InDesign: Basic Page Layout

Windows & MacOS ©2005

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 110 Pages

About IT Training & Education
The University Information Technology Services (UITS) IT Training & Education program at Indiana University
offers instructor-led computing workshops and self-study training resources to the Indiana University community and
beyond. We deliver training to more than 30,000 participants annually across all Indiana University campuses. Our
staff is comprised of enthusiastic professionals who enjoy developing and teaching computing workshops. We
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tions, comments and suggestions coming!

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In Indianapolis, contact us at ittraining@iupui.edu or call us at (317) 274-7383.

For the most up-to-date information about workshops and schedules, visit us at:

http://ittraining.iu.edu/

Copyright 2007 - The Trustees of Indiana University

These materials are for personal use only and may not be copied or distributed. If you would like to use our materials
for self-study or to teach others, please contact us at: IT Training & Education, 2711 East 10th Street, Bloomington,
IN 47408-2671, phone: (812) 855-7383. All rights reserved.

The names of software products referred to in these materials are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies
or trademark holders.
 Contents
Welcome and Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Defining and Using an Object as a Text Frame . . . 43
What You Should Already Know . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Formatting Headline Text with the Control Palette . 44
What You Will Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Adding More Text Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
What You Will Need to Use These Materials . . . . . . 1 Specifying Text Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Placing Text in an Existing Text Frame . . . . . . . . . 47
Today’s Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hiding Guides, Grids, and Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Introducing Page Layout in Adobe InDesign . . . . . . . . 3 Modifying Frame Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Understanding Page Design vs. Word Processing . . . . 3 Working with Stroke and Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Applying a Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Understanding the Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Applying Stroke Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Creating a New Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Applying a Fill Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Understanding the Publication Window . . . . . . . 9
Choosing a Default Color from the Swatches Palette 51
Selecting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Modifying Columns Inside Text Frames . . . . . . . 52
Changing the Document’s Position and View Size . . . 11
Modifying the Inset Within a Frame . . . . . . . . . 54
Viewing and Configuring Rulers. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Applying Color to Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Planning the Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Formatting Type with Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Understanding Master Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Understanding Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
About the Pages Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Working with Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Creating a Cover Page Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Formatting Body Text with the Control Palette . . . 57
Using the Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Working with Font Size and Leading . . . . . . . . 58
Snapping to the Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Applying First Indents and Paragraph Spacing . . . 59
Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Creating a Paragraph Style Based on Existing
Making Typographic Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Working with Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Applying the Body Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Creating a Text Frame with the Type Tool. . . . . . 20 Formatting a Subheading Style. . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Understanding the Control Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Creating a New Style Based on an Existing Style . . . . 64
Formatting Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Applying Subhead Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Understanding Tracking and Kerning . . . . . . . . 23 Making Horizontal Justification Choices . . . . . . 66
Formatting a Paragraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Working with Graphics in a Publication . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Modifying a Frame with the Selection Tool . . . . . . . 25 Using Graphics for Communication . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Changing Alignment Within a Frame . . . . . . . . 25 Understanding Graphic Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Stacking Frames Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Working with TIFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Creating a Frame with the Frame Tool. . . . . . . . . . 26 Working with EPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Creating the Inside Pages Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Working with GIF and JPEG. . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Changing Master Page Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Understanding Image Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Creating Headers and Footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Placing a Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Copying and Pasting in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Resizing a Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Working with Document Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Wrapping Text Around a Graphic . . . . . . . . . . 71
Inserting New Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Placing a Larger Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Applying Master Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Repositioning a Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Placing Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Working with Text Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
About Importing Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Deleting a Text Frame from Text Flow . . . . . . . . . 75
Finding the File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Creating Jump Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Using Flow Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Creating a “Continued On” Jump Line. . . . . . . . 76
Resizing a Text Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Threading a Story with the In Port and Out Ports . . . . 79
Creating Independent Text Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Using Manual Flow to Redirect Text . . . . . . . . . . 80
Creating a New Text Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Creating a “Continued From” Jump Line . . . . . . 81
Working with Text Wrap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Copying Pages Between Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Understanding Text Wrap Options . . . . . . . . . . 41 Using the Swipe File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Applying a Bounding Box Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Pressing and Dragging Pages Across Documents . . 83
 Contents, continued
Using Manual Text Flow to Place More Text . . . . 84 Wrapping Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Copying and Pasting an Object . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Contributions to These Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Rotating an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Appendix 1: Resolving Missing Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Integrating More Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Appendix 2: Using Spell Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Finishing Copying and Pasting . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Appendix 3: Creating a Portable Document File (PDF). . 102
Refining the Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Appendix 4: Printing Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Inserting a Soft Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 IUB Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Using the Story Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 IUPUI Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Deleting Pages from a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Appendix 5: The Completed Project . . . . . . . . . . . 106
© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

Welcome and Introduction

Welcome to InDesign: Basic Page Layout.

What You Should Already Know

This workshop assumes that you have already taken the prerequisite work -
shops, Word: The Essentials, and either Photoshop: The Basics, or Illustrator:
The Basics, or that you have equivalent skills. Specifically, you should be able
to:

• Use word processing features

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•
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Apply text styles
Use and be familiar with Adobe tools and palettes
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•

What You Will Learn

Be proficient with refined mousing tasks

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This workshop introduces manipulation of text and graphic objects using a
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broad range of InDesign tools. It provides hands-on practice with how to:
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•
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Apply basic principles of layout and design
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•
Set up a publication
Configure Master pages
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•
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Create, edit, and apply styles to format text

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• Work with text and graphic frames
• Import and place external graphics

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What You Will Need to Use These Materials
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To complete this workshop successfully, you will be provided with:

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• The use of Adobe InDesign CS2

S • The folder InDesign_Basics, and its contents, the exercise files: class-
room.tif, classroom_narrow.tif, main.txt, online approaches.doc, and
swipe.indd.

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Getting Started
These materials presume you will begin work from the desktop, and have any
required exercise files located in an epclass folder there. For instructions on
obtaining the exercise files, see below.

If you need assistance logging on or starting an application, please consult

your instructor.

Finding Help
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If you have computer-related questions not answered in these materials, you

http://kb.iu.edu/ o n
can look for the answers in the UITS Knowledge Base, located at:

Self-Study Training s e
Want to learn more on your own? u
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IT Training Online makes self-study computer-based courses available on a

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wide range of IT topics. You may also purchase STEPS workshop materials
to use in learning on your own. To find out more, go to:

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http://ittraining.iu.edu/online/

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Getting the Exercise Files

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Most of our workshops use exercise files, listed at the bottom of page 1 of the

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materials. In our computer-equipped classrooms, these files are located in the
epclass folder, which should already be on the computer desktop. If you are
using our materials in a different location, you may obtain the exercise files
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from our Web site at:
a
S http://ittraining.iu.edu/workshops/files/

Once you are logged on and have the needed files in an epclass folder on your
desktop, you are ready to proceed with the rest of the workshop.

Today’s Project
For today’s project, we will use the Adobe InDesign page layout application to
create a four-page, printable newsletter entitled “Classroom Technology
Today.” The newsletter is to be aimed at educators, and as such it will address
issues related to teaching with technology. The publication will incorporate

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text, graphics, and some common publishing techniques. As we work with the
newsletter project, we will learn to use Adobe InDesign; in addition, we will
learn general methods of structuring a document and various approaches to
important design choices. Along the way, we will also acquire some layout
terminology.

In the beginning, we’ll spend some time getting acquainted with the InDesign
workspace.

Introducing Page Layout in Adobe InDesign

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Adobe InDesign is a professional page layout software application that is used
to design sophisticated publications. Like others of its type (e.g., PageMaker,
QuarkXPress, and Microsoft Publisher), InDesign is especially useful when
we want to:
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•
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Combine text and graphics on a page
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Control many advanced formatting characteristics of text
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Create templates to make our publications consistent and easier to work with

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Print to a laser or color desktop printer
Create an Acrobat PDF file for draft or Web distribution
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Save and send work to a printing service provider

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Before deciding to use InDesign with its many complex graphical features, it
is important to know if InDesign is best suited to the needs of our publication

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or whether a word processing application such as MS Word would be more
appropriate.

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Understanding Page Design vs. Word Processing

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Although layout applications readily accept text that is directly entered into
documents, the main function of these programs is not of typing but of posi-

S tioning imported text and graphics in appealing ways. Accordingly, when a

document that contains significant amounts of text requires a detailed layout,
it may be most effective to handle it in a two-phase workflow. First, the tex-
tual content may be generated in a word processing application like MS Word;
then, after the writing is done, the text can be imported into a layout applica-
tion such as InDesign to be skillfully arranged.

It is important to understand that these two types of applications offer comple-

mentary features. Because layout applications are complex design tools, they
present sophisticated layout options, but they lack many of the intricate text
manipulation tools used in word processors. In contrast, although most

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advanced word processing programs include layout options, their handling of

graphical features is not nearly as efficient or powerful as the layout applica-
tions like InDesign.

Keeping this in mind, the following section outlines some projects that are
appropriate for page layout software such as InDesign and then specifies
others that are best completed with word processing software such as
Microsoft Word.

Page layout software is better suited for:

• Documents that require precise layout of text and graphics, such as brochures,
newsletters, and professional-looking flyers
• Advanced typographic (text) adjustments l y
• Accurate color management within publications
• Templates used for consistent layout o n
Word processing software is better suited for:
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• Medium to long documents
• Documents that include endnotes or footnotes
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• Text documents that require few or no graphics, such as reports, dissertations,
theses, or letters

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• Documents that require very light layout of text and graphics together, such
as basic flyers

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For information about printing resources at IU, see “Appendix 4: Printing
Resources” on page 103.

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Understanding the Workspace l e
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The InDesign workspace exhibits many familiar features common to other
Adobe applications such as Photoshop or Illustrator. As such, the workspace

S presents a visual representation of the document in progress, displayed with

color-coded cues that indicate frames and objects. Around the document is a
complex array of tools, palettes, and menus.

We will become acquainted with the interface after we have specified some
fundamental characteristics of our new document.

Creating a New Publication

When we begin creating a new document, InDesign does not automatically
open a blank page. Instead, when we start a document, we are first required to
specify some information about our publication such as the document’s paper
size, orientation, margins, and number of columns.

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Let’s begin to create our publication and explore these new document specifi-
cations.

1. Launch InDesign.

We see a blank window with a menu bar and several panels of buttons. In
order to examine the workspace more thoroughly, we will first create a new
document.

2. To begin creating a new document, on the menu bar,

™ File, § New, ™ Document...

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The New Document dialog box opens:

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a m This dialog box requires us to specify the following settings:
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Option Description
Document Preset To name and save document settings that include page
size, columns, margins, and others, and later invoke them
when creating similar documents.

Number of Pages To set the number of pages in the initial document. More
pages can be added or subtracted later in Document view.

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Option Description
Facing Pages To indicate that the document is to open up in a book fash-
ion, with right and left pages facing each other (as opposed
to attached together in a single stack). When this option is
checked, the Right and Left Margins below are trans-
formed to Inside and Outside Margins.

Master Text To configure the initial set of frames to allow text to be en-
Frame tered directly into it, as opposed to imported. (When it is
checked, however, importable text is still an option.)

Page Size Offers several familiar paper size and layout options.
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Width, Height,
Orientation entation offers portrait or landscape.
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To type or choose our own values in Width and Height. Ori-

Columns
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To set the automatic number of columns appearing on all
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new pages. The setting may be overridden with manual
text frames.
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Gutter
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To set the space between columns.

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Margins
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To set page margins. A number may be typed directly or
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the selector buttons may be clicked to select these set-

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tings. If the link icon is checked, the four fields stay

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equal as they are resized. If Facing Pages, above, has

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been checked, Right and Left are displayed as Inside and
Outside (when the document opens like a book, the edges
that meet at the fold or binding will be considered the inside

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margins).

Save Preset p To allow us to save and name these settings to use later.

More Options
a m To set some options regarding Bleed and Slug, which are
non-printable areas of the document.
S Our “Classroom Technology Today” newsletter project will span four pages
with a groundwork layout of three columns throughout. However, to add inter-
est to the layout, in certain areas we will be manually overriding this three-
column setting. We will begin with one document page and add others as we
incorporate content.

Because we want the newsletter to open in a book fashion, we will design the
document so it will include facing pages with equal margins on all sides.
Because our articles are ready-made for us in separate text documents, we will
choose to import text into the layout instead of typing the text directly into the
underpinning frames.

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Many of these settings are already provided to us by default. We’re going to

change several to customize our document. Let’s make these settings.

1. To specify three columns, in the Columns Number field,

¢ the value; type: 3

NOTE: If necessary, make sure that the Number of Pages setting is still 1, the
Facing Pages checkbox is checked, the Page Size is Letter, and make
sure the Portrait button is selected in the Orientation section.

2. To set the gutter width at .15 inch, in the Gutter field,

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¢ the value; type: .15in ø
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The Gutter measurement turns to 0p10.8. At this point, all of the settings
are listed in a graphic designers’ measurement system of picas and points

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(with 6 picas or 72 points per inch.) These setting will be adjusted to inches
later in the workshop. For now, rest assured that as long as we specify

tomatically.
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which measurement we are using, InDesign will make the conversions au-

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3. To make all margins equal, on the Margins section,

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r ™

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NOTE: If the margin settings do not read “3p0,” ¢ the value after clicking
the
l e button, and type: “.5in.”

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4. To accept the new document settings,

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S A new, blank document appears. Let’s save it now.

5. To save the new document, on the menu bar,

™ File, ™ Save

You see the Save As dialog box.

We need to specify where to save the file and what to call it.

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Setting the Location and Filename

When the dialog box opens, it lists a default location for saving the file. On a
PC, this location is displayed in the Save in field at the top-left corner of the
dialog box.

We want to move to the epclass folder, which is where we will save our file.

1. To move to the epclass folder, on the Save in drop-down list,

™ ,™

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The epclass folder is now listed as the Save in location. You see its contents.

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Note for Macintosh Users - On a Macintosh, the Save in field is above the
list of visible folders and files, and is labeled “Where:”. To move to the

into the epclass folder.

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desktop, press the key combination † + D. From there, you can move

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We want to save this document in the InDesign_Basics subfolder of the ep-
class folder.

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2. To open the correct subfolder,

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£ the InDesign_Basics folder

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Now that we have specified the Save in location, we need to specify the file-
name.

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Let’s make sure that the filename is highlighted first.

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3. If the filename is not highlighted,

a m ¢ across the default filename

S 4. To name the document, in the Name field, type:

Classroom Technology.indd ©

The blank document is set on top of a white background that is bounded by

a ruler on the top and left side. It is surrounded by groupings of control but-
tons and menus. We’ll explore the components of the publication window.

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Understanding the Publication Window

The components of the publication window are summarized in the following
diagram and table:
Control palette

Pages/Layers/Info
Toolbox
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Palette group

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Pasteboard
Page

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Rulers u
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Page buttons
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Component
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Pages/Layers/
Info Palette group
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Used to work with Master pages, to nav-
igate from page to page, to work with lay-
ers, and view locations and dimensions

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Palette Bar
of objects in the document.

Contains collapsed palettes that are

S used to modify type and object charac-
teristics such as sizes and styles, colors,
and borders.

Toolbox Palette that contains tools used to create

and modify objects.

Rulers Visual guides to page dimensions; can

be used to create workspace guides to
align objects.

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Component Description
Pasteboard White area surrounding workspace,
used to store objects; pasteboard items
are not printed; remains constant no
matter which page you’re working on

Page Used to lay out text and graphics.

Control palette Displays options for selected tool; con-

text sensitive.

Page buttons Used to move between pages.

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Selecting Tools
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The Toolbox on the left of the screen displays many tools for selecting objects,

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working with type, drawing, and viewing, as well as controls for applying and
changing color fills, strokes, and gradients. Its tools are grouped into sections
by function. Many of these tools are hidden.
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These sections are outlined in the following diagram:

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Pixel Selection tools

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Drawing
tools

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Utility tools
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S Screen View tools

Foreground and Background

Color Selection tools

Mode tools

A tool can be activated or selected by clicking it in the Toolbox or by using its

keyboard shortcut. Positioning the cursor over a tool displays a tool tip with
the tool's name and keyboard shortcut.

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If you have used Adobe Photoshop before, these features should be familiar to
you.

Changing the Document’s Position and View Size

When working with a crowded workspace, we may want to change the view
size or move the document around on screen. InDesign allows us to control
both view size and the position of the document.

Let’s see how this works.

1. To increase the view size, in the bottom-left corner of the window,

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™ , ™ 100%
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The document appears larger.

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2. To move the position of the document on the screen with the Hand tool,

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, § to the document,
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We see a different section of the document.

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3. To reduce the view to fit in the window, with the Hand tool, in the Tool-
box,

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p £

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4. To zoom in, in the Toolbox,

S ™ , ™ the document

5. To zoom out, with the Zoom tool active, press:

«™ the artboard

Note for Macintosh Users - To zoom out, with the Zoom tool active, press:
¥ and ™ the artboard.

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6. To reduce the view to fit in the window, in the Toolbox,

We are now positioned on the first page.

Viewing and Configuring Rulers

Because we’ll be intricately positioning objects on our page, we will make
some ruler adjustments. InDesign has a variety of options for units of measure-

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ment. The default values are in picas. A pica is a standard publishing unit,
which equals 1/6 of an inch. Picas are subdivided into 12 points per pica, thus

change the default values so that we can work in inches.

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making 72 points per inch. Since we may be new to these terms, we will

menu bar ™ View, ™ Show Rulers.

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NOTE: Rulers are often on by default, but if you cannot see them, from the

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1. To change the default units of measurement, on the Menu bar,

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™ Edit, § Preferences,

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™ Units & Increments

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Note for Macintosh Users - To change the default units of measurement,

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on the Menu bar,™ InDesign, § Preferences, ™ Units & Incre-
ments.

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The Units & Increments category of the Preferences dialog box appears.
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2. To change the horizontal unit of measurement, in the Horizontal field,

S ™ , ™ Inches

Because font sizes are expressed in points, designers occasionally prefer to

work with points instead of inches along the vertical axis. InDesign allows
us to choose the units of both rules independently from each other. Howev-
er, for this newsletter project, we will keep them the same.

3. To change the vertical unit of measurement, in the Vertical field,

™ , ™ Inches

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4. To accept the choices,

Notice that the rulers surrounding the document now use inches.

NOTE: Because of our screen size and resolution, the rulers may display the
numeric values only every 2 inches. More units may be displayed
with magnification of the view size.

We are now ready to begin designing the basic layout of our “Classroom

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Technology Today” newsletter. Before we lay out some more features of

n
the document, we need to make sure we have a plan for our design.

o
Planning the Document
s e
u
When creating a complex document, layout and organization should be

w
planned before adding text, graphics, or formatting.

e
design principles:
v i
Before designing any publication, keep in mind some of the following basic

r e
• Consistency: Consistency helps to orient the readers to where they are and

r
where they can find specific information. A simple example of this would be

fo
our expectation that page numbers appear in the same place on every page.
Other aspects such as color and borders should also continue throughout the
document. This technique is referred to as applying repeating elements. The

l e
number of fonts and formats should be kept to a minimum. As a rule, profes-

p
sional graphic designers typically use no more than three fonts in a layout.
• Legibility: Text should be easy to distinguish and read. When text is legible,

a m
the reader is able to distinguish individual letters from each other. Standard
use of upper and lowercase letters makes a document easier to read, causing
less eye strain. Imagine having to read a long document typed in all capital
S letters. This would cause more eyestrain than reading a combination of upper
and lowercase letters.
• Clarity and Meaningfulness of Graphics: Graphics should be clear. Clarity
can be achieved by adjusting image contrast, sharpness, and brightness, just
like on a television. Aside from technical considerations, graphics should
support the communicative purpose of the document; they should not be used
simply to decorate a page.
• White space: White space is the blank space around the edges and between
the lines of a document. Use white space to indicate separate parts of the doc-
ument and to make the document more readable. Tightly compressed text is
very hard to read.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 13

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

We will explore each of these principles as we work through today’s project.

These items are just a few of many important considerations in page design. In
addition to this quick overview, there are many useful books and Web sites
that provide information about design principles.

Since we know some basic specifications of the publication, we’ll create some
underlying structural pages with basic elements such as the title of the publica-
tion, headers, and footers.

Understanding Master Pages

Every publication automatically comes with a blank set of Master Pages. A

l y
Master Page is a template that we can apply to individual pages in our docu-

o n
ment. All objects we put on a given Master Page will appear on any document
pages to which we apply that Master. Usually, basic page design elements,
such as a header, footer, and page number, are placed on a Master Page. Non-

s e
printing items, such as column and margin guides, can also be placed on a
Master Page. Every Master Page object is protected from being modified on
the document pages.
u
e w
In InDesign, we may create many Master Pages. This would make it easier to
create long documents such as books. Using this method, a separate Master

v i
Page could be created for each of the following: main body text pages, chapter
title pages, tables of contents, and indexes. If we need to add pages to the doc-

r e
ument, we could apply the appropriate Master page. In this way, Master Pages
provide publications consistent elements throughout documents without
r
having to redo all the elements on each page.

fo
In addition to applications within a single document, Master document settings

l e
can be used for other editions of a publication. Hence, once the Master pages
have been created, the document can easily be saved as a template for subse-
p
quent issues.

a m
About the Pages Palette
S The Pages palette is docked on the bar of palettes at the upper right of our
screen. It is divided into two scrollable sections: the Master section at the top
and the Document section at the bottom. Each section contains thumbnails that
represent pages.

In a document such as ours with facing pages, we see a few things:

• The top section for Master pages automatically contains two thumbnails: a
single page named “[None]” and two facing pages named “A-Master.” As we
create our own Master pages, we’ll be adding some new thumbnails to this
section.
• The bottom section of the palette contains a tiny layout of each of the Docu-
ment, or content-containing, pages we have specified for our document.

14 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

If—like our newsletter—the layout specifies facing pages, the thumbnails will
be aligned along a central bar that indicates the binding or central fold of the
document. Page 1 will be on the right side, and the final page will be on the
left.

Following is a diagram of the Pages palette and the icons:

Palette options
Master pages
Separation Page 1 icon
line (active is highlighted)
Page number

Create New Page

Document pages
l y
Open/Close
tab Delete page
o n
s e
New Master Pages may be created from the Palette Options button located on
the upper left side of the docked palette. For our newsletter project, we will be
creating several custom Master pages.
u
e w
NOTE: To restore the InDesign palettes to default settings, ™ Window,
™ Workspace, ™ Default. The entire InDesign default work-

v i
space—including tool settings—can be restored to default settings
when it is restarted. To restore settings on a PC, exit the application

r e
and press ƒ «º while re-launching InDesign. To restore
default settings on a Mac, exit the application and press ƒ
r
¥º † while re-launching InDesign.

Creating a Cover Page Master fo

l e
We will be creating three Master Pages for the “Classroom Technology
p
Today” newsletter project: one for the cover page and two linked inside pages

a m
(left and right). The back page containing a mailing panel will inherit the
Master for the inside pages. Using these three Master pages, if we need to add
more pages, we don’t need to re-do the header and footer on each of the inside
S
pages. Moreover, once created, we could use our Master Pages for future doc-
uments.

The cover page Master must contain special items such as a title, a date, and
information about the issue and volume number. In addition, some elements
that give it an identity should be present in consistent locations. These might
include a logo, a table of contents, and perhaps some other text or graphic
objects that would be unique to the publication.

First, let’s begin creating the cover page Master.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 15

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

1. To start making a new Master page, in the Pages palette,

™ , ™ New Master

The New Master dialog box appears. It contains the following fields:

• Prefix code: The Prefix allows us to label our Master pages with a letter so
we can quickly tell from the thumbnails which Master is applied.
• Name: The text here will be the displayed name of the Master page.
• Based on Master: This field allows us to use Master pages already available.

l y
• Number of Pages: Since pages are frequently linked together in twos (as in
right-left pages) or threes (foldout pages) or even more, in this field we type
the number of pages we want to put in the set.

o n
We will give our first Master a prefix of “A” and name it “Cover Page.” It

s e
will only have one page because the first page of facing pages is always
considered a right page and stands alone; at the top of a volume, a cover
page is naturally always viewed by itself.
u
2. To assign the Master page a Prefix of A, in the Prefix field, type:

e w
vi
A

r e
3. To assign a name, in the Name field,

r
fo
¢ the value; type: Cover Page

l e
Since we don’t have other appropriate Masters at this point, we will leave
the Based on field set at [None].
p
4. To specify a single page, in the Number of Pages field,

a m
S ¢ the value; type: 1

5. To accept the new Master page specifications,

The new Master Page thumbnail appears in the Master Pages section of the
Pages palette.

At this point, we will add a publication name and some other information
to our Cover Page Master. In order to precisely position objects, we will use
a grid.

16 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

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Using the Grid

When we’re working with any graphic design application, it helps to know
exactly at what point on the page we are working. The Grid is a device we can
use to locate objects precisely where we want them. It works like traditional
graph paper in that it contains evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.

We will use the Grid lines to roughly size our text and graphic objects and
place them in approximate locations. Since we want to start positioning
objects, we will activate the Grid.

1. To show the Grid, on the Menu bar,

l y
™ View, ™ Grids and Guides,
o n
™ Show Document Grid

s e
u
A light gray grid appears in the background. These lines are visual aids
only; they won’t print in the final version.

e w
Since our objects will be fairly large in this document, we’ll want to make
our grid units larger.

v i
e
2. To change our Grid sectors divisions to inches, on the Menu bar,

r
r
™ Edit, § Preferences, ™ Grids...

fo
Note for Macintosh Users - To change the grid sector divisions to inches,

l e
on the Menu bar,™ InDesign, § Preferences, ™ Grids...

p
The Grids portion of the Preferences settings dialog appears. It displays two

a msections with several options:

The Baseline Grid deals with alignment of text. Here we can specify grid

S color, distance between and origin of gridlines, and at what magnification

they are viewable.

The Document Grid is used to align frames with text, pictures, and drawing
objects. Here we can specify the distance between major gridlines, how
many subdivisions each major section contains, and the color of the grid-
lines.

We would like to leave the major sections at 1” but make the subdivisions
1/4” squares.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 17

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

3. To specify 4 subdivisions per inch along both axes, in the Horizontal Sub-
divisions field,

¢ the value; type: 4øø4

Make sure all the subdivisions are set at 4.

4. To accept the settings,

l y
o n
The document now displays more sparsely spaced gridlines. We’ll use
these to position our objects. Because we want exact positioning of our ob-
jects, we will force their boundaries to align with the grid.

Snapping to the Grid

s e
u
Misaligned objects can adversely affect the look of a publication. Even though
readers may not immediately notice that objects are slightly out of alignment,
w
inaccurate positioning makes a publication look unprofessional overall. The
e
v i
Grid in InDesign offers a feature that compels us to align shapes only along
the grid lines, thus simplifying the task of perfectly positioning objects on a

Grid.
r e
page. To help control our design, we can choose to snap our shapes to the

r
fo
Let’s see how the Snap feature works.

1. To snap our objects to the Grid, on the Menu bar,

l e
p ™ View, ™ Grids and Guides,

a m ™ Snap to Document Grid

S From now on, our objects will be precisely located on our pages.

At this point, we can begin to enter some text in the form of a title for the
newsletter.

18 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

Working with Text

In most cases, the use of text is a primary mode of communication. Before we
start adding text to our newsletter, we need to consider some important aspects
about typography, which is the art and science of type. It is important to
understand some fundamentals of good typography and point out a few issues
about text in a publication.

Making Typographic Decisions

l y
A publication needs to convey a message to a target audience. In our case, we
are trying to present to educators of all classroom levels interesting articles

o n
about the use of technology in the classroom. The design of our newsletter
should communicate this message as clearly as possible. If our publication’s

s e
type is difficult to read or doesn’t esthetically fit the tone of the publication,
the intended message is not adequately conveyed. In our publication, we will
be working with Times New Roman and Arial.
u
Most people do not specifically notice good typography; however, bad typog-
w
raphy is easy to spot. In using InDesign’s typographic controls, our primary
e
v i
goal is to maximize the impact of the publication while minimizing the
reader’s distraction when reading it.

Working with Frames r e

r
fo
All text that appears in documents created with InDesign must be located
within text boxes, or frames. A frame is simply a container for text or graphic
objects. Although we have already divided our page into a three-column sub-

l e
structure, our design is not limited to the three columns; we can simply add

p
some frames if we want to place our objects in custom spaces and shapes.

a m
Since we can create a custom space for our text, we want to add one large
frame for the publication’s name, which will extend across the columns. This

S feature of a publication is the Nameplate.

The nameplate is the most important visual object of any publication. The
nameplate can be otherwise called a title. As such, it uniquely identifies a pub-
lication and should span a large area across the cover page. It should include
the name of the publication and issue number information. Often, the name-
plate also contains a logo and the date of publication. A nameplate may appear
anywhere on a cover page, but most designs incorporate the nameplate across
the top.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 19

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Creating a Text Frame with the Type Tool

Our newsletter’s nameplate will span the top of the cover page, and include the
date and some issue information. The items that make up the nameplate will be
contained within several grouped text frames.

There are several ways to create a frame. The most straightforward way to
create a text frame is to draw it with the Type tool.

Let’s create the nameplate’s title frame with the Type tool.

1. To activate the Type tool, in the Toolbox,

l y
™
o n
s e
The cursor turns to a text insertion icon . As we move the cursor, our lo-
cation is shown by dotted lines that move on the ruler:

2. To correctly position the cursor,

u
e w
§ the cursor’s crosshatch to the upper left corner of the
left column
v i
r e
3. To draw the frame with the Type tool,

r
fo
¢ diagonally downward across all columns, to the 1 3/4”
marker
l e
p
NOTE: In this view, the 1” label may not be visible.

a mA blue, horizontal line appears 1 3/4 inches from the top margin, and we see
a blinking text cursor in the upper right corner. The horizontal line indicates

S the bottom part of the text frame, but we cannot see the remaining text
frame borders because the Snap to Grid feature has caused our frame to
align exactly with the gridlines.

We’ll get a better view of this text frame.

20 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

4. To view at 100%, on the Menu bar,

™ View, ™ Actual Size

We can see the document more closely.

At this point, we want to add and format text—in the form of the publica-
tion’s name, “Classroom Technology Today.”

5. To add the publication name, type:

Classroom Technology Today

l y
o n
The text appears in the upper left corner, but it is in the tiny default font.
We need to format it.

Understanding the Control Palette s e

u
The Control palette across the top of the page is context-sensitive; it offers

e w
only the options that are available to the active tool. Hence, since we are using
the Type tool, the Control palette looks much like the formatting button bar of

v i
a word processing application, except it displays more features. The functions
of these buttons may not be intuitive by their icons. However, we can tell what

r e
they do by simply hovering the cursor over them and reading the pop-up tool
tips.
r
fo
Surprisingly, the Control palette for text actually contains two sets of buttons
that we can toggle back and forth: the Character set and the Paragraph set. The

l e
set of character buttons contains information relating to specific characters
such as font name, size, and spacing. The set of paragraph options allows us to
p
control features of blocks of text, including alignment and indentation. In the

a m
next section, we will see how to utilize these tools to format our text.

Formatting Characters
S Since “Classroom Technology Today” is aimed at an academic audience, we
want the name of our newsletter to be large, executed in a serious typeface.
We will keep the font face as Times New Roman, but we will enlarge the
characters and fit the publication’s name into the frame.

1. If necessary, to select the Character options, in the Control palette,

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 21

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

2. To select the name of the title,

¢ to highlight the text

3. To change the font size on the Control palette, in the Font field,

™ , ™ 48

4. To fit the document in the window, in the Toolbox,

l y
£
o n
The type size looks fine, but we can’t see it all because much of it falls out-

called tracking and kerning. s e

side of the frame. We can squeeze characters together with techniques

Understanding Tracking and Kerning u

e w
Tracking and kerning are typographic terms having to do with the space

v i
between characters. When designers of specific type faces create a given type
face, they build in a default amount of space around each character. This spac-

r e
ing is intended by the artist to be the most effective distance. In layout applica-
tions like InDesign, we can override these defaults; each term is used to make
r
these adjustments described below.

fo
Tracking controls the white space between characters in an entire block of

l e
text. Generally, tighter tracking is appropriate for larger text, and looser track-
ing is better for smaller text. The default tracking settings for body text are
p
usually adequate, but larger display text may need to have a tighter tracking

a m
setting.

Kerning controls the white space between individual characters. Each charac-
S ter takes up a different amount of space, depending on the font face. Normally,
kerning is used to reduce the space between a pair of characters. Usually, body
text is small enough that kerning is not needed. However, headlines sometimes
look better with tighter kerning. This helps remove unnecessary white space
between two characters.

Since this title text is too large to fit in the frame, in order to squeeze together
the entire grouping of characters, we will change the overall tracking; then we
will adjust the kerning between a few characters.

22 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

Changing the Tracking

Tracking refers to the spacing between characters in a block of text. We
already have this group of characters highlighted, so we can adjust the track-
ing without having to change the selection.

1. To begin adjusting the tracking, locate the Tracking (in thousandths of an

em) icon, in the center of the control pallet.

2. To change the tracking, in the Tracking field,

™ , ™ -50
l y
o n
The text now fits within the frame. That accomplished, we can see that the
spacing between some of the letters is different. At this point, we can make

e
some of the individual character spacing more even.

s
Changing the Kerning
u
Kerning is the spacing between a pair of characters, and is appropriate where
w
open spaces of letters—like the area directly under the horizontal stroke of a
e
v i
capital T—make character spacing look awkward. We will alter the kerning
between some pairs of characters. Specifically, we can see that the letters to

e
the right of both of the capital Ts could be nudged closer.
r
r
1. To activate the Type tool, in the Toolbox,

fo ™
l e
p
2. To begin moving the letters T and e in “Technology” closer together,

a m ™ between the T and E

S The blinking cursor appears between the letters.

3. To begin adjusting the kerning, locate the Kerning (in thousandths of an

em) button, just above the Tracking icon.

4. To change the kerning, in the Kerning field,

¢ the value, type: -90©

NOTE: To change the kerning in increments, the up or down arrow controls

can also be clicked.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 23

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

5. To make adjustments between other pairs of characters, repeat steps 1-3,

adjusting the value accordingly.

Now the text fits horizontally in the frame, but it is still aligned at the left.
We need to make some more adjustments.

Formatting a Paragraph
The name of the publication appears to be the right size, but it still needs to be
centered horizontally within the frame. We can do this with the Paragraph
Control palette. When we make an adjustment in the Paragraph Control pal-
ette, our changes are applied to the entire paragraph.

l y
First, we need to activate the Paragraph Control palette and then make the
alignment change.

o n
1. To activate the Paragraph Control palette, on the Control palette,

s e
™
u
w
The Character Control palette changes to the Paragraph Control palette.

e
i
2. To center the paragraph in the text frame, in the Paragraph Control palette,

v
r e ™
r
fo
The text is centered within the frame.

l e
To effectively display this newsletter title, we still need to make adjust-
ments to the location of the text relative to its frame. We can determine

p
where it should be located from the top or bottom borders of the frame, and
also where it is aligned vertically in the frame. We will make the alignment

a m adjustments from the Control palette to start. This operation requires ma-
nipulation of the frame itself, not the text. When we adjust frame specifica-

S tions, we use the Selection tools.

Modifying a Frame with the Selection Tool

At the top of the Toolbox there are two selection tools, represented by arrows:
one black and one white. These tools select frames and objects so we can
manipulate them.

24 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

© 2005 The Trustees of Indiana Univeristy For review use only

• The black arrow is the Selection tool. It selects an entire frame so it can
be smoothly moved, resized, or rotated.
• The white arrow is the Direct Selection tool. It selects parts or segments
of a frame to apply various effects, such as distorting or skewing, to each
piece.

Changing Alignment Within a Frame

To work with alignment of text within a frame, we need to work with options
that pertain to the frame as a whole, so we must use the Selection tool.

1. To activate the Selection Tool,

l y
™
o n
The Frame control palette appears.

s e
u
We can tell the frame is selected because the text is now bordered by a light
blue box with tiny squares known as handles which could be used to re-

of its options.
e w
size the frame. Now that we have activated the frame, we can check some

v i
2. To center the text vertically in the frame, in the Control palette,

r e ™
r
fo
The text is now in the middle of the text frame.

Stacking Frames Together l e

p
We have created an attractively rendered name for our classroom technology

a m
newsletter, but as part of a publication nameplate, it should contain informa-
tion about the issue number and the date. Since we will want to locate this

S information underneath the name and then apply some separate formatting
characteristics, the task would be easiest to accomplish in an independent, but
overlapping, frame.

The text frame containing the publication is already in place, and now we
want to add a frame on top of it. Since this frame is already functioning as a
text frame, the Type tool can only be used inside it to highlight existing text;
hence, we cannot successfully use the Type tool to press and drag a new frame
over it. Because of this, we will need to use another tool: the Rectangle Frame
tool.

InDesign: Basic Page Layout v2.0.0 25

For review use only © 2005 The Trustees of Indiana University

Creating a Frame with the Frame Tool

The Rectangle Frame tool is used to create rectangular frames with unspeci-
fied content. Once a frame has been created, it can be used as a placeholder to
import a file containing text or graphics. Additionally, we can make it a text
frame by simply clicking inside the frame after it has been created.

Let’s use the Rectangular Frame tool to draw a new frame.

1. To activate the Rectangular Frame tool, in the Toolbox,

™
l y
o n
The tool is highlighted and the cursor becomes a crosshair with a tiny ar-
row. Notice as we move the cursor, our position is indicated in the ruler

2. To position the cursor, s e

with a dotted line. We will use this feature to precisely draw the frame.

u
w
§ left document margin, at 1 1/2” on the vertical ruler
e
3. To draw the new frame,
v i
r e
¢ a 1/4” high frame that spans all columns
r
fo
A new 1/4” frame appears, extending across all three columns and overlap-
ping the bottom of the nameplate frame. It has a large “X” inside it, span-

e
ning from corner to corner. The frames should look like the following:
l
p
a m
S Because we still have Snap to Grid active, the frame is aligned exactly
along the bottom of the previous frame.

Now we will make it a text frame by clicking inside it with the Type tool.

4. To activate the Type tool,

™ , ™ the new frame

The “X” inside the frame disappears, and a blinking cursor is activated.
Now we can type the volume number inside.

26 InDesign: Basic Page Layout vv2.0.0

Where to Go From Here
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To find out how you may use the full version of this document and many other
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