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InDesign

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  1. InDesign User Guide
  2. Get to know InDesign
    1. Introduction to InDesign
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Contextual task bar
      3. Customize your workspace in InDesign
      4. Toolbox
      5. Set preferences
      6. Properties panel
      7. Touch workspace
      8. Default keyboard shortcuts
      9. Undo edits and manage History panel
      10. Document recovery and undo
    3. Generative AI (Not available in mainland China)
      1. Text to Image
      2. Generative Expand
      3. Generate Effect in InDesign (Beta)
      4. Generative AI FAQ
  3. Create and layout documents
    1. Documents and pages
      1. Create documents
      2. Work with parent pages
      3. Work with document pages
      4. Set page size, margins, and bleed
      5. Work with files and templates
      6. Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta)
      7. Create book files
      8. Add basic page numbering
      9. Number pages, chapters, and sections
      10. Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
      11. Share content
      12. Understand a basic managed-file workflow
      13. Save documents
    2. Grids
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
    3. Layout aids
      1. Rulers
      2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
      3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
  4. Add content
    1. Text
      1. Add text to frames
      2. Threading text
      3. South-East Asian Scripts
      4. Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
      5. Create type on a path
      6. Bullets and numbering
      7. Insert MathML to create math expressions
      8. Glyphs and special characters
      9. Text composition
      10. Text variables
      11. Generate QR codes
      12. Edit text
      13. Align text
      14. Wrap text around objects
      15. Anchored objects
      16. Linked content
      17. Format paragraphs
      18. Format characters
    2. Typography
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
      3. Scale and skew type
      4. Apply color effects to type
    3. Format text
      1. Format text
      2. Auto Style text
      3. Work with Style Packs
      4. Tabs and indents
    4. Review text
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
    5. Spell check and language dictionaries
      1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
      2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
      3. Change dictionary preferences
      4. Duden dictionary
    6. Add references
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
    7. Styles
      1. Paragraph and character styles
      2. Map, export, and manage styles
      3. Object styles
      4. Drop caps and nested styles
      5. Work with styles
      6. Leading
    8. Tables
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
    9. Interactivity
      1. Hyperlinks
      2. Dynamic PDF documents
      3. Bookmarks
      4. Buttons
      5. Forms
      6. Animation
      7. Cross-references
      8. Structure PDFs
      9. Page transitions
      10. Movies and sounds
    10. Graphics
      1. Understand paths and shapes
      2. Draw with the Pencil tool
      3. Draw with the Pen tool
      4. Apply line (stroke) settings 
      5. Compound paths and shapes
      6. Edit paths
      7. Clipping paths
      8. Change corner appearance
      9. Frames and objects
      10. Align and distribute objects
      11. Linked and embedded graphics
      12. Integrate AEM assets
    11. Color and transparency
      1. Apply color
      2. Use colors from imported graphics
      3. Work with swatches
      4. Mix inks
      5. Tints
      6. Understand spot and process colors
      7. Blend colors
      8. Gradients
      9. Flatten transparent artwork
      10. Add transparency effects
  5. Find and replace
    1. Find and replace text
    2. Find and replace fonts
    3. Find and replace glyphs
    4. Find and replace using GREP expressions and queries
    5. Find and replace objects
    6. Find and replace colors
    7. Search options to find and replace
  6. Share
    1. Save and access cloud documents
    2. Organize, manage, and share cloud documents
    3. View and manage versions in cloud documents
    4. Common questions about InDesign cloud documents
    5. InCopy on the web (Beta)
    6. Share and collaborate        
    7. Share for Review
    8. Review a shared InDesign document
    9. Manage feedback
    10. Invite to edit
  7. Export, import, and publish
    1. Place, export, and publish
      1. Publish online
      2. Publish online dashboard
      3. Copy, insert graphics
      4. Export to Adobe Express
      5. Export content for EPUB
      6. Adobe PDF options
      7. Export to HTML5
      8. Export content to HTML (Legacy)
      9. Export to Adobe PDF
      10. Export to JPEG or PNG format
      11. Import SVG files
      12. Supported File Formats
      13. Export and import User Settings
    2. Printing
      1. Print booklets
      2. Printer's marks and bleeds
      3. Print documents
      4. Inks, separation, and screen frequency
      5. Overprinting
      6. Create PostScript and EPS files
      7. Preflight files before handoff
      8. Print thumbnails and oversized documents
      9. Prepare PDFs for service providers
      10. Prepare to print separations
  8. Extend InDesign
    1. Automation
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
  9. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash on launch
    4. Preference folder read-only issue
    5. Troubleshoot file issues
    6. Unable to export InDesign file to PDF
    7. InDesign document recovery
Note:

Equitable Language: We are replacing non-inclusive language from InDesign 2022 (version 17.0) onwards, to reflect core Adobe values of inclusivity. Any reference to Master page is replaced by Parent page in our Help articles for the English, Danish, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian, Portuguese, and Japanese locales.

While creating a document in InDesign, instead of beginning with a blank document, you can choose from a wide variety of templates, including templates from Adobe Stock. Templates include assets that you can build on to complete your project. When you open a template in InDesign, you can work with it just as you would work with any other InDesign document.

In addition to templates, you can also create a document by selecting one of the numerous presets available in InDesign.

Templates and presets

Templates

provide rich, inspirational, and reusable content for your documents. You can download templates from Adobe Stock that include quality graphics and illustrations right within InDesign. You can then build on these templates to easily create documents that share common settings and design elements. InDesign also provides blank templates with predefined dimensions and settings for common tasks, such as designing business cards or brochures. Templates open as .indd files in InDesign.

Blank Document Presets

are blank documents with predefined dimensions and settings. Presets make designing for specific device form factors or use cases easier. For example, you can use a preset to quickly start designing for the iPad. Blank document presets have predefined size, pages, column, orientation, positioning, margin, and bleed settings. You can modify these settings before creating a document using the preset.  

Templates and presets are categorized into these sets:

  • Print
  • Web
  • Mobile

Access the New Document dialog

  1. Launch InDesign

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Select File > New.
    • Click New or Start New in the Start workspace.
    • Use the following keyboard shortcut:
      • (Mac) Cmd+N
      • (Windows) Ctrl+N
    • Right-click the tab for an open document and choose New Document from the in-context menu.
    New document from the in-context menu

Overview: New Document dialog

Among other operations, the New Document dialog lets you:

  • Create documents using selected templates from Adobe Stock across several categories: Print, Web, and Mobile
  • Search for more templates on Adobe Stock and create documents using them
  • Quickly access files, templates, and items that you've have recently accessed (Recent tab)
  • Quickly access templates that you've downloaded from Adobe Stock (Saved tab)
  • Create documents using Blank Document presets for multiple categories and device form factors. Before opening the presets, you can modify their settings.

 

Print tab | New Document dialog

Create documents using presets

  1. In the New Document dialog box, click a category tab: Print, Web, or Mobile.

  2. Select a preset.

  3. Optionally, change the settings for the selected preset in the Preset Details pane on the right.

  4. Click Create. InDesign opens a new document based on the preset.

Modify presets

Before opening a document using the preset, you can modify its settings in the right pane.

  1. Specify a name for the document

  2. Specify the following options for the selected preset:

    Preset details
    Modify presets

    Width and Height:

    Specify the size of the document.

    Units:

    Specify the measurement unit for the document.

    Orientation:

    Specify a page orientation for the document: Landscape or Portrait.

    Pages:

    Specify the number of pages to create in the document.

    Note:

    Notice that the pointer changes to a small black arrow icon when you hover over a preset element such as Width or Pages. Swipe the arrow horizontally to increase and decrease a preset value.

    Facing pages:

    Select this option to make left and right pages face each other in a double-page spread.

    Start#:

    Specify which number the document starts on. If you specify an even number (such as 2) with Facing Pages selected, the first spread in the document begins with a two-page spread.

    Primary Text Frame:

    Select this option to add a primary text frame on the parent page.

    Columns:

    Specify the number of columns to add in the document.

    Column Gutter:

    Specify the amount of whitespace between columns.

    Margins:

    Specify the margins for each side of the document. To use different values for different sides, delink the dimensions by clicking the chain icon.

    Bleed and Slug:

    Specify the position of the bleed and slug along each side of the document. To use different values for different sides, delink the dimensions by clicking the chain icon.

    Preview:

    Select this option to preview the orientation and size of a document before creating a new file.

  3. Click Create to open a document with the preset settings.

Create documents using templates from Stock

InDesign comes with a variety of templates from Adobe Stock, including templates for tablets, mobiles, letterheads, envelopes, business cards, and many more. Templates with font layers use basic fonts or fonts that can be activated from Adobe Fonts.  

To create a document using a template, do the following:

  1. In the New Document dialog, click a category tab: Print, Web, Mobile.

  2. Select a template.

  3. Click See Preview to view a preview of the template. A preview is an image representation of a template that you can review and decide if you want to license that template.

    Preview of the template

    Download preset

  4. Click Download.

    InDesign prompts you to license the template from Adobe Stock. See Adobe Stock Help for more information about licensing and related considerations. After the template has been licensed using asset entitlements or credits in your account, you can open it as an InDesign document (.indd) for you to work on.

  5. After the template has downloaded, click Open. While opening the template, if you are prompted to activate some fonts from Adobe Fonts, click OK.

You can now work with the open document in InDesign just as you would work with any other .indd document.

Note:

Downloaded templates are added to a Creative Cloud library called Stock Templates. You can access this library in the CC Libraries panel.

Note:

InDesign templates carry the .indt filename extension. However, when you open a template, an instance of it is opened as a document with the .indd extension. Changes made to that .indd document don't affect the original .indt template.

Search for more templates from Adobe Stock

Aside from the pre-selected templates from Adobe Stock, you can search for and download numerous other such templates directly from within the New Document dialog.

  • While working in the New Document dialog, enter a search string in the Find More Templates On Adobe Stock box. Alternatively, simply click Go to browse the full selection of available templates.

InDesign opens the Adobe Stock website in a new browser window for you to explore. License and download the one that best meets your project's requirements.

Note:

For more information about Adobe Stock, see:

FAQ | Adobe Stock basics
 FAQ | Usage and licensing
Using Adobe Stock

Use the legacy New Document experience

If necessary, you may disable the latest New Document experience and revert to the experience that InDesign provided by default in versions CC 2017 and earlier.

  1. Select Preferences > General.

  2. Select Use Legacy New Document Dialog.

  3. Click OK.

Note:

See Create new documents for more information about options in the legacy New Document dialog.

More like this

Create and publish ebooks, brochures, flyers, postcards, posters, interactive page layouts, and more with Adobe InDesign.

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