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InDesign

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.

Use grids

Two kinds of nonprinting grids are available: a baseline grid for aligning columns of text, and a document grid for aligning objects. On the screen, a baseline grid resembles ruled notebook paper, and a document grid resembles graph paper. You can customize both kinds of grids.

Baseline grid (left) and document grid (right)

When a grid is visible, you can observe the following characteristics:

  • The baseline grid covers entire spreads, but the document grid covers the entire pasteboard.

  • Baseline grids and document grids appear on every spread and cannot be assigned to any parent.

  • The document grid can appear in front of or behind all guides, layers, and objects, but cannot be assigned to any layer.

Set up a baseline grid

Use Grid Preferences to set up a baseline grid for the entire document.

Note:

You can set up a baseline grid for a frame by using the Text Frame Options. (See Change text frame properties.)

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Grids (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Grids (Mac OS).

  2. Specify a baseline grid color by choosing a color in the Color menu. You can also choose Custom in the Color menu.

  3. For Relative To, specify whether you want the grid to start at the top of the page or the top margin.

  4. For Start, type a value to offset the grid from either the top of the page or the top margin of the page, depending on the option you choose from the Relative To menu. If you have trouble aligning the vertical ruler to this grid, try starting with a value of zero.

  5. For Increment Every, type a value for the spacing between grid lines. In most cases, type a value that equals your body text leading, so that lines of text align perfectly to this grid.

    Baseline grid in document window

    A. First grid line B. Increment between grid lines 

  6. For View Threshold, type a value to specify the magnification below which the grid does not appear. Increase the view threshold to prevent crowded grid lines at lower magnifications.

    Baseline grid at magnification below view threshold (left) and above view threshold (right)

  7. Click OK.

Note:

The Snap To Guides command controls both snapping to guides and snapping to the baseline grid.

Set up a document grid

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Grids (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Grids (Mac OS).

  2. Specify a document grid color by choosing a color in the Color menu. You can also choose Custom in the Color menu.

  3. To set horizontal grid spacing, specify a value for Gridline Every in the Horizontal section of the Document Grid section, and then specify a value for Subdivisions between each grid line.

  4. To set vertical grid spacing, specify a value for Gridline Every in the Vertical section of the Document Grid section, and then specify a value for Subdivisions between each grid line.

  5. Do one of the following, and click OK:

    • To put the document and baseline grids behind all other objects, make sure that Grids In Back is selected.

    • To put the document and baseline grids in front of all other objects, deselect Grids In Back.

Note:

To put guides behind all other objects, you can also choose Guides In Back in the context menu that appears when you right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an empty area of the document window.

Show or hide grids

  • To show or hide the baseline grid, choose View > Grids & Guides > Show/Hide Baseline Grid.

  • To show or hide the document grid, choose View > Grids & Guides > Show/Hide Document Grid.

Snapping objects to grids

When snapping is enabled, moving an object within the snap zone of a grid location will cause the object to snap to that location.

Snap objects to the document grid

  1. Choose View > Grids & Guides and make sure that Snap To Document Grid is selected (checked). If it is not selected, click it.
    Note:

    The Snap to Guides command controls both snapping to guides and snapping to the baseline grid.

  2. To specify the snap-to zone, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard (Mac OS), type a value for Snap to Zone, and click OK. The Snap to Zone value is always in pixels.

To snap an object to a grid, drag an object toward a grid until one or more of the object’s edges is within the grid’s snap-to zone.

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