3 Setting Up a Document and Working with Pages

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

• Save custom document settings as a document preset.

• Create a new document and set document defaults.

• Lay out a master page.

• Create an additional master page.

• Apply a master page to document pages.

• Add pages to a document.

• Rearrange and delete pages.

• Change the size of pages.

• Create sections and specify page numbering.

• Lay out document pages.

• Prepare to print to the edge of the paper.

• Rotate a document page.

This lesson will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

Please log in to your account on peachpit.com to download the lesson files for this chapter, or go to the “Getting Started” section at the beginning of this book and follow the instructions under “Accessing the Lesson Files and Web Edition.” Store the files on your computer in a convenient location.

By taking advantage of features that help you set up the publications you create, you can ensure consistent page layout, simplify your production process, and work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Getting started

In this lesson, you’ll set up an eight-page newsletter with a four-page insert and then place text and graphics on one of the document’s facing-page spreads.

1. To ensure that the preferences and default settings of your Adobe InDesign program match those used in this lesson, move the InDesign Defaults file to a different folder following the procedure in “Saving and restoring the InDesign Defaults file” on pages 4–5.

2. Start Adobe InDesign. To ensure that the panels and menu commands match those used in this lesson, choose Window > Workspace > [Advanced], and then choose Window > Workspace > Reset Advanced. To begin working, you’ll learn how to create a new document.

   Note: If an alert informs you that the document contains links to sources that have been modified, click Update Links.

3. To see what the finished document looks like, open the 03_End.indd file in the Lesson03 folder, located inside the Lessons folder within the InDesign CIB folder on your hard drive. (If the Missing Fonts dialog box displays, click Sync Fonts, and then click Close after the fonts have successfully synced from Typekit.)

   

4. Scroll through the document to view other pages. To see the guidelines and placeholder frames on the pages, choose View > Screen Mode > Normal. Navigate back to pages 2–3, which are the only document pages you’ll lay out in this lesson. You will also lay out a pair of master page spreads.

5. Close the 03_End.indd file after you have finished examining it, or you can leave this document open for reference.

Creating and saving custom document settings

InDesign lets you save frequently used document settings, including the number of pages, page size, columns, and margins. Choosing one of these saved document parameters, called document presets, when creating a new document saves time and ensures consistency.

1. Choose File > Document Presets > Define.

2. Click New in the Document Presets dialog box.

3. In the New Document dialog box, set the following:

   • In the Document Preset box, type Newsletter.

   • In the Number of Pages box, type 8.

   • Make sure that the Facing Pages option is selected.

   • Use the default Page Size (Letter).

   • In the Columns section, type 3 for Number, and leave the Gutter at 1p0.

   • In the Margins section, make sure that the Make All Settings The Same icon in the center of the margin settings is deselected () so that you can enter custom settings for each margin. Type 6p for Top; type 4p for the Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins.

   

4. Click the triangle to the left of Bleed And Slug to display additional controls. Highlight or delete the text (0p0) in the Top box of the Bleed option, and then enter .125". Then ensure that the Make All Settings The Same icon is selected (unbroken) so that the same value is used for the Bottom, Inside, and Outside boxes. Click inside the Bottom box and notice that InDesign automatically converts measurements expressed using other measurement units (in this case, inches) to the pica and point equivalents. (The default Bleed value is 0p9, or one-eighth of an inch.)

   

   The bleed values specify an area outside the perimeter of each page that can be printed and is used to print design elements, such as pictures or a colored background, that extend to the edge of the paper. The bleed area is trimmed and discarded after the printing process.

5. Click OK in both dialog boxes to save the document preset.

Creating a new document

Each time you create a new document, the New Document dialog box lets you choose a document preset as the starting point, or you can use this dialog box to specify several document settings, including the number of pages, the page size, the number of columns, and more. In this section, you’ll use the Newsletter preset that you just created.

1. Choose File > New > Document.

2. In the New Document dialog box, choose the Newsletter preset, which you’ll see when you click Saved at the top of the dialog box.

   

3. Click Create.

   InDesign creates a new document using all of the specifications from the docu-ment preset, including the page size, margins, columns, and number of pages.

   Tip: You can also create a new document based on a document preset by choosing File > Document Presets > [Preset_Name]. If you press the Shift key when selecting a preset, the New Document dialog box is bypassed and a new document that uses those presets opens.

4. Open the Pages panel by clicking its panel icon or choosing Window > Pages. If necessary, drag the bottom of the panel downward until all eight document page icons are visible.

   In the Pages panel, the icon for page 1 is highlighted, and the page number below the icon is displayed within a highlighted rectangle to indicate that page 1 is currently displayed in the document window.

   About page numbering

   There are two kinds of page numbering in any kind of multi-page publication. One is the physical structure of the folded paper that creates the physical pages. The other is the label placed on the pages. The label, or folio, can have sections, begin new numbering with each section, in many possible configurations. Here we are concerned with the physical structure.

   Any printed material that has a spine, such as a magazine or a book, follows a structure dictated by folding paper. The simplest example is to fold a piece of paper in half. Each resulting rectangle is a page. If you nest two folded pieces of paper into each other and staple them at the fold (the spine), you have created an 8-page booklet. The first page (the cover) of this booklet is to the right of the fold (the spine). Open the first page and you have one page to the left of the spine (or fold), page 2, and one page to the right of the spine, page 3.

   When you create a document with facing pages, InDesign shows you this structure in the Pages panel. Page 1 is to the right of the center line, which represents the spine. Page 2 is to the left. All odd number pages are to the right, and all even number pages to the left. To begin a document to the left of the spine, you must enter an even number in the Start Page # box in the Document Setup dialog box.

   

   The Pages panel is divided into two sections by a horizontal line. The upper section displays thumbnails of the document’s master pages. A master page is like a background template that you can apply to any page in a document. Master pages contain elements, such as headers, footers, and page numbers, that appear on all document pages. (You’ll work with master pages later in this lesson.) The lower section of the Pages panel displays thumbnails of document pages.

   In this document, the default master page (which is automatically given the default name “A-Master”) consists of a two-page spread of facing pages.

   

5. Choose File > Save As, name the file 03_Setup.indd, navigate to the Lesson03 folder, and click Save.

Switching between open InDesign documents

As you work, you may want to switch between your new document and the supplied finished document for reference. If both documents are open, you can bring one or the other to the front.

1. Choose the Window menu. A list of currently open InDesign documents is displayed at the bottom.

   Tip: The keyboard shortcut for switching among open InDesign documents is Ctrl+` (Windows) or Command+` macOS). (The ` character is located above the Tab key.)

2. Choose the document you want to view. That document now appears in front. Choose the 03_Setup.indd document when you’re ready to continue.

The names of all open documents are also displayed in tabs along the top of the document window, starting on the left with the first document opened. Clicking a document’s name displays that document.

Working with master pages

Before you add graphics and text frames to a document, you may want to set up the master pages, which serve as backgrounds for your document pages. Any object that you add to a master page automatically appears on the document pages to which the master page has been applied.

In this document, you’ll create two master page spreads—one that contains a grid of guidelines and footer information, and a second that contains placeholder frames for text and graphics. By creating multiple master pages, you allow for variation while ensuring consistent design.

Adding guides to the master page

Guides are nonprinting lines that help you lay out a document precisely. Guides placed on a master page appear on any document pages to which that master is applied. For this document, you’ll add several guides that, along with the existing column guides, act as a grid to help you position graphics frames, text frames, and other objects.

1. In the upper section of the Pages panel, double-click the name A-Master. The master spread’s left and right pages are displayed in the document window.

2. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window to display both pages of the master spread.

3. Choose Layout > Create Guides.

4. Select Preview to display your changes as you make them.

5. For the Rows option, type 4 in the Number box and 0 in the Gutter box.

6. For the Columns option, type 2 in the Number box and 0 in the Gutter box.

   Note: Gutter is the term for the space between columns.

7. For Fit Guides To, select Margins and notice how the horizontal and vertical guides appear on your master pages, along with the margin and column guides that you established when you created the Newsletter preset.

   

   Tip: Guides can also be added to a spread in a facing-page document by using the Create Guides command (Layout menu) when working on a document page rather than a master page.

   Selecting Margins instead of Page causes the guides to fit within the margin boundaries rather than the page boundaries. When you lay out document pages, you can use these guides to help you position and align objects.

8. Click OK.

Dragging guides from rulers

You can drag guides from the horizontal (top) and vertical (left side) rulers at the edge of the document window to provide additional alignment assistance on individual pages. Pressing Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while dragging a horizontal guide applies the guide to the entire spread. Pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while dragging a guide from the horizontal ruler changes it to a vertical guide and, likewise, changes a vertical guide to a horizontal guide when dragging a guide from the vertical ruler.

In this lesson, you will place headers above the top margin of the page and footers below the bottom margin. To position the headers and footers accurately, you will manually add two horizontal guides and two vertical guides.

1. Open the Transform panel (Window > Object & Layout > Transform). Without clicking in your document, move the pointer around the document window and watch the horizontal and vertical rulers as the pointer moves. Notice how the hairline indicators in the rulers correspond to the pointer’s position. Also notice that the dimmed X and Y values in the Control panel and the Transform panel indicate the position of the pointer.

   Tip: You can also drag a ruler guide without the Ctrl or Command key and release the guide over the pasteboard to have a guide appear across all pages in a spread as well as on the pasteboard.

2. Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and position your pointer on the horizontal ruler anywhere above the spread. Drag a ruler guide down to 2p6. The Y value is displayed next to the pointer while you drag and is also displayed in the Y box in the Control panel and the Transform panel. Pressing Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) when you create a guide causes the guide to extend across both pages of the spread, as well as across the pasteboard on either side. If you don’t press Ctrl or Command, the guide will extend only across the page on which you release the mouse button.

   Note: The controls in the Transform panel are similar to those in the Control panel. You can use either panel to make many common modifications, such as changing position, size, scale, and angle of rotation.

   

3. Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and drag two more ruler guides from the horizontal ruler: one to 5p and the other to 63p.

4. Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and drag a ruler guide from the vertical ruler to the 17p8 position. Watch the X value in the Control panel as you drag. The guide snaps to the column guide at that location. If the X value doesn’t display 17p8 as you drag, place the guide as close as you can, and then—with the guide still selected—highlight the X value in the Control panel or Transform panel, enter 17p8, and then press Enter or Return.

5. Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and drag another guide from the vertical ruler to the 84p4 position.

   

6. Close or dock the Transform panel, and then choose File > Save.

Step and repeat, paste, and delete guides

A key concept to understand about guides in InDesign is that they behave like other objects. You can use many of the same techniques with guides that you use for working with any objects. One powerful technique is Step and Repeat.

In this lesson, you step and repeat guides, copy and paste guides, and delete guides.

1. Navigate to page 6 by double-clicking the icon for page 6 in the Pages panel. Drag a guide from the vertical ruler to 3p.

2. With the Selection tool, drag across the guide to select it. When selected, the color of the guide will be darker.

3. Open the Step and Repeat dialog box (Edit > Step and Repeat). Enter 3 for the repeat count and 3p for the Horizontal offset. Click Preview to see the changes while you work. Hold down the Shift key and click the up arrow in the Horizontal measurement four times until you get an offset of 7p, or just type 7p. (If you don’t hold down the Shift key, InDesign will change the measurement in increments of one point, or p1.) Click OK.

   

4. Use the Selection tool and drag across all four guides you just created to select the guides. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.

5. Double-click page 8 in the Pages panel. Choose Paste In Place from the Edit menu. The guides will be in the exact same place on page 8 as they are on page 6. This technique can be useful when you want to duplicate a design, but not on enough pages to create another master page. You can also copy and paste guides between documents.

6. If you decide to change your layout, it’s often helpful to delete guides you no longer need. Again, use the Selection tool and drag across the four guides you just pasted onto page 8 to select them. Choose Edit > Clear, or press the Delete key.

Creating a text frame on the master page

Any text or graphic that you place on a master page appears on document pages to which the master is applied. To create a footer, you’ll add a publication title (“Flora & Fauna of the Coastal Carolinas”) and a page number marker to the bottom of the verso (left) and recto (right) pages of the document’s facing-page master spread.

1. Navigate to the left master page, and make sure that you can see the bottom of the page. If necessary, zoom in and use the scroll bars or Hand tool ().

   Note: When you draw a frame with the Type tool, the frame starts at the point of the black arrowhead that’s displayed in the upper-left corner of the I-beam pointer. The arrowhead turns white when it’s over a guideline.

2. Select the Type tool () in the Tools panel. On the left master page, click where the two ruler guides intersect below the leftmost column and drag to create a text frame, as shown below. A white arrowhead is displayed next to the crosshair pointer when you drag over a guideline.

   

3. With the insertion point in the new text frame, choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number.

   The letter A appears in your text frame. On document pages based on this master page, the correct page number is displayed, such as “2” on the document’s page 2.

   Tip: An em space is the width of the current font size. For example, when working with 12-point text, an em space is 12 points wide. The term originated in the days of metal type and described the width of the capital letter M.

4. To add an em space after the page number, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) with the insertion point in the text frame to display a context menu, and then choose Insert White Space > Em Space. Or you can choose this same command from the Type menu.

5. Type Flora & Fauna of the Coastal Carolinas after the em space.

   

6. Click a blank area of your document window or choose Edit > Deselect All to deselect the text frame.

   Next, you’ll duplicate the footer on the left master page, position the copy on the right master page, and adjust the text so that it’s a mirror opposite of the other footer.

7. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window to display both master pages.

   Tip: If you also press the Shift key while Alt-dragging (Windows) or Option-dragging (macOS) a text frame, movement is constrained to vertical, horizontal, and 45-degree angles.

8. Using the Selection tool (), select the footer text frame on the left master page. Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (macOS), and drag the text frame to the right master page so that it snaps to the guides, mirroring the left master page as shown below.

   

9. Select the Type tool (), and click anywhere inside the text frame on the right master page, creating an insertion point.

   Tip: Depending on the size of your monitor, the paragraph formatting controls in the Control panel may be visible (to the right of the character formatting controls) without having to click the Paragraph Formatting Controls button.

10. Click Paragraph Formatting Controls () in the Control panel, and then click the Align Right button.

    

    Click Paragraph Formatting Controls at the left side of the Control panel to see the alignment options.

    The text is now right-aligned within the footer frame on the right master page. Now you’ll modify the footer text on the right master page, placing the page number on the right side of the words “Flora & Fauna of the Coastal Carolinas.”

11. Delete the em space and page number at the beginning of the footer.

12. Place the insertion point at the end of “Flora & Fauna of the Coastal Carolinas” and then choose Type > Insert White Space > Em Space. (Note: You won’t see this change until you add the Current Page Number character in the next step.)

13. Choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number to insert the Current Page Number character after the em space.

    

    Left footer and right footer.

14. Choose Edit > Deselect All, and then choose File > Save.

Renaming the master page

When a document contains multiple master pages, you may want to assign a descriptive name to each master page to make them all easier to identify. You will rename this first master page “3-column Layout.”

1. Choose Window > Pages if the Pages panel is not open. Confirm that the A-Master page is still selected. Choose Master Options For “A-Master” from the Pages panel flyout menu ().

2. In the Name box, type 3-column Layout, and click OK.

   Tip: In addition to changing the names of master pages, you can use the Master Options dialog box to change other properties of a master page, such as the prefix, number of pages in the master page spread, and whether or not the master page is based on another master.

   

Adding placeholder frames for text

Each document page in the newsletter will contain text and graphics. The main text frame and graphics frame are the same on each page, so you’ll create a placeholder text frame and a placeholder graphics frame on the left and right pages of the A-3-column Layout master page.

1. To center the left page in the document window, double-click the left page icon of the A-3-column Layout master in the Pages panel.

   

2. Select the Type tool (). Click where the horizontal and vertical margin guides intersect in the upper-left corner of the page, and drag to create a text frame that extends horizontally across two columns and vertically from the top margin to the bottom margin.

   

3. Double-click the right page icon of the A-3-column Layout master in the Pages panel to center it in the document window.

4. With the Type tool (), create another text frame on the right page that’s identical to the text frame you just created on the left page. Make sure the upper-left corner of the frame aligns with the intersection of the margin guides in the upper-left corner of the page.

5. Click a blank area of the page or pasteboard, or choose Edit > Deselect All.

6. Choose File > Save.

Adding placeholder frames for graphics

You have now created placeholder text frames for the main text on each page. Next, you’ll add two graphics frames to the A-3-column Layout master. Similar to the text frames you created, these frames act as placeholders for graphics you’ll later place on document pages, helping you to maintain a consistent design.

Although the Rectangle tool () and the Rectangle Frame tool () are more or less interchangeable, the Rectangle Frame tool, which includes nonprinting diagonal lines within, is commonly used to create placeholders for graphics.

1. Select the Rectangle Frame tool () in the Tools panel.

2. Position the crosshair pointer at the intersection of the top margin guide and the right margin guide on the right page.

   Drag down and to the left to create a frame that extends horizontally one column width and vertically to the next ruler guide below.

   

3. Create an identical placeholder graphics frame in the same position on the left page.

4. Use the Selection tool to click a blank area of the page or pasteboard, or choose Edit > Deselect All.

5. Choose File > Save.

Creating an additional master page

You can create multiple master pages within a document. You can build them independently or base one master page on another master page. If you base a master page on another master, any change made to the parent master is automatically applied to the child master.

For instance, the A-3-column Layout master page is useful for most pages in the newsletter and can be used as the basis for another set of master pages that share key layout elements, such as margins and the current page number character.

To accommodate different layouts, you will create a separate master page spread that uses a two-column format, and then you’ll modify the two-column layout.

1. In the Pages panel, choose New Master from the Pages panel flyout menu.

2. In the Name box, type 2-column Layout.

3. From the Based On Master menu, choose A-3-column Layout, and click OK.

   Notice that the letter A is displayed on the B-2-column Layout master page thumbnails at the top of the Pages panel. This letter indicates that the A-3-column Layout master serves as the foundation for the B-2-column Layout master. If you were to change the A-3-column Layout master, the changes would also be reflected in the B-2-column Layout master. You may also notice that you cannot easily select objects, such as the footer frames, from parent master pages. You’ll learn about selecting and overriding master page items later in this lesson.

   Note: If all of the master page icons are not visible in the Pages panel, click the horizontal bar that separates the master page icons from document page icons and drag down until the other master page icons are visible.

   

4. Choose Layout > Margins And Columns.

5. In the Margins And Columns dialog box, set the number of columns to 2, and then click OK.

Overriding master items

The document pages that will use the two-column layout do not require placeholder frames, which means that only the footer text frames and the ruler guides from the A-3-column Layout master are required. Next, you’ll remove the placeholder frames from the B-2-column Layout master.

1. Using the Selection tool (), click within the graphics frame on the left page of the B-2-column Layout master. Nothing happens. Because this frame is inherited from the parent master, you can’t select it with a simple click.

2. Hold down Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (macOS), and then click within the graphics frame. The frame is now selected, and you have overridden its status as a master item. Press Backspace or Delete to delete the frame.

3. Use the same method to delete the placeholder graphics frame on the right page, as well as the placeholder text frame on the left and right pages.

4. Choose File > Save.

Modifying a parent master

To complete your work laying out the newsletter’s master pages, you’ll add several header elements to the top of the A-3-column Layout master and another footer element to the right page. Then you’ll view the B-2-column Layout master and see how the new objects are automatically added to that master page spread.

Rather than manually laying out the additional header and footer frames, you’ll import a snippet. A snippet is a file that contains InDesign objects, including their location relative to one another on a page or spread, and can be imported into a layout with the Place command (File menu) the same way you import graphic files. InDesign lets you export selected objects as a snippet file and place snippets into documents. (You’ll use snippets again later in this lesson, and you’ll learn more about snippets in Lesson 10, “Importing and Modifying Graphics.”)

1. Double-click the name of the A-3-column Layout master in the Pages panel to display the spread.

2. Choose File > Place. Open the Links folder in the Lesson03 folder, located inside the Lessons folder within the InDesign CIB folder. Click the file named Snippet1.idms, and then click Open.

3. Position the loaded snippet icon () outside the upper-left corner of the spread, where the red bleed guides meet. Click to place the snippet.

   The snippet places a header at the top of each page, as well as an imported graphic at the bottom of the right page. Each header includes an empty blue graphics frame and a text frame with white placeholder text.

   Tip: To create a snippet, select one or more objects on a page or spread. Choose File > Export, and then choose InDesign Snippet from the Save As Type menu (Windows) or the Format menu (macOS). Choose the location of the file, assign a name, and then click Save.

   

4. Double-click the name of the B-2-column Layout master in the Pages panel. Notice how the new elements you just applied to the A-3-column Layout master have been automatically applied to this child master.

   Tip: The parent–child master structure enables you to quickly apply design changes to common elements, without having to make the same change to several items.

5. Navigate back to the A-3-column Layout master. Click the left blue graphics frame to select it. Open the Swatches panel, and click the green swatch. Now navigate to the B-2-column Layout master in the Pages panel again, and see that the color of the left header box is now green as well.

   

6. Choose File > Save.

Applying master pages to document pages

Now that you have created all of the master pages, it’s time to apply them to the pages in the document. By default, all of the document pages are formatted with the A-3-column Layout master. You will apply the B-2-column Layout master to several pages in the newsletter, and then you’ll apply the None master page to the cover page, which doesn’t require header or footer information and thus does not require a master page.

You can apply master pages to document pages by dragging master page icons onto document page icons in the Pages panel or by using an option in the Pages panel menu.

1. Double-click the name of the B-2-column Layout master in the Pages panel. Make sure that all master pages and document pages are visible in the panel.

2. Drag either the highlighted master page name or the accompanying spread icon of the B-2-column Layout master onto the icon of document page 4. When page 4 is displayed with a black border, indicating it’s the page to which the selected master will be applied, release the mouse button.

   

3. Drag either the highlighted master page name or the accompanying spread icon of the B-2-column Layout master onto the icon of document page 5 and then onto document page 8.

4. Double-click the page numbers 4–5 (below the page icons) in the Pages panel to display this spread. Notice that the two pages of this spread have the two-column layout of the applied master page, as well as the header and footer elements that you placed on the parent master page. Also notice that the correct page numbers are displayed on each page as a result of the Current Page Number characters you placed on the A-3-column Layout master page spread.

5. Double-click the icon for document page 1. Because it’s based on the A-3-column Layout master, it includes header and footer elements, which aren’t required on the cover of the newsletter.

6. Choose Apply Master To Pages from the Pages panel flyout menu. In the Apply Master dialog box, choose [None] from the Apply Master menu and make sure that 1 is the page number in the To Pages box. Click OK.

   

7. Choose File > Save.

Adding new document pages

You can add new pages to your existing document. Next, you’ll add six additional pages to your newsletter. Later in this lesson, you’ll use four of these pages for a “special section” within your newsletter that uses a different page size and separate page numbering.

1. In the Pages panel flyout menu, choose Insert Pages.

2. In the Insert Pages dialog box, type 6 in the Pages box, choose After Page from the Insert menu, and enter 4 in the accompanying (page number) box, and then choose [None] from the Master menu.

   

3. Click OK. Six blank pages are added in the middle of the document. Lengthen the Pages panel so that you can see as many document pages as possible.

Rearranging and deleting document pages

You can use the Pages panel to rearrange the sequence of pages and delete extra pages.

1. In the Pages panel, click page 12 to select it. Notice that it’s based on the A-3-column Layout master. Drag the page 12 icon upward onto the icon for page 11, which is based on the B-2-column Layout master. When the small arrow inside the hand is pointing to the right, indicating that page 11 will be “pushed” in that direction, release the mouse button.

   Notice that page 11 is now based on the A-3-column Layout master, and the page that had previously been page 11 is now page 12. Pages 13 and 14 remain unchanged.

2. Click page 5, and then press the Shift key and click page 6.

3. Click the Delete Selected Pages button icon () at the bottom of the panel. Pages 5 and 6 are deleted from the document, leaving it with 12 pages.

4. Choose File > Save.

Changing the size of pages

Next, you’ll create an insert within the newsletter by changing the size of four pages in a “special section” of the publication. You’ll then quickly lay out the two spreads that make up this section.

1. Select the Page tool (). Click page 5 in the Pages panel, and then press the Shift key and click page 8. The icons for pages 5–8 are highlighted in the panel. These are the pages whose size you will change.

   

2. In the Control panel, enter 36p in the Width box; enter 25p6 in the Height box. Press Enter or Return each time you enter a value to apply it to the selected pages. (These values produce a 6" x 4.25" insert—the size of a standard postcard.)

3. Double-click page 4 in the Pages panel, and then choose View > Fit Spread In Window. Notice that the spread now contains pages of unequal size.

   

4. Use the Page tool to select pages 5–8 in the Pages panel.

5. To set new margin and column guides for the selected pages, choose Layout > Margins And Columns to display the Margins And Columns dialog box. In the Margins section, make sure that the Make All Settings The Same icon () in the center is selected (unbroken) so that you can enter one setting for all four margins. Enter 1p6 in the Top box. In the Columns section, enter 1 in the Number box, and then click OK.

6. Choose File > Save.

Adding sections to change page numbering

The special section you just created will use its own page-numbering system. You can use different kinds of page numbering within a document by creating sections. Next, you’ll start a new section on the first page of the special section, and then you’ll adjust the page numbering of the subsequent newsletter pages so that they’re numbered correctly.

1. Choose the Selection tool (). In the Pages panel, double-click the page 5 icon to select and display it.

2. Choose Numbering & Section Options from the Pages panel flyout menu, or choose Layout > Numbering > Section Options. In the New Section dialog box, make sure that Start Section and Start Page Numbering At are selected and that the Start Page Numbering At value is 1.

3. Choose i, ii, iii, iv… from the Style menu in the Page Numbering section of the dialog box. Click OK.

   

   The triangle above the page i page icon indicates the start of a section.

4. Examine the page icons in the Pages panel. Starting with the fifth document page, the numbers below the page icons now appear as Roman numerals. The numbers in the footers of the remaining document pages that contain footers also appear as Roman numerals.

   Now you’ll specify for the document to use Arabic numerals for the newsletter pages that follow the special section and to continue the numbering from the page prior to the first page of the special section (page 4).

   Note: Single-clicking a master page icon or a document page icon targets the page for editing purposes but does not cause that page to be displayed in the document window. If you want to navigate to a page, double-click its icon in the Pages panel.

5. Select page v in the Pages panel by clicking its icon once.

6. Choose Numbering & Section Options from the Pages panel flyout menu.

7. In the New Section dialog box, make sure that Start Section is selected.

8. Select Start Page Numbering At and specify a value of 5 in the accompanying box to start section numbering on page 5 and resume the numbering of the document pages (1–4) that precede the special section.

9. Make sure that 1, 2, 3, 4… is selected in the Style menu, and then click OK.

   

   Now your pages are correctly renumbered. Notice that a small triangle is displayed above pages 1, i, and 5 in the Pages panel, indicating the start of a new section. In this document, the page numbering at page 5 continues the numbering from the first section, but the numbering could be another pattern. The important point to note is that whenever you see the triangle above a page in the Pages panel, it indicates a section change, regardless of the particular numbering pattern in that file.

10. Choose File > Save.

Overriding master page items and placing text and graphics

Now that the framework of the 12-page publication (the eight-page guide and four-page insert) is in place, you’re ready to lay out document pages. To see how the work you’ve done setting up the document’s master pages affects the document pages, you’ll add text and graphics to the spread on pages 2 and 3. You’ll learn more about creating and modifying objects in Lesson 4, so for this lesson, we’ve simplified the layout process to minimize your work.

1. Choose File > Save As, name the file 03_Newsletter.indd, navigate to the Lesson03 folder, and click Save.

2. In the Pages panel, double-click the page 2 icon (not page ii), and then choose View > Fit Spread In Window.

   Notice that because the A-3-column Layout master is assigned to pages 2 and 3, these pages include the guides, headers and footers, and placeholder frames from the A-3-column Layout master.

   To import text and graphics created with other applications, such as a text file from Microsoft Word or an image from Adobe Photoshop, you use the Place command.

3. Choose File > Place. If necessary, open the Links folder in the Lesson03 folder, located inside the Lessons folder within the InDesign CIB folder. Click the Article1.txt file, and then Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (macOS) Article2.txt, Graphic1.jpg, and Graphic2.jpg to select these four files. Click Open.

   Note: Parentheses are displayed when InDesign recognizes a preexisting frame beneath the loaded text icon or the loaded graphics icon when importing text or graphics into a layout. If you click within an existing frame, InDesign uses that frame rather than creating a new text or graphics frame.

   The pointer changes to a loaded text icon (), with a preview of the first few lines of the Article1.txt text file that you are placing.

   

4. Position the loaded text icon over the placeholder text frame on page 2, and then click to place the Article1.txt text into the frame. Notice the (4) after the loaded text icon, indicating that you have loaded four items to place.

5. To place the three remaining files, click within the text frame on page 3 to place the Article2.docx text, click within the graphics frame on page 2 to place Graphic1.jpg, and click within the graphics frame on page 3 to place Graphic2.jpg.

   

6. Choose Edit > Deselect All.

   You’ll import a snippet to complete the layout of the spread.

7. Choose File > Place. Click the Snippet2.idms file, and then click Open.

8. Position the loaded snippet icon () outside the upper-left corner of the spread, where the red bleed guides meet. Click to place the snippet.

   

9. Choose Edit > Deselect all, or click an empty area of the page or pasteboard to deselect all objects.

10. Choose File > Save.

Next, you’ll override two master items on your spread—the two text frames that contain the header text—and then replace the placeholder text with new text.

Replacing placeholder text

1. Select the Type tool (). Hold down Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (macOS), and then click within the placeholder text frame on page 2 that contains “Placeholder Text.” Replace the placeholder text with Egrets and Herons.

2. Repeat step 1 to change the header text on page 3 to Monarch Butterflies.

3. Choose Edit > Deselect All.

4. Choose File > Save.

Printing to the edge of the paper: using the bleed guides

A very important concept to keep in mind when setting up a document is whether any elements will print all the way to the edge of the paper. If so, you need to account for how that is accomplished in commercial printing. The bleed guides that we set up in the newsletter template are there to enable you to do that.

Pages are printed on larger paper, not single sheets as is familiar on an office printer. For example, the pages could be 2-up as on a small digital press, or 8-up on a typical large offset press. Throughout the printing process, tolerances are built in to allow for slight variations, and one of those tolerances is bleed. Sheets of printed material are cut in large stacks, and even with a very sharp blade, it’s impossible to cut exactly to the edge of an image hundreds or thousands of times. So to get a perfect edge every time, allowing for the mechanics of cutting paper in stacks, any artwork that will print to the edge must actually extend past where the blade will cut the printed sheet.

Diagram of a press sheet. The pink line is where the blade will cut the piece to the final size. The blue represents the bleed. Notice that the bleed extends past where the blade will cut.

To create a finished piece with photos or other elements that print right to the edge of the page, you actually must extend those items past where the blade will cut the sheet to the final size. That produces a clean edge because the blade cuts through printed image, not unprinted paper. It’s best to do this while you are building a file because you may have a photo or other art that is not big enough to extend past the page edge, and it’s better to deal with that early in the process. You will now learn how to check that items extend sufficiently beyond the page edge, and fix them if they do not.

1. Using the Selection tool (), double-click the page 2 icon in the Pages panel to display it.

2. Choose View > Screen Mode > Normal and focus on the red bleed guides.

3. First look at the bottom photos on the left and right. Notice that the photo on the left of the eggs in the nest extends to the red bleed guide, which means there is enough image to get a clean edge when the paper is cut.

4. Now look at the photo of the butterfly on the right. See that the box ends exactly at the edge of the page. This needs to be extended at least up to the red bleed guide. Click this photo with the Selection tool. Pull the right handle farther to the right to make the picture box big enough to meet or pass the red bleed guide.

   

5. Next look across the top of the spread. See how the green graphics frame on the left is lower than the blue graphics frame on the right. Click it with the Selection tool. You won’t be able to select it since this item is on a master spread. Navigate to the A-3-column Layout master by clicking it in the Pages panel. Now you can select the green box. Pull the center handle upwards to make the box bigger. Stop either at the red bleed guide or slightly past it.

6. Navigate back to page 2 and notice that the green box is now big enough to bleed off the top. Every document page that uses this master page will now bleed correctly without you having to fix each one.

7. Choose File > Save.

Viewing the completed spread

At this point you’re ready to hide guides and frames and see what the completed spread looks like.

1. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window, and hide any panels if necessary.

   Tip: To hide all panels, including the Tools panel and Control panel, press Tab. Press Tab again to redisplay all panels. (You can’t do this when you’re working with text using the Type tool.)

2. Choose View > Screen Mode > Preview to hide the pasteboard and all guides, grids, and frame edges. Preview is the closest onscreen view that best shows how the pages will look when printed and trimmed to size.

   

   You have formatted enough of the 12-page document to see how adding objects to the master pages helps you maintain a consistent design throughout your document.

3. Choose File > Save.

Congratulations. You have finished the lesson.

Exploring on your own

A good way to reinforce the skills you’ve learned in this lesson is to experiment with them. Try some of the following exercises. They’ll give you more practice with InDesign techniques.

1. Place another photograph in the third column on page 3. Use the GraphicExtra.jpg image inside the Links folder in the Lesson03 folder. After you click Open in the Place dialog box, click where the horizontal ruler guide intersects with the left margin of the third column. Hold down the Shift key and drag until the frame is as wide as the column, and then release the mouse button. Choose Object > Fitting > Fill Frame Proportionally.

   

2. Create another master page for the document. Base it on the A-3-column Layout master, name it C-4-column Layout, and then modify it so that it contains four columns instead of three. Apply the new master page to any of the document’s full-sized pages that don’t contain objects (1 or 5–8).