Training Objectives: Indesign Cs5.5 Basics
Training Objectives: Indesign Cs5.5 Basics
Training Objectives
To learn the tools and features of InDesign to create publications efficiently and
effectively.
Find Images on your Mac for your exercise On the Mac, Cmd is
MacHD >Library > Desktop Pictures > Nature the key with the
Apple icon.
Getting Started
InDesign is a page layout program. It allows you work with text and graphics to develop
professional looking newsletters, brochures, books and other types of publications.
InDesign Help
To access InDesign’s Help Index from the Help menu, go to Help > InDesign Help. Select
the Contents or Index link for general searches. Select the Search link to type specific
topics.
NOTE: To make changes to these settings at a later time, go to File > Document Setup.
InDesign Environment/Layout
Formatting
Palette
Pasteboard Ruler
Toolbox
Document
window
Margin
Panels
Toolbox
Fill
NOTE: There are additional tools under toolbox icons that have black triangles in the
bottom right hand corner. Access these tools by clicking and holding on one of the toolbox
icons.
Panels
You can show/hide Panels from the Window menu.
Display Options
A Presentation display view is available to show your spread as a slide show.
Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward or backward. Press
Esc to exit.
Set Preferences
• (MAC) Choose InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments. Choose Inches
under Ruler Units for both Horizontal and Vertical.
• (PC) Choose Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments.
• (MAC) Choose View > Grid & Guides > Show Guides.
• (PC) Choose View > Show Rulers and View > Show Guides.
• Type > Drag and drop Text in layout view (enable)
• Type > Links to imported text and spreadsheet documents (enable)
• Type > Apply Leading to the Entire Paragraph (enable or disable)
• Composition > Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath (enable)
3. Column Guides specify multiple columns with gutters (or spaces between columns).
To create or edit the column guides, go to Layout > Create Guides. Select the
amount of rows, columns, and gutters and press OK.
Adding/Deleting Pages
To add pages to the document:
• Click the Add Page icon at the bottom of the Page palette.
Saving
It is important that the document is constantly saved to avoid any unnecessary content loss.
Go to File > Save, or press Command-S to perform a Quick Save when working in
InDesign after your initial save.
NOTE: All imported images/graphics stay where they were originally located. They are
not imbedded into the InDesign file. So your master InDesign document does not increase
in size at all.
Placing Graphics
Graphics can easily be added, modified and managed; however, they are not
embedded into the InDesign file. (In other words, InDesign is pointing to the original
source of the graphic. If you were to save and move the InDesign file, the actual graphics
will not follow). Make sure you check the Output steps at the end of the development
process to ensure that all graphics are properly saved.
Or,
1. Or, select the Rectangle Frame tool.
2. Draw a placement frame for the graphic to be inserted.
3. Go to File > Place and select the image.
4. Click into the Rectangle frame to place your graphic.
When you place a graphic into a frame, it might not always fit the way you want. Choose
one of the followings:
To keep the graphic in proportion, choose either Object > Fitting > Fill Frame
Proportionally or Object > Fitting > Fit Content Proportionally.
If you want your graphic to perfectly fit your frame without further fitting it, turn the
Auto-Fit feature before you place your graphic.
There are two bounding boxes around every graphic - one for the frame, which is blue in
color; and one for the graphic, which is a brown color. If you need to resize either one,
uncheck Auto-fit and select the appropriate frame to resize.
Modifying Graphics
Rotate: Select the Rotate tool (R) to rotate the image.
Scale: Select the Selection tool and hold down the Apple (Command) Key, click and drag
on one of the white tags to rescale the frame and content. Hold down the Shift key to
keep things proportioned.
• To move a frame, but not the content - Uncheck Auto-Fit. Click the frame using the
Selection tool, then switch to the Direct Selection tool and drag the center point.
• To move multiple frames, use the Selection tool to select the objects, and then
drag them.
Managing Graphics
1. Go to Window > Links to view the Links palette (which lists all items that are
linked in the InDesign document.
2. Double-click a file in the Links palette to view information (file name, modification
date, size, file type).
NOTE: All linked files can be edited within InDesign or within the program used to create
the file. All links can be updated within InDesign by going to the triangle pop-up menu
(upper right corner) of the Links palette and selecting Update Link.
the offsets. Click on the Link icon to break the link first, and then adjust
individual margins by either increasing or decreasing the measurements.
7. Or, choose the Object Effect icon from the top menu.
Text
Unlike Microsoft Word where text is written directly onto a blank page, InDesign requires
that all text must be created in a text block.
Typing Text
1. Select the Type Tool (T) in the toolbox.
2. Click and drag on the document to create a text frame.
3. Release the mouse button and begin typing content in the text block.
Importing Text
Text can be imported and placed within InDesign from a
Word formatting program (i.e. – Microsoft Word).
• If you imported unformatted text, the text will appear in a default font with no
formatting or tabs applied.
• If you imported formatted text, the text will appear like the original
document.
• If some or all of the imported text appears with pink highlighting, then a font
is missing and the default font was substituted. Go to Type > Find Fonts to
restore missing font.
3. Click-and-drag one of the white squares on the outer four corners away from the text
frame until it enlarges to the desired size.
OR
4. Thread an additional text frame that will carry over the extra text.
5. Click once to highlight the text frame using the selection tool (black arrow tool).
6. Click the out port and the mouse cursor will change.
7. Click-and-drag to draw another text frame.
1. Click once to highlight the text frame using the selection tool (black arrow tool).
2. Click on the white in port in the upper left-hand corner
and the mouse cursor will change.
3. Click-and-drag to draw another text frame before the
existing text frame.
2. Click-and-drag one of the white squares (on the outer four corners) away from
the text frame until it enlarges to the desired size.
NOTE: Resizing a text frame doesn’t change the size of the type. Use the Scale tool if
you are interested in changing the actual size of the text.
For overset text in a frame, first select frame, choose Object > Fitting > Fit frame to
Content. (Do not apply this to threaded, multiple frames; only apply when you are
working with a single text frame.)
1. Click once to highlight the text frame using the selection tool (black arrow tool).
2. Press the Backspace or the Delete key on the keyboard.
Spell Check
1. Go to Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling.
2. Press the Start button to begin the spell checking process.
3. Press the Done button to end the spell checking process.
Formatting Text
To change the character formatting (i.e. – font, size, etc.):
3. Change the character formatting using the Formatting palette on the top of the
screen.
Color Swatches
1. Create a new color swatch by activating the Swatches Palette, and choose Option
Menu > New Color Swatch.
2. Mix your own CMYK color using the sliders. Click the Add button each time you
have mixed a new color. Then click Done when you are finished.
Embed
NOTE: It is important to ask the output service provider (printer) if they accept InDesign
files. If so, make sure they receive a disk with the entire packaged folder.
• Define: allow you to create your own presets for the PDF file.
• Ebook: Creates Adobe PDF files that will be read primarily on-screen--on desktop
or laptop computers or eBook readers, for example.
• Screen: Creates compact Adobe PDF files that will be displayed on the World
Wide Web or an intranet, or that will be distributed through an e-mail system for
on-screen viewing.
• Print: Creates Adobe PDF files that are intended for desktop printers, digital
copiers, and CD-ROM publishing; you can also send them to clients as publishing
proofs.
• Press: Creates Adobe PDF files that will be printed to image setters or plate
setters as high-quality final output.
• PDF/X-1a: Converts the document content to a PDF/X-1a-compliant
representation.
• PDF/X-3: Converts the document content to a PDF/X-3 compliant representation.
• Acrobat 6 Layered: Creates a PDF file in which all InDesign layers, including
hidden layers, are saved as Acrobat layers.
Start Project
1. Choose File > New Document.
2. Choose Default and Letter for Page Size. Uncheck Facing Pages. Enter 1 for
Number of Pages with 0.5” Margins, 1 Column. For Intent, choose Print.
Orientation is Portrait.
Note: You can choose File > Document Setup or Layout > Margins and Columns
to change any properties of margins and columns.
3. Document Page:
Double-click on Page 1 in the Page palette. Drag a guide from the top ruler bar
and place it at 5”.
InDesign. You should never size up your bitmapped images in InDesign because they
will lose sharpness and detail.
Note: Fit Content Proportionally and Fill Frame Proportionally are the two most common
methods of sizing your images to fit frames.
Saving File
Option 1 – As a PDF (Print)
1. File > Export.
2. Choose Format - Adobe PDF (Print). Click Save.
3. Select your preferences and click Export button.
4. (Option – save preferences for future use) Or, select your preferences and
choose Save Preset. Give a name, and then click OK.
Option 2 – As a Package
1. File > Package.
2. A quick Preflight will run automatically to check potential errors on fonts, links
etc. Click Package button, then Continue.
3. Choose a file name and the location where you want to Save this folder.
4. Click Package.
5. Give this folder to your printer to print (include a copy of the PDF file
recommended).
Resources
Find Images on your Mac
MacHD >Library > Desktop Pictures > Nature
Search > type ‘Desktop Pictures’
References
Adobe InDesign CS5 Classroom in a Book by Adobe Creative
Team.
InDesign CS5 For Dummies by Galen Gruman