American Lives- InDesign

Intro to InDesign

InDesign is used to combine text and images in preparation for print.

File Management

Working in InDesign it's important to keep your project file and assets (images, text files) together in the same project folder.

Create a new folder on your desktop or in a documents folder. Name it yourlastname_project.
Copy all images and text files you are going to use in your project into a subfolder (called imports) in this project folder

Creating a Booklet

InDesign supports creating printer spreads for printing booklets. A printer spread refers to two or more pages that fall next to each other on a sheet of paper. For example, if you’re editing an 8-page booklet, the pages appear in sequential order in the layout window. However, in printer spreads, page 2 can be positioned next to page 7, so that when the two pages are printed on the same sheet, 3 folded, and collated, the pages end up in the appropriate order.

The process of creating printer spreads from layout spreads is called imposition. It is generally easier to work in Layout Spread where the pages are ordered sequentially. Converting your project to a printer spread should be done just before you’re ready to print.

Document Setup

These setup instructions walk through creating an 8 page booklet printed doubled sided on 8.5 x 11 in paper. Each "page" will occupy half of the letter size paper.

To start a new booklet:

Choose File > New > Document > Print
Change units to Inches
Choose Letter - Half 5.5 x 8.5 for your Page Size
Type the Number of Pages in your field, in this case 4 for the cover pages and how ever many you need for the inside pages including a title page if you want (we’ll use 2 double sided 1/2 sheets of letter).
Select Facing Pages—gives you left and right-hand pages in your document.
Set orientation to Portrait.
Setting the Margins: choose .5 in all around
Enter 1 as the Number of Columns
Click Create

Save it into your project folder

Margins and Guides

Note the margins of your document. Make sure to keep your text and artwork within this boundary
Add a Guide to help you place and align objects on your document
- With the black arrow select tool, click and drag from the ruler area into your document

Adding Page numbers

Master Document

To add page numbers to your inDesign document you'll need to work with the Master Document located in the Pages palette. Master Pages work like templates for your document. Any text, objects, or graphics you place on the Master Page will appear on all your pages—for example, Headers and Footers.

Adding page numbers

Double click on the A-Master document in the pages palette
Select the Type tool and create a text box where you'd like the page number to appear
- If you document has facing pages you will need to add the text box on both pages
With the Type tool selected and active in your newly created text box go Type > Insert Special Characters > Markers > Current Page Number
- The Letter "A" will appear - this is a place holder and will be replaced with the current page number.
Leave the Master document by double-clicking one of your pages from the pages palette - you should now see page numbers replace the "A"
to delete or edit a page number ctrl shit on the page number and hit delete.
To restart numbering, in the pages panel select the page you want the numbering to start on
Then choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options and select start page numbering at: 1

Adding Text

Select the Text tool and drag diagonally to create a frame on your document, start typing.
- You can also Copy and Paste text from other applications
Using the black arrow tool select a corner of the bounding box to resize

Text Flow

You can flow text between multiple text boxes

Text boxes that are too small to contain all of the text will have a red + box in the lower right corner
Click this box and the cursor changes to the "Text Loaded" cursor
Click anywhere on your document and a new text box will be created flowing text from the previous text box
Use Guides and your Margins to snap text boxes into alignment

Formatting Text

Select the text you want to format (CTRL A to Select All is a useful shortcut here)
Change your type using the character and paragraph options in the top property bar

Adding Placeholder Text

If you want to work on your layout without the final text you will use, you can add Placeholder Text.

Do this by selecting Type > Fill with Placeholder Text

Add an image

By default, images placed into InDesign are only linked. It is important to have a good file management strategy to keep your images properly linked to your InDesign document.

Make sure nothing is selected in your document before you place your graphics!
Go File > Place to place your image
Locate the image on your local hard drive that you want to place and click Open
Your cursor changes to the "Image Loaded" cursor. Click your cursor where you'd like the image placed.

To resize your image

With the black arrow select tool selected

hold down the Control AND Shift key then grab a corner of the bounding box and drag to resize.
- Note what happens if you forget to hold down these keys...

To crop your image