InDesign Basics FILE TYPES InDesign can import a wide range of graphics file formats. Consult with the service providers who will help you produce your document to clarify which formats to use. You can then plan your document around those formats and the options that best apply to your project. The following table summarizes what graphics formats would work best for the kind of document you’re designing. InDesign Basics GOOD DESIGN HABITS Create a document folder Before you begin a project, determine which files you’ll need and how you’ll store them. Create a folder for storing your document and its linked files. InDesign maintains links to files you place in a document, but if a link is bro- ken, InDesign looks for the file in the document’s folder. Storing a document and its linked files in the same folder makes it easy to move them from one computer to another. Storing files in one folder also ensures that InDesign finds the original graphics when printing a document. If InDesign cannot locate a linked graphic, it won’t reflect changes you make to the original graphic, and it may print the graphic poorly or not at all. If your project consists of multiple documents (for example, chapters in a book), you may find it useful to create a project folder that contains a folder for each document and its linked files. Consider using a template Use a template if you frequently create similar projects. Templates let you create consistent documents more quickly while protecting the original file. For example, if you create a monthly newsletter, your template might include ruler guides, page numbers, the newsletter masthead, and styles you want to use in each issue. (See Use document templates.) Open documents locally Before you open a document stored on a network volume or on removable media, copy the document and any linked graphics to your local hard disk. The slower access time and data transfer rate of a network volume or re- movable media can cause data to become lost or corrupted, possibly damaging the document. Save documents Save documents frequently, and create backup copies of important files. You can clear unnecessary data from a document by using the Save As command. When you use the Save command, InDesign appends new information to the document but doesn’t remove outdated data, such as information about a deleted graphic. When you use the Save As command, however, InDesign completely rewrites the document, including only information about objects and pages currently in the document. A document that contains only necessary data occupies less hard drive space and redraws and prints more quickly. Practice good design habits Create styles in a document. Creating styles with no documents open can cause duplicate styles to appear when you create a new document. To share styles in documents, save the styles and load them. Use appropriate fonts When choosing fonts for a document, consider how you intend to format and print the text. InDesign works best with Microsoft® OpenType®, Type 1 (also called PostScript), and TrueType fonts. Damaged or poorly constructed fonts can damage an InDesign document or cause it to print with unexpected results, so use reliable fonts created by established font vendors. If you work with a service bureau, find out its font requirements. Avoid using too many text frames Use as few text frames as possible to keep the document file size smaller and the layout easier to manipulate. Be smart with art Use the appropriate graphics file format. When you create graphics for a project, consider how you plan to print the document. For example, if you plan to print color separations, place Adobe-conforming EPS graphics, DCS files, or CMYK TIFF files only. Other color graphic formats may not separate reliably. If you intend to print the document at a service bureau, ask the service bureau which graphic formats work best with the output device it uses. The service bureau can also advise you on the optimal resolution for images. InDesign Basics GOOD DESIGN HABITS Store graphics externally When you import a graphic file, InDesign creates a link to the graphic by default. Linking helps minimize the filesize of the document and improves the performance of InDesign. When you print the document, the original graphic file must be available and linked. If InDesign can’t find the original, the graphic may print as a low resolu- tion preview or as a gray box. Transform (for example, skew or rotate) When you print a graphic that is transformed in InDesign, InDesign sends the graphic to the printer in its untrans- graphics before placing them in InDesign formed state and then appends the transformation instructions to it. This process causes longer print times and requires more printer memory to perform the transformation. Verify links and fonts before you print To ensure that a document prints correctly, verify that all links are intact and all fonts are available. A link becomes broken if you delete, move, or rename the original graphic. Use the Preflight and Package features before handing off files to a service bureau. InDesign Basics GETTING STARTED To create a new document: When you create a new document, the following window will appear. Most of the field options—page size and file > new > document orientation, margins, etc.—are fairly straightforward and self explanatory. A few however, are not: Number of pages It is not necessary to define the number of pages you will have in a document, you may not know ahead of time how many pages will be needed. You will see later that adding pages is simple once the document is created. Facing Pages If you have this box checked, the program will create a document with “facing pages” like a book or a magazine where the left and right hand pages have page numbers in opposite corners. If you are creating a document that will be seen one page at a time, you should not chose this option. Master Text Frame This option will automatically place a text box on each page. The text box will use the margins of the page to define its size. You CAN modify the size of this text box once in the document, so you may want to use this option for quick set-up. Columns The program will create column “guides” if you like. You will notice that my templates use column guides. This makes the layout more organized, especially when you have a lot of information (like the newsletter). The default gutter width—distance between columns—is usually fine. You can add/edit/delete these later. InDesign Basics TOOL BOX The items in the “Tool Box” are very similar to other Adobe software products. If you for- get the name or function of a tool, you can roll your mouse over it (without clicking) and a window will pop-up with its name and keyboard shortcut. You can also see examples of how each tool functions in the Adobe InDesign CS3 Help Viewer > workspace > gallery of tools. Selection tool: Use this tool to select and move objects. You can also use it to redefine the size of an object. You must select something (picture, box, text, etc.) before you can adjust it in any way. Direct Selection tool: Use this tool to select and move a specific point on an object or to move one item in a group of items without disturbing the rest of the group. You will not use this as often as the selection tool. Position tool lets you crop and move images in a frame. Pen tool: Use the pen tool to draw straight and curved paths. You must click a series of points and join the first and last point to make a shape. Options under this tool can add and delete points of a shape or path and can let you convert corner points and smooth points. Type/Type Path tool: Use this tool to define text areas and to make and modify type (see following notes of making type). Erase/Pencil/Smooth tool: Use the pencil tool to draw free-form lines. Erase tool lets you delete points on a path. (does not work the same way that the eraser works in Photoshop). Smooth tool lets you remove excess angles from a path. Line tool: Use this tool to draw straight lines. Click and drag to make a line. For a perfectly straight line, hold down the shift key while drawing it. Rectangle/Ellipse/Polygon Frame tool: Use these tools to define areas in which to place a picture or text. Rectangle/Ellipse/Polygon tool: Use these tools to define areas to place text or to simply draw shapes. Rotate/Scale/Shear/Free Transform tools: Use these to transform objects. I prefer to use the menu across the top for more precise alterations: Object > Transform > InDesign Basics TOOL BOX Button tool: lets you create a button that performs an action when the document is ex- ported to Adobe PDF. Measure tool: measures the distance between two points. Scissors tool: cuts paths at specified points. Hand tool: moves the page view within the document window. Stroke and Fill colors: Use this to chose colors for your “stroke” (frame/outline or line) colors, and “fill” (solid shape) colors. There are two overlapping boxes to show stroke and fill, the stroke is the one behind in the illustration at left (it looks like an outline) and the fill color is the box on top. In the illustration at left, both the stroke and the fill have no color (shown with a red strike through each box).