How to Use InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing software that allows you to design for print and publication. InDesign offers you a number of opportunities. In it, you can create invitations, business cards, stationary or even magazines or newspaper pages and books. You can later export the files as PDFs and send them to be printed.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe InDesign

Instructions

Setting up Pages with Text and Photos

1. Open Adobe InDesign. Choose "New" from the File menu and "Document."

2. Choose your document settings, set your page size, number of columns and page margins in the program. Click "OK." One page will be created. (You can add more pages later by selecting the Layout menu and clicking "Pages" and then either "Add Page" or "Insert Pages.")

3. Choose the Type Tool (T) from the toolbar and create a text box by clicking on your stage.

4. 

   Add your text inside the box. You can adjust such attributes as font, size and alignment in the controls at the top of the page.

5. Insert a picture by selecting the Rectangle Tool (M) from the toolbar and creating a rectangle for the desired size of your picture.

6. With your rectangle selected, navigate to "File," then "Place," and browse to your picture. You can also add a border to your photo in the toolbar at the top of the program.

7. Navigate to the Object menu, then "Fitting" and "Fit Content Proportionally" to make your picture fit the box completely. You can then adjust the size of the picture by pulling at one of its corners while holding down Command + Shift + Option (Shift + Option + Apple on a Mac).

8. 

   Navigate to the Text Wrap tool by going to "Windows," "Text Wrap." Choose the kind of text wrap you wish to apply, while highlighting your picture. You can also choose the padding around the photo in this step.

Previewing, Saving and Exporting

1. Preview your file by hitting the W key.

2. Save your file when finished by navigating to File menu and selecting "Save." Your file will be saved as an INDD file, which can only be opened with Adobe InDesign.

3. Export your file by navigating to File menu and selecting "Export." Choose your file format, such as PDF, and press "Save."

Working with Layers

1. Move elements back and forth using Layers. Think of each element as parts of a sandwich. Pieces will all fall on different levels and cover each other.

2. To add a background, create a box using the Rectangle Tool. Choose a color for it in the toolbar.

3. Send the rectangle you made in the last step to the back by navigating to the Object menu and selecting "Arrange" and "Send to Back."

Importing Text

1. Create a text box where you wish to place your text.

2. Save your text file in another program as a DOC, RTF or TXT file.

3. Navigate to the File and select "Place" with nothing on your stage selected.

4. Browse to your text file and select "OK." Your cursor will now have text appear floating beside it.

5. Click on the text box you created in Step 1. The text will be imported into the text box.

Master Pages

1. Use master pages to create page templates with specific look.

2. Click open a Pages window by navigating to the Window menu and selecting "Pages."

3. Select the drop-down options menu from the Pages window. It is located on the upper right hand corner of the window.

4. Select "New Master" and name your master page file.

5. Choose how many pages you wish to have in your master page.

6. Add elements, such as a logo, headers or page numbers, to the stage. These elements will be carried to every page to which this master page is applied.

7. You will also be prompted to designate what kind of master page, if any, you wish to make your file look like when creating a new page.

Paragraph Styles

1. Use paragraph styles to help format your text quickly.

2. 

   Create a new paragraph style by navigating to the Paragraph Styles button on the left toolbar of the program.

3. 

   Choose the drop-down button from the top right part of the menu and select "New Paragraph Style."

4. Adjust your settings in the New Paragraph Styles window. Here, you can change your font's size, style, color and even create drop caps and adjust hyphenation and justification.

5. Make sure to name your paragraph style and hit "OK" when finished.

6. Use your Text Tool (T) to select some words you wish to format. With the words highlighted, click the new paragraph style you created.

Tips & Warnings

• InDesign is a complex program, with many available functions and options. See the Additinal Resources below for a few sites that offer more InDesign tips and tricks.

References

• Adobe InDesign: Tips and Techniques
• Creating and Applying Master Pages in InDesign CS3 from Lynda.com

Resources

• Adobe InDesign Support Center
• Adobe InDesign Tutorials