By

 Jon
 S han  
Part  1  

INDESIGN  
 The Theory of InDesign

›  Why use InDesign?

›  It’s an industry standard
›  It’s a marketable skill

›  What is the best way to learn InDesign?

›  Tutorials
›  Practice
›  Practice
›  Practice
 Your Workspace
Menu  Bar  

Tools  Panel  

Document    
Window  

Pasteboard  

Advanced    
Workspace    

“It’s  a  UNIX  system!  I  know  this!”   Panels  

 Accessing Features

›  Three ways:
›  The Menu Bar (at the very top of your page)

›  The Toolbox Bar/Panels (along either side)

›  If you can’t find something in the toolbox/panel bar it’s
listed in the Menu Bar.

›  The Command + Click context menu

 Accessing Features
›  The most frequently used from the Menu Bar:
›  Layout
›  Object
›  View
›  Window
›  Help
The Tool Selection
 The Two Selection Tools

Selec+on   Direct  Selec+on  

Black  Pointer  Icon   White  Pointer  Icon  
Think  of  this  as  your  frame   Think  of  this  as  the  picture    
Moves  the  frame  to  line  up   Moves  the  content  in  the  
with  the  columns   frame.  

Shortcut:  V   Shortcut:  A  
 Using Frames
›  Frames are containers that hold your content.
›  There are two types:
›  Text Frames
›  These can be linked so text flows from one page to another
›  Graphic Frames
›  These hold an image you place into your publication. These are tricky,
because you want your picture to fill the whole graphic frame, and you
want it done proportionally (not stretched)
›  Think of looking into a window
and framing a perfect scene.
 Using Frames
›  There are two ways to make a frame
›  ⌘ D to “drop” in a picture

›  Use the rectangle tool to draw your box

Object Fitting

Original Photograph

Fit Content to Frame

(Bad – the image is stretched)

Fit Content Proportionally

(Bad – the image doesn’t fill the frame)

Fill Frame Proportionally

(Good – the image gets cropped
but the proportions are preserved)
Margins and Columns
Guides
 Using Paragraph Styles
›  Paragraph styles are preset
formats for different page
elements.
 Viewing Guides
›  Normal: All printing and non-printing elements are present
›  Preview: All non-printing elements are hidden
(guides, grids, frame edges, etc)
›  Presentation: The CS5 Design interface is
completely hidden (think of Powerpoint)

›  Bleed (E) and Slug (F) are for

printing calibration only.
›  bleed (the parts of text or objects that extend past the page boundary
to account for slight inaccuracy when trimming)
›  slug area (an area outside the page and bleed that contains printer
instructions or job sign-off information)
 Keyboard Shortcuts - Some basics
Basics
›  ⌘ O open document
›  ⌘ P print
›  Command Key ›  ⌘ D place image/text

Object Manipulation
›  ⌘ Shift > increase font size
›  ⌘ Shift < decrease font size
›  ⌘ ] bring object forward
›  ⌘ [ send object backwards
›  ⌘ shift [ send object to the back
›  ⌘ shift ] send object to the front

Navigation
›  ⌘ - zoom out
›  ⌘ + zoom in
›  ⌘ 0 zoom back to 100%
›  ⌘ spacebar “click” zoom in
›  Option ⌘ spacebar “click” zoom out
›  Spacebar hand tool
›  Option hand tool (in textbox)
 Measurements
Recap  on  conversion  rate  
1  pica  =  12  points    
6  picas  =  1  inch  
72  points  =  1  inch  
 
Dimensional  analysis!  
 
InDesign  uses  this  format:  
which  means:    
Width:  “13  picas,  0  points”  
Height:  “16  picas,  0  points”  
The  Newspaper  Designer’s  Handbook  
(Harrower,  2012)    
 Basic Photo Manipulation
›  Mirroring I   was   hiding   under   your   porch  
because  I  love  you.  Won't  you  
please   be   my   prisoner,   please,  
›  Pictures should face text
please,   please!   I   do   not   like   the  
›  Unless a logo is backwards cone   of   shame.   Hey,   I   know   a  
›  Or words and letters joke!   A   squirrel   walks   up   to   a  
›  Or it looks weird (right) tree   and   says,   "I   forgot   to   store  
acorns  for  the  winter  and  now  I  
am   dead."   Ha!   It   is   funny  
because   the   squirrel   gets  
dead.  Oh,  please,  oh,  please,  oh,  
please   be   my   prisoner!   I   was  
hiding   under   your   porch  
because  I  love  you.  Won't  you  
please   be   my   prisoner,   please,  
please,   please!   I   do   not   like   the  
cone   of   shame.   Hey,   I   know   a  
joke!   A   squirrel   walks   up   to   a  
tree   and   says,   "I   forgot   to   store  
acorns  for  the  winter  and  now  I  
am   dead."   Ha!   It   is   funny  
because   the   squirrel   gets  
dead.  Oh,  please,  oh,  please,  oh,  
please  be  my  prisoner!    
 Basic Photo Manipulation
›  Scaling
›  Professional = proportional
›  Hold down the shift key as you drag photos
 “I still don’t understand layout design”
›  Step back and imagine you are the reader
›  What catches your eye first?
›  Is your text flow interrupted?
›  Do column widths look strange?

›  Look at past examples for guidance

›  Former issues
›  Major newspapers eg. The NYT

›  Ask for help!

 Read the Tim Harrower Book

›  Highlights
›  Chapter 2: Story Design
›  Chapter 3: Page Design
›  Page 153: Sidebars and Infographics
 Tips
›  There’s a Spellcheck built in, use it!
›  The last thing you want is inattentional blindness to let the mistake show up on the final print.

›  Remember, spellcheck isn’t contextually based.

›  “No Child Left Behind is a huge conservancy”
›  “No Child Left Behind is a huge controversy”

›  Save the internet lingo and memes for new bloggers.

›  “lyk dis if u cry evertim” ಠ_ಠ
›  Differentiate
›  There (location), their (possessive), they’re (they are)
›  Your (possessive) vs You’re (you are)
›  This is an alot* It eats a lot of candy. (vs. “It eats alot of candy”)

*An alot is an imaginary creature conjured by the failures of grammar found in poor innocent English students
PART  3:  PRESS  PASS  TUTORIAL  
Here  is  your  chance  to  apply  what  you’ve  learned  so  far.  
 Press Pass Project: Please replicate the following from scratch using InDesign
8 picas, 7.8 pts No\ce  right  alignment  on  many  
No\ce  how  all  elements  are  le]  aligned  here.     2p6 elements.  
Drag  a  guideline  from  the  le]  rule  and  place    
elements  against  it.    

PRESS 20 pt. Impact Regular/white

12 pt. Bell Gothic Std Black

Ima Rahpatta
8 pt. Times
Photographer

Reporter

Your    
professional    
01/01/03 1 pt. black outline
mug  shot    
15 Picas Expiration: here  
06/01/13
8 pt. Century Gothic

Palo Alto High School Magazine  

As a member of _______________ staff, 6 pt. Monotype Corsiva, centered.
this student is expected to honor the Palo Alto High
School community and the journalistic profession
by placing truth and accuracy first 1 pt line

Journalism advisor Paul Kandell

6 pt. Times

tline
20 pt. bold ou PAHS principal Phil Winston

6 pt Times
 Press Pass Project: Please replicate the following from scratch using InDesign
No\ce  how  all  
elements  are  le]  
aligned  here.     8 picas, 7.8 pts
Drag  a  guideline  from   2p6
the  le]  rule  and  place    
elements  against  it.    

PRESS You  want  to  learn  the  skills  of  how  to:  
-­‐  create  a  new  document  using  the  right  dimensions.  
Ima Rahpatta -­‐  create  a  content  box  and  drop  your  photo  into  it.  
Photographer
-­‐  flip  text  direc\on  
Reporter
-­‐  fill  in  object  box  with  color  
Your    
professional     -­‐  use  guides  to  align  text  
01/01/03
15 Picas Expiration:
mug  shot     -­‐  create  straight  lines    
here   (hold  down  the  shi@  key  when  clicking  and  dragging)  
06/01/13
Palo Alto High School Magazine  

As a member of _______________ staff,

this student is expected to honor the Palo Alto High
School community and the journalistic profession
by placing truth and accuracy first

Journalism advisor Paul Kandell

PAHS principal Phil Winston

 By  Jon
 S han  

Here  is  a  look  at  how  to  get  started  on  the  press  pass.  
Step  1:  Start  up  InDesign  
This  is  the  home  screen  InDesign  shows  aGer  it  loads  
Step  2:  Create  a  new  document    
 Recall  the  conversion  rate  
1  pica  =  12  points    
1  point  =  1/12th  of  a  pica  
 
InDesign’s  format  
XpY  
X  =  pica(s)  
Y  =  point(s)  
 
 

Step  3:  Figure  out  the  dimensions  by  looking  at  the  assignment  
Quiz:  This  student  set  the  margins  incorrectly,  what  is  the  correct  margin  size  height  needed  to  
fit  the  15  pica  press  pass  given  the  16  pica  page  size?    
Step  4:  Create  your  Margins!  Go  to  Layout,  and  click…  
Step  4:  Create  your  Margins!  Go  to  Layout,  and  click…  
Here  you  can  modify  the  margins  again  if  you  forgot  to  when  you  set  the  page  up.  
When  making  an  actual  newspaper/magazine  page  you’ll  want  to  add  columns.    
Step  5:  Create  a  rectangle  box!  
Step  6:  Specify  the  fill  color  and  the  outline  color  
Step  6:  Specify  the  fill  color  and  the  outline  color  
Step  6:  Specify  the  fill  color  and  the  outline  color  
Step  6:  Specify  the  fill  color  and  the  outline  color  
Step  7:  Now,  select  the  rectangle  box  (for  images)  
Step  8:  Click  and  drag  it  to  the  appropriate  loca+on.  
Step  9:  Insert  your  image  into  the  frame  (File  à  Place)  or  
drag  and  drop  the  image  from  the  folder  into  the  box.      
 Tip:  You  can  use  the  circle  you  see  on  
the  le]  to  drag  and  manipulate  your  
picture  manually.  

A  popular  ques+on:  Why  is  it  black!?!?  

Step  10:  You’ll  need  to  manipulate  the  picture  to  fit  
into  the  frame.  
Step  10:  You’ll  need  to  manipulate  the  picture  to  fit  
into  the  frame.    
Step  10:  You’ll  need  to  manipulate  the  picture  to  fit  
into  the  frame.  
 Your  press  pass  a  mug  shot  will  beher  
fit  these  dimensions  than  the  crispy  
duck  served  over  fresh  salad  

Step  10:  You’ll  need  to  manipulate  the  picture  to  fit  
into  the  frame.  
Step  11:  Place  text  on  the  page!       I  text  
know  you  know  where  the  
buhon  is  located  ;)  
Step  12:  Manipulate  text  color  (white)    
Step  13:  Arrange  the  box  to  go  behind  the  text  
 You  may  need  to  click  around  to  
find  it  since  you  may  have  black  
text  on  the  black  box  so  it’s  
camouflaged  in  there.    
 
If  you  did  change  your  text  to  white  
earlier,  good  job!    

Step  14:  If  you  forgot  to  change  the  text  color  to  white  
fix  it  here.    
Step  15:  Insert  text,  change  color,  rotate  it!  
Step  15:  Insert  text,  change  color,  rotate  it!  
 Click+Shi]  key  +  Drag  for  straight  lines  

Step  16:  Add  a  line  

Step  17:  Add  a  font  outline  stroke  
Step  17:  Add  a  font  outline  stroke  
Step  17:  Add  a  font  outline  stroke  
Step  17:  Add  a  font  outline  stroke  
 Step  18:    
Do  the  rest!    
 
You  have  learned  the  basic  tools,    
now  it’s  +me  to  make  everything  else  through  trial  and  error.    
Prac+ce  prac+ce  prac+ce,  and  always  ask  for  help.    
Or  google  your  ques+on.  
 Sources
›  You can learn so much by trying things out and learning a
bit at a time!
›  http://tv.adobe.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.