{"id":182,"date":"2026-08-06T12:04:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T17:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sts.doit.wisc.edu\/training-materials\/?post_type=manual&p=182"},"modified":"2026-08-12T12:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T17:03:17","slug":"indesign-creating-documents-with-indesign-layout-and-type","status":"publish","type":"manual","link":"https:\/\/sts.doit.wisc.edu\/training-materials\/manual\/indesign-creating-documents-with-indesign-layout-and-type\/","title":{"rendered":"InDesign: Creating Documents with InDesign: Layout and Type"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

About InDesign<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

InDesign is an industry-standard software used to create and publish professional layouts for print and digital media projects. It’s a great choice for creating multi-page projects, such as brochures, digital magazines, books, and interactive PDFs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"FInished<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

What Is InDesign Best For?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

InDesign is perfect for laying out projects, importing existing elements such as pictures and text, and adding simple lines and shapes to a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is InDesign NOT Suitable For?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It can be helpful to think of InDesign as a tool for organizing existing content<\/em>, rather than a tool for creating new<\/em> content. InDesign does not provide any photo editing tools and is not recommended to create elaborate vector graphics with. Instead, we recommend you use tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create these elements to later import into your InDesign project!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n

The InDesign Interface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

InDesign Workspaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This manual covers the ‘Essentials’ Workspace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different workspace views bring up different tools and panels that may be most productive for a specific kind of project. The Essentials workspace view is usually selected by default, and is often a great option for most projects. However, you can change this to be set to any workspace that you feel would be most beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resetting the Workspace: <\/strong>Accidentally moved or got rid of a panel? Go to this Workspace View and select “Reset [Workspace]” to bring back all the original panels. This name changes based on what workspace you are currently selected on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Interface Components<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The InDesign workspace includes features common to other Adobe softwares like Photoshop or Illustrator, such as the Tools Panel, Menu, and Properties Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we’ll explore the layout of the program itself. The different areas of InDesign are defined and summarized here, so if you get lost later in the manual you can always refer back to this section. The terminology here also applies to other Adobe design software like Photoshop and Illustrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Menu Bar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Menu bar contains File, Edit, Window and other menus. These menus allow you to find and apply more tools and techniques to your project should you need them. We will cover a few of these as needed for our practice project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Windows Menu is especially helpful when you need help locating a specific Panel! Just click on this menu and select the Panel you’d like to bring up in your workspaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opened File (Document Window)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After you create a new document or open an existing document in InDesign, it will appear in this area called the Document Window. If you have multiple files opened, each file appears as a tab<\/strong> in this Document Window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools Panel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tools Panel contains tools used to create and modify objects on our project. To select a tool, simply click it. Tools with a triangle in the lower-right corner have additional tools hidden beneath them. To display hidden tools, click and hold a tool icon; a drop-down menu showing the hidden tools will appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canvas (A Page)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Canvas area displays the page(s) that will contain all text, shapes, and images to be saved and\/or printed for your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Properties Panel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Properties panel is a one-stop shop for additional tools that may be helpful as you work on your project. If there’s one panel to really get familiar with, it’s this one! This panel changes depending on the current tool or object you are selected on. When selected on just the canvas (page), this panel will give you the options to change your document size, margins, number of pages, and add rulers or guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pages Panel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pages panel lets you manually add or remove pages from your project. This is where you can also edit the Parent Pages<\/strong>. Parent Pages are similar to templates, which allow you to add recurring elements (i.e. page numbers, headings, logo) on multiple pages without having to do so manually on each page. For large multi-paged documents, such as a book or magazine, this feature can save a lot of time and energy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

What Happened to the Tools on the Top??<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"control<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you worked with older versions of InDesign? Miss the Control Panel that used to be at the top? The Properties Panel has essentially replaced this with a more effective, less overwhelming list of tools the program thinks would be most beneficial as you work through your project. If you really want the control panel, you can retrieve it from the Windows menu!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n

Navigating the Workspace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When working on any InDesign project, it is helpful to know how to move around your workspace! Below you will find the tools and keyboard shortcuts to zoom and pan around your project, and more about the Selection Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Zoom Tool allows you to zoom in or zoom out to increase or decrease the document display size. To zoom in, click on the location as many times as you need. To zoom out, hold down the option<\/kbd> or alt<\/kbd> key and click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zoom<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keyboard Shortcut:<\/strong> Z<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If using a trackpad, you can zoom in and out using the standard pinch-in or pinch-out method. Finally, you can also zoom using the following keyboard shortcuts while selected on any tool:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Zoom<\/strong> on Mac
(Keyboard Shortcuts)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Zoom In: command<\/kbd> + <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom Out: command<\/kbd> -<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fit to Page<\/strong>: command<\/kbd> 0<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fit to Spread<\/strong>: command<\/kbd> + option<\/kbd> + 0<\/kbd><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Zoom<\/strong> on Windows
(Keyboard Shortcuts)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Zoom In<\/strong>: control<\/kbd> +<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom Out: <\/strong>control<\/kbd> -<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fit to Page<\/strong>: control<\/kbd> 0<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fit to Spread<\/strong>: control<\/kbd> + option<\/kbd> + 0<\/kbd><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hand Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Use the Hand tool to pan around Pages\/Spread when the document is zoomed in beyond the workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"hand<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keyboard Shortcut: <\/strong>Hold the Spacebar <\/strong>while on any tool (except while entering text in a frame). You can also use your trackpad to move around using a two finger dragging motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selection Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Selection Tool is used to select the different objects placed within your pages, such as text frames and graphics. It also allows you to resize and change the positioning of an object. Anytime you want to move around an object within your project, make sure you are selected on this tool!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"selection<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keyboard Shortcut:<\/strong> V<\/kbd><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n

Getting Started<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Creating a New InDesign File<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Open InDesign<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Click on the blue “New file”<\/strong> button on the left<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"new<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    3. From the New Document pop-up, you will have the option to either choose any of the preset document sizes or change the dimensions and settings for your project manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Measurements!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    By default, your new project will be measured in picas<\/strong> (p0), a standard unit of measurement often used by graphic designers. However, you will probably feel more comfortable in either inches or centimeters, so make sure you change the units<\/strong> before you begin your project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \"preset<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Name: <\/strong>Remember to name your project something you can easily identify later! By default, it will be named a variation of “Untitled-1”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Units: <\/strong>This is the unit of measurement used for the dimension you enter. Ensure your unit of measurement aligns with your project guidelines. Remember that 10×10 Millimeters is very different from 10×10 Inches!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Dimensions:<\/strong> The size of your each page in your InDesign project<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Orientation:<\/strong> Portrait or Landscape<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Pages:<\/strong> Number of Pages specifies how many pages the document will start out with. You can always add additional pages once the document is created.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Facing pages<\/strong>: Facing Pages makes left and right pages face each other in a double-page spread, generally for print materials like magazines and books. Deselecting this option will allow each page to stand alone, such as when you\u2019re designing flyers or posters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Start #<\/strong>: Start Page # is useful for page numbering. It defaults to 1. If you prefer the page numbering to start on 692, for example, you can do so by typing the numerical value in this section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Columns:<\/strong> How many sections of content to divide your pages into. The default is 1. Based on your selection, the Column Gutter is the space between sections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Margins:<\/strong> The empty space (border) around your pages. The default is .5, but this can be changed to whatever you’d like.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      What is Bleed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
      \n
      \"example<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n
      \"bleed<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Ever notice how magazines or posters usually have colors extend to the very edge of a page? These projects aren’t just printed like this! Instead, they have to be cut to the correct size! Bleed allows for color to be printed a tiny bit beyond the designated cut line of a project to ensure no white space is kept along the edge of a final project after it is cut to its final size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      InDesign lets you add bleed to your project and is shown by a red line on the InDesign document. Color should extend up to or beyond this line to ensure it is included when printing. If saving your project as a PDF prior to printing, you can easily include Trim Marks <\/strong>to show where your cuts should be made.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      Facing Pages vs Single Pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      If “Facing Pages” has been checked for an InDesign project, thumbnails within the Pages Panel are aligned along a central bar that indicates the binding or central fold of a spread.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      To set up your document for single pages: Go to Properties Panel <\/strong>and uncheck “Facing Pages”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Adding Pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      \"pages<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      1. To add a page, first click on the Pages Panel<\/strong> on the right-hand side of your workspace (right next to the Properties Panel tab) or you can go to Window > Pages<\/strong> if you do not already see this panel available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      2. From the bottom of the Pages Panel, click the “Create New Page”<\/strong> icon (looks like a square with a plus sign inside) to add as many more pages as you need for your project. For our practice project, we will add 2 pages, so we have a total of 3 pages.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"add<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      Need to add a lot of pages?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you need to add more than 10 pages, it may be worth changing the page number from the Properties Panel<\/strong> right above where it says “Facing Pages”. This will save you more time compared to if you add each page manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"Document<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Deleting Pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      To delete a page<\/strong>, simply click on the thumbnail of the page from the Pages Panel you’d like to remove and click on the icon that looks like a trashbin<\/strong> next to the “Create New Page” icon.Deleting Pages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"trash<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Moving Pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      To move a page<\/strong>, simply drag the thumbnail of the page from the Pages Panel to the location you would like it to appear in your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"gif<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      What Are Parent Pages?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \"Pages<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      For page-heavy projects, Parent Pages are a crucial tool that saves designers time and energy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Parent Pages allow you to essentially create a template with specific graphics and text that can be added easily to several pages within your project all at once. An example of these kinds of elements are page numbers, book titles, and chapter titles <\/strong>that appear within pages of many books or magazines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Parent Pages are found at the top section of the Pages Panel, with a single page named \u201c[None]\u201d<\/strong> and two facing pages named “A-Parent “<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Check out the Parent Pages section below for more information and examples!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      Organizing Your Project’s Layout: Rulers, Grids, and Guides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      One of the great things InDesign offers is very detailed control over positioning of content. All of these can now be found within the Properties Panel<\/strong> when selected on a page (canvas) in your work area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"wide<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Using Rulers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \"rulers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Click on a page with the Selection Tool (from the work area not the Pages Panel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. From the Properties Panel, locate the Rulers Icon<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Click to reveal or hide rulers as needed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. To change the default units of measurement, go to the Menu Bar and navigate to InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. The Units & Increments Preferences<\/strong> dialog box will appear. Under Ruler Units, change the Horizontal unit of measurement to whatever you’d like from the drop down menu. Do the same for the Vertical unit, and Click OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"InDesign<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"Units<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Using the Document Grid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        The Document Grid<\/strong> is a tool we can use to locate objects precisely where we want them on the page. It works like traditional graph paper, containing evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"Properties<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        We will use the Grid to place content later, and to create more specific structure using guides. We can also customize our grid. Now we’ll activate and personalize the Grid for our document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. The Grid is hidden by default. To show the Grid, first click on any page within your project with the Selection Tool<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Navigate to the Properties Panel<\/strong>, and click once on the Document Grid icon (furthest to the right)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. To change our Grid sectors divisions to inches, navigate to InDesign > Preferences > Grids<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. The Grids Preferences dialog box will appear. Under the Document Grid section, change the Horizontal and Vertical grid settings as you see fit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Make sure to Check “Grids in Back”<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. Click “OK” <\/strong>and the grid will appear on your document.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"InDesign<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \n

          Snapping to the Document Grid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          When placing objects by eye you can end up with content that looks fine at first glance, but on closer inspection is misaligned. For a clean design we want everything to be aligned correctly on a detailed level. Even slight alignment issues can make your publication look less polished overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"Snap<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          The Grid offers a feature called Snap to Grid which makes it easier to perfectly position objects on the page. When this setting is turned on, you’ll find your content boxes naturally want to align with the closest grid line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          How To: <\/strong>To snap objects to the Grid, go to the Menu Bar and navigate to View > Grids & Guides <\/strong>and select “Snap to Document Grid”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Working with Guides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \"gif<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Guides are vertical and horizontal lines that you can create and place individually. These are useful when you want more specific reference lines than those grid provides. We’ll use these to plan the layout for our magazine spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"guides<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. By default, Guides should be shown. If not, navigate to the Properties Panel and make sure the Guides icon in clicked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. To create a new Guide, click on the ruler on the top or side of the spread and Drag down into the document. A light-blue guide line will follow your cursor. As you drag, a small gray box to the right of your cursor will display the position of your guideline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Guidelines can be moved to specific locations by selecting it first and changing the X or Y position from the Properties Panel<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. Once done, lock them to avoid accidentally moving them. To lock your guides, navigate to View > Grids & Guides > Lock Guides<\/strong> or click on the Lock Grids Icon from the Properties Panel<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"guides<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n

            Preview Mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Preview Mode allows you to see your project without any of the guides. Guides (pink and blue borders) aren’t printed and are there rather to help you align your work within your document. You can go into “preview mode” by simply clicking “W” on your keyboard<\/strong>. Just make sure you aren’t in an active text box!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Adding Images with Frame Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Frame tools allow us to create placeholders<\/strong> for graphics we’d like to eventually add to our InDesign project. While it is not required to use frame tools within a project, it does help organize a layout!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Similar to a picture frame, InDesign frames have specific dimensions within a project. If we import a graphic that is too small or too large for the frame, it will need to be resized within the frame as necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Frames come in a variety of shapes, but we will focus on the Rectangle Frame Tool for our practice project, which appears within the Tools Panel by default. Other shape frames can be revealed by clicking and holding down on the Rectangle Frame Tool icon from the Tools Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Rectangle Frame Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            The Rectangle Frame tool allows you to create rectangle and square frames to act as placeholders for your project’s images and graphics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"rectangle<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            1. Creating a Frame:<\/strong> Click and drag to create a frame of your preferred size. You can rescale by dragging any of the corners as needed while on the Selection Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"gif<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            2. Importing an Image:<\/strong> To add an image within an existing frame, first select the frame and then go to the Properties Panel<\/strong>. From here, click on the “Import File” button at the very bottom of the panel. Locate the image you’d like to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"import<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n

            Files We Import Are References NOT Copies!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            It’s very important to know that any time we Import<\/strong> a file to our InDesign Project, we are NOT making a copy of it. Instead, we are creating a reference<\/em> to the file that lives on the computer we are working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            This means that if the original file on your computer is deleted, your InDesign project referencing that image will show a red “Missing Link” icon indicating it cannot reference<\/em> or find <\/em>the file. If this happens, you will need to save the file to your computer again and relink it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            InDesign may still save a temporary visual of your media if it’s missing, but you will need to relink to ensure saving and exporting works as intended.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

            3. Resizing & Moving Image:<\/strong> If you need to resize<\/strong> or move<\/strong> the image within the frame, go to the Selection Tool<\/strong> and hover over the center of the frame to reveal a circle. Click once on the circle to reveal the boundaries of the image within the frame. Click and drag the corners of the image as needed to resize. To keep the proportions of the original image, hold down the Shift key while dragging the corners. To move the image within the frame, click and drag the middle donut circle <\/strong>to the desired position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"resizing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n

            Changing A Frame’s Appearance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Did you know you can adjust a frame’s fill, stroke, corner, opacity, and even give it some effects (fx)? Just select the frame with the Selection Tool and from the Properties Panel, adjust any of the options under Appearance! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Note that for the Stroke and Corner options, you can change its appearance from the far right drop-down menus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            To apply effects, click on the “fx” word and you’ll see a list of options to choose from. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Working With Text<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Learning to work with the various text tools and settings is important for any and all InDesign projects!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Type Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"type<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Use the Type Tool to create new text frames or to edit text in existing frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            To create a text frame with the Type Tool, simply click and drag a box anywhere on your project and begin typing. You can adjust the text frame size with the Selection Tool and change the font and size via the Properties Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Shortcut: <\/strong>T<\/kbd><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Formatting Type<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            When highlighted on text within a text frame (double click if on Selection Tool), the Properties Panel<\/strong> reveals tools to format our text beyond the default settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            When working in a text frame, the Appearance, Character and Paragraph options allow you to format highlighted text differently within that frame. Note that these options will only appear within the Properties Panel if text is highlighted<\/strong> within a text frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Appearance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Appearance<\/strong> controls font color (Fill) and font border color and thickness (Stroke).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Character<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Character<\/strong> controls things like font face and size, tracking, leading, and kerning. You can click on the three dots<\/strong> near at the bottom of this section to see more Character options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Adjusting Text Spacing in InDesign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"visual<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            While the default text spacing is usually good enough for most projects, InDesign does provide tools to make further text spacing adjustments within the Character area of the Properties Panel. For each of the adjustments below, you will have to make sure to highlight <\/strong>the exact text you’d like the adjustments to apply to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
            \n
            \n

            Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Tracking adjusts the letter-spacing throughout a line or block of text. The default setting for body text is usually fine, but larger display text may need to be adjusted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Kerning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Kerning is the spacing between individual characters. You might use this to remove unnecessary white space between two characters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Leading<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Leading adjusts the space between lines of text. The larger the leading size, the larger the space between lines of text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

            Paragraph<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Paragraph<\/strong> options include features like alignment, indentation, and spacing between paragraphs. You can click on the three dots near at the bottom of this section to see more Paragraph options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            Turning off Hyphenation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            By default InDesign hyphenates <\/strong>words that are too long to fit on one line. However, from a design standpoint, it looks better if the word is simply bumped to the next line instead of hyphenating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. While on the Type Tool, highlight the text you want to remove hyphenation from.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Go to the Paragraph options within the Properties Panel and click on the three dots at the bottom to reveal more options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Navigate to the checked Hyphenate box <\/strong>and uncheck the box to turn off the hyphenation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \"gif<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

              Adding First Indents to Paragraphs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              A well-designed body of text includes clear indicators of the beginning and ending of paragraphs, and often some white space between them. The example below shows a paragraph with first indent of .25 inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"example<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              1. With the Type Tool, highlight the paragraph text<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2. Go to the Paragraph options within the Properties Panel and click on the three dots at the bottom to expand options so it looks like the image below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              3. To add a first indent, you’ll need to change the “First Line Left Indent field” from 0 to something higher, usually .25 in<\/strong> is a good amount but it will depend on the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"paragraph<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              Adding Spacing Between Paragraphs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              Good paragraph separation looks less intimidating to the reader, makes your text easier to read, and separates your ideas visually. Below is an example of a paragraph with .125 spacing automatically added at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              1. With the Type Tool, highlight the paragraph text<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2. Go to the paragraph options within the Properties Panel and click on the three dots at the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"paragraph<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              3. To add space after a paragraph, in the “Space After” field of the Paragraph options, change it from 0 to a higher number, usually .125 in<\/strong> is a good amount but it will depend on the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Text Frame Columns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              In addition to modifying font color, font size, and paragraphs, InDesign allows us to modify the number of columns within a text frame. By default, there will be one column per text frame, but this can be changed from the Properties Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"gif<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              1. With the Selection Tool, select a text frame by clicking on it once (do not highlight any specific text)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2. From the Properties Panel, scroll down until you see Text Frame<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"text<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              3. In the first box, change the number to update the columns within your text frame<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              4. You can also change the spacing between columns in the next box<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Text Flow (Linking Text Boxes)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              Text Flow allows the text in our document to flow from one text frame to another without having to make or adjust each text frame every time you edit the text. You can set-up your text frames on InDesign to be ready to have text flow between frames by “linking” them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Optional: <\/strong>From the top menu options, go to View > Extras > Show Text Threads<\/strong>. This will give you a visual as to what text frames are linked in what order. You can turn this off at any point you are comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              2. Create as many text frames as you need for your project layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              3. With the Selection Tool, click once on the white square on the lower-right border area of the text frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"gif<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              4. After this, click once on the text frame you’d like text to flow to. Repeat this process between all your text frames in the order that makes sense for your project. These text frames are now linked and will allow text to flow between them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              5. To unlink text frames, complete the exact same steps you followed originally to link them – click on the white square and then click on the next text frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n

              Overflow Text Warning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              A text overflow warning appears when you add text to a text frame that is too long<\/strong> for the text frame size. This visual tells us “hey there is more text here that is hidden!”. To get rid of this warning and reveal more of our text, either make the font smaller, make the text frame bigger, or have the text flow into a new text frame. To update the text flow after adding too long of text to a text frame:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"text<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. With the Selection Tool, click on the small square with the red cross<\/strong> in the bottom right-hand corner of the text frame.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. This will load your cursor with the overflow text. Now when we place a text frame in another location on the spread, this text will flow into it. Create a text frame anywhere on your document layout. These text frames are now linked and will allow text to flow between them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \"Example<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
                \n

                Create, Apply, & Update Text Styles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                Text Styles are collections of settings that can be saved and then applied to future text content. This can save a lot of time and help to keep the design consistent, especially in a very page-heavy projects! Text styles are great if your project will have lots of headings and paragraph text that will need to be consistent in size, color, and font throughout the entirety of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n