InDesign Skills Part II

For Production Tools and Documentation Design

Table of Contents
Introduction

Using master pages

Creating and applying styles

To create a new master page

To apply a master page
To override a master page
To create a master page based on an existing page

5
6
6
7

To create paragraph styles

To create character styles
To create table styles
To create object styles
To apply styles throughout a document
To edit existing styles
To create a style based on another style
To update styles to match a selection in the document

8
8
9
9
9
10
10
10

Organizing the document

11

Packaging the document

13

Summary

14

To divide a document into sections using section markers

To insert automatic page numbering
To insert and style a table of contents

Further resources

11
12
12

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Page 3

Introduction
Welcome to InDesign Skills Part II. Here, we will build off the basic skills you learned in Part I such as setting
up a document, creating text frames, and editing images. It is assumed from this point forward that you know
how to use the basic tools within InDesign. In the following pages, you will learn ways to organize and manage
your document using the more advanced features in InDesign.
Master pages, styles, page numbers, and section markers (among many other tools!) will become second
nature to you, and you will never want to go back to the old way of accomplishing tasks. InDesign is designed
to make creating a document efficient, organized, and enjoyable from beginning to end. The tools you are
about to learn become especially important as you begin to create longer, more complex documents.
You will find that each subject covered only scratches the surface of the vast material available. At the end of
the tutorial, you will find links to outside resources that will help you grasp these concepts on a deeper level.
So, take a deep breath and get started. Youre on your way to mastering InDesign.

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Using master pages

Master pages allow you to format a single page and apply that format to any page or spread in your document,
saving you time and energy. This is a perfect feature to use if you want the same base design on multiple
pages. For example, page numbers, headers, footers, and repetative designs can all be applied via master
pages. The master page elements will become fixed on your document pages. However, you can still edit
master features by overriding them individually.

To create a new master page

1. On the Window menu, click Pages. A new panel will appear.
2. In the Pages panel, select the Pages tab.

3. Click the A-Master spread to select it.

4. At the bottom of the panel, click Create a new page
appear.

. A master page called B-Master will

You now have two master pages in your InDesign document, A-Master and B-Master. You can double click on
any master page to edit it directly.

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To apply a master page

In the Pages panel, click and drag the edited master page to any page in your spread. A corresponding
letter will appear in the top right-hand corner of the page on the Pages panel.

Youve now applied a master page to a page in your document. You can apply the master page to as many
document pages as you like. Remember, the master page features will always stay the same regardless of
which page you apply them to. If you edit the master page, you edit all the pages the master has been applied
to as well.

To override a master page

1. In the Pages panel, right-click on the page on which you want to override the master page, and select
Override All Master Page Items.
2. Edit the master page itmes as you would any other item on the page.
Overriding a master page means you can edit the master items directly. However, the items are still linked to
the master page. For example, if you override a master item and change the color, other aspects such as size
and location are still determined by the original master.

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To create a master page based on an existing page

Select a spread from the Pages section on the Pages panel and drag it to the Masters section.

The formatting and text of the spread now becomes part of the new master. If the spread already had a master
page applied to it, the original master will become a part of the new master as well.

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Creating and applying styles

Styles let you apply custom settings to text, objects, characters, and tables in a few simple steps. You can
use styles to create headings, body text, callouts, and italics as well as specific sizes, shapes, and formatting
preferences. The most convenient part is that you decide to change a given style, it updates that style
throughout the whole document. So if your boss thinks that Cambria is a better font than Ariel for your
headings, you can change all the headings simply by changing the style.

To create paragraph styles

1. On the Window menu, point to Styles, and click Paragraph Styles. The Paragraph Styles panel will
appear.
2. Format a section of text in your document according to your preferences.
3. Using the Selection tool
, click the text box to select it. Notice that in the Paragraph Styles panel,
there is a plus sign next to Basic Paragraph. This means you have added features to that style.

4. On the Paragraph Styles panel, click Create new style

.
5. Double click on Paragraph Style 1 that appears under the Basic Paragraph style.
6. In the resulting dialog box, name your new style (e.g. Body, Heading 1, etc.)
If you use paragraph styles consistently throughout a document, you will save vast amounts of time. You can
apply a paragraph style to any text in the document. If, for example, you want to change the font size of your
body text from 11 to 12, you can change it quickly by editing the existing style.

To create character styles

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

On the Window menu, point to Styles, and click Character Styles.

Select a word or small section of text and format it according to your preferences.
On the Character Styles panel, click Create new style
.
Double click Character Style 1 that appears under the style None.
In the resulting dialog box, name your new style (e.g. Italics, Bold, etc.)

Use character styles when you need to change a word or small group of text, not whole paragraphs. Unlike
paragraph styles, character styles will not let you format leading, lists, bullets, and the like.
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To create table styles

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

On the Window menu, point to Styles, and click Table Styles.

Click a table to select it.
On the Table Styles panel, click Create new table
.
Double click Table Style 1 that appears under the Basic Table style.
In the resulting dialog box, name your new style.

You can use table styles to transform a basic table into a specified format with one click. All the tables that
have a given style applied will update if you update the style.

To create object styles

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

On the Window menu, point to Styles, and click Object Styles.

Click an object to select it.
On the Table Styles panel, click Create new style
.
Double click Object Style 1 that appears under the existing styles.
In the resulting dialog box, name your new style.

Just like you can format text using paragraph styles, you can format graphics by using object styles. You can
apply object styles to format drop shadows, stroke, color, text wrap, and more. Updating the style updates
every object you apply that style to.

To apply styles throughout a document

1. Select the section you wish to apply a style to.
2. In the corresponding Styles panel, click on the desired style. The text or object will immediately update.
3. Repeat throughout the document.
If you apply styles early and often, you will save yourself time in the end. You can update huge sections of your
document with one click. If you change a style, all sections with that style applied to it will change as well.

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To edit existing styles

1. In the corresponding Styles panel, right-click on the style you wish to change, and click Edit. A dialog box
will appear.
2. Use the dialog box to edit the existing style. The style will be updated throughout the document.
If you decide, for example, that you want the body text a bit bigger or the stroke on your graphics smaller, you
can update a style to affect this change throughout the entire document.

To create a style based on another style

1.
2.
3.
4.

On the corresponding Styles panel, click Create new style

.
Double click on the new style in the Styles panel. A dialog box will appear.
In the Based On menu, select the style from which you want to base your new style. This is the parent style.
Use the dialog box to change features that you want to differ from the parent style. The resulting style is

called the child style.

Parent and child styles can share common features, such as font size or color. Updating the parent style
updates all the shared features of the child style as well. The deviations in formatting between the two will
remain the same.

To update styles to match a selection in the document

1. In your document, select a section that has the style you wish to change applied to it.
2. Edit the section to suit your preferences. Notice that a plus sign appears next to the style name.

3. On the corresponding Styles panel, right click on the changed style, and click Redefine style. The style will
update throughout the document automatically.
Updating styles lets you change the portions of your document that have a given style applied to it. Instead
of changing the color of every heading individually, you can just update the style once and the new color is
applied to all of the headings.
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Organizing the document

Organizing your InDesign document lets you and your reader navigate with ease throughout the content.
Features like page numbers, section markers, and the table of contents are all tools that help you organize your
document. InDesign has ways for you to apply these features quickly and easily to your document.

To divide a document into sections using section markers

1. Go to the A-Master page in the Pages panel.
2. Using the Type Tool
, create a text box on the A-Master page.
3. With the pointer in the text box, right-click, point to Insert Special Character, point to Markers, then click
Section Marker. The word Section will appear in the text box.

4. Go to the first page in your document. Notice that the word Section does not appear outside of the master
pages.
Note: An arrow indicates the beginning of a new section in the
document.
5. In the Pages panel, right-click on the first page and click Numbering & Section Options.
6. Use the resulting dialog box to name the section and format the page numbering.
7. In the Pages panel, right-click where you would like section two of your document to begin, and click
Numbering & Section Options.
8. Use the resulting dialog box to give the section a name and format the page numbering. Repeat with any
subsequent sections.
Note the multiple black arrows that mark the beginning of each section. Dividing the document into sections
allows you to change the format of the page numbers for different sections and give differing headers or
footers for the various sections.

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To insert automatic page numbering

1. In the Pages panel, double click the master page you want to apply the page numbers to.
2. Using the Type Tool
, create a text box large enough to hold the page numbers. Position it on the
master page where you want the page numbers to appear.
3. Type any preceding word such as Page into the text box.
4. Place the pointer in the text box where you want the page number to appear.
5. On the Type menu, point to Insert Special Character, point to Markers, and click Current Page Number.
On the master page, the page number will be the letter of that master page (e.g. A, B, etc.)
If your document has facing pages, make sure to put page numbers on both sides of your master page spread.
To save time, insert automatic page numbering to all your master pages. Regardless of which master page you
apply, InDesign will always put the correct number on the document page.

To insert and style a table of contents

1. Apply consistent styles to the content you want to appear in the table of contents.
2. On the Layout menu, click Table of Contents.
3. In the resulting dialog box, name your table of contents. This title will appear at the top of the table of
contents. To format the title, use the Style menu to apply a style.
4. In the Other Styles list, click the styles you want displayed in the table of contents, then click Add. This
adds the styles to the Paragraph Styles list.
5. To format the table of contents, click More Options.
6. Using the dialog box, specify the formatting for the table of contents.
7. Click OK. You now have a loaded pointer.
8. Click and drag to create a text box and place the table of contents.
The most useful feature of an InDesign table of contents is that it updates the page numbers, chapter titles,
and other linked information if you change it in the document. That way, if you feel that page seven would
be more effective if moved between pages three and four, you wont have to redo your table of contents;
everything updates automatically.

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Packaging the document

If you need to send your InDesign document to another person or a print service, you must make certain that
all the information they need is present. Packaging the document stores all the files, fonts, images, colors,
etc. into an easily accessible format and ensures that nothing is missing. It also allows the receiving person to
continue modifying the document.
1. On the File menu, click Package.
2. In the dialog box, in the list on the left, click Fonts. If a font is missing, you will need to replace it.
To replace a missing font:
Select a font from the list and click Find Font.
In the Font Family menu, choose a new font. You can also redefine the style throughout the
document by checking Redefine Style When Changing All.

3. In the list on the left, click Links and Images. If a link is damaged or missing, you need to repair it.
To repair a damaged or missing link, do one of the following:
Select the missing link, then click Update.
Click Repair All.
4. Click Package, then specify where on your computer you want to save the document.
Your document along with all its files is now packaged and ready to send. Packaging an InDesign document
ensures that every aspect of the document is accessible to the person receiving it and that it will print
correctly.

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Summary
Congratulations! Youve now mastered some of the more advanced features of InDesign and can use the
program more efficiently.
When creating a document, you now know how to create and apply master pages. Through the master pages,
you know how to organize the document using page numbers and section markers. You know how to create,
edit, and update styles and how to apply them throughout the document. Then, you know how to take those
styles and format them into a table of contents. Finally, you know how to package the document up and send it
off for someone else to access, modify, and print.
For further study, explore the resources below to gain a more in-depth understanding of what you can
accomplish using InDesign.

Further resources
For more information on master pages, visit:
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/master-pages.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsl4-J-h8jc
http://www.lynda.com/articles/this-weeks-featured-five-using-indesign-master-pages
For more information on styles, visit:
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/paragraph-character-styles.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/how-to/indesign-formatting-text-paragraph-styles.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVMvvNRe6lw
For more information on organizing the document, visit:
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/layout-design-9.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/creating-table-contents.html
For more information on packaging the document, visit:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-package-your-adobe-indesign-cs6-documents.html
http://www.serviceprinters.com/help/tutorials/indesign-package.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU9tSquVo00

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