downloads only the characters (glyphs) used in the document. Glyphs are downloaded once per page. This

option typically results in faster and smaller PostScript files when used with single-page documents or short

documents without much text.

Download PPD Fonts Downloads all fonts used in the document, even if those fonts reside in the printer. Use this

option to ensure that InDesign uses the font outlines on your computer for printing common fonts, such as Helvetica

and Times. Using this option can resolve problems with font versions, such as mismatched character sets between your

computer and printer or outline variances in trapping. Unless you commonly use extended character sets, you don’t

need to use this option for desktop draft printing.

See also

“About preferences and defaults” on page 38

PostScript printing options

Choose from the following options in the Graphics area of the Print dialog box to specify how PostScript information

is sent to the printer.

PostScript Specifies a level of compatibility with the interpreters in PostScript output devices.

Data Format Specifies how InDesign sends the image data from your computer to a printer. ASCII is sent as ASCII

text, which is compatible with older networks and parallel printers and is usually the best choice for graphics used on

multiple platforms. Binary exports as binary code, which is more compact than ASCII but may not be compatible with

all systems.

Note: InDesign cannot always change the data format used by EPS or DCS graphics files. If you experience problems

sending data as Binary, try changing the data format of EPS or DCS graphics in the source application instead.

Options for omitting graphics

The OPI options in the Advanced area let you selectively omit different imported graphics types when sending image

data to a printer or file, leaving only the OPI links (comments) for later handling by an OPI server.

OPI Image Replacement Enables InDesign to replace low-resolution EPS proxies of graphics with high-resolution

graphics at output time. For OPI image replacement to work, the EPS file must contain OPI comments that link the

low-resolution proxy image to the high-resolution image. InDesign must have access to the graphics linked by the OPI

comments. If the high-resolution versions are not available, InDesign preserves the OPI links and includes the low-

resolution proxy in the export file. Deselect this option to have an OPI server replace OPI-linked graphics later in the

workflow.

Omit For OPI Lets you selectively omit different imported graphics types (EPS, PDF, and bitmap images) when

sending image data to a printer or file, leaving only the OPI links (comments) for later handling by an OPI server. The

comments contain the information needed to locate a high-resolution image on an OPI server. InDesign only includes

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the comments; the service provider must have access to the original high-resolution image on a server at replacement

time. The Omit For OPI option doesn’t apply to embedded graphics.

See also

“Import options for graphics” on page 356

Managing color

Use color management when printing

When you print a color-managed document, you can specify additional color management options to keep color

consistent in the printer output. For example, suppose that your document currently contains a profile tailored for

prepress output, but you want to proof the document colors on a desktop printer. In the Print dialog box, you can

convert the document’s colors to the color space of the desktop printer; the printer profile will be used instead of the

current document profile. If you select the Proof color space and target an RGB printer, InDesign converts color data

to RGB values using the selected color profiles.

When printing to a PostScript printer, you also have the option of using PostScript color management. In this instance,

InDesign sends the document’s color data in a calibrated version of its original color space, along with the document

profile, directly to the PostScript printer and lets the printer convert the document to the printer color space. The

printer’s color space is stored at the device as a color rendering dictionary (CRD); this makes device-independent

output possible. CRDs are PostScript equivalents of color profiles. The exact results of the color conversion can vary

among printers. To use PostScript color management, you must have a printer that uses PostScript Level 2 or higher;

it is not necessary to install an ICC profile for the printer on your system.

Note: While working on a color-managed document, you can use the Preflight panel to make sure that your colors

conform to the guidelines you specify.

1Make sure that you’ve installed the correct driver and PPD for your printer.

2Choose File > Print.

3If a printer preset has the settings you want, choose it in the Printer Preset menu at the top of the Print dialog box.

4Adjust settings as desired for this document.

5Click Color Management on the left side of the Print dialog box.

6Under Print, select Document.

7For Color Handling, choose Let InDesign Determine Colors.

8For Printer Profile, select the profile for your output device.

The more accurately the profile describes the behavior of an output device and printing conditions (such as paper

type), the more accurately the color management system can translate the numeric values of the actual colors in a

document.

9Select Preserve RGB Numbers or Preserve CMYK Numbers.

This option determines how InDesign handles colors that do not have a color profile associated with them (for

example, imported images without embedded profiles). When this option is selected, InDesign sends the color

numbers directly to the output device. When this option is deselected, InDesign first converts the color numbers to

the color space of the output device.

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Preserving numbers is recommended when you are following a safe CMYK workflow. Preserving numbers is not

See also

“Understanding color management” on page 461

“Working with color profiles” on page 474

“Using a safe CMYK workflow” on page 467

Color output options for composites

In the Output area of the Print dialog box, you can determine how composite color in the document is sent to the

printer. When color management is enabled (the default), the Color setting defaults result in calibrated color output.

Spot color information is preserved during color conversion; only the process color equivalents convert to the

designated color space. If you’re not sure which color choice to use, consult your prepress service provider.

Composite modes only affect rasterized images and objects created using InDesign; placed graphics (such as EPS and

Adobe PDF files) are not affected unless they overlap transparent objects.

For more information on composite printing, see the Adobe Print Resource Center at

www.adobe.com/go/print_resource.

Note: The options available for non-PostScript printing depend on the color model the printer uses, which is usually RGB.

When you print as composite, automatic trapping is disabled; however, you can select the Simulate Overprint option

to proof overprinting for text, strokes, or fills.

The Output area in the Print dialog box includes the following Color options. Additional options may also be available,

depending on your printer.

Composite Leave Unchanged Sends a full-color version of specified pages to the printer, preserving all color values in

the original document. When this option is selected, Simulate Overprint is disabled.

Composite Gray Sends grayscale versions of specified pages to the printer when, for example, you are printing to a

monochrome printer without making separations.

Composite RGB Sends a full-color version of specified pages to the printer when, for example, you are printing to an

RGB color printer without making separations.

Composite CMYK Sends a full-color version of specified pages to the printer when, for example, you are printing to a

CMYK color printer without making separations. (This option is available only for PostScript printers.)

Separations Creates PostScript information for each of the separations required for the document, and sends that

information to the output device. (This option is available only for PostScript printers.)

In-RIP Separations Sends separation information to the output device’s RIP. (This option is available only for

PostScript printers.)

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Text As Black Select this option to print all text created in InDesign in black, unless it has the color None or Paper or

a color value that equals white. This option is useful when you’re creating content for both print and PDF distribution.

For example, if hyperlinks were blue in the PDF version, they would print black on a grayscale printer, rather than in

halftone patterns that would be difficult to read.

See also

Adobe Print Resource Center

“Preparing to print separations” on page 619

Print a hard proof

A hard proof (sometimes called a proof print or match print) is a printed simulation of what your final output on a

printing press will look like. A hard proof is produced on an output device that’s less expensive than a printing press.

In recent years some inkjet printers have the resolution necessary to produce inexpensive prints that can be used as

hard proofs.

1Choose View > Proof Setup > Custom.

2In the Customize Proof Condition dialog box, select the device you want to simulate, and click OK.

3Select Preserve RGB Numbers or Preserve CMYK numbers, and click OK.

This option determines how InDesign handles colors that do not have a color profile associated with them (for

example, imported images without embedded profiles). When this option is selected, InDesign sends the color

numbers directly to the output device. When this option is deselected, InDesign first converts the color numbers to

the color space of the output device.

Preserving numbers is recommended when you are following a safe CMYK workflow. Preserving numbers is not

See also

“Using a safe CMYK workflow” on page 467

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Improving gradients and color blends in print

PostScript Level 2 and PostScript 3 output devices can print up to 256 shades of gray, and most PostScript desktop laser

printers are capable of printing approximately 32 to 64 shades, depending on the device resolution, specified screen

frequency, and halftoning method. Banding occurs when each available shade covers an area large enough for you to

see individual shades. Also, if you specify a gradient using two percentage values that differ by less than 50%, you’re

specifying a narrow range of shades that’s more likely to result in banding. If you have difficulty printing smooth

gradients without banding, try these techniques:

•Use a gradient that changes at least 50% between two or more process color components.

•Specify lighter colors, or shorten the length of dark gradients. Banding is most likely to occur between very dark

colors and white.

•Increase the percentage of change in the gradient.

•Decrease the screen frequency for the document (PostScript output devices only).

•If banding occurs in an imported graphic, such as an Adobe Illustrator® file, you might need to adjust the original

graphic.

•Print to a PostScript® 3 output device, which is capable of producing smoother gradients.

•Use shorter gradients. The optimum length depends on the colors in the gradient, but try to keep gradients shorter

than 7.5 inches.

See also

“Gradients” on page 452

“Specify a halftone screen frequency and resolution” on page 630

About halftone dots and printer dots

Most printers simulate gray by using halftone dots printed on a grid; the grid cells are called halftone cells, and the grid

rows are called lines or line screens. Each halftone dot is made up of printer dots. As the halftone cell fills up with printer

dots, the halftone dot gets larger, resulting in a darker shade of gray.

Printer resolution determines the number of dots available to create the halftone dot. A printer with smaller dots can

produce a wider variety of halftone dot sizes, allowing more shades of gray. Screen frequency also plays a role: As

screen frequency increases, the halftone cell gets smaller, and so can hold fewer printer dots, resulting in fewer possible

shades of gray. As a result, there is a trade-off between the number of possible gray levels and image coarseness.

Simulating continuous tone with printer dots

A. Continuous tone simulated by line screen B. Line screen consisting of halftone dots in rows C. Halftone dots consisting of printer dots

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Preflighting files before handoff

Preflight panel overview

Before printing or handing off the document to a service provider, you can perform a quality check on the document.

Preflight is the industry-standard term for this process. While you edit your document, the Preflight panel warns of

problems that can prevent a document or book from printing or outputting as desired. These problems include

missing files or fonts, low-resolution images, overset text, and a number of other conditions.

You can configure preflight settings to define which conditions are detected. These preflight settings are stored in

preflight profiles for easy reuse. You can create your own preflight profiles or import them from your printer or

another source.

To take advantage of live preflighting, create or specify a preflight profile in the early stages of creating a document. If

Preflight is turned on, a red circle icon appears in the status bar when InDesign detects any problems. You can open

the Preflight panel and view the Info section to get basic guidance for fixing the problems.

Preflight panel

A. Selected error B. Click page number to view page item C. Info area offers suggestions for fixing the selected error D. Specify a page range to

limit error checking

For a video tutorial on live preflight, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4025_id.

Open the Preflight panel

•Choose Window > Output > Preflight.

•Double-click the Preflight icon at the bottom of document window. The Preflight icon is green if no errors are

detected or red if errors are detected.

Define preflight profiles

By default, the [Basic] profile is applied to new and converted documents. This profile flags missing or modified links,

overset text, and missing fonts. Although you cannot edit or delete the [Basic] profile, you can create and use multiple

profiles. For example, you can switch between profiles when working on different documents, when using different

print service providers, or when running a single document through different production phases.

Consult with your prepress provider to obtain a profile or to learn what the preflight profile settings are. To view a

printing guide for prepress providers (PDF), see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_prepress_wp.

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Define a preflight profile

1Choose Define Profiles from the Preflight panel menu or from the Preflight menu at the bottom of the document

window.

2Click the New Preflight Profile icon , and specify a name for the profile.

3In each category, specify the preflight settings. A check mark in a box indicates that all settings are included. An

empty box indicates that no settings are included.

Links Determine whether missing links and modified links are displayed as errors.

Color Determine which transparency blending space is required and whether items such as CMY plates, colorspaces,

and overprinting are allowed.

Text The Text category displays errors for items such as missing fonts and overset text.

Images and Objects Specify requirements for items such as image resolution, transparency, and stroke thickness.

Document Specify requirements for page size and orientation, number of pages, blank pages, and bleed and slug setup.

4Choose Save to preserve your changes on one profile before working on another profile. Or click OK to close the

dialog box and save all changes.

Embed and unembed profiles

When you embed a profile, you make the profile part of the document. Embedding profiles is especially useful when

you’re sending the file to someone else. Just because the profile is embedded does not mean it must be used. For

example, if you send a document with an embedded profile to a print service, the printer can select a different profile

to use with the document.

You can embed only one profile. The [Basic] profile cannot be embedded.

1To embed a profile, select it in the Profile list, and then click the Embed icon to the right of the Profile list.

You can also embed a profile in the Define Profiles dialog box.

2To unembed a profile, choose Define Profiles from the Preflight panel menu, select the profile, and then choose

Unembed Profile from the Preflight Profile Menu on the left side of the dialog box.

Export and load profiles

You can export a profile to make it available to others. Exported profiles are saved with a .idpp extension.

Exporting a profile is a good way to back up your profile settings. When you restore preferences, your profile

information is reset. If you need to restore preferences, you can simply load your exported profile.

You can also load a profile that someone else has made available to you. You can load a *.idpp file, or you can load the

embedded profile in the document you specify.

•To export a profile, choose Define Profiles from the Preflight menu. Choose Export Profile from the Preflight

Profile Menu, specify the name and location, and click Save.

•To load (import) a profile, choose Define Profiles from the Preflight menu. Choose Load Profile from the Preflight

Profile Menu, select the *.idpp file or document containing an embedded profile you want to use, and click Open.

Delete a profile

1Choose Define Profiles from the Preflight menu.

2Select the profile you want to delete, and then click the Delete Preflight Profile icon .

3Click OK to delete the profile.

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View and resolve preflight errors

In the error list, only the categories with errors are listed. You can click the arrow next to each item to expand or

collapse it.

When viewing the list of errors, note the following issues:

•In some cases, a design element such as a swatch or a paragraph style is causing the problem. The design element

itself is not reported as an error. Instead, any page item to which the design element is applied appears in the error

list. In such cases, make sure that you resolve the issue in the design element.

•Errors that occur in overset text, hidden conditions, or notes are not listed. Deleted text that is still available in

tracked changes is also ignored.

•A master page item with a problem is not listed if the master is unapplied, or if no page it is applied to is in the

current scope. If an master page item has an error, the Preflight panel lists it only once, even though the error is

repeated on every page to which the master is applied.

•Errors that occur in non-printing page items, in page items on the pasteboard, or in hidden or non-printing layers

appear in the error list only if the appropriate options are specified in the Preflight Options dialog box.

•If you need to output only certain pages, you can limit preflight checking to a page range. Specify a page range at

the bottom of the Preflight panel.

Turn on or off live preflighting

By default, preflighting is turned on for all documents.

1To turn on or off preflighting for the active document, select the On option in the upper-left corner of the Preflight

panel, or choose Preflight Document from the Preflight menu at the bottom of the document window.

To turn on or off preflighting for all documents, select Enable Preflight For All Documents from the Preflight panel menu.

Resolve errors

1In the error list, double-click a row or click the page number in the Page column to view the page item.

2Click the arrow to the left of Info to view information on the selected row.

The Info panel includes a description of the problem and offers suggestions for fixing it.

3Fix the error.

Select a different profile

Using different profiles is useful in many workflows. For example, you can select different profiles for documents

you’re editing at the same time, or you can select a new profile to begin a new production phase. When you select a

different profile, the document is reexamined.

1Open the document.

2In the Preflight panel, select a profile from the Profile menu.

If you want to use this profile whenever you work on this document, embed the profile. Otherwise, the document

opens using the default working profile.

Specify a page range for preflighting

❖At the bottom of the Preflight panel, specify the page range (such as 1-8).

The rules for specifying page ranges are the same as in the Print dialog box. Errors that appear on pages outside this

page range are omitted from the error list.

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Set Preflight options

1Choose Preflight Options from the Preflight panel menu.

2Specify the following options, and then click OK.

Working Profile Select the profile to use as the default for new documents. If you want the working profile to be

embedded in new documents, select Embed Working Profile Into New Documents. See “Define preflight profiles”

on page 603.

Use Embedded Profile / Use Working Profile When you open a document, determine whether its embedded profile

or the specified working profile is used for preflighting.

Layers Specify whether items on all layers, visible layers, or visible and printable layers are included in preflighting.

For example, if an item is on a hidden layer, you can prevent errors from being reported on that item.

Non-Printing Objects Select this option to report errors on objects marked as non-printing in the Attributes panel

or on master page objects on pages to which Hide Master Items has been applied.

Objects On Pasteboard Select this option to report errors on objects placed on the pasteboard.

Limit the number of rows per error

You can keep your error lists more manageable by limiting the number of rows per error. For example, in a document

that should not use TrueType fonts, a single TrueType font used throughout the document can generate hundreds of

errors. If you limited the number of rows per error to 25, only the first 25 errors appear in the list, and (25+) appears

next to the error.

•Choose Limit Number Of Rows Per Error from the Preflight panel menu, and then choose the number.

Save error report

You can generate a text-only or PDF file that lists the errors displayed in the Preflight panel. The report also includes

other statistics such as time, document name, and profile name.

For a full inventory of the document that includes all fonts, inks, links, and other items used, create a report using the

Package feature.

1Choose Save Report from the Preflight panel menu.

2Specify whether you want to save the file as a PDF or text file from the Save As Type (Windows) or Format

(Mac OS) menu.

3Specify the name and location of the report, and then click Save.

Preflight books

Choosing Preflight Book from the Book panel menu causes all documents (or all selected documents) to be examined

for errors. You can use the profile embedded in each document, or you can specify a profile to use. A green, red, or

question mark icon indicates the preflight status of each document. Green indicates the document has no reported

errors. Red indicates errors. A question mark indicates an unknown status. For example, the document may be closed,

preflighting may be turned off, or the preflight profile was changed.

Set preflight options in a book

1Choose Preflight Book from the book panel menu.

2In the Preflight Book Options dialog box, specify whether you want the preflight options to apply to the entire book

or only to selected documents.

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3Under Preflight Profile, indicate whether you want to use the profile specified in the Use Profile menu or the

embedded profile of each document.

The profile you specify is temporarily used for each document. When you close and open any of the individual

documents, either the working profile or the embedded profile is used, depending on which option is specified in

the Preflight Options dialog box.

4Under Include, determine which items are included in the error list.

Layers Specify whether items on all layers, visible layers, or visible and printable layers are included in preflighting.

For example, if an item is on a hidden layer, you can choose not to view errors reported on that item.

Objects On Pasteboard Select this option to report errors on objects placed on the pasteboard.

Non-Printing Objects Select this option to report errors on objects marked as non-printing in the Attributes panel.

5Select Generate Report to generate a text or PDF file containing a list of errors. The generated report lists all errors

in the book.

6Click Preflight.

Resolve preflight errors in a book

When a red dot appears to the right of a document name in the book panel, the document contains preflight errors.

1In the Book panel, double-click the document containing errors.

2Use the Preflight panel to view the errors in each document, and make the necessary changes to fix the problems.

Design elements such as styles or swatches may cause errors. In such cases, make sure that you resolve the errors in the

styles or swatches of the style source document, and then synchronize the book.

If you specified a profile to be used in book preflight that is not the embedded document profile, keep in mind that a

different profile may be selected when you open the document again. The different profile may result in different

preflight errors.

Package files

You can gather the files you’ve used, including fonts and linked graphics, for easy handoff to a service provider. When

you package a file, you create a folder that contains the InDesign document (or documents in a book file), any

necessary fonts, linked graphics, text files, and a customized report. This report, which is saved as a text file, includes

the information in the Printing Instructions dialog box; a list of all used fonts, links, and inks required to print the

document; and print settings.

InDesign performs an up-to-date preflight check. The Package Inventory dialog box indicates any detected problem

areas. You can also give your service provider a composite PDF file made from your document or a PostScript file.

1Do one of the following to open the Package dialog box:

•Choose File > Package.

•In the Book panel menu, choose Package Book or Package Selected Documents, depending on whether all, some,

or none of the documents are selected in the Book panel.

An alert icon indicates problem areas.

2In the Package Inventory dialog box, do one of the following:

•If you’re notified of problems, click Cancel, and use the Preflight panel to resolve problem areas.

•Click the problem area (such as Fonts) and then correct the problem. When you’re satisfied with the document,

begin the packaging process again.

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•Click Package to begin packaging.

3Fill in the printing instructions. The filename you type is the name of the report that accompanies all other

packaging files.

4Click Continue, and then specify a location in which to save all packaging files.

5Select the following, as needed:

Copy Fonts (Except CJK) Copies all necessary font files, not the entire typeface. Selecting this option does not copy CJK

(Chinese, Japanese, Korean) fonts.

Copy Linked Graphics Copies linked graphics files to package folder location.

Update Graphic Links In Package Changes graphic links to the package folder location.

Use Document Hyphenation Exceptions Only If this option is selected, InDesign flags this document so that it doesn’t

reflow when someone else opens or edits it on a computer that has different hyphenation and dictionary settings. You

can turn on this option when sending the file to a service provider.

Include Fonts And Links From Hidden And Non-Printing Content Packages the objects located on hidden layers,

hidden conditions, and layers for which the Print Layer option is turned off. When this option is not selected, the

package includes only what is visible and printable in the document when you create the package.

View Report Opens the printing instructions report in a text editor immediately after packaging. To edit the printing

instructions before completing the packaging process, click the Instructions button.

6Click Package to continue packaging.

See also

“Link or embed imported text files” on page 133

“Creating PostScript and EPS files” on page 609

Correct font errors

The Fonts area of the Package Inventory dialog box lists all fonts used in the document—including fonts applied to

overset text or text on the pasteboard, and fonts embedded in EPS files, native Adobe Illustrator files, and placed PDF

pages—and determines whether the font is installed on your computer and available. Selecting Show Problems Only

shows fonts that fit into the following categories:

Missing fonts Lists fonts that are used in the document but are not installed on the current computer.

Incomplete fonts Lists fonts that have a screen font on the current computer but not a corresponding printer font.

Protected fonts Lists fonts that cannot be embedded in PDF or EPS files due to license restrictions.

❖Do either of the following:

•Close the Preflight dialog box and install the fonts on your computer.

•Click Find Font in the Fonts area of the Preflight dialog box, and search for, list, and replace fonts used in your

document.

Make sure that the fonts used in the document are licensed, installed, and activated either on your computer or on the

output device.

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Repair links and images

The Links And Images area of the Package Inventory dialog box lists all links, embedded images, and placed InDesign

files used in the document, including DCS and OPI links from linked EPS graphics. Images embedded in EPS graphics

and placed InDesign files are not included as links in the preflight report. The preflight utility indicates missing or out-

of-date links, and any RGB images (which may not separate properly unless color management is on and set up

correctly).

Note: The Package Inventory dialog box cannot detect RGB images embedded in placed EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe

PDF, FreeHand files, and placed .INDD files. For best results, verify color data for placed graphics using the Preflight

panel or in their original applications.

1To view only problem images, select Show Problems Only in the Links And Images area of the Package Inventory

dialog box.

2To repair a link, do one of the following:

•Select the problem image and click either Update or Relink.

•Click Repair All.

3Locate the correct image files and click Open.

Creating PostScript and EPS files

Creating PostScript or EPS files

As an alternative to printing a document to a printer, you can save a PostScript-language description of the document

as a .PS file for printing on remote printers—for example, by a prepress service provider. A service provider can send

a .PS file directly to the imagesetter. The size of a PostScript file is usually larger than the original InDesign document,

because the graphics and fonts are embedded.

You can also export a document page or spread to an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file and place it in other

applications.

Choosing the right method for creating a PostScript file

You can save your InDesign document or book in any of three types of PostScript files: device-independent, device-

dependent, or device- and driver-dependent.

The following tables list recommended printer drivers and output methods for achieving the best results with post-

processing applications and InDesign. If your document will be processed by an OPI server, or by an imposition,

trapping, or other prepress application before it is printed by a RIP, choose PostScript® File in the Printer menu in the

InDesign Print dialog box. That way, InDesign has complete control over the DSC output. For desktop printing, use

any supported PostScript printer driver.

The tables use asterisks to indicate the relative suitability of each method for prepress work:

*** The PostScript file is fully DSC-compliant, and very suitable for use with a wide variety of post-processing

applications, RIPs, and workflows. This method is the best all-round choice for applications that rely on DSC.

** The PostScript file is largely DSC-compliant, and generally suitable for use with a wide variety of post-processing

applications, RIPs, and workflows. Some compatibility issues may exist for certain types of applications that rely

heavily on DSC.

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A printer driver isn’t used when the printer selection is “PostScript® File.”

The PPD used by the selected printer appears in the PPD text box at the top of the Print dialog box.

About device- and driver-dependent PostScript files

Select a printer and a supported driver in the Printer menu. A device- and driver-dependent PostScript file has the

following characteristics:

•It is driver-dependent. The PostScript file will contain code generated by InDesign and by the driver. The InDesign

code is primarily responsible for the page content, including font downloading, and for setting basic device

information, such as media size, resolution, and screening. The driver is primarily responsible for setting special

driver features, such as watermarks, and for enabling or controlling special device features. Since InDesign doesn’t

have complete control over creating the PostScript file, the level of DSC compliance isn’t quite as high as it is with

driver-independent PostScript files. The level of DSC compliance, and therefore the PostScript file’s suitability for

prepress tasks, depends on the printer driver used.

•It is device-dependent. It contains code for enabling and controlling specific device features, making it less

compatible with devices other than the target device.

•It can be composite or separated (all of the color output methods that InDesign supports are available).

•It can be trapped by InDesign (either by using Application Built-In or Adobe In-RIP Trapping).

•It can be printed directly to the device, or to file.

A device- and driver-dependent PostScript file is ideally suited for proofing (by the designer) to desktop PostScript

printers. It can also be used by service providers who don't plan to do any prepress tasks to the job outside of InDesign

or the RIP system. In other words, if trapping is done, it happens in InDesign or at the RIP.

See also

“Choosing the right method for creating a PostScript file” on page 609

“Setting up a printer” on page 591

Create a device-independent PostScript file

Select PostScript File in the Printer menu, and select Device Independent in the PPD menu. A device-independent

PostScript file has the following characteristics:

•It is 100% DSC-compliant, making it ideal for such post-processing tasks as trapping and imposition.

Printer selection: PostScript® File

Operating system PPD Prepress suitability

All platforms Device-independent ***

Device-dependent ***

Printer selection: <installed printer>

Operating system Printer driver Prepress suitability

Mac OS 10.2 Built-in PS Driver for Mac OS X **

Windows 2000/XP Pscript 5 **

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•All device and driver dependencies are removed, so that the file will print to almost any output device. However,

special printer features found in PPD files, such as image exposure, available media sizes, and optimized screen

frequencies, aren’t available in device-independent output.

•The color output is always composite CMYK, but it also includes spot colors. As a result, it has to be separated in

post-processing software, or at the RIP using in-RIP separations.

•It cannot be trapped by InDesign; trapping must occur at the RIP, or in post-processing software.

•It can only be printed to file (not directly to a device or application) from InDesign.

A device-independent PostScript file is ideal for composite prepress workflows, where the file will be trapped and

separated later in the production process, such as during imposition, trapping, or at the RIP (if the output device

supports in-RIP separations).

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Print dialog box, for Printer, choose PostScript File.

3For PPD, choose Device Independent.

4View or change existing print settings. InDesign uses the current page range when creating the PostScript file.

5Click Save.

6Specify a name and location, and click Save.

Create a device-dependent PostScript file using InDesign

Select PostScript File in the Printer menu, and select a PPD. A device-dependent PostScript file has the following

characteristics:

•It is 100% DSC-compliant, making it ideal for such post-processing tasks as trapping and imposition.

•It contains a description of everything in your document, including information about linked files, optimized

screen frequencies, resolution, and available media sizes tailored to the currently selected output device.

•All driver dependencies are removed.

•It can be composite or separated. All of the color output methods that InDesign supports are available. (In-RIP

separations are available if the PPD and output device support them.)

•It can be trapped by InDesign (either by using Application Built-In or Adobe In-RIP Trapping).

•It can only be printed to file (not directly to a device or application) from InDesign.

A device-dependent PostScript file is ideally suited to pre-separation or trapping workflows, where the file will be

trapped using automatic or Adobe In-RIP Trapping features within InDesign.

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Print dialog box, for Printer, choose PostScript File.

3Choose the PPD for the final output device.

4View or change existing print settings. InDesign uses the current page range when creating the PostScript file.

5Click Save.

6Specify a name and location, and click Save.

Create a PostScript file using a PostScript printer driver (Windows)

1Choose File > Print.

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2In the InDesign Print dialog box, click the Setup button at the bottom of the dialog box.

3In the printer driver’s dialog box, select Print to File.

4Click the Layout tab, and then click the Advanced button.

5Click Document Options, click PostScript Options, and then choose Optimize For Portability in the PostScript

Output Option menu. Click OK.

6Click OK or Print to return to the InDesign Print dialog box.

7In the InDesign Print dialog box, click Print.

8Specify a name and location, and click Save.

Create a PostScript file using a PostScript printer driver (Mac OS)

1Choose File > Print.

2In the Print dialog box, choose PostScript File in the Printer menu, and click Save.

3In the Save PostScript File dialog box, specify a name and location for the PostScript file (.ps), and then click Save.

Export pages in EPS format

Use the Export command to export InDesign pages in EPS format, which you can import into another program. If you

export multiple pages, each page is exported as a separate file with a number appended to the end of the filename. For

example, if you export pages 3, 6, and 12, and specify the filename News.eps, InDesign will create three files named

News_3.eps, News_6.eps, and News_12.eps.

If you want to open InDesign pages in Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, export pages as PDF or EPS files.

1Choose File > Export.

2Specify a location and a filename. Be sure to include the EPS extension.

3For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), choose EPS, and click Save.

4Under Pages in the Export EPS dialog box, do one of the following:

•Select All Pages to export all pages in the document.

•Select Ranges and type a page range. You can type a range using a hyphen, and separate pages or ranges using

commas.

•Select Spreads to export facing pages as a single EPS file (one spread per EPS).

5Set additional options.

6Under Bleed, type a value between 0p0 and 36p0 to specify extra space for graphics that are positioned beyond the

edge of the page or trim area.

7Click Export.

See also

“Options for omitting graphics” on page 598

“About preferences and defaults” on page 38

“Apply a flattener preset for output” on page 427

“Ink Manager overview” on page 628

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EPS export options

When you export to EPS, you can specify the following options:

PostScript® Specifies a level of compatibility with the interpreters in PostScript output devices. Level 2 will often

improve the printing speed and output quality of graphics printed only on a PostScript Level 2 or greater output

device. Level 3 provides the best speed and output quality, but requires a PostScript 3 device.

Color Specifies how color is represented in the exported file. The options below are similar to the Color settings in the

Print dialog box.

•Leave Unchanged Leaves each image in its original color space. For example, if the document contains three RGB

images and four CMYK images, the resulting EPS file will contain the same RGB and CMYK images.

•CMYK Creates a separable file by representing all color values using the gamut of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black

process color inks.

•Gray Converts all color values to high-quality black-and-white images. The gray levels (shades) of the converted

objects represent the luminosity of the original objects.

•RGB Represents all color values using the red, green, and blue color space. An EPS file with RGB color definitions

is better suited for on-screen viewing.

•PostScript® Color Management Uses the document’s color data in a calibrated version of its original color space.

Preview Determines the characteristics of the preview image that is saved in the file. The preview image is displayed

in applications that cannot display EPS artwork directly. If you don’t want to create a preview image, choose None in

the format menu.

Embed Fonts Specifies how to include fonts used in the pages you export.

•None Includes a reference to the font in the PostScript file that tells the RIP or a post-processor where the font

should be included.

•Complete Downloads all fonts required for the document at the beginning of the print job. All glyphs and

characters in a font are downloaded even if they don’t appear in the document. InDesign automatically subsets fonts

that contain more than the maximum number of glyphs (characters) specified in the Preferences dialog box.

•Subset Downloads only the characters (glyphs) used in the document.

Data Format Specifies how InDesign sends the image data from your computer to a printer: as ASCII or Binary data.

Images Specifies how much image data in placed bitmap images to include in the exported file.

•All Includes all available high-resolution image data in the exported file and requires the most disk space. Choose

this option if the file will be printed on a high-resolution output device.

•Proxy Includes only screen-resolution versions (72 dpi) of placed bitmap images in the exported file. Choose this

option in conjunction with the OPI Image Replacement option, or if the resulting PDF file will be viewed on-screen.

OPI Image Replacement Enables InDesign to replace low-resolution EPS proxies of graphics with high-resolution

graphics at output time.

Omit For OPI Selectively omits imported graphics when sending image data to a printer or file, leaving only the OPI

links (comments) for later handling by an OPI server.

Transparency Flattener Select a flattener preset in the Preset menu to specify how transparent objects appear in the

exported file. This option is the same as the Transparency Flattener option that appears in the Advanced area of the

Print dialog box.

Ink Manager Corrects any ink options without changing the design of the document.

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Printing booklets

Impose a document for booklet printing

The Print Booklet feature lets you create printer spreads for professional printing. For example, if you’re editing an 8-

page booklet, the pages appear in sequential order in the layout window. However, in printer spreads, page 2 is

positioned next to page 7, so that when the two pages are printed on the same sheet, folded, and collated, the pages end

up in the appropriate order.

Pages appear in sequence in the layout window, but are printed in a different order so that they appear correct when folded and bound.

The process of creating printer spreads from layout spreads is called imposition. While imposing pages, you can change

settings to adjust spacing between pages, margins, bleed, and creep. The layout of your InDesign document is not

affected, because the imposition is all handled in the print stream. No pages are shuffled or rotated in the document.

Note: You cannot create a new document based on the imposed pages, nor can you create a PDF document.

1Choose File > Print Booklet.

2If a printer preset has the settings you want, choose it in the Print Preset menu.

To use the print settings (as they appear in the Print dialog box) of the current document, choose Current Document

Settings from the Print Preset menu.

3If you don’t want the entire document to be imposed, select Range in the Setup area and specify which pages to

include in the imposition.

Use hyphens to separate consecutive page numbers, and commas for nonadjacent page numbers. For example, typing

3-7, 16 imposes pages 3 through 7 and 16.

Note: If you have divided the document into sections of page numbers, you should enter section page numbers (such as

Sec2:11) in the Range field.

4To change settings such as printer’s marks and color output, click Print Settings. Using the options on the left,

change settings as needed, and then click OK.

5In the Print Booklet dialog box, specify other booklet setup options as appropriate, and then click Print.

Booklet types

You can choose three types of imposition: 2-up Saddle Stitch, 2-up Perfect Bound, and Consecutive.

2-up Saddle Stitch Creates two-page, side-by-side printer spreads. These printer spreads are appropriate for printing

on both sides, collating, folding, and stapling. InDesign adds blank pages as needed to the end of the finished

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document. The Space Between Pages, Bleed Between Pages, and Signature Size options are dimmed when 2-up Saddle

Stitch is selected.

Creating printer spreads for a 24-page black-and-white newsletter using the 2-up Saddle Stitch style yields 12 spreads.

2-up Perfect Bound Creates two-page, side-by-side printer spreads that fit within the specified signature size. These

printer spreads are appropriate for printing on both sides, cutting, and binding to a cover with adhesive. If the number

of pages to be imposed is not evenly divisible by the signature size, InDesign adds blank pages as needed to the back of

the finished document.

2-up Perfect Bound divided in four signatures

If a booklet has a color cover and black-and-white insides, you can create two separate impositions from the same

document: one for the front cover, inside front cover, inside back cover, and back cover; and one for the 24 pages inside

the booklet. To produce the color signature, click Range in the Pages area of the Setup area, and type 1-2, 27-28 (or

whatever the section page numbers are). To produce the black-and-white insides, type 3-26 in the Range text box.

16 1

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13 12

16 9

15 10

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28-page booklet with a color cover

A. Color signature for cover B. Black-and-white inside page

Consecutive Creates a two-, three-, or four-page panel appropriate for a foldout booklet or brochure. The Bleed

Between Pages, Creep, and Signature Size are dimmed when a Consecutive option is selected.

For example, if you want to create printer spreads for a traditional six-panel, trifold brochure, choose 3-up

Consecutive. You may be accustomed to setting up trifolds as one page with three different columns. With InDesign

imposition, you can simply create pages that are the size of each panel.

3-Up Consecutive

Spacing, bleed, and margin options for booklet printing

You can change the following options in the Setup area of the Print Booklet dialog box.

Space Between Pages Specifies the gap between pages (the right side of the left page and the left side of the right page).

You can specify a Space Between Pages value for all the booklet types except Saddle Stitch.

For Perfect Bound documents, if you are creeping in (with a negative value), the minimum Space Between Pages value

is the width of the Creep value. If you’re manually creating signatures (for example, if there are different stocks in the

same document), you can enter a Space Between Pages value to specify a starting creep for spreads that belong to

different signatures.

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Bleed Between Pages Specifies the amount of space used to allow page elements to encroach the gap in Perfect Bound

printer spread styles. This option is sometimes referred to as crossover.) The field accepts values between 0 and half the

Space Between Pages value. You can specify this option only when 2-up Perfect Bound is selected.

Creep Specifies the amount of space necessary to accommodate paper thickness and folding on each signature. In

most cases, you’ll want to specify a negative value to create a push-in effect. You can specify Creep for 2-up Saddle

Stitch and 2-up Perfect Bound booklet types. (See “Understanding creep” on page 617.)

Signature Size Specifies the number of pages in each signature for 2-up Perfect Bound documents. If the number of

pages to be imposed is not evenly divisible by the Signature Size value, blank pages are added to the end of the

document as necessary.

Automatically Adjust To Fit Marks And Bleeds Lets InDesign calculate the margins to accommodate the bleeds and the

other printer mark options currently set. The fields under Margins are dimmed when this option is selected, but they

reflect the actual values that will be used to fit marks and bleeds. If you deselect this option, you can adjust the margin

values manually.

Margins Specifies the amount of space that surrounds the actual printer spread after trimming. To specify individual

values for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right, deselect Automatically Adjust To Fit Marks And Bleeds, and increase the

values to insert extra space beyond the default marks and bleeds. (Decreasing the values may result in clipping the

marks and bleeds.) You can specify margin values for all booklet printing types.

Print Blank Printer Spreads If the number of pages to be imposed is not evenly divisible by the Signature Size value,

blank pages or spreads are added to the end of the document. Use this option to determine whether those blank spreads

at the end of the document are printed. Note that printing other blank pages in the document is controlled by the Print

Blank Pages option in the Print dialog box.

Understanding creep

Creep specifies the distance pages move away from the spine to accommodate paper thickness and folding in Saddle

Stitch and Perfect Bound documents. InDesign considers the “cover” of the final piece to be the outermost printer

spread, while the “centerfold” is considered to be the innermost printer spread. The term sheet represents two printer

spreads: the front of the sheet and the back of the sheet. The creep increment is calculated by dividing the specified

creep value by the total number of sheets minus one.

For example, a 16-page InDesign document could yield eight printer spreads, or four sheets. The front of the first sheet

will consist of the first printer spread (pages 16 and 1) while the back of the first sheet will consist of the second printer

spread (pages 2 and 15).

If the creep value in this example is 24 points (an exaggerated amount for the sake of clarity), the creep increment is 8

points per sheet (24 divided by 3). The amount of creep applied to the innermost sheet is 24 points, the amount of creep

applied to the third sheet is 16 points, and the amount of creep applied to the second sheet is 8 points. No creep will

be applied to the first outermost sheet.

The amount of creep for each successive sheet is decreased by the creep increment. In summary, each page on the

innermost sheet is moved 12 points (half of the 24-point creep value for this sheet) away from the spine, each page on

the third sheet is moved 8 points (half of the 16-point creep value for this sheet) away from the spine, and each page

on the second sheet is moved 4 points (half of the 8-point creep value for this sheet) away from the spine.

Preview or view a summary of booklet printing

The Preview area of the Print Booklet dialog box lets you review color thumbnails of the printer spreads created by

your selected imposition style. You can also see the printer’s marks you’ve specified in the Print dialog box.

1Choose File > Print Booklet.

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2Do any of the following:

•Click Preview on the left side of the dialog box. To flip through the printer spreads, click the scroll arrows. Click the

left scroll arrow to go backwards from spread to spread. You can also drag the scroll box to change printer spreads.

•Click Summary on the left side of the Print Booklet dialog box to view a summary of current booklet settings. Check

the bottom of the Summary area for any conflicting settings.

If you click Print Settings and change the settings in the Print dialog box, you can observe the effect of the modified

settings in the Preview area.

Troubleshooting booklet printing

Note these issues to address when printing booklets.

Can’t create new document Unfortunately, you can’t create a new InDesign document with the imposed pages. You

can print the imposed document or create a PDF.

Blank pages not included You may add blank pages in the middle of a document to make sure there are enough pages

for each printer spread. However, if these pages contain no text or objects, they may not be recognized, and additional

blank pages are added at the end of the document. To make sure that the blank pages you added are included in the

imposed document, click Print Settings in the Print Booklet dialog box, and then select Print Blank Pages and click OK.

Printing double-sided pages without a duplex printer Use the Print Odd Pages and Print Even Pages options in either

Adobe Acrobat or InDesign. After one set is printed, flip over the pages, load it in the printer, and print the rest of the

pages. For best results, print a test document to see which direction and order the pages should be added to the printer.

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Chapter 22: Color separations

To produce high-quality separations, it helps to be familiar with the basics of printing, including line screens,

resolution, process colors, and spot colors. If a print service provider is producing your separations, work closely with

them before beginning each job.

Preparing to print separations

Creating separations

To reproduce color and continuous-tone images, printers usually separate artwork into four plates—one plate for each

of the cyan (C), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and black (K) portions of the image. When inked with the appropriate color

and printed in register with one another, these colors combine to reproduce the original artwork. The process of

dividing the image into two or more colors is called color separating, and the films from which the plates are created

are called the separations.

Composite (left) and separations (right)

Separation workflows

Adobe InDesign CS4 supports two common PostScript workflows; the main difference is where separations are

created—at the host computer (the system using InDesign and the printer driver), or at the output device’s RIP (raster

image processor). Another alternative is a PDF workflow.

Host-based separations In the traditional host-based, preseparated workflow, InDesign creates PostScript

information for each of the separations required for the document, and sends that information to the output device.

In-RIP separations In the newer RIP-based workflow, a new generation of PostScript RIPs performs color separations,

trapping, and even color management at the RIP, leaving the host computer free to perform other tasks. This approach

takes less time for InDesign to generate the file, and minimizes the amount of data transmitted for any given print job.

For example, instead of sending PostScript information for four or more pages to print host-based color separations,

InDesign sends the PostScript information for a single composite PostScript file for processing in the RIP.

For a video tutorial on preparing files for output, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0089. To view a printing guide for

prepress providers (PDF), see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_prepress_wp.

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See also

“Print or save separations” on page 632

“Export to PDF” on page 496

Preparing Files for Output video

Prepare your document for color separations

1Correct any color problems in your artwork.

2Set overprint options.

3Create trapping instructions to compensate for misregistration on press.

4Preview color separations on your screen.

Note: Steps 1–4 are recommended but not required in producing color separations.

5Choose File > Print to display the Print dialog box.

6If you’ve created a printer preset with the appropriate separation settings, select it in the Print Preset menu at the

top of the Print dialog box.

7Choose a printer or PostScript file in the Printer menu.

8If you’re printing to a PostScript file, choose the PPD for the device that will output the separations.

9To view or change existing print options, click a section name on the left side of the Print dialog box.

10 Before you deliver your document to a service provider, proof the separations.

11 Print or save separations.

See also

“About overprinting” on page 624

“Preview color separations” on page 622

“Proofing color separations” on page 632

“Print or save separations” on page 632

Outputting spot colors

You can use custom inks, called spot colors, in addition to, or in place of, process colors. For example, instead of using

the four process colors to reproduce artwork consisting of black text and bluish-green line drawings, you could use

two spot colors—one of black, and one representing the exact shade of green. You can also use spot color inks to

produce colors not reproducible by CMYK inks, such as varnishes or fluorescent and metallic colors. In addition, you

can mix two or more spot colors together or mix spot colors with process colors to create mixed inks.

You can color artwork with process colors, spot colors, or a combination of both. When printing separations, you can

convert spot colors to their process color equivalents so that they will be printed on the CMYK plates.

See also

“Separate spot colors as process” on page 629

“Mixing inks” on page 457

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View the process color equivalents of a spot color

1Select the spot color in the Swatches panel.

2Choose CMYK in the Color panel menu.

The CMYK equivalent values for the spot color are displayed in the Color panel.

You can also hold the pointer over the spot color in the Swatches panel. The formula for the color will appear in the

tool tip.

Print an object on all color plates

If you want an object to print on all plates in the printing process, including spot color plates, you can apply registration

color to the object. Registration color is used for crop marks and trim marks. For composite output, objects with

registration color applied will print as C 100, M 100, Y 100, and K 100. For separations, these objects will print as 100%

on each plate.

1Select the objects to which you want to apply registration color.

2Choose Window > Swatches.

3In the Swatches panel, click the Registration color swatch .

See also

“Printer’s marks and bleeds” on page 593

Printing gradients as separations

Consider the following when producing separations for documents with gradients:

•A gradient created in InDesign that contains a combination of spot and process colors will be separated onto both

the process and spot plates.

•A gradient that contains process colors will be separated onto the process plates.

•A gradient that contains two tints of the same spot color will be separated onto a single spot color plate.

•To create a gradient that separates on one piece of film between a spot color and white, create a gradient fill between

the spot color and the Paper swatch in the Swatches panel.

•If you create a gradient between two spot colors, you should assign different screen angles to those spot colors. If

two spot colors have the same screen angle, they will overprint each other. If you’re not sure what the angles should

be, consult with your prepress service provider.

See also

“About halftone screen frequency” on page 630

Printing a composite

You can print a color or grayscale composite proof to check colors in your document. A composite image can help you

design and proof your layout before you print final (and costly) separations.

When InDesign prints a composite, it prints all of the colors used in the file on one plate, regardless of whether any

individual colors are selected.

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Consider the following issues when printing composites:

•While no proof will give you an exact representation of your final output, you can greatly improve its accuracy by

calibrating all the devices you use to create a document (such as scanners, monitors, and printers). If the devices

are calibrated, the color management system can help you get predictable and consistent color.

•Any overprinting options that you’ve selected in the document will print correctly on a printer that supports

overprinting. Since most desktop printers don’t support overprinting, you can simulate the effects of overprinting

by selecting Simulate Overprint in the Output section of the Print dialog box.

Important: Selecting Simulate Overprint will convert spot colors to process colors for printing. If you intend to use a

file for separations on a RIP, or for final output, do not select this option.

•When you print to a black-and-white printer, InDesign produces a grayscale composite version of the pages. If the

document contains color, InDesign prints visually correct grays to simulate that color. For example, the gray that

simulates a 20% tint of yellow is lighter than a 20% tint of black, since yellow is visually lighter than black.

•When you print a book with chapters containing conflicting spot inks or trap styles, you can instruct InDesign to

synchronize settings with the master document.

•If you’re using color management with the Book feature, make sure that each document in the book uses the same

color management settings in the Color Settings dialog box.

Note: Remember that, like monitors, color printers vary greatly in color reproduction quality; thus, proofs from your

service provider are the best way to verify how the finished piece will look.

See also

“Improving gradients and color blends in print” on page 602

“Synchronize book documents” on page 293

“Use color management when printing” on page 599

Preview color separations

You can preview color separations, ink coverage limits, and overprinting using the Separations Preview panel.

Previewing separations on your monitor lets you check the following:

Varnishes and other coatings Since varnishes are transparent, they can be difficult to preview on-screen. When you

preview a varnish separation by itself, the varnished areas appear in black.

Rich black Previewing separations lets you identify areas that will print as rich black, or process black (K) ink mixed

with color inks for increased opacity and richer color.

Ink coverage Too much ink on the paper can cause drying problems. Ask your commercial printer for the maximum

ink coverage of the press you will be printing on. You can then preview the document to identify areas where ink

coverage exceeds the press’s limit.

Overprinting You can preview how blending, transparency, and overprinting will appear in color-separated output.

Note: You can also see overprinting effects when you output to a composite printing device. This is useful for proofing

color separations.

While previewing separations on your monitor can help you detect problems without the expense of printing

separations, it does not let you preview trapping, emulsion options, printer’s marks, and halftone screens and

resolution. Work with your commercial printer to verify these settings using integral or overlay proofs.

Note: Objects on hidden layers are not included in an on-screen preview.

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See also

“Overprinting page items” on page 625

“Keys for using the Separations Preview panel” on page 691

“Separate spot colors as process” on page 629

Preview separation plates

1Choose Window > Output > Separations Preview.

2For View, choose Separations.

3Do any of the following:

•To view a single separation and hide all others, click the name of the separation you want to view. By default, areas

of coverage appear in black. To change this, deselect Show Single Plates In Black on the panel menu.

•To view one or more separations, click the empty box to the left of each separation name. Each separation appears

in its assigned color.

•To hide one or more separations, click the eye icon to the left of each separation name.

•To view all process plates at once, click the CMYK icon .

•To view all separations at once, click and drag the pointer across all of the eye icons (or empty boxes) next to the

separation names.

The Separations Preview panel can also be controlled using keyboard shortcuts.

Previewing a single separation (left) and multiple separations (right)

Preview ink coverage

1Choose Window > Output > Separations Preview.

2For View, choose Ink Limit. Enter a value for maximum ink coverage in the box that appears next to the View

menu. (Ask your commercial printer for the correct value to enter.)

3Verify ink coverage in the document preview. Areas that exceed the ink coverage limit are shown in shades of red

(dark red areas exceed the ink coverage limit by more than light red areas). All other areas appear in grayscale.

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Areas that exceed the specified ink coverage limit are shown in red.

4To check ink coverage for a specific area, use the pointer to hover over that area in the document window. Ink

coverage percentages appear in the panel next to each ink name.

You can adjust ink coverage by converting some spot colors to process colors. To adjust ink coverage in placed graphics,

edit the graphics in their source applications.

Return to normal view

1Choose Window > Output > Separations Preview.

2For View, choose Off.

Overprinting

About overprinting

If you have not changed the transparency of your artwork with the Transparency panel, the fills and strokes in the

artwork will appear opaque, because the top color knocks out, or cuts out, the area underneath. You can prevent

knockout by using the Overprint options in the Attributes panel. After you’ve set your overprint options, you can

preview the overprinting effects on-screen.

Three overlapping circles without overprinting (left) compared to three overlapping circles with overprinting (right)

InDesign also has overprint simulation, which is useful for simulating the effects of overprinting spot and process inks

on a composite printing device.

Black ink applied to text or native InDesign objects is overprinted by default to prevent misregistration of small black-

type characters positioned over color areas, or of color areas outlined with black lines. You can change black ink

settings using Appearance Of Black preferences.

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Your design workflow may require a certain color to be set to overprint. For example, you want to print all the text in

your publication in a specific color. Consider the following options:

•Create an object style that uses the spot ink as the fill or stroke with a matching overprint fill or stroke.

•Create a separate layer for objects that contain your spot color and assign them to black.

•Create a composite PDF and change overprint settings within the PDF.

•Assign overprint settings in your RIP.

•Apply overprint settings to an image or object and add it to your library, or edit a placed file in its original

application.

See also

“Preview color separations” on page 622

“Overprinting page items” on page 625

Determining when to overprint manually

Automatic trapping in InDesign—either as built-in trapping or Adobe In-RIP Trapping—nearly eliminates the need

for manual overprinting. However, manual overprinting can be an effective solution in the rare cases when you can’t

use automatic trapping.

Use the following guidelines to determine whether or not to use overprinting:

•Consult with your service provider to see if their output devices support manual overprinting.

•Overprint when the artwork doesn’t share common ink colors and you want to create a trap or overlaid ink effects.

When overprinting process color mixes or custom colors that don’t share common ink colors, the overprint color

is added to the background color. For example, if you print a fill of 100% magenta over a fill of 100% cyan, the

overlapping fills appear violet, not magenta.

•Don’t overprint when using a stroke to trap two process colors. Instead, you specify a CMYK stroke color that uses

the higher value from the corresponding inks in each original color.

•Make sure that you and your prepress service provider agree on when and how to overprint manually, because

doing so will significantly affect trapping options specified in the Print dialog box. Overprinting is supported by

most, but not all, PostScript Level 2 and PostScript 3 devices.

Overprinting page items

You can overprint strokes or fills, paragraph rules, and rules above footnotes. You can also simulate overprinting of

spot colors.

See also

“Preview color separations” on page 622

“Define custom stroke styles” on page 338

“Footnotes” on page 176

“Adjusting ink neutral density values” on page 494

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Overprint a stroke or fill

You can overprint strokes or fills of any selected paths using the Attributes panel. An overprinted stroke or fill doesn’t

need to be trapped, because overprinting covers any potential gaps between adjacent colors. You can also overprint a

stroke to simulate a trap (by overprinting a color you’ve manually calculated as the proper combination of two adjacent

colors).

Keep the following guidelines in mind as you apply manual overprinting:

•If you use the Overprint Fill option on a 100% black stroke or fill, the black ink may not be opaque enough to

prevent the underlying ink colors from showing through. To eliminate the show-through problem, use a four-color

(rich) black instead of a 100% black. Consult with your service provider about the exact percentages of color to add

to the black.

•When using a stroke to trap objects (but not text characters), adjust the stroke alignment so the stroke falls outside

the path or object, rather than inside or centered on the path.

•When using a stroke to trap two spot colors or a spot and a process color, you usually apply the lighter color to the

stroke, and overprint the stroke.

Use the Separations Preview panel to preview how colors will overprint.

1Select one or more paths with the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool , or select text characters with the

Type tool. To overprint the stroke of a path that is pasted inside a frame, you must first select the nested (inner)

path using the Direct Selection tool.

Overprinting fills and strokes

A. Cyan (bottom layer) B. Magenta (middle layer) C. Yellow (top layer)

2Choose Window > Attributes.

3In the Attributes panel, do any of the following:

•To overprint the fill of selected objects, or to overprint unstroked type, select Overprint Fill.

•To overprint the stroke of selected objects, select Overprint Stroke.

•To overprint a color applied to the spaces in a dashed, dotted, or patterned line, select Overprint Gap.

Overprint a paragraph rule

1Make sure a swatch exists for your overprint color.

2Using the Type tool, click an insertion point in a paragraph.

3In the Paragraph panel, choose Paragraph Rules in the Paragraph panel menu.

4In the pop-up menu at the top of the dialog box, choose the paragraph rule you want to overprint.

5Select one of the following, then click OK.

•To overprint the stroke of the rule, select Overprint Stroke.

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•To overprint a color applied to the spaces in a dashed, dotted, or patterned line, select Overprint Gap.

Note: The Overprint Stroke and Overprint Gap options in the Paragraph Rules dialog box can be saved as part of a

paragraph style.

Overprint rules above footnotes

InDesign can automatically insert a rule to separate footnotes from the body of the document. You can choose to

overprint the rule.

1Make sure a swatch exists for your overprint color.

2Choose Type > Document Footnote Options.

3In the Footnote Options dialog box, click the Layout tab.

4Select Overprint Stroke, and click OK.

Simulate overprinting of spot inks

Overprint simulation is useful for simulating the effects of overprinting spot inks with different neutral density values

(for example, red and blue). When you print to a composite output device using overprint simulation, you can see if

the resulting color is one that you want to overprint or knock out.

1In the Output area of the Print dialog box, choose a composite option in the Color menu.

Note: You cannot simulate overprinting when Composite Leave Unchanged is selected.

2Select Simulate Overprint.

Change the black overprint setting

To knock out black objects in InDesign, you must prevent the black swatch from overprinting. Unlike most color

swatches, which knock out by default, the black swatch overprints by default, including all black strokes, fills, and text

characters. The 100% process black appears as [Black] in the Swatches panel. Knock out black objects by either

deselecting the overprint default in Preferences or by duplicating the default black swatch and applying the duplicated

swatch to color objects that knock out. If you disable the overprint setting in the Preferences dialog box, all instances

of Black knock out (remove underlying inks).

It can be cheaper and easier to have the print shop overprint process black on the press.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance Of Black (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Appearance Of Black

(Mac OS).

2Select or deselect Overprint [Black] Swatch at 100%.

Note: Overprint [Black] Swatch at 100% does not affect tints of [Black], unnamed black colors, or objects that appear

black because of their transparency settings or styles. It affects only objects or text colored with the [Black] swatch.

See also

“Change the appearance of CMYK black (Illustrator, InDesign)” on page 466

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Inks, separations, and screen frequency

Ink Manager overview

The Ink Manager provides control over inks at output time. Changes you make using the Ink Manager affect the

output, not how the colors are defined in the document.

Ink Manager options are especially useful for print service providers. For example, if a process job includes a spot color,

a service provider can open the document and change the spot color to the equivalent CMYK process color. If a

document contains two similar spot colors when only one is required, or if the same spot color has two different names,

a service provider can map the two to a single alias.

In a trapping workflow, the Ink Manager lets you set the ink density for controlling when trapping takes place, and it

lets you set the correct number and sequence of inks.

Note: InDesign and Acrobat share the same Ink Manager technology. However, only InDesign has the Use Standard Lab

Values For Spots option.

Ink Manager

A. Process ink B. Aliased Spot ink C. Spot ink

Open the Ink Manager

Do one of the following:

•From the Separations Preview panel menu (Window > Output > Separations Preview), choose Ink Manager.

•Choose File > Print, and click Output. In the Output section, click Ink Manager.

Specify which colors to separate

Each separation is labeled with the color name that InDesign assigned it. If an icon of a printer appears next to the color

name, InDesign creates a separation for the color. Any spot inks—including those defined and used in imported PDF

files or EPS graphics—also appear in the ink list.

1In the Output area of the Print dialog box, select Separations or, if you use a PPD file that supports in-RIP

separations, select In-RIP Separations.

2Do one of the following:

•To create a separation, make sure that the printer icon is displayed next to the color name in the ink list.

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•To choose not to create a separation, click the printer icon next to the color’s name. The printer icon disappears.

Separate spot colors as process

Using the Ink Manager, you can convert spot colors to process colors. When spot colors are converted to process color

equivalents, they are printed as separations rather than on a single plate. Converting a spot color is useful if you’ve

accidentally added a spot color to a process color document, or if the document contains more spot colors than are

practical to print.

1In the Ink Manager, do one of the following:

•To separate individual spot colors, click the ink-type icon to the left of the spot color or aliased spot color. A process

color icon appears. To change the color back to spot, click the icon again.

•To separate all spot colors, select All Spots To Process. The icons to the left of the spot colors change to process

color icons. To restore the spot colors, deselect All Spots To Process.

Note: Selecting All Spots To Process removes any ink aliases you’ve set up in the Ink Manager and can also affect

overprinting and trapping settings in the document.

2(InDesign only) To use the Lab values of a spot color rather than CMYK definitions, choose Use Standard Lab

Values For Spots.

Create an ink alias for a spot color

You can map a spot color to a different spot or process color by creating an alias. An alias is useful if a document

contains two similar spot colors when only one is required, or if it contains too many spot colors. You can see the

effects of ink aliasing in the printed output, and you see the effects on-screen if Overprint Preview mode is on.

1In the Ink Manager, select the spot color ink you want to create an alias for.

2Choose an option in the Ink Alias menu. The ink type icon and ink description change accordingly.

Display or output spot colors using Lab values

Some predefined spot colors, such as colors from the TOYO, PANTONE, DIC, and HKS libraries, are defined using

Lab values. For backward compatibility with previous versions of InDesign, colors from these libraries also include

CMYK definitions. Lab values, when used in conjunction with the correct device profiles, give you the most accurate

output across all devices. If color management is critical to your project, you might prefer to display, export, and print

spot colors using their Lab values. The Ink Manager option Use Standard Lab Values For Spots lets you control which

color mode InDesign uses for these predefined spot colors: Lab or CMYK. If you need the output to match earlier

versions of InDesign, you should use the CMYK equivalent values.

Note: To improve on-screen accuracy, InDesign uses the Lab values automatically if Overprint Preview is on. It also uses

Lab values when printing or exporting if you’ve selected Simulate Overprint in the Output area of either the Print or

Export Adobe PDF dialog box.

1Choose Ink Manager in the Separations Preview panel menu.

2Do one of the following:

•For Lab values, select Use Standard Lab Values For Spots.

•For CMYK values, deselect Use Standard Lab Values For Spots.

See also

“Ink Manager overview” on page 628

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About halftone screen frequency

In commercial printing, continuous tone is simulated by dots (called halftone dots) printed in rows (called lines or line

screens). Lines are printed at different angles to make the rows less noticeable. The Screening menu in the Output

section of the Print dialog box displays the recommended sets of line screens in lines per inch (lpi), and resolution in

dots per inch (dpi), based on the currently selected PPD. As you select inks in the ink list, the values in the Frequency

and Angle boxes change, showing you the halftone screen frequency and angle for that ink.

A high line-screen ruling (for example, 150 lpi) spaces the dots closely together to create a finely rendered image on

the press; a low line-screen ruling (60 lpi to 85 lpi) spaces the dots farther apart to create a coarser image. The size of

the dots is also determined by the line screen. A high line-screen ruling uses small dots; a low line-screen ruling uses

large dots. The most important factor in choosing a line-screen ruling is the type of printing press your job will use.

Ask your service provider how fine a line screen its press can hold, and make your choices accordingly.

Line screens

A. 65 lpi: Coarse screen for printing newsletters and grocery coupons B. 85 lpi: Average screen for printing newspapers C. 133 lpi: High-quality

screen for printing four-color magazines D. 177 lpi: Very fine screen for printing annual reports and images in art books

The PPD files for high-resolution imagesetters offer a wide range of possible screen frequencies, paired with various

imagesetter resolutions. The PPD files for low-resolution printers typically have only a few choices for line screens,

usually coarser screens of between 53 lpi and 85 lpi. The coarser screens, however, give optimum results on

low-resolution printers. Using a finer screen of 100 lpi, for example, actually decreases the quality of your image when

you use a low-resolution printer for final output.

Specify a halftone screen frequency and resolution

❖In the Output section of the Print dialog box, choose one of the following options:

•To select one of the preset screen frequencies and printer resolution combinations, choose an option in the

Screening menu.

•To specify a custom halftone screen frequency, select the plate to be customized, and then enter the lpi value in the

Frequency text box and a screen angle value in the Angle text box.

Note: Before creating your own halftone screens, check with your service provider for the preferred frequencies and angles.

Also, be aware that some output devices override the default frequencies and angles.

See also

“About halftone screen frequency” on page 630

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About emulsion and image exposure

Depending on the type of printing press used and how information is transferred from the film to the printing plates,

you may need to give your service provider film negatives or positives, with emulsion side up or down. Emulsion refers

to the photosensitive layer on a piece of film or paper. Typically, print service providers require negative film in the

United States and positive film in Europe and Japan. Check with your service provider to determine which emulsion

direction they prefer.

To tell whether you are looking at the emulsion side or the nonemulsion side (also referred to as the base), examine

the final film under a good light. One side appears shinier than the other. The dull side is the emulsion side; the shiny

side is the base.

Emulsion options

A. Positive image B. Negative C. Negative with emulsion side down

Important: The emulsion and image exposure settings in the Print dialog box override any conflicting settings in the

printer driver. Always specify print settings using the Print dialog box.

Specify emulsion

1In the Output section of the Print dialog box, for Color, choose Composite Gray or a separation option.

2For Flip, select one of the following options:

None (the default) Makes no changes to the orientation of the imageable area. Type in the image is readable (that is,

right reading) when the photosensitive layer is facing you.

Horizontal Mirrors the imageable area across a vertical axis so that it is wrong reading.

Vertical Mirrors the imageable area across a horizontal axis so that it is upside down.

Horizontal & Vertical Mirrors the imageable area across the horizontal and vertical axes so that it is wrong reading.

Type is readable when the photosensitive layer is facing away from you. Images printed on film are often printed

Horizontal & Vertical.

Specify the image exposure

1In the Output section of the Print dialog box, for Color, choose Composite Gray or a separation option.

2Select or deselect the Negative option.

Checking separation and document settings

The Summary area of the Print dialog box displays a summary of color management information, printer’s marks

dimensions, and bleeds for the document. The section also indicates whether trapping has been enabled.

You can also perform a quality check before printing or handing off the document to a service provider.

ABC

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See also

“Define preflight profiles” on page 603

Proofing color separations

Create a hard proof to verify that colors will print on the correct separations, or a soft proof to preview how your

document’s colors will look when reproduced on a particular output device.

Note: While no proof will give you an exact representation of your final output, you can greatly improve its accuracy by

calibrating all the devices you use to create a document (such as scanners, monitors, and printers). If the devices are

calibrated, the color management system can help you get predictable and consistent color.

The hard proof represents your expectation of the way the final separations will appear, and helps the service provider

to verify that the output is correct. Be sure to print proofs on a PostScript printer; you cannot reliably proof color

separations printed from a non-PostScript printer.

For assurance that the file will print correctly, consider saving the separations as a PostScript file, converting the

PostScript file to Acrobat 8 PDF using Acrobat Distiller, and then viewing the PDF document in Acrobat. By viewing

the PDF document in Acrobat, you can inspect high-quality PostScript output on-screen at a high level of detail.

See also

“Preview color separations” on page 622

“About soft-proofing colors” on page 469

“Print a hard proof” on page 601

Producing in-RIP separations

To produce in-RIP separations, you need the following software and hardware:

•A PPD file that supports in-RIP separations.

•Any PostScript 3 output device, or a PostScript Level 2 device whose RIP supports in-RIP separations. If the

document contains duotones from Photoshop 5.0 or later, a PostScript 3 device is required to generate in-RIP

separations.

Note: Depending on the prepress software available, a service provider may be able to perform such prepress activities as

trapping, imposition, separating, and OPI replacement at the output device’s RIP. Therefore, your service provider may

prefer to receive a composite PostScript file of the document optimized for in-RIP separations, rather than a preseparated

PostScript file.

See also

“Creating PostScript and EPS files” on page 609

Print or save separations

1At the top of the Print dialog box, choose a preset in the Print Preset menu, if one with the appropriate separation

settings exists.

2Do one of the following:

•To print to an output device, choose the device in the Printer menu.

•To print to a file, choose PostScript® File in the Printer menu. Then choose a PPD that supports the output device.

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3Click General, and specify the pages to separate.

4Click Output, and do one of the following:

•To print to an output device, choose Separations to create the separations in InDesign.

•To print to a file, choose either Separations, or In-RIP Separations to save separation settings in a composite

PostScript file for processing in the RIP.

Note: To use Adobe In-RIP Trapping, you must be working with in-RIP rather than host-based separations. Otherwise,

the trapping feature won’t have access to all of the colors at once, and trapping won’t occur.

5Click Graphics, and do the following:

•For Send Data, choose All.

•For Download, choose Complete or Subset, unless fonts will be inserted later (for example, at the RIP or by a post-

processing application).

•For PostScript®, select the PostScript level of the output device: Level 2 or Level 3.

6Click Advanced, and do any of the following:

•To replace low-resolution graphics embedded in placed EPS files with their high-resolution versions at output time,

make sure that Read Embedded OPI Image Links was selected when the EPS file was placed in the InDesign

document, and then select OPI Image Replacement in the Advanced area of the Print dialog box.

•To omit different imported graphics types for later replacement by an OPI server, select from the Omit For OPI

options.

•For Transparency Flattener Preset, choose [High Resolution] or an available custom style with high-resolution

settings.

7Choose any other print options.

8Do one of the following:

•To print to an output device, click Print.

•To print to a file, click Save and accept the default filename, or type another name for the file. Then click Save again.

Note: Once you’ve created separations of the InDesign document, the settings you’ve chosen in the Print dialog box are

saved with the separated file. The file saves the separation settings, the PPD information, and any color conversions you

have specified in the Print dialog box.

See also

“Creating PostScript and EPS files” on page 609

“Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) files” on page 353

“Options for omitting graphics” on page 598

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Chapter 23: Automation

Extend the capabilities of Adobe InDesign CS4 by using scripts and plug-ins that you or someone else has created.

Create form letters, envelopes, and mailing labels using Data Merge.

Scripting

Scripting in InDesign

Scripting is a great tool for performing a variety of tasks. A script can be as simple as an automated common task or as

complex as an entire new feature. You can create your own scripts, and you can run scripts that other people have

created. For more information on scripting, see the Scripting Guide in the Adobe InDesign Technical Info folder on

the InDesign DVD. You can also find the Scripting Guide, scripting requirements, and other developer resources at

www.adobe.com/go/scripting_id.

The Scripting Guide contains an introduction to scripting and tutorials. The Technical Info folder also includes a

number of useful scripts that you can run, such as a script that draws guides around the selected object. Some of these

scripts appear by default in the Scripts panel.

See also

Scripting with InDesign

Scripts panel and Script Label panel overview

InDesign includes two panels for scripting: the Scripts panel and the Script Label panel.

The Scripts panel is where you run scripts without leaving InDesign. The Scripts panel displays the scripts that are

located in the Scripts folders in the InDesign application folder and in your Preferences folders. If you create or receive

a script, you can place it in the Scripts Panel folder so that it shows up in the Scripts panel.

Mac OS Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/[version]/[language]/Scripts/Scripts Panel

Windows XP Documents and Settings\[username]\Application

Data\Adobe\InDesign\[version]\[language]\Scripts\Scripts Panel

Windows Vista Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\[version]\[language]\Scripts\Scripts Panel

You can then double-click a script in the Scripts panel to run it, or you can run scripts using Quick Apply.

The Script Label panel lets you specify a label for a page item, such as a text frame or shape. Specifying labels for page

items is especially useful for writing scripts in which you need to identify an object.

For detailed information on adding, running, and editing scripts, see the Scripting Guide in the Adobe InDesign

Technical Info folder on the InDesign DVD or on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/scripting_id.

See also

“Use Quick Apply” on page 223

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Open the Scripts panel

❖Choose Window > Automation > Scripts.

Open the Script Label panel

❖Choose Window > Automation > Script Label.

Running sample scripts

You can run these scripts in InDesign:

AddGuides Adds guides around the selected object or objects.

AddPoints Adds points to the paths of the selected object or objects.

AdjustLayout Moves objects by specified distances on right/left pages.

AlignToPage Aligns objects to specified positions on a page.

BreakFrame Removes a selected text frame and its contents from a story.

CornerEffects Re-draws the path of the selected item or items using a variety of corner effects. Corner effects can be

applied to selected points on the path.

CreateCharacterStyles Defines a complete character style based on the selected text.

CropMarks Adds crop and/or registration marks around the selected object or objects.

ExportAllStories Exports all stories in a document to a series of text files.

FindChangeByList Performs a series of common text find/change operations by reading a tab-delimited text file.

ImageCatalog Places all graphics in a specified folder in a “contact sheet” layout.

LabelGraphics Adds a caption (containing the filename, file path, XMP description, or XMP author) next to every

imported graphic.

LabelGraphicsMenu Creates a menu item on the Layout context menu. You can use this menu item to add a caption

(containing the filename, file path, XMP description, or XMP author) next to the selected graphic or graphics.

MakeGrid Creates a grid by subdividing or duplicating the selected object or objects.

Neon Applies a “blend” effect to the selected object or objects.

PathEffects Changes the position of path points on the selected object or objects to add a creative effect.

PlaceMultipagePDF Places all pages of a PDF.

SelectObjects Selects objects on the active spread by their object type.

SortParagraphs Sorts the paragraphs in the selection alphabetically.

SplitStory Splits the text frames in the selected story into separate, unlinked text frames.

TabUtilities Applies tab stops and indents to the selected text.

For more information on installing and using these sample scripts, see the InDesign CS4 Scripting Readme (PDF):

www.adobe.com/devnet/indesign/pdfs/indesign_cs4_scripting_readme.pdf

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Enable scripts attached to menus

Script writers can use a special command that allows scripts to be attached to menu commands. For security purposes,

InDesign includes a preference that determines whether attached scripts are allowed. If you trust the source of an

InDesign document, you can select Enable Attached Scripts so that scripts run whenever you choose the commands

to which they’re attached.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2Select Enable Attached Scripts.

Important: Before opening an InDesign document from a source you don’t trust, deselect the Enable Attached Scripts

option.

Plug-ins

Install plug-ins

The InDesign plug-in modules are software programs developed by Adobe Systems, and by other software developers

working in conjunction with Adobe, to add features to Adobe software. A number of importing, exporting,

automation, and special-effects plug-ins come with your program and are automatically installed in the Plug-Ins

folder. In fact, most of the features you see in InDesign are provided by plug-ins.

Once installed, plug-in modules appear as options on menus, in dialog boxes, or in panels.

For information on third-party plug-ins, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_id_plugins_en.

1If an installer is provided, use it to install the plug-in module. Otherwise, drag a copy of the module into the

Plug-Ins folder inside the InDesign application folder.

2Follow any installation instructions that come with the plug-in.

Note: You can use any commercial plug-in designed for use with InDesign. Adobe Technical Support can help you isolate

problems related to plug-ins. However, if it has been determined that the problem is directly related to a plug-in created

by another company, you will need to contact that company for further support.

Configure plug-ins

Use the Configure Plug-ins dialog box to inspect and customize the set of installed plug-ins. For example, you can get

detailed information about installed plug-ins, create custom plug-in sets for different tasks or workgroups, and isolate

plug-ins when troubleshooting problems.

In the Configure Plug-ins dialog box, icons identify different kinds of plug-ins:

•Enabled plug-ins were loaded when you started the current InDesign session, and will stay loaded until you exit

InDesign.

•Adobe plug-ins are provided by Adobe.

•Required plug-ins must be present for InDesign to start.

Note: You cannot edit, rename, or delete the All Plug-ins, Adobe Plug-ins, or Required Plug-ins sets. To change any of

those sets, first duplicate the set, and then edit the duplicate.

1Choose Help > Configure Plug-ins (Windows) or InDesign > Configure Plug-ins (Mac OS).

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2Do any of the following, and then click OK:

•To change the active set of plug-ins, choose one in the Set menu.

•To disable or enable a plug-in, make sure that a custom set is active, and then click to hide or show the check mark

at the far left of the plug-in listing.

Note: When you enable or disable plug-ins or choose a different plug-in set, the change doesn’t take effect until you exit

and restart InDesign.

•To change the plug-ins list display, select or deselect any option in the Display section. Changing options in this

section affects the list display only, not the actual status of plug-ins.

•To create a new plug-in set from a duplicate of the active set, click Duplicate, name the set, and then click OK. The

set you create becomes the active set.

•To rename the active set of plug-ins, click Rename, name the set, and then click OK.

•To permanently remove the active set, click Delete, and then click OK when an alert message appears.

•To import a file of plug-in sets, click Import, locate and select the file containing the sets you want to import, and

then click OK. If the file you import contains a set that has the same name as an existing set, the imported set will

be renamed as a copy. The first set in the file you import becomes the active set.

Note: (Windows only) When importing plug-in sets, if you select Plug-in Manager Import Files in the Files Of Type menu

in the Open A File dialog box, plug-in set files will appear only if the files are named with a file name extension .pset.

•To export all custom plug-in sets to one file, click Export, go to the folder in which you want to store the file, select

Export All Sets, and then click Save. Plug-in sets are exported with the file name extension .pset.

•To see detailed information about a plug-in, select the plug-in and click Show Info. In addition to viewing such

information as a plug-in’s version, you can find out if it depends on other plug-ins. When you’re finished, click OK

to close the Plug-in Information dialog box.

You can also view plug-in details by double-clicking a plug-in in the list.

Data merge

About data merge

To create form letters, envelopes, or mailing labels, you merge a data source file with a target document. Data merge

is also referred to as mail merge.

The data source file contains the information that varies in each iteration of the target document, such as the names

and addresses of the recipients of a form letter. A data source file is made up of fields and records.Fields are groups of

specific information, such as company names or postal codes, whereas records are rows of complete sets of

information, such as a company’s name, street address, city, state, and postal code. A data source file can be a comma-

delimited file (.csv) or a tab-delimited (.txt) file in which each piece of data is separated by a comma or a tab,

respectively.

The target document is an InDesign document that contains the data-field placeholders, plus all the boilerplate

material, text, and other items that remain the same in each iteration of the merged document.

The merged document is the resulting InDesign document that contains the boilerplate information from the target

document, repeated as many times as it takes to accommodate each record from the data source.

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Data merge

A. Data source file B. Target document C. Merged document

Basic steps for merging data

1. Make plans to determine which data fields you’ll be using in your source and target documents.

Determine how you want the final document to look, so that you know which fields are necessary to accomplish the

merge. For example, if you are creating a postcard that will be mailed to customers, you might want to use the following

data fields:

<<Company Name>><<Address>><<City>>, <<State>><<Postal Code>>

Your spreadsheet or database might look like this:

Sample data file

2. Save the data source file—usually a spreadsheet or database file—as a comma-delimited (.csv) or tab-

delimited (.txt) text file.

Make sure that your data source file is structured in such a way that you can include the appropriate fields in your

target document. For example, the top row of a spreadsheet should contain the field names that you’ll use in the target

document, such as “Company” and “Address.”

For more information, see “About data source files” on page 639.

3. Create a target document that includes text and other items that remain the same in each version of the target

document.

For more information, see “About target documents” on page 640.

4. Select the data source using the Data Merge panel.

For more information, see “Select a data source” on page 640.

Empowered Writing

17404 NE 25th Street

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6365 Santana Row

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Adobe Systems, Inc.

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San Jose, CA 95110

<<Company Name>>

<<Address>>

<<City>>, <<State>> <<Postal Code>>

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5. Insert fields from the Data Merge panel into the target document.

You can add data fields to either a document page or a master page. If you add data fields to a master page, you have

additional options.

For more information, see “Insert data fields” on page 641 and “Adding data field placeholders to master pages” on

page 642.

6. Preview the records to make sure that the target document will look the way you intend.

For more information, see “Preview records in the target document” on page 642.

7. Merge the target document with the data source file, or export to PDF.

For more information, see “Merge records” on page 644.

About data source files

The data source typically originates from a spreadsheet or database application, but you can create your own data

source file using InDesign or any text editor. Data source files should be saved in a comma-delimited (.csv) or tab-

delimited (.txt) text format. Check your source application’s user guide for more information on exporting to these

formats.

In a comma- or tab-delimited text file, records are separated by paragraph breaks; fields are separated by commas or

tabs. The data source file can also include text or paths that refer to images on disk.

Example of comma-delimited data source file

Name,Company Name,State

Bill Tucker,CoreVent Labs,Nevada

Dat Nguyen,"Brady, Hunt, and Baxter, Inc",Delaware

Maria Ruiz,"Brinquist Enterprises, Inc.",California

If you want to include a comma or quotation mark in a comma-delimited file, enclose the text within quotation

marks, such as “Brady, Hunt, and Baxter, Inc.”. If you do not include the quotation marks, each name is treated as a

separate field.

You cannot insert a line break within a field in the data source file. If it’s necessary to split a field across different lines,

create two different fields, such as <<Address1>> and <<Address2>>.

You can choose Remove Blank Lines For Empty Fields when merging the document to prevent empty lines. However,

if any characters, including spaces, appear on the line, the line is not deleted.

Add image fields in the data source file

By adding image fields to the data source file, you can allow a different image to appear on each merged record. For

example, when you merge documents that include information from various companies, you may want to include an

image of each company’s logo as part of the merge.

1Open the data source file.

2At the beginning of the data field name, type an “at” symbol (@) to insert text or paths that refer to image files.

The @ symbol is required only in the first line; subsequent lines should include the image paths. Paths, which are case-

sensitive, must follow the naming conventions of the operating system in which they’re stored.

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If you get an error message when you type the @ symbol at the beginning of the field, type an apostrophe (') before

the @ symbol (such as '@Photos) to validate the function. Some applications, such as Microsoft Excel, reserve the @

symbol for functions.

(Windows) Example of image references in data source file

(Mac OS) Example of image references in data source file

You can use InDesign to view the path of an image on your operating system. Insert an image in an InDesign

document, and then use the Links panel to view the image’s location. With the image selected, choose Utilities > Copy

Full Path from the Links panel menu. You may need to edit the path after you paste it in your data source. This technique

is especially useful for images on a server.

About target documents

Once your data source file is created, you need to set up the target document and insert the fields from the data source

file. The target document contains data-field placeholder text and graphics, such as the design that you want to appear

on every postcard. These fields become available to add after you select a data source.

The target document includes fields from the data source with field placeholder text shown.

When you merge data, InDesign creates a new document that replaces the fields with the data you designated in the

data source file. You can place data fields on either a master page or a document page.

Select a data source

Before you insert fields into your target document, select a data source in the Data Merge panel. You can have only one

data source file selected per target document.

1Create or open the document you’ll be using as the target document.

2Choose Window > Automation > Data Merge.

3Choose Select Data Source from the Data Merge panel menu.

4To change delimited text options, select Show Import Options.

Name Age @Photos

Bill Tucker 36 C:\Photos\BillTucker.jpg

Dat Nguyen 53 C:\MyDocuments\dat.gif

Maria Ruiz 26 C:\Photos\Ruiz.psd

Name Age @Photos

Bill Tucker 36 Mac HD:Photos:BillTucker.jpg

Dat Nguyen 53 Desktop:Family:dat.gif

Maria Ruiz 26 Mac HD:Photos:Ruiz.psd

<<Company Name>>

<<Address>>

<<City>>, <<State>> <<Postal Code>>

<<Photos>>

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InDesign automatically detects the type of delimiter and encoding used in the data source file, so showing the import

options usually isn’t necessary. However, you can specify different encoding and delimiter options if you think they

haven’t been correctly identified.

5Locate the data source file, and click Open.

6If you selected Show Import Options, change the delimiter and encoding options as necessary, and then click OK.

The data fields appear in the Data Merge panel.

Note: If an alert message indicates that it cannot open the file, or if incorrect fields appear in the list box, you may need

to edit the spreadsheet or database file and save it as a comma-delimited or tab-delimited file.

Once the data source is selected and fields are loaded in the Data Merge panel, any changes made to the data source

are not reflected in the target document until you update the data source.

Insert data fields

When you select the data source, a list of data field names appears in the Data Merge panel. These names are identical

to the column heads from the data source file. Icons indicate whether the field is text or an image. When data fields are

added to your document, they become field placeholders, such as <<Company>>. You can select and format these

placeholders as you would any other text or graphic.

You can assign an image field to an existing frame to create a floating image. Or, if the insertion point is in a text frame

or if text is selected when you insert an image field, a small placeholder is inserted as an inline frame. You can resize

the image placeholder to determine the size of the merged images.

Once you insert a data field, InDesign remembers its data source. Any errors in the list of fields, such as typos, empty

fields, and unintended field types, must be corrected in the source application and then updated using the Data Merge

panel.

Insert a text data field in the target document

1Create a text frame on a document page or master page.

If you’re adding data fields to a master page, see “Adding data field placeholders to master pages” on page 642.

2Place the insertion point in the text frame where you want the field placeholder to appear, or select the text you want

to replace.

3To insert a field placeholder, do one of the following:

•Click a field in the Data Merge panel list.

•Drag a field name from the Data Merge panel list, and drop it onto the text frame to add the placeholder. If you drag

a text field onto an empty frame, the empty frame becomes a text frame.

Text field placeholders appear in the target application within double angle brackets (such as <<Name>>) using the

current formatting attributes (such as font and size).

Note: You cannot create a valid field by simply typing the field name or editing an existing field. You must insert it from

the Data Merge panel.

Insert an image data field in the target document

•To insert a new inline graphic placeholder, drag an image field onto a text frame, or place the insertion point in a

text frame and click the image field.

•To insert a new floating graphic, drag an image field onto an empty frame or existing graphics frame. If you drag

an image field onto an empty frame, the empty frame becomes a graphics frame.

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•To insert a field into grouped items, table cells, or nested items, drag the image field onto the target.

Image field placeholders appear as frames containing the field name.

Adding data field placeholders to master pages

If you insert data field placeholders on master pages, you have advantages that are not available when you insert

placeholders on document pages:

•The resulting merged document contains the original placeholders on its master pages and includes the merged

results on document pages as overridden master page items.

•The merged document maintains a connection to the data source, so if records in the data source are modified, you

can update the merged document contents by choosing Update Content In Data Fields. This option is especially

helpful if you change the layout in the merged document and then need to add new data from the data source.

•The settings in the Create Merged Document dialog box are the same as those used in the target document, so you

can quickly re-create the current document with the same appearance. You can also use these shared settings to

create an identical document with a different data source, or create a new document with a slightly modified layout.

Note: If you’re adding data fields to a master page, make sure that the text frame containing the data fields allows master

item overrides. Select the text frame on the master page and choose Allow Master Item Overrides On Selection from the

Pages panel menu. If this option is not selected, the data will not be merged. (See “Create masters” on page 69.)

You cannot place data fields on both master pages and document pages. In order to merge properly, you must apply a

master containing data fields to the first page of the document.

Important: If an error message indicates that InDesign cannot merge the document because no placeholders are present,

you may have added the placeholders to the left master page in a one-page document. Page 1 is based on the right master

page, so add the placeholders to the right master page.

Update, remove, or replace data source files

•To update data source files, edit and save the data source file in comma- or tab-delimited format, and then choose

Update Data Source from the Data Merge panel.

The changes will be reflected in the Data Merge panel. If the changes are not reflected in the document after updating,

deselect Preview to turn it off, and then select Preview again to turn it back on.

•To remove the connection to the data source file, choose Remove Data Source from the Data Merge panel menu.

•To switch to a new data source file, choose Select Data Source from the Data Merge panel menu, and then specify

the new data source file. InDesign may not recognize some of the fields. In this situation, it’s best to delete and

reinsert placeholder fields.

If you generate a merged document from a target document in which data fields appeared on master pages, you can

update the data fields in the merged document.

Preview records in the target document

Before you merge the target document and data source file, it’s a good idea to preview the records to make sure that

field data will appear properly when the information is merged. When you preview records, the Data Merge panel

displays actual data from the data source file instead of the field placeholders. For example, instead of seeing

<<Company>>, you might see Adobe Systems, Inc. You can use the navigation buttons on the Data Merge panel to

cycle through the records.

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If you find problems with any of the records, such as typographical errors or extra spaces, it is recommended that you

edit the source file in its original application. (See “About data source files” on page 639.)

1Click Preview at the bottom of the Data Merge panel, or choose Preview from the Data Merge panel menu.

2Click the navigation buttons to cycle through data from different records.

To go to a specified record, click the navigation buttons at the bottom of the panel. You can also type the number of

the record you want to preview in the navigation text box at the bottom of the panel, and then press Enter or Return.

Switching preview on or off

Some issues may arise or correct themselves when you switch between previewing modes. Keep the following in mind:

•Placeholders replace the preview content when the Preview Record option is not selected. If you delete an image as

well as the frame containing the image, or delete a whole text string, when you deselect the Preview Record option,

the placeholders will not appear as they have also been removed.

•Changes in the Content Placement Options dialog box are not reflected until you click OK. Also, if the Preview

Record option is selected, the data will not reflect the updated placement settings until you deselect and select the

option again.

•If you try to save the document in preview mode, you will receive a message prompting you to turn off preview

mode before saving your document.

Edit data field placeholders

When you add a text data field to a document, the placeholder text for the field is entered using the formatting

attributes (such as font and size) active at the insertion point. You can then edit the placeholder text’s attributes to

control the look of the actual data.

❖Do one of the following:

•To change placeholder attributes, select the placeholder text, and then change the formatting attributes as you

would with other text.

•To change a placeholder, select the placeholder or the actual data, and select a different field name in the Data

Merge panel.

•To delete a placeholder, select the placeholder and press Backspace or Delete.

Note: In Story Editor view, text placeholders are displayed in the same way as hyperlinks. Some Data Merge panel options

are not available in Story Editor view.

Set content placement options

Use the Content Placement Options dialog box to specify the default settings for the current document or for all future

data merge projects. You can specify how the image is placed, whether images are linked or embedded, whether blank

lines are removed for empty fields, and the maximum number of records for each merged document.

1Do one of the following:

•To affect only the current document, open the target document.

•To affect all future documents you create, close all documents.

2Choose Window > Automation > Data Merge.

3Choose Content Placement Options from the Data Merge panel menu.

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4Change the content placement options. (See “Content placement options” on page 645.)

5Click OK.

Merge records

After you format the target document and insert fields from the data source file, you’re ready to officially merge the

information from the data source with the target document. You can merge the records to another InDesign document

or directly to PDF. When you merge, InDesign creates a new document or PDF based on the target document, and

replaces the fields in the target document with the appropriate information from the data source file.

When you merge a document that includes data field placeholders on master pages, those master page items will be

copied into the master pages in the newly generated document.

Merge single or multiple records

1With the target document open, do one of the following:

•Choose Create Merged Document from the Data Merge panel menu, or click the Create Merged Document

button .

•Choose Export To PDF from the Data Merge panel menu.

2On the Records tab, for Records To Merge, select All Records to merge all the records in the data source file, select

Single Record to merge a specific record, or specify a Range of records to merge.

3For Records Per Document Page, do one of the following:

•Choose Single Record so that each record starts at the top of the next page.

•Choose Multiple Records to create more than one record per page. (For example, to print mailing labels.)

You cannot merge multiple records if the data fields appear on a document page in a document with multiple pages,

or if data fields appear on multiple master pages.

4Select Generate Overset Text Report With Document Creation to automatically open a report that tracks overset

conditions created during the merge of the data into the InDesign document. (See “Overset text reports” on

page 645.)

5Select Alert When Images Are Missing to display a missing link alert when one or more images are not available.

6If you selected Multiple Records on the Records tab, click the Multiple Record Layout tab, and specify the following:

•For Margins, type values to specify the distance between margin guides and each edge of the page.

•For Layout Of Records, select either Rows First or Columns First, and then specify the spacing between the columns

and rows.

7If you selected Multiple Records, select Preview Multiple Record Layout to review changes made in the Create

Merge Records dialog box. You can click the Page buttons to navigate the records.

8Click the Options tab and specify the placement options. (See “Content placement options” on page 645.)

9When you’re finished, click OK.

10 If you’re exporting directly to PDF, specify PDF options, and click Export. Then specify the filename and location,

and click Save. (See “Adobe PDF options” on page 501.)

If the data source file points to any unsupported file formats or images that are not available, you may need to correct

the data source file to point to a supported file, correct the path to any missing file, or simply move the file to the correct

folder so that InDesign can find it and place it.

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Limitations for merging multiple records

You can choose Multiple Records to create more than one record per page. For example, if you are printing mailing

labels, you'll want to print more than one label per page. The way the records will appear in the merged publication

depends mainly on the layout options. Here is a list of limitations you might encounter when using the Multiple

Records option:

•You cannot merge multiple records if the data fields appear on a document page in a document with multiple pages,

or if data fields appear on multiple master pages.

•The Data Merge allows for only one size of place holder.

•Deleting a record in the merged publication will not reflow the remaining records into the empty placeholder.

Merging to a PDF file

When you merge to a PDF file, all the options are the same as when you create a merged InDesign document. The

resulting PDF takes advantage of PDF XObjects for the static parts of the page, resulting in a reduced-size, efficient PDF.

Update data fields

After merging a document with data placeholders on master pages, you can change the layout of the merged document

and still update the values of data fields in the data source. Use the Update Data Fields to update the data fields while

maintaining the layout of the document. This option is available only in a merged document in which data

placeholders appear on master pages.

1Make any changes to the data source file, and then save and close the data source file.

2In the merged document, choose Update Data Fields.

The changes that have been made by updating the data fields appear in a log file.

This option works best when you simply edit or add records in the data source file. If you add placeholder fields, add

new fields to the data source, or change the settings in the Create Merged Document dialog box, use the Create Merged

Document option to generate a new merged document.

Overset text reports

The Overset Text Report appears if the Generate Overset Text Report option is selected in the Create Merged

Document dialog box, and if one or more fields include overset text after the data is merged.

The report displays each overset instance in a numbered list showing the page number the text appears on, followed

by overset character/word count and a snippet of the overset text.

If the report appears when you create a merged document, use the report to fix the overset condition. For example,

you may want to increase the text frame size, decrease the font size, or edit the text.

Content placement options

The following options appear in the Content Placement Options dialog box:

Fit Images Proportionally Maintains the image’s aspect ratio but scales the image to fit within the frame (default).

Fit Images To Frames Scales the image so that its aspect ratio is identical to the frame’s aspect ratio.

Fit Frames To Images Preserves the image size but adjusts the frame size to match it.

Preserve Frame And Image Sizes Places the image at its intrinsic size into the frame, aligned to the upper-left corner

of the frame. The image is cropped if too big for the frame.

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Fill Frames Proportionally Places the image so that its height or width fills the frame, leaving the rest of the image

cropped.

Center In Frame Aligns the center of the image to the center of the frame.

Link Images Creates a link, or file path, to the original image file. If this option is not selected, all image data is

embedded in the InDesign document.

Remove Blank Lines For Empty Fields Remove paragraph returns inserted for empty fields. This is especially useful for

mailings in which you have an optional address field. This option ignores soft returns. If any characters, including

spaces, appear on the line, the line is not deleted.

Record Limit Per Document Specifies the maximum number of records for each merged document. When the

threshold is reached, a new document is created with the number of pages necessary to hold the remaining records

being merged (up to the per-record limit). This option is available only when Single Record is selected.

Page Limit Per Document Specifies the maximum number of pages for each document. When the threshold is

reached, a new document is created with the number of pages necessary to hold the remaining records being merged

(up to the per-page limit). This option is available only when Multiple Records is selected from the Records Per

Document Page menu when merging.

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Chapter 24: Sharing content between

InCopy and InDesign

Adobe InCopy is a professional writing and editing program that integrates tightly with Adobe InDesign. Large-to-

medium publishers can acquire powerful editorial solutions based on InCopy and InDesign from systems integrators

and third-party developers. Smaller publishing groups can set up an affordable, flexible editorial workflow system

using a version of InCopy available directly from Adobe.

Understanding a basic managed-file workflow

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.

See also

“Managed files” on page 650

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.

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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.

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.

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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

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.

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See also

“Export content as separate InCopy files (InDesign)” on page 658

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.

•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.

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•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 > 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.

See also

“Unlink content files (InDesign)” on page 669

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.

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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.

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.

1Do either of the following:

•Choose File > User.

•Choose User from the Assignments panel menu (Window > Assignments).

2Type 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.

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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.

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 > 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.)

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.

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

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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. (Assignments compatible with

InDesign CS3 are saved as *.inca files.) Content within assignments is exported as *.icml files. (Content exported

for InCopy CS3 is saved as *.incx files.)

•Export text and graphics frames separately (including placeholder frames) using the Edit > InCopy > Export menu

commands. Exported content is saved as *.icml files. (Content exported for InCopy CS3 is saved as *.incx 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.

See also

“Assignment files” on page 655

“Assignments panel overview” on page 654

“Workflow icons” on page 653

“Placing InCopy files in InDesign documents” on page 669

Assignments panel overview

The primary tool for working with assignments is the Assignments panel (Window > Assignments). 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

See also

“Exporting content from InDesign” on page 654

“Assignment files” on page 655

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.

H I J K

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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.

•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.

See also

“Relink missing assignment files (InDesign)” on page 668

“Best practices for working with managed files” on page 650

Create empty assignment files (InDesign)

1In InDesign, save the document.

2In the Assignments panel (Window > Assignments), choose New Assignment from the panel menu.

3In the New Assignment dialog box, specify assignment file options and click OK.

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Simultaneously create assignments and add content (InDesign)

1In InDesign, create a document that has one or more text frames, graphics frames, or placeholder items, and then

save the document.

2Select the text and graphics frames you want to add.

3Do 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.

4In 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)

1Save the InDesign document.

2Select the text and graphics frames you want to add.

3Do 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.

4Choose 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.

Compatibility Choose Optimized For CS4 if the InCopy users in your workgroup are using InCopy CS4. Assignments

are saved as *.icma files. Choose Compatible With CS3 to allow InCopy CS3 users to open the assignment.

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 > 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.

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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.

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.

1In InDesign, create a document with one or more text frames, graphics frames, or placeholder items.

2Do 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.

3Choose 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.

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4(Optional) In the Export InCopy Content dialog box, choose InCopy CS3 Interchange from the Save As Type

(Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu to make the exported file compatible with InCopy CS3. This saves the

content as an .incx file rather than an .icml file.

5Enter 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 “mystory-

graphic,” “mystory-graphic-1,” and so on. The file name appears in the file system, in the InCopy story bar, and in

status messages.

6When 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.

When you export content, you see the Available icon on the text frame (InDesign and InCopy), and in the

Assignments panel (InCopy). The word [Available] appears in the story bar (InCopy).

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

(or .incp if the assignment is compatible with CS3). The return package files created in InCopy include the .idap

extension (or .indp if the assignment is compatible with CS3).

There are two commands for packaging files: Package and Package And Email. Use Package 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.

Create a package for manual distribution

1Create 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.

2In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package For InCopy from the panel menu.

3Specify a name and location for the package file, and click Save.

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.

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Create a package for e-mail (InDesign)

1Create 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.

2In 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.

3Edit 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.

1In the Assignments panel, select the packaged assignment, and choose Cancel Package from the panel menu.

2Click 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.

1Add, remove, or resize one or more stories to the packaged assignment.

2Do 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.

See also

“Check in content” on page 666

“Save changes (InCopy)” on page 667

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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.

1Edit and check in the content you want to include in the package.

2From 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.

See also

“Update assignment files (InDesign)” on page 663

“Unlink content files (InDesign)” on page 669

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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)” on page 660.

The assignment names and their contents appear in the Assignments panel.

See also

“Assignment files” on page 655

“Managed files” on page 650

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.

See also

“Managed files” on page 650

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)

1Do 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.

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2Do 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.

3If 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.

See also

“Managed files” on page 650

“Save changes (InDesign)” on page 666

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 appears next

to the assignment in the InCopy Assignments panel.

See also

“Update content” on page 664

“Create and send packages (InDesign)” on page 659

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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:

1The InCopy user opens an assignment file or checks out an individual content file and edits the content.

2The InCopy user saves the content file, which updates the copy on the file system, and continues working.

3The InDesign user sees the Out Of Date icon in both the Assignments panel and the Links panel next to the

selection, and the In Use and Text Content Out Of Date icon or Graphics Content Out Of Date icon

on the associated frame.

Assignments panel with In Use and Out Of Date icons (left) and Layout with out-of-date content (right)

4The InDesign user updates the content.

See also

“Accidentally updating your work” on page 665

“Links panel overview” on page 366

Update content while opening a managed document (InDesign)

1Choose File > Open, locate the file you want to open, and click Open.

2Click Yes when prompted to update the document with the modified content on the file system.

3Do 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.

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•Select the text or graphics frames in the Links panel, and click the Update Link button or choose Update

Link from the Assignments panel menu.

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 or choose Update

Content from the Assignments panel menu.

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.

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.

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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. (To gain file-versioning capabilities, as well as many other features, use Adobe Version Cue

in InDesign or InCopy with a Version Cue Workspace.)

If you are working on an assignment package, return or forward the assignment package after checking it in.

See also

“Exporting content from InDesign” on page 654

“Managed files” on page 650

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.

•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.

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Note: If you are working with a file managed by a Version Cue Workspace, a separate Check In command is available.

The Version Cue Workspace feature is available as part of the Adobe Creative Suite.

See also

“Update content” on page 664

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.

Note: The Save A Version command is available only if you are working with a file managed by a Version Cue

Workspace. The Version Cue Workspace feature is available as part of Adobe Creative Suite.

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.

1Save the InDesign document.

2In the Assignments panel, click the arrow to the left of the assignment name to display the contents of the

assignment.

3Select an item in an assignment.

4Do 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.

5Choose 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.

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See also

“Unlink content files (InDesign)” on page 669

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.

See also

“Unlink content files (InDesign)” on page 669

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.

See also

“Update, restore, and replace links” on page 369

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.

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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.

See also

“Unlink content files (InDesign)” on page 669

“Accidentally updating your work” on page 665

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 re-

export 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.

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.

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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.

Adding editorial notes and tracking changes in InDesign

The Notes and Track Changes features in InDesign use 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).

When track changes are turned on in InCopy and an InDesign user edits managed content, those changes are tracked

and recorded in InDesign, but are visible only in InCopy.

Notes can appear only in text. In InDesign, they can be printed only from the Story Editor, and they cannot be exported

to PDF.

See also

“Enter user identification” on page 652

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.

1Using 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.

2Type 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.

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.

1Do any of the following:

•To create a new note, place the insertion point in text.

•To convert text to a note, select the text.

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•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.

2Choose 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.

•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.

1Choose Edit > Preferences > Notes (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Notes (Mac OS).

2Select 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.

3Select 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.

4Specify 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.

5Select either [None] or [Note Color] (the color you chose in step 2) to use for the background color of an inline note.

6Click OK.

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Chapter 25: Comparison of PageMaker

and InDesign menus

Browse through these tables to learn where Adobe PageMaker commands are found in AdobeInDesign CS4.

PageMaker menu commands

PageMaker File menu commands

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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

As to 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 Scan images using the software that came with your

scanner, and then place the images in InDesign.

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)

Equivalent settings can be found in Composition,

Units & Increments, Guides & Pasteboard, and

Display Performance preferences.

File > Preferences > Online No equivalent You can drag objects from a web browser to

InDesign without configuring a proxy.

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Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker Edit menu commands

PageMaker Layout menu commands

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 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 InDesign does not support OLE; however, you can

set similar options in the Links panel.

Edit > Clear Edit > Clear

Edit > Select All Edit > Select All

Edit > Deselect All Edit > Deselect All

Edit > Editions (Mac OS) No equivalent InDesign does not support Publish/Subscribe;

however, you can set similar options in the Links

panel.

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 You can also choose Edit Original in the Links panel

menu.

Edit > Show Clipboard (Mac OS) No equivalent

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 Click and drag pages in the Pages panel to sort them.

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker Type menu commands

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 InDesign master guides from any given master are

always copied to pages that use that master.

Layout > Autoflow Press Shift when a loaded text icon is

displayed.

You can flow text manually, automatically (with

autoflow), or semi-automatically.

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

Type > Font Type > Font

Type > Size Type > Size

Type > Leading Type > Character or Control panel in

Character mode (Window > Control)

InDesign uses baseline leading by default, as

opposed to proportional leading, which is

PageMaker’s default.

Type > Type Style Type > Character or Control panel in

Character mode (Window > Control)

InDesign displays the type styles available for the

selected font. You can also use Quick Apply.

Type > Expert Kerning Type > Character or Control panel in

Character mode (Window > Control)

Expert kerning in PageMaker is similar to 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 Choose Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel

menu.

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 command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker Element menu commands

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

Element > Fill Window > Swatches or Window > 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 > Swatches, Window > Stroke,

and Window > 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 > Show Text Threads

Element > Frame > Previous Frame View > 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.

Select text with the Type tool. Select graphics with

the Direct Selection tool.

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

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

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Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker Utilities menu commands

PageMaker View menu commands

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 > Attributes

Element > Remove Transformation No equivalent

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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)

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 > Swatches Choose New Color Swatch in the Swatches panel

menu.

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

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

PageMaker Window menu commands

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 Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard

(Windows) or InDesign > Preferences >

Guides & Pasteboard (Mac OS)

View > Hide/Show Scroll Bars No equivalent

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

Window > Arrange Icons (Windows) No equivalent

Window > Tile Window > Arrange > Tile Horizontally or

Tile > Vertically

Window > Cascade Window > Arrange > Cascade

Window > Hide/Show Tools Window > Tools

Window > Hide/Show Control Palette Window

> Control

Window > Hide/Show Colors Window > Swatches or Window > Color

Window > Hide/Show Styles Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph

Styles or Window > Type & Tables >

Character Styles

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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Comparison of PageMaker and InDesign menus

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 Plug-ins appear as added options in InDesign menus

or panels, or in InDesign dialog boxes.

Window > [name of open

document]

Window > [name of open

document]

PageMaker command InDesign equivalent Additional information

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679

Chapter 26: Keyboard shortcuts

Adobe InDesign CS4 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.

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.

Default keyboard shortcuts

Keys for tools

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.

Tool Windows Mac OS

Selection tool V, Esc V, Esc

Direct Selection tool A A

Position tool Shift+A Shift+A

Toggle Selection and Direct Selection tool Ctrl+Tab Command+Control+Tab

Pen tool P P

Add 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

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Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

Measure tool K K

Gradient tool G G

Button tool B B

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 and Formatting Affects Text

J J

Apply Color , [comma] , [comma]

Apply Gradient . [period] . [period]

Apply No Color / /

Switch between Normal View and Preview

Mode

W W

Gradient Feather tool Shift+G Shift+G

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

Add to or subtract from a selection

of multiple objects

Selection, Direct Selection, or Group

Selection tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click

center point)

Selection, Direct Selection, or Group

Selection tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click

center point)

Duplicate selection Selection, Direct Selection, or Group

Selection tool+Alt–drag*

Selection, Direct Selection, or Group

Selection tool+ Option–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

Tool Windows Mac OS

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

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+Ctrl–click, or Selection

tool+Alt+Ctrl–click

Selection tool+Command–click or Selection

tool+Option+ Command–click

Select next or previous frame in story Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/Page Up Option+Command+Page Down/Page Up

Select first or last frame in story Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/Page Up Shift+Option+Command+Page Down/Page

*Press Shift to constrain movement to 45° angles.

**Amount is set in Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).

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 Selection tool+Shift

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

Shift+Esc Shift+Esc

*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.

Result Windows Mac OS

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Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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

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

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

size of the table

Shift–drag interior row or column border 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/Page Down Option+Page Up/Page Down

Move to first/last cell in row Alt+Home/End Option+Home/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/Down Arrow Shift+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Select cell to the right/left of the current cell Shift+Right Arrow/Left Arrow Shift+Right Arrow/Left Arrow

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Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

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

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

Result Windows Mac OS

Bold Shift+Ctrl+B Shift+Command+B

Italic 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

Small caps (on/off) 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]

Straight quotes (single and double) without

turning off smart quotes

Alt+’, Ctrl+Alt+’ Control+’, Control+Shift+’

Result Windows Mac OS

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Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

Reset horizontal or vertical scale to 100% 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)

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/Down Arrow Option+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Increase or decrease leading by five times

(horizontal text)*

Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Option+Command+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Select or deselect preferences setting

for typographer’s marks

Shift+Alt+Ctrl+“ [quote] Shift+Option+Command+“ [quote]

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/Right Arrow Option+Left Arrow/Right Arrow

Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by

five times (horizontal text)

Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow/Right Arrow Option+Command+Left Arrow/Right 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 Option+Command+Q

Increase or decrease baseline shift**

(horizontal text)

Shift+Alt+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Shift+Option+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Increase or decrease baseline shift by five

times (horizontal text)

Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Shift+Option+Command+Up Arrow/Down

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).

Result Windows Mac OS

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Keyboard shortcuts

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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 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/Left Arrow Command+Right Arrow/Left Arrow

Move to start or end of line Home/End Home/End

Move to previous or next paragraph Ctrl+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Command+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Move to start or end of story Ctrl+Home/End Command+Home/End

Select one word Double-click word Double-click word

Select one character right or left Shift+Right Arrow/Left Arrow Shift+Right Arrow/Left Arrow

Select one line above or below Shift+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Shift+Up Arrow/Down Arrow

Select start or end of line Shift+Home/End Shift+Home/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/Down Arrow Shift+Command+Up Arrow/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/End Shift+Command+Home/End

Select all in story Ctrl+A Command+A

Select first/last frame Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Up/Page Down Shift+Option+ Command+Page Up/Page

Down

Select previous/next frame Alt+Ctrl+Page Up/Page Down Option+Command+Page Up/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+/

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Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

Result Windows Mac OS

Temporarily select Hand tool Spacebar (with no text insertion point), Alt-

drag (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 In tool

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/Page Down Command+Page Up/Page Down

Go to previous/next spread Alt+Page Up/Page Down Option+Page Up/Page Down key

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]

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

the spread

Ctrl–drag from zero point 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

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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

Expand/Collapse element Right Arrow/Left Arrow Right Arrow/Left Arrow

Expand/Collapse element and child elements Alt+Right Arrow/Left Arrow Option+Right Arrow/Left Arrow

Extend XML selection up/down Shift+Up Arrow/Down Arrow Shift+Up Arrow/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/End Shift+Home/End

Go to previous/next validation error Ctrl+Left Arrow/Right Arrow Command+Left Arrow/Right Arrow

Automatically tag text frames and tables Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F7 Command+Option+Shift+F7

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+]

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]

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

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

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

of screen

Option+drag any panel tab (in the group) to

edge of window

Select item by name Alt+Ctrl-click in list, and then use keyboard to

select item by name

Option+Command-click in list and then use

keyboard to select item by name

Open the Drop Shadow panel Alt+Ctrl+M Command+Option+M

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

Result Windows Mac OS

Updated 18 June 2009

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

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

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

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

Result Windows Mac OS

Updated 18 June 2009

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

Result Windows Mac OS

Activate Tabs panel Shift+Ctrl+T Shift+Command+T

Switch between alignment options Alt-click tab Option-click tab

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

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

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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

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

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

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 swatch

Alt+Ctrl-click New Swatch button Option+Command-click New Swatch button

Change options without applying swatch Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click swatch Shift+Option+Command-double-click

swatch

Updated 18 June 2009

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Keyboard shortcuts

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

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.

See also

“Use keyboard shortcut sets” on page 26

Result Windows Mac OS

Apply value and copy object Alt+Enter Option+Enter

Apply width, height, or scale value proportionally Ctrl+Enter Command+Enter

Result Mac OS

Open Preferences dialog box Command+K

Open Paragraph Styles panel Command+F11

Open Character Styles panel Command+Shift+F11

Open Swatches panel F5

Open Pages panel Command+F12

Minimize active application window Command+M

Hide application Command+H

Updated 18 June 2009

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Index

Acrobat. See Adobe Acrobat

actions, button 547

activation of software 1

Adobe Acrobat

See also bitmap graphics

bitmap graphics

embedding and linking 366

import options for 357

print quality of 630

trapping 486

bitmap images

about 347

publishing online 348

black point compensation 482

bleed area

about 593

printing 594

blending modes

and object groups 425

blend space color 426, 432

knockout (block out) groups 425

options 423

spot colors and 432

blends. See gradients

boilerplates. See templates, master pages,

presets

book files

about 291

converting from previous versions 294

creating 291

exporting to PDF 296

managing 292

numbering pages in 86, 295

preflighting 606

printing 296, 584

synchronizing documents in 293

book list. See book files

Book panel 292

booklets. See print booklets

bookmarks

creating 524

managing 525

bounding boxes

cropping to 359

defined 378

selecting 379

wrapping text around 212

breaks 141

Bridge. See Adobe Bridge

brightness

adjusting in Illustrator 16

blending mode 423

clipping path 412

browser-safe colors. See web-safe colors

built-in trapping, disk space

requirements 487

bulleted lists

See also bitmap graphics

about 353

GIF filest

trapping 486

global light effect 421

glyph sets

creating and editing 167

deleting 168

saving and loading 168

viewing 167

glyphs

alternate in text 166

deleting from glyph set 168

displaying OpenType attributes 166

finding and changing 160

in OpenType fonts 225

inserting 164

inserting alternate glyph 165

scaling 266

spacing of 266

Glyphs panel 163

gradient feather effect 420

Gradient Feather tool 454

Gradient panel 454

Gradient Swatch tool 454

gradients

applying 439, 455, 456, 457

applying to text 235

color separations and 621

creating in Gradient panel 454

creating swatch 453

feathering 454

modifying 454

multicolor 454

printing 602

removing intermediate color 455

reversing colors 455

in tables 283

Graphic Arts Technical Foundation of

North America (GATF) 494

graphics

choosing formats 346

controlling display performance 364

embedding 369

formats supported by InDesign 352

import options for 356

importing 355, 363

importing multiple 360

linked vs. embedded 366

methods of importing 355

object libraries and 374

optimizing when printing 597

placeholders for 82

transforming 405

wrapping text around 213

graphics frames. See frames

greeking text 35

GREP search 152

GREP styles 194

grids

showing and hiding 54

snapping objects to 59

grouping objects 403

guides

See also bitmap graphics

trapping 486

jump lines 91

justified text, adjusting spacing 266

justifying text 244

keepaway traps 493

kerning

about 230

applying to text 231

between words 232

changing increment value 232

highlighting in text 232

turning off 232

keyboard shortcuts

about 679

changing active set 26

creating set 26

customizing 26

for character and paragaraph styles 689

for character and paragraph panels 689

for Color panel 691

for Control panel 688

for finding and changing text 683

for indexing 687

for Layers panel 690

for Mac OS version conflicts 692

for navigating 685

for Pages panel 690

for panels 687

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Index

for paths and frames 682

for selecting and moving 680

for Separations Preview panel 691

for Swatches panel 691

for tables 682

for Tabs panel 690

for tools 679

for Transform panel 692

for transforming objects 681

for viewing documents 685

for working with type 683

for XML 687

list of 26

viewing 26

keylines. See strokes

knockouts

colors 484

preventing 624

Lab spot colors 629

languages

assigning to text 236

Lasso tool

selecting anchor points with 328

selecting with 328

layers

adding objects 77

changing color of 77

creating 76

deleting 80

duplicating 79

locking and unlocking 80

master pages and 75

merging or flattening 80

moving and copying objects to 78

options for setup 76

pasting objects to 78

preserving in Adobe Acrobat 503

printing 589

printing and 80

rearranging 79

ruler guides and 58

showing and hiding 79

layout adjustment 83, 84

leading

about 229

changing 229

default percentage 230

letter spacing 266

ligatures, applying to letter pairs 234

line spacing. See leading

line styles. See strokes

Line tool 320

line weight. See strokes

lines

adding to, with Pencil tool 322

adjusting angle and length 329

breaking 141

connecting, with Pencil tool 322

drawing, with Pen tool 323, 324, 326

drawing, with Pencil tool 321

moving 329

reshaping 318, 322, 328

rules above paragraphs 241

See also bitmap graphics

cropping 410

tints 451, 452

toolbox 27

tools

about 27

categories of 29

displaying hidden 28

drawing and type 30

navigation 31

notification 31

options for 28

transformation 31

Tools panel, configuring 16

topics. See indexes, index entries

tracking

about 230

choosing numeric value for 232

trademark symbols 165

Transform panel 384

transformation tools 31

transforming objects

about 384

clearing 399

content offset 386

reference point 384

repeating transformations 399

stroke weight measurements 387

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Index

transformation settings 384

while duplicating 404

transitions, page 543

transparency

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