The A to Z of Adobe

InDesign
by Grace Fussell23 Jun 2014
Languages:
Adobe InDesignPrint DesignLayoutDigital Publishing
This post is part of a series called A to Z Design Software.
The A to Z of Adobe Photoshop
The A to Z of Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign is a diverse software programme for creating beautiful

designs for print and digital. Most designers will have a tried-and-trusted
set of InDesign tools they consistently use in their daily workflow
(guilty!), but aside from the ever-faithful features there are also some
exciting tools and tips you may not know about.
Whether youre a newbie to the programme or a seasoned InDesign
professional, there may be something in the following list that you havent
yet discovered or used. Click the links to access detailed tutorials on some
of InDesign's features.

Want to point out any more InDesign tools/tips/features that arent

included here? Share them in the Comments below!

Align panel (Window > Object & Layout > Align): This panel gives the
designer control over the arrangement of objects on a page in a document.
Check out Gavin Selbys great Quick Tip for the Align panel here.
Alignment (find Text Alignment options in the Paragraph Formatting
Controls menu, in the top Application Bar): Use these options to set the
Alignment of your text to Justified, Aligned Center, or Aligned
Towardsor Away From the Spine.
Anchor Point (Tools Panel > Add / Delete Anchor Point Tool): As in
Illustrator, you can apply an anchor point to a Stroke or Shape to
manually alter its arc.
Anchored Object (Object > Anchored Object): You can attach/anchor
items (such as text frames, or images) to specified text in a document, in a
series of positions, including Inline, Above Line and Custom.
Application Bar and Application Frame (Window > Application Bar /
Application Frame): The Application Bar sits at the top of your screen

when InDesign is open and contains menus, a Workspace switcher and

other application controls. The Frame is a modern InDesign interface
which groups all the Workspace elements together as one unit. You can
switch this on or off in the Window menu.
Arrange (Window > Arrange / Ctrl-Click [Mac] or Right-Click [PC] >
Arrange): This allows you to send a selected item (e.g. a text
frame/shape/image frame) to the back or front of your document within the
same Layer.
Articles (Window > Articles): Articles (from CS5.5 onwards) provide a
way of setting the order between elements in a document that is not
restricted to the usual left-to-right reading of a traditional typeset
document. This is useful for exporting a document to EPUB, HTML,
or Accessible PDFs. You can drag and drop items, such as individual text
frames, into the Articles Panel in the correct order before exporting.

Baseline Shift (in Character Formatting Controls Panel): A Baseline is the

invisible line on which a text character sits; you can shift this up or down
using the Baseline Shift option, pushing a character upwards or
downwards.

Bleed (File > New Document > Bleed and Slug): A Bleed can be set up
extra to the boundaries of a document. It allows text, images and color to
extend past the boundary of the document, allowing for any minor
trimming inaccuracies post-printing to appear less noticeable.
Book (File > New > Book...): You can create a Book file in InDesign.
This creates a grouping of separate documents, such as chapters or
sections, while maintaining the numbering sequence of pages.

Character (Window > Type & Tables > Character): You can apply
attributes or Styles (see S, below) to text. By selecting individual
characters, words or sentences you can change
the Font, Size, Leading (see L, below) etc. using the options available in
the Character Formatting Controls panel (see below).

Character Formatting Controls: Find this panel in the Applications

Bar which runs along the top of the screen. It is indicated by an A icon
on the left-hand side of the Bar.
Color: Find out how to manage Color in InDesign.
Columns (Layout > Margins and Columns...): When creating a New
Document you can set the number of Columns in a document as well as
the Gutter spacing between them. This can be used to more easily
arrange columns of text, for example for a newspaper or brochure layout.
Check out Martin Perhiniaks tips for designing layouts with columns.
Content Collector Tool (B) / Content Placer Tool: Available from CS6
onwards, this useful pop-up panel allows you to collect and distribute
content across a document. For example, you may want to use an image
several times throughout a long book; you can collect the image in the
Content Collector and drop it in easily where needed.
Corners (Object > Corner Options): Use the Corner Options menu to set
the Size and Shape (e.g. Bevelled, Rounded) of the corners of an object,
such as a text or image frame.

Direct Selection Tool (A): Allows you to directly select anchor points of a
shape or stroke to apply more flexible transformations.
Drop Cap (in Character Formatting Controls Panel): A Drop Cap is a
striking typographic effect which extends the size and line-depth of a
single or multiple characters at the start of a paragraph. You can set
the Number of Lines and choose to effect One or More Characters.

Effects (Object > Effects): You can apply a number of Effects to an object,
such as a text frame, image or shape, such as applying a Gradient
Feather, adjust Transparency or add a Drop Shadow.
Ellipse Tool (L): Use this tool to create an ellipsical or circular (by
holding down Shift) frame suitable for color and text.
Ellipse Frame Tool (Tools Panel > Under Rectangle Frame Tool dropdown menu): Use this tool to create an elliptical or circular (by holding
down Shift) frame suitable for placing images.

Erase Tool (Tools Panel > Under Pencil Tool drop-down menu): Get rid of
unwanted sections of path using the Erase Tool. You cant erase paths
which you have converted to Type on a Path (see T, below).
Export (File > Export...): Use this option to export your InDesign
document to PDF (Print or Interactive), as an image file (e.g. EPS, PNG,
JPEG), to HTML or to a number of other formats.
Eyedropper Tool (I): Hover the Eyedropper Tool over a colored area of
your document, such as part of an image, to pick up a replication of that
color which you can then add to your Swatches panel.

Facing Pages (File > New Document > Check Facing Pages): Compared
to other design software, like Photoshop and Illustrator, InDesign was

created to facilitate the design of print layouts, e.g. for books, magazines,
leaflets. Check Facing Pages to create spreads that begin on a single
right-hand page and have two-page facing spreads throughout.
Fill (X): Set a color Fill for an object, such as a frame, or text. You can
also set this from the Swatchespanel and the Character Formatting
Controls panel.
Fitting (Object > Fitting): In InDesign placed content, such as images, are
positioned within a frame. Use the Fitting options to dictate the size and
extent of visible content within a frame. If youre unsure what to
select, Fill Frame Proportionally is usually a safe option.
Free Transform Tool (E): Use this tool to manually Rotate (see R,
below) an Object (see O, below).

Gap Tool (U): This can be used to alter the space between and
around Objects. See Gavin Selbys Quick tip for more info.
Glyphs (Window > Type & Tables > Glyphs): View all
the Glyphs/Symbols available for your selected Font. You can also view

recently used glyphs and create new glyph sets by going to the drop-down
menu in theGlyphs panel.
Gradient Feather Tool (Shift-G): Use this tool to soften
the Gradient effect applied to an Object (see O).
Gradient Swatch Tool (G): Use this tool to apply a
simple Gradient effect to an Object (see O) or alter an existing
Gradient.
Grids (View > Extras > Show Baseline Grid/Show Document Grid):
The Baseline Grid is used to align columns of text and is visible on the
document, but not the pasteboard. The Document Grid is used to align
Objects and extends across the whole of the Pasteboard (see P). You can
edit Grids using the Grid Preferences (Edit > Preferences > Grids
[Windows] or InDesign > Preferences > Grids [Mac]).
Group (Object > Group / Ungroup): Grouping Objects, Frames and/or
other elements together is a useful way of applying Effects to a group of
items simultaneously or to simply group items for convenience.
Guides (Layout > Create Guides... or manually drag from the Rulers): Use
Guides to create informal guidelines for placing content on a spread. For
example, if you wanted to mark out the spine of a book cover, this is often
much simpler to achieve using Guides than marking out fiddly Column
Widths. Learn more about using Guides and Rulers (see R,
below) here.

Hand Tool (H): Use the Hand Tool (found in the Tools panel) to grab the
document and navigate more flexibly across a spread or between pages.
Hyphenate (in Character Formatting Controls and Paragraph Formatting
Controls Panels): Check the Hyphenate option while your Type cursor sits
in a given paragraph to allow words to break across lines.

Info (Window > Info): Open the Info panel to get more detailed stats on
the number of Characters, Words, Lines and Paragraphs in your
document.
Intent (File > New Document > Intent): You can set the Intent of an
InDesign document to Print, Web (for desktop websites) or Digital
Publishing (for designing for tablets, smartphones and eBook readers).
You can choose a specific option from the Page Size drop-down menu.

Join (Object > Paths > Join): As in Illustrator, you can use the Join option
to unite two strokes as a singleShape or Stroke, preventing any unsightly
overlaps of Strokes or visible Ends.

Kerning (in Character Formatting Controls Panel): You can reduce or

increase the Kerning, or space between individual characters, using this
option.

Language (set Language in the Paragraph Formatting Controls Panel, at

the far right): Changing the Language setting in this menu will change the
default dictionary used by InDesign. This can affect how words are
automatically broken by hyphenation for example.

Layers (Window > Layers): It is good practice to create Layers for

different elements in your document, andLock those Layers that are not
currently being edited. For example, separating text and image elements
into different Layers can make individual items easier to edit. Learn more
about the Layers panel.
Line Tool (\): The Line Tool creates a single stroke that can be edited
using the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke, see S below). Hold
down Shift as you drag for a straight vertical or horizontal line.
Links (Window > Links): Images are not embedded in InDesign
documents but linked instead. The software creates a Link between the
ID document and the image file in its folder. The Preflight panel (Window
> Output > Preflight, see P, below) will alert you before exporting if any
Links are missing. You can use the Relink icon in the Links panel to
relocate the relevant file.
Liquid Layout (Window > Interactive > Liquid Layout): Allows you to
flexibly adjust your content to different page sizes. Check out Martin
Perhiniaks video tutorial for using Liquid Layouts in InDesign.
Lock (Object > Lock): Select any elements on a page you would like to be
locked (and not move at all) and choose this option. This is really useful
for when you dont want to mistakenly move an element on a page while
youre editing something else.

Margins (Layout > Margins and Columns...): Define the Margins of a

document in the New Documentwindow, or later on from
the Layout menu (note: select all the Pages you want to adjust the
Margins for before going to the Layout menu, by clicking on the relevant
page icons in the Pages panel).
Markers (Type > Insert Special Character > Markers): You can transform
a simple text frame into a dynamic Page Number or Section Marker by
going to the Markers menu. A useful tip is to create a small text frame on
your Master page(s) and insert a Page Number marker there, which will
then appear on all pages that have that Master applied to them.
Master Pages (see top of Pages Panel [Window > Pages]): Masters are a
simple way to manage longer documents that have common features

across pages (e.g. Page Numbers, Headers, Footers, background

colors/images etc.). A default single-page Master (named A-Master)
appears in the Pages panel when you create a New Document. You can
add more Masters by going to the drop-down menu in the Pages Panel and
checking New Master...; you can then drag and drop Masters onto the
Page icons below.
Measure Tool (K): The Measure Tool calculates the distance between any
two points in your document. The distance value will appear in
the Info panel (see I, above).
Mini Bridge (Window > Mini Bridge): Mini Bridge is an extension that
allows you to manage your images more efficiently and drop them into
InDesign more easily. Find out more about how to manage images in Mini
Bridge.
N

Nested Styles (find in drop-down menu at far right of the top Application
Bar > Drop Caps and Nested Styles): You can apply a Nested Style to text
at the beginning of a paragraph, or apply a Nested Line Styleto one or
more lines in a paragraph. Check out Cheryl Grahams Quick Tip for
Nested Styles.

Note Tool (Tools Panel > Fourth Section Down): Use the Note Tool to
mark out text you want to make temporarily invisible. In the Notes panel
(click on the Note symbol that appears next to your note with theType
Tool selected) to review your Note and have the option of reinserting it.
Numbering & Section Options (Layout > Numbering & Section
Options): When putting together a longer document in InDesign, such as
a Book, you will probably want to divide the document into Sections and
perhaps define different page numbering options for different sections.
Open the Numbering & Section Options window to make these
adjustments.

Object (see Object drop-down menu in top menu): An Object is any

element on a page that can be edited directly by the designer. For example,
this may be a text frame or an image frame. Refer to this menu to
apply Effects, Edit Paths, Lock/Unlock/Group/Ungroup Objects, etc.
Optical Margin Alignment (in Story Panel - Window > Type & Tables >
Story): Check the Optical Margin Alignment to slightly shift any text
characters, e.g. punctuation marks, which can fall outside of the text frame
border to create a cleaner line against the Margin.

Overprint (View > Overprint Preview): If you're using Spot Colors in

your InDesign document, its a great idea to check the Overprint
Preview to see a more accurate view of how your Colors (see 'C',
above) will actually print.

Package (File > Package...): If youre sending your InDesign document to

another person, another computer, or just as an exercise in good practice
for your own files, you should always Package a document once youve
finished editing. This brings together all the image files, fonts and optional
printing instructions in one handy folder.
Pages panel (Window > Pages): Navigate through your document using
the Pages Panel. Add, Delete orDuplicate Pages by referring to the icons
at the bottom of the Panel. Explore more about Page
Numberingwith Gavin Selbys Quick Tip.

Page Tool (Shift-P): The Page Tool allows you to change the page size
and layout of an individual page in a document without effecting other
pages. Check out Gavin Selbys take on the Page Tool.
Paragraph panel (Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph); plus in dropdown menu, Paragraph Composer options: Format individual paragraphs
using the options in this menu; you can edit Alignment, Hyphenation,
Indentation, Drop Caps etc.
Paragraph Formatting Controls (find in the top Application Bar): This is
a long menu you can find when using the Type Tool. Click the icon below
the A-symbol on the far-left of the panel to bring it up.
Paste (Edit > Paste / Paste in Place): Self-explanatory, but Paste can be a
very useful option for carrying content across pages. Check Paste in
Place if you want to maintain the original position of the frame. Avoid
pasting images from other programmes, as this will not be Linked (see
L, above).
Pasteboard (View > Entire Pasteboard): The Pasteboard is the whole area
of the InDesign document plus the space available for dropping nonprinted content. Use it as an artboard for keeping elements on stand-by you
may or may not use as you make edits.
Pen Tool (P): This functions in the same way as the Illustrator Pen Tool
does. Create custom lines, andAdd or Delete Anchor Points to
a Line using the drop-down options in the Tools panel.
Pencil Tool (N): As above, but with more flexibility to create fluid and
organic shapes. Hold down to create a line with numerous Anchor Points.
Place (File > Place...): You should always Place images into an InDesign
document rather than Opening orPasting. This allows the file to
remain Linked (see L, above). Create an image frame of a desired size
before you go to Place.

Polygon Tool (Tools Panel > Under Rectangle Tool drop-down menu):
Use this Tool to create a 6-sided polygon shape, suitable for
adding Color or Text.
Polygon Frame Tool (Tools Panel > Under Rectangle Frame Tool dropdown menu): As above, but suitable for placing Images into.
Preflight (Window > Output > Preflight): InDesign prompts you to
Preflight (check your document for errors) before exporting or
packaging. Learn more about Live Preflight.
Profiles (Edit > Assign Profiles... / Convert to Profile...): You can alter
the Color Profile of your document (with RGB or CMYK options) from
here.

Quick Apply (Edit > Quick Apply): Allows you to select from a list of
commonly used functions, e.g. Basic Paragraph Style, Chapter
Number etc. at the click of a mouse.

Rectangle Tool (M): Use this to create a frame suitable for Color,
Effects and/or Text. Hold Shift to create a perfect square.
Rectangle Frame Tool (F): As above, but suitable for placing Images.
Relink (at bottom of Links Panel [Window > Links] or Opt-Click to
Relink all Missing Links): Sometimes image files are moved or renamed,
prompting InDesign to flash up an error warning in the Preflight panel.
Use the Relink icon in the Links panel to locate the lost file.
Revert (File > Revert...): Revert back to the previous saved version of
your InDesign document.

Rotate Spread (View > Rotate Spread): Alter the view of a given
page/spread. Can be rotated a full 180 degrees or 90 degrees
CW or CCW.
Rotate Tool (R): Select an Object and Rotate it manually using this tool.
Rulers (View > Show Rulers): Rulers lie along the top and left-hand side
of the document window. You can drag Guides from them to mark out
sections of a document.

Scale Tool (S): Use this tool to Scale an Object along the X or Y axis, or
both.
Scissors Tool (C): Use this tool to split Shapes, Paths and Frames.
Screen Mode (View > Screen Mode): You can tap the W key to switch
between the two main modes,Normal and Preview. You should always
make edits while in the Normal Mode.
Selection Tool (V, Escape): Drag the Selection Tool across elements in a
document to select them.
Separations (Window > Output > Separations Preview): This is a great
tool to use before Preflighting andExporting a file for print. Select
Separations from the drop-down View menu to view all the Colors being
used in your document. Here, you can identify stray Spot Colors etc. and
also switch off the visibility of individual colors to check color overprints
and knock-outs are working correctly.
Shear Tool (O): Use this to skew an Object horizontally, creating the
illusion of 3D depth.
Slug (File > New Document > Bleed and Slug): The Slug is the area which
falls outside the Page and Bleed. Its a suitable place for inserting print
instructions, sign-off info or anything else that wont appear on the final
printed document.
Smooth Tool (Tools Panel > Under Pencil Tool drop-down menu): Drag
the Smooth Tool along a section ofPath to smooth the line, and remove
any unnecessary Anchor points.
Story (Window > Type & Tables > Story): The Story panel gives you
access to the Optical Margin Alignmentcheck-box (see O, above).

Stroke (Window > Stroke): Open the Stroke panel to access more
formatting controls for affecting Linesand Paths. You can set the Weight,
Type and even alter the appearance of the Start and/or End of
a Line(such as adding arrow ends).
Styles (Window > Styles): You can set Styles (formatting rules)
for Paragraphs, Characters, Objects, Cellsand Tables. They are a great
way of lifting formatting and applying it throughout a long document, and
are an essential time-saver! Check out Cheryl Grahams Quick Tip for
creating Paragraph Styles. You can also read more about using Styles.
Swatches (Window > Color > Swatches): The Swatches panel allows you
to create and organise Colors, Gradients, or Tints, and apply them. Its
important to note that Swatches behave similarly
to Paragraphand Character Styles; any edits you make to a Swatch will
effect all the elements/Objects which have that Swatch applied to them.

Table (See Table in the main menu > Insert Table; and Window > Type
and Tables > Table for the Table Panel): You can create a Table from the
main menu and format features such as the number of columns/rows,

height /width of cells and inset values using the Table panel. You can also
save these formats as Cell and Table Styles (Window > Styles > Cell
Styles / Table Styles).
Text Threads (View > Extras > Show Text Threads): Text Threads show
the connections made between text frames, for the flow of text. You can
create a Text Thread by clicking in the bottom right-hand corner of a text
frame and clicking again in a second text frame. Explore Gavin Selbys
Quick Tip for Threading.
Text Wrap (Window > Text Wrap): You can wrap text around
an Object using the Text Wrap Panel. Check out Martin Perhiniaks
useful tutorial.
Tracking (in Character Formatting Controls Panel): Tracking reduces or
increases the spaces between characters in a whole block of text.
Transform (Object > Transform or Cmd-Click [Mac] / Right-Click [PC] >
Transform): The Transformation options in InDesign give you a bit more
freedom with the position and appearance of an Object. You canRotate,
Flip, Move, Scale, or Shear an Object.
Type Tool (T): Use the Type Tool to create a text frame (just click and
drag) for inserting text or click once on an existing frame or shape to
transform it into a text frame.
Type on a Path Tool (Shift-T): The Type on a Path Tool allows you to
flexibly apply text to the shape of aPath or Object. Just hover over where
you would like your text to begin and click once.

Units & Increments (InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments...):
Set your preferences for measurement units here. Millimeters are the
industry standard for print, but pixels should be used for Web / Digital
design. Setting the Intent (see I, above) of the document will also set this
for you before you begin any work.

Variables (Type > Text Variables): In the Text Variables window you can
find a number of preset text variables that you can insert in your
document. The Variables change according to the context, such as
aChapter Number or Page Number. These Variables can be edited, or
you can create your own.

Workspace (Window > Workspace), also find at top right of Application

Bar: The Workspace defines which InDesign panels you see on your
screen. Essentials is the default option and can be Reset from the drop-

down menu. You can create your own custom Workspace for future use by
selecting New Workspace...from the drop-down menu.
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XML (File > Import XML...): XML (Extensible Markup Language) works
as a sort of translation tool for data. InDesign works with XML files, and
you can also tag content in your InDesign file, and save and export it as an
XML file for use in another application. Go to the Structure panel (View
> Structure) to view imported XML data.

Zoom Tool (Z) / Manual Zoom - The Zoom keyboard shortcut is a really
useful way of navigating over a page or spread, and should become an
integral part of the way you use InDesign every time you open a
document.