How to Make Equations in InDesign

Scientific documents often require the insertion of equations.

The Adobe InDesign program is used to design professional-looking documents, from simple fliers and posters to more complex brochures, magazines and books. When designing scientific documents, however, you may have noticed that InDesign, by default, offers no way to handle complex equations. You can work around this issue in two ways: one is free but requires additional work, while the other requires the purchase of an expensive equation editor compatible with InDesign.

Instructions

Inserting Equations as Images

1. Type your equations in a program that supports correct equation formatting, such as Microsoft Word 2010.

2. Export each equation separately as an image, saving each image with a relevant name and in a location you'll remember.

3. Launch InDesign and open your document.

4. Click "File" and select "Place."

5. Navigate to the location where you saved the equation images and double-click the first image to insert it into your document.

6. Repeat this process with all other equations.

Inserting Equations Through an Equation Editor

1. Purchase and install an equation editor compatible with InDesign, such as MathMagic or MathType.

2. Launch InDesign and open your document.

3. Type your equations directly within your document. The exact method of doing this depends on the program you chose. For example, to insert an equation using MathMagic, click the "Plug-Ins" menu, hover over the "MathMagic" option and select "New Equation." To insert an equation using MathType, first create the equation in MathType and save it as an EPS file. Then insert this file within your document using the "Place" command from the "File" menu in InDesign.