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Create and organize pages
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Arrange and order pages
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Grids
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Arabic and Hebrew
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Glyphs, characters, and expressions
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Indexes and references
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Add graphics and media
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Transform and arrange objects
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Add and edit graphics
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Add tables and data
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Interactive elements and forms
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Create lines and shapes
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Apply color
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Define and manage color assets
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Advanced color techniques
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Export to EPUB
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Print
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Color output and separations
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Settings, interface, and feature issues
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Create and apply parent pages
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to create and apply Parent Page templates to keep layouts, headers, and repeating elements consistent in Adobe InDesign.
Parent Pages help you build reusable templates that maintain consistent design elements across your document. Every new InDesign document includes a default parent page (A-Parent), and you can create additional parents as needed. Parent Pages contain repeating items, such as headers, footers, page numbers, logos, and guides, that automatically update across all pages where the parent is applied.
Create a parent page from scratch
Select the panel menu icon, then select New Parent.
Type a prefix of up to four characters to identify this parent in the Pages panel.
In Based On Parent, select None to start with a blank parent.
Specify the number of pages for the parent spread (1 to 10) and select OK. The new parent spread appears in the Parents section of the Pages panel. You can now add text frames, graphics, page numbers, and other elements that you want to repeat across multiple pages.
Create a parent from an existing page or spread
Select Window > Pages.
Drag the entire spread from the document pages section to the Parents section in the panel.
Select the panel menu icon, then select Parent Pages.
Select a spread, then select the panel menu icon, and choose Save As Parent . The new parent contains all objects from the selected page or spread. If that page already used a parent, the new parent becomes based on it automatically.
Create a parent based on another parent
When you base one parent on another, the child inherits all elements from the parent. Changes to the parent automatically update all child pages and their associated document pages. You can override specific elements on child parents to create variations while maintaining the shared structure.
Select Window > Pages.
Select the parent spread you want to modify from the Parents section.
Select the Pages panel menu icon, then select Parent Options for [parent name].
Select the parent you want to use as the base for Based On Parent.
Select OK.
Select Window > Pages.
Drag the parent page to the document page.
Release the mouse when a black rectangle surrounds your target page.
Apply a parent to multiple pages
Select Window > Pages.
Select the document pages you want to apply a new parent in the Pages panel.
Press Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as you select a parent page.
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