Does InDesign Have Symbols Like Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator CS5 enables you to designate art objects as symbols. Each time you use one in an Illustrator document, you're actually creating a link to an item in your Symbols panel or library, rather than a new drawing element on your artboard. Imagine drawing a school of fish using multiple instances of one symbol to create an entire group, without enlarging your file size unnecessarily. Some of Adobe InDesign's productivity-enhancing features resemble Illustrator's symbol support, but InDesign's features solve different problems, in part because page layout applications and drawing programs target different user needs.
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Snippets
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Adobe InDesign snippet files combine graphic or text objects with code that describes how and where they appear on InDesign document layers, pages and spreads. Snippet files use the file extension .idms in Adobe InDesign CS5, whereas previous application versions applied the .inds extension. Each snippet instance you add to an InDesign document increases the size of your file accordingly, unlike the way Illustrator symbols behave. Snippets' ability to save frequently used page elements and make them available in just a few mouse clicks, however, makes them similarly convenient.
Object Libraries
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Adobe InDesign's Object Libraries store almost every conceivable type of reusable element, including entire document pages, text and text files, images, logos, groups of objects, shapes you've drawn, layout grids and complex arrangements of layer guides, all displayed in an InDesign panel that lets you categorize, sort and filter them. Items in an object library retain their styles, links, layers, formatting and grouping. As with snippets, using these items adds to the size of your file, but the convenience of object libraries can save precious time in assembling documents with shared elements.
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Document Templates
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Whether they're included with Adobe InDesign, created from your own project files or purchased from a design resource service, InDesign document templates can speed your work by eliminating the need to "reinvent the wheel" each time you craft a new addition to a series of documents with shared layouts, color schemes, styles and formatting. Each time you open an Adobe InDesign template, the program presents you with a fresh instance of the file as an untitled document. Rather than risk overwriting an existing file while trying to repurpose it as a template, you can create your own template library and use it to control the look of projects like newsletters and magazines that share stylistic attributes from issue to issue.
Different Strokes
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While Adobe InDesign CS5.5 lacks a feature identical to Adobe Illustrator CS5's symbols, the program does offer multiple convenience features to speed your work through projects with shared elements and attributes. If snippets, object libraries and templates fit your work flow, they're worth considering as ways to streamline project production and assure compliance with standardized design parameters. If they don't meet your current needs, keep them in mind for future reference and future assignments.
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