Chapter 5: Working with Pages
155
FIGURE 5.9
The Layout Adjustment dialog box (with its default settings)
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to use InDesign’s Layout Adjustment feature:
l
If you change page size, the margin widths (the distance between the left and right mar-
gins and the page edges) remain the same.
l
If you change page size, column guides and ruler guides are repositioned proportionally to
the new size.
l
If you change the number of columns, column guides are added or removed accordingly.
l
If an object edge is aligned with a guideline before layout adjustment, it remains aligned
with the guideline after adjustment. If two or more edges of an object are aligned with
guidelines, the object is resized so that the edges remain aligned with the guidelines after
layout adjustment.
l
If you change the page size, objects are moved so that they’re in the same relative position
on the new page.
l
If you’ve used margin, column, and ruler guides to place objects on pages, layout adjust-
ments are more effective than if you’ve placed objects or ruler guides randomly on pages.
l
Check for text reflow when you modify a document’s page size, margins, or column
guides. Decreasing a document’s page size can cause text to overflow a text frame whose
dimensions have been reduced.
l
Check everything in your document after the adjustment is complete. Take the time to
look over every page of your document. You never know what InDesign has actually done

CHAPTER
Working with Layers
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding layers
Creating and managing layers
Working with objects on layers
P
ublishers seem to spend a lot of time doing variations of the same
things: creating several different versions of the same ad for different
markets or flowing text in another language into a design. The goal of
software is to automate the predictable so that you have more time for cre-
ativity. Toward this goal, InDesign provides a method for preserving the time
you put into creating and editing a layout that is used for more than one
purpose: layers.
If you’ve ever seen a series of clear plastic overlays in presentations, under-
standing layers is easy. In one of those old overhead presentations, the
teacher might have started with one overlay containing a graphic and then
added another overlay with descriptive text, and then added a third overlay
containing a chart. Each overlay contained distinct content, but you could
see through each one to the others to get the entire message. InDesign’s lay-
ers are somewhat like this, letting you isolate content on slices of a docu-
ment. You can then show and hide layers, lock objects on layers, rearrange
layers, and more.
Each document contains a default layer, Layer 1, which contains all your
objects until you select and create a new layer. Objects on the default layer —
and any other layer, for that matter — follow the standard stacking order of
InDesign. (The first object you create is the backmost object, the last one you
create is the frontmost, and all the other objects fall somewhere in between.
See Chapter 13 for detailed information about stacking orders.)
As with the clear plastic overlays, the order of the layers also affects the

via the Tool Tips pop-up menu in the Interface panel of the Preferences dialog box, you can learn
what controls do by pointing at them. (Choose InDesign ➪ Preferences ➪ Interface or press Ô+K
on the Mac, or choose Edit ➪ Preferences ➪ Interface or press Ctrl+K in Windows.) If you know
what the controls do, you can intuit a great deal of how to work with layers.
The layers feature is one that many users ignore. It’s true that if you never looked at the Layers panel, you
could continue to do your work in InDesign, but that would be a mistake. So take a look at the possibili-
ties and see whether they fit into your workflow. In the long run, using layers can save you time and help
you prevent mistakes that can result when you need to track changes across multiple documents.
Say you’ve created an ad with the same copy in it but a different headline and image for each city
where the ad runs. You can place the boilerplate information on one layer and the information that
changes on other layers. If any of the boilerplate information changes, you only need to change it once.
To print different versions of the ad, you control what layers print.
You might use layers in the following situations:
l
A project with a high-resolution background image: For example, a background such as a
texture might take a long time to redraw. You can hide that layer while designing other ele-
ments and then show it occasionally to see how it works with the rest of the design.
l
A document that you produce in several versions: For example, a produce ad may have dif-
ferent prices for different cities, or a clothing catalog may feature different coats depending
on the climate in each area. You can place the content that changes on separate layers and
then print the layers you need.
l
A project that includes objects you don’t want to print: If you want to suppress printout of
objects for any reason, the only way you can do this is to place them on a layer and hide the
layer. You might have a layer used for nothing but adding editorial and design comments,
which you can delete when the document is final. (Even though InDesign supports nonprint-
ing notes, you can insert them only into text; therefore, having a design-comments layer is
still useful to be able to make annotations for frames, images, and other nontextual elements.)
l

Layers panel to get the New Layer dialog box. The layer gets the default name of Layer x.
continued
l
A complex design with overlapping objects, text wraps, and grouped objects: Imagine the
background of a page consists of a checkerboard pattern made up of filled, rectangular
frames. You don’t want to accidentally select the blocks while you’re working with other
objects. If you isolate complex objects on their own layer, you can show only that layer to
work on it, hide that layer to concentrate on other layers, lock the layer so that you can’t
select objects, and otherwise manipulate the layer.
l
To create bulletproof templates: Locked layers are a great way to decrease the possibility of
items in a template being moved or deleted. Move all the objects you don’t want moved or
deleted on a layer and lock the layer. Although you can unlock the layer, a locked layer
keeps the people who use the template from accidentally moving or removing anything too
quickly.
l
To ensure that folios and the like are never overprinted: Placing folios (the document’s page
numbers, running headings, and so on) on their own layer, uppermost in the layer stack,
ensures that other objects never accidentally obscure them.
l
To help text print properly over transparent elements: Layers are useful to isolate text above
other objects with transparency effects. This avoids the rasterizing of text during output to
plate or film — something that can make the text quality look poor.
When determining whether objects should go on a layer, remember that layers are document-wide and
not page-specific.
13_607169-ch06.indd 16013_607169-ch06.indd 160 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Chapter 6: Working with Layers
161
l

working, you might have a Background Objects layer.
13_607169-ch06.indd 16113_607169-ch06.indd 161 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Part II: Document Fundamentals
162
l
Color pop-up menu and button: A layer’s color helps you identify what layer an object is
on. The color appears to the left of the layer name in the Layers panel and appears on each
object on that layer. The color is applied to frame edges, selection handles, bounding
boxes, text ports, and text wraps. Note that the display of frame edges is controlled by
choosing View ➪ Extras ➪ Show/Hide Frame Edges or pressing Control+Ô+H or Ctrl+H.
By default, InDesign applies a different color to each new layer, but you can customize it
to something meaningful for your document and workflow. Choose a color from the list
or double-click the color swatch to use from the operating system’s color picker.
Cross-Reference
I cover the other layer manipulation features in these dialog boxes later in this chapter. n
Working with individual objects on layers
Whether you’re designing a magazine template from the ground up or modifying an existing ad,
you can isolate specific types of objects on layers. You can create objects on a layer, move objects
to a layer, or copy objects to a layer.
Keep in mind that a layer (or object) must be visible for you to work on it. If a layer or object is
visible, the eye icon appears in the first column of the Layers panel, as Figure 6.1 shows. If the col-
umn’s box for that layer or object is blank, the layer or object is hidden. Click the box to toggle
between showing and hiding the layer or object.
To work with a layer and its objects, they must not be locked. If a layer or object is locked, a lock
icon appears in the second column in the Layers panel, as Figure 6.1 shows. If the column’s box
for that layer or object is blank, the layer or object is unlocked. Click the box to toggle between
locking and unlocking the layer or object. Note that you cannot lock or unlock individual objects
within a group, just the entire group.
Note

l
To select all the objects on a layer, Option+click or Alt+click the layer’s name in the Layers
panel. The layer must be active, unlocked, and visible. (Likewise, Option+click or
Alt+click an object within a group to select all the objects in that group.)
Tip
To select master-page objects as well as document-page objects on a layer, you need to Option+Shift+click or
Alt+Shift+click the layer name. n
Placing objects on layers
To place objects on a layer, the layer must be active as indicated by the pen icon. To place objects
on the layer, use any of these options:
l
Use any tools to create paths and frames.
l
Use the Place command (choose File ➪ Place or press Ô+D or Ctrl+D) to import graphics
or text.
l
Use the Paste command (choose Edit ➪ Paste or press Ô+V or Ctrl+V) to paste objects
from the Clipboard onto the layer.
l
Click and drag objects to the layer from a library or another document.
Note
When you create objects on master pages, they are placed on the default layer and are therefore behind
other objects on document pages. To create objects on master pages that are in front of other objects, place
the objects on a different layer while the master page is displayed. n
13_607169-ch06.indd 16313_607169-ch06.indd 163 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Part II: Document Fundamentals
164
You can cut and paste objects from one page to another but have the objects remain on their origi-
nal layer — without concern about the active layer. To do this, choose Paste Remembers Layers in

you click and drag the active objects’ object icon.
l
Copy objects to a hidden or locked layer: Press and hold Option+Ô or Ctrl+Alt while
you drag the active objects’ object icon.
Tip
After designing a new template, you might realize that it would be easier to work with if you had isolated cer-
tain objects on layers. You can create new layers and then move objects to them at this point. Just make sure
the layers are in the same stacking order as the original objects. n
13_607169-ch06.indd 16413_607169-ch06.indd 164 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Chapter 6: Working with Layers
165
Manipulating entire layers
Using the Layers panel, you can also select and manipulate entire layers, not just individual objects
on them. For example, if you hide a layer instead of a specific object on that layer, all its objects are
hidden; if you move a layer up, all its objects appear in front of objects on lower layers.
Note
When working with the Layers panel, InDesign CS5 gives you much richer control when manipulating entire
layers than the groups and objects within them. In the Layers panel, you can simply hide/unhide, lock/unlock,
and change the stacking order for individual objects, as well as move objects to other layers. When working
with entire layers, you can also merge and delete them. If you want to do more with objects than the Layers
panel permits, see Part III for all the controls available for objects. n
Selecting layers
The active layer containing the pen icon is always selected. You can extend the selection to include
other layers the same way you multiple-select objects: Shift+click for a continuous selection and
Ô+click or Ctrl+click for a noncontiguous selection. When layers are selected, you can move them
within the stacking order of layers, modify attributes in the Layer Options dialog box, merge them,
or delete them.
Hiding layers
When you hide a layer, none of the objects on that layer displays or prints. You might hide layers

Locking layers
When you lock a layer, you cannot select or modify objects on it — even if the locked layer is
active. You might lock a layer containing boilerplate text or a layer containing a complex drawing
that you don’t want altered. Locking and unlocking layers is easy, so you might lock one layer
while focusing on another, and then unlock it. To lock or unlock layers using the Layers panel, do
one of the following:
l
Click the blank square in the second column to the left of a layer’s name. When the lock
icon appears in the square, the layer is locked. Click the lock icon to unlock the layer; the
square becomes blank. (This technique also works for groups and individual objects if you
click their individual lock squares.) You can also double-click a layer and select or dese-
lect the Lock Layer option in the Layer Options dialog box.
l
If no layers are locked, you can lock all but the active layer by choosing Lock Others from
the flyout menu.
l
If any layers are locked, you can unlock all layers by choosing Unlock All Layers from the
flyout menu.
l
You can toggle between Lock Others and Unlock All Layers by Option+clicking or
Alt+clicking the blank box or the lock icon.
Note
When you lock an object to a page (choose Object ➪ Lock or press Ô+L or Ctrl+L), as described in Chapter 13,
the object’s position stays locked regardless of its layer’s lock status. n
Preventing layers from printing or exporting
InDesign lets you designate layers as nonprinting, separately from being hidden. Select the layers
you don’t want to print or export and then choose Layer options from the Layers panel’s flyout
menu and deselect Print Layer. Layers that won’t print show their names in italic in the Layers
panel. (In addition, hidden layers also do not print.)
Cross-Reference

news is that you can also merge all the layers in a document to flatten it to a single layer. To flatten
all layers:
1.
Select the target layer (where you want all the objects to end up) by clicking it.
2.
Select the source layers (which contain the objects you want to move) in addition to
the target layer. Shift+click, or Ô+click or Ctrl+click, to add the source layers to the
selection.
3.
Make sure the target layer displays the pen icon and that the target and source lay-
ers are all selected.
4.
Choose Merge Layers from the Layers panel’s flyout menu. All objects on the source
layers are moved to the target layer, and the source layers are deleted.
13_607169-ch06.indd 16713_607169-ch06.indd 167 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Part II: Document Fundamentals
168
Note
When you merge layers, the stacking order of objects does not change, so the design looks the same — with
one notable exception: If you created objects on a layer while a master page was displayed, those objects go to
the back of the stacking order with the regular master-page objects. n
Deleting layers
If you’ve carefully isolated portions of a document on different layers and then find that you don’t
need that portion of the document, you can delete the layer. For example, if you have a U.S.
English and an International English layer, and you decide that you can’t afford to print the differ-
ent versions and one dialect’s readers will simply have to suffer, you can delete the unneeded layer.
You might also delete layers that you don’t end up using to simplify a document.
When you delete layers, all the objects on the layer throughout the document are deleted. To
ensure that you don’t need any of the objects before deleting a layer, you can hide all other layers

169
hidden entirely (choose View ➪ Grids & Guides ➪ Hide Guides or press Ô+; [semicolon] or
Ctrl+; [semicolon]), this command has no apparent effect.
l
Lock Guides option: This works similarly to Show Guides in that it affects only guides cre-
ated while the layer is active. When deselected, as it is by default, you can move guides on
any layer for which Lock Guides is deselected. When selected, you cannot move guides cre-
ated while that layer was active. You can, however, move guides on other layers for which
Lock Guides is deselected. Note that when all guides are locked (choose View ➪ Grids &
Guides ➪ Lock Guides or press Option+Ô+; [semicolon] or Ctrl+Alt+; [semicolon]), this
command has no apparent effect.
Summary
If you take the time to integrate layers into your workflow, you can save time and effort in creating
multilingual publications, produce multiple versions of a document, and benefit from greater flexi-
bility with objects. Until you create new layers, all the objects are placed on the default layer.
Although each layer has its own stacking order, the order of layers also affects stacking order.
You can create objects on the active layer, and you can move objects to different layers. Even
though objects are on layers, you can continue to select and modify them as you normally would —
provided that the layers are visible and unlocked. Hiding layers suppresses the printout of objects
as well as prevents their display. There’s also a separate control to prevent unhidden layers from
printing. To streamline a document, you can merge and delete layers.
InDesign CS5 has enhanced the Layers panel to let you work with the individual objects and object
groups on each layer. You can hide/unhide, lock/unlock, and change the stacking order of objects,
as well as move them to other layers.
13_607169-ch06.indd 16913_607169-ch06.indd 169 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
13_607169-ch06.indd 17013_607169-ch06.indd 170 4/22/10 7:49 PM4/22/10 7:49 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
171
CHAPTER

many document pages as you want. Without master pages, you
would have to create every page from scratch.
l
A template is a preconstructed document used to create multiple
iterations of the same design or publication. A template is a shell of
a document that contains everything in a publication except con-
tent. Each time you need to create a new version of a repeatedly
produced publication, you open its template, save the version as a
new document file, add the content (text and graphics), tweak as
desired, and then print. Next issue, same thing.
14_607169-ch07.indd 17114_607169-ch07.indd 171 4/22/10 7:50 PM4/22/10 7:50 PM
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
Part II: Document Fundamentals
172
l
As its name suggests, a library is a place where you store things. Specifically, InDesign
libraries are files for storing objects that you create in InDesign and that you intend to use
repeatedly in multiple documents.
l
A style is a collection of formatting attributes that you can then apply to items to ensure
consistency. Plus, if you update a style, all items using it are updated automatically with
the modified formatting.
This chapter also covers a fifth set of options — rulers, guides, and grids — that don’t automate
your work but do make it easier to be consistent across pages. Ensuring consistency is a key part of
implementing layout standards, and it’s easy to overlook these aids when using InDesign.
Tip
Although this chapter begins with master pages, this doesn’t mean that you should begin work on a publication
by creating master pages. You may prefer to work on text-formatting tasks first and build styles before turning
your attention to page layout and document construction tasks. n
Creating and Applying Master Pages

print, but any pages that use them print the items from their master page, in addition to any
unique elements you add to those individual pages. Typically, master pages contain text and
graphic elements, such as page numbers, headers, footers, folios, and so on, that appear on all
pages of a publication. And as did their paste-up board ancestors, master pages also include
guidelines that indicate page edges, column boundaries, and margins, as well as other manually
created guidelines to aid page designers in placing objects. By placing items on master pages,
you save yourself the repetitive work of placing the same items one by one on each and every
document page.
Note
Note that InDesign’s menu options and other interfaces sometimes switch between master page and master
spread based on which is selected, but the steps are the same even if I say page and InDesign shows spread. n
By default, every InDesign document you create contains a master page. Whether you use the mas-
ter page or create and use additional master pages depends on the kind of publication you’re creat-
ing. If it’s a single-page document, such as a business card or an advertisement, you don’t need to
worry about master pages at all. (Generally, master pages are of little use for one-page documents.)
However, if you’re creating a multipage document like a newsletter, a book, or a catalog, using
master pages saves you time and helps ensure design consistency. It’s impossible to overstate the
importance of master pages. They’re one of InDesign’s most powerful features.
The Pages panel
When you work on multipage documents, you may want to display the Pages panel (choose
Window ➪ Pages or press Ô+F12 or Ctrl+F12), which is shown in Figure 7.1. The Pages panel dis-
plays a thumbnail preview of your document pages (bottom) and master pages (top) in the current
document. The controls in the Pages panel and its accompanying flyout menu let you perform sev-
eral master-page-related tasks, including creating and deleting master pages, applying master pages
to document pages, and creating master pages out of document pages. The Pages panel also lets
you add and remove document pages.
Cross-Reference
See Chapter 5 for more information about adding and removing document pages, as well as about the Pages
panel’s controls for document pages. n
14_607169-ch07.indd 17314_607169-ch07.indd 173 4/22/10 7:50 PM4/22/10 7:50 PM