When you create a New Document in InDesign, one of the most important choices you'll make is whether or not you want Facing Pages. The option is in the Preset Details, where Facing Pages is turned on by default for Print documents. But, if you want a Single Page layout, you can turn that off by deselecting it. In this tutorial, I'll explain the two scenarios and provide examples for each layout. Single Pages If the pages will be seen one at a time, then you use the Single Page … [Read more...] about InDesign: Single Pages vs. Facing Pages
Adobe InDesign
How to Build a Book Cover in InDesign
There are several ways to build a book cover in InDesign. I'll show you my tried and true methods, honed from years of experience working at an educational publishing company (Houghton Mifflin, now Cengage Learning). While there, first as a book cover designer and then cover design manager, I was involved in more than 500 books! We had to assemble and use accurate and flexible templates with all of the specifications required by various book printers. Specifications For each of my … [Read more...] about How to Build a Book Cover in InDesign
InDesign Parent Pages: Consistency and Efficiency
The main reasons to use parent pages are to ensure consistency throughout the publication and save time when producing the document. Consistency Maintaining consistency throughout a publication provides cohesiveness and builds reader confidence. Fonts, sizes, styles, colors, and positioning are the primary components that contribute to continuity. When considering what to use on InDesign parent pages (previously known as "master" pages), designers look for patterns that can be replicated. … [Read more...] about InDesign Parent Pages: Consistency and Efficiency
Three Great Ways to Create Grids in InDesign
Why Should You Use a Grid? Grids are the underlying structure to an InDesign layout. They are the skeleton upon which you place the text and images. You can see the grid in InDesign, but it doesn't display in the printed piece. Effective grids organize and align the components, providing consistency and cohesiveness to the layout. Grids are used in the design world, for sure. They can also be found in all sorts of other arenas: maps, city planning, architecture, crossword puzzles, … [Read more...] about Three Great Ways to Create Grids in InDesign
Multiple Page Sizes in a Single InDesign Document
It's fairly common for a project to have many components, each one a different size. Maybe it's a branding project with a logo, letterhead, business card, envelope, poster, t-shirt, and brochure. Maybe it's a book jacket with 2 flaps, a spine, and back and front cover. One approach is to create a new InDesign document for every separate piece. I would certainly do that for multi-page files like brochures and books. For one-page items, though, you could use another approach: create different page … [Read more...] about Multiple Page Sizes in a Single InDesign Document
Create an InDesign File with Bleeds
Adobe InDesign is my go-to layout program for multiple page print projects, such as magazines, brochures, and books. You can, of course, also use it for single-page documents, and even digital projects. For many years, I used Quark XPress, another fantastic publishing software. I switched to InDesign, because I was already using other Adobe products (Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Acrobat) and liked the seamless integration among the programs. What the heck are bleeds? Clue number 1: … [Read more...] about Create an InDesign File with Bleeds
Preflighting and Packaging InDesign Files
Sooner or later, you will discover that sending an InDesign file to another person or vendor is a bit more complicated than simply emailing the file. You must provide the InDesign document along with all of its associated images and fonts. Otherwise, the recipient won't be able to do much beyond opening the InDesign file. InDesign has two great tools that work in tandem with each other: Preflight Panel and Package. The Preflight Panel alerts you about any prepress issues in the file. If you … [Read more...] about Preflighting and Packaging InDesign Files
Paste in Place: Moving Objects with Power
Most computer users are familiar with the "Paste" command. You copy an object, then place it somewhere else via "Paste": go to the Edit drop-down menu and select it there or use the keyboard shortcut CMMD-V (Mac) / CNTRL-V (PC). Why "V" for "Paste", you might ask? "P" is used for "Print", that's why! There is another, more powerful method of placing objects in InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator: "Paste in Place". It was added to the Creative Suite tool chest beginning with CS5 (at least … [Read more...] about Paste in Place: Moving Objects with Power