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About InDesign Pro
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
As a professional graphic designer, I use Adobe InDesign every day and can answer all of your InDesign-related questions. I will give you easy-to-understand and precise answers, along with many tips and tricks to save you time while working on every project. I have spent years helping beginners learn InDesign, as well as helping professionals master the many features of the world's most powerful page-layout software. Thank-you for your submissions. Please include your operating system (e.g., Mac OS X 10.5.x) and InDesign version (e.g., InDesign CS4) with your questions. Thanks!

Experience
After starting my design career using QuarkXPress and PageMaker for many years, the release of InDesign instantly caught my eye. Being one of the reasons for Adobe buying Aldus, I knew this would change the publishing world very quickly. I started using InDesign's first release and haven't looked back. I have dedicated my work and much of my spare time using InDesign to its fullest—and it's paid off. My workflow is quicker, my computer runs smoother, and my files print cleaner and without problem.

   

You are here:  Experts > Arts/Humanities > Graphic Design > Adobe InDesign

Questions Answered By Expert  InDesign Pro 
In Category  Adobe InDesign

SubjectDate Asked

Printing a Data Merge Document in InDesign11/6/2009
  Q: I have created a document in Indesign CS3 and have done a mail merge but when I print it, it only ...
  A: I believe you're talking about InDesign's Data Merge feature. When use the feature, you have a ...
Indesign-CS210/30/2009
  Q: A friend recently retired and gave me a copy of his CS2. Although I have no professional knowledge, ...
  A: I'm not sure exactly what you're asking... but yes, Adobe fonts work excellent with Apple's Fontbook ...
Spot color Gets white Background near by the Transparent image.10/29/2009
  Q: , Am getting problem in spot color printing which has the image near by the spot color includes ...
  A: Yes, spot colour printing will cause trouble with transparency. There are a couple ways that might ...
CS4 document moving problem10/23/2009
  Q: I work with a team of designers and we've all just purchased CS4. We are all experiencing the ...
  A: Hey Leah, thanks for the question. Not sure if you're on a Mac, but the following answers will help ...
footnotes symbols9/10/2009
  Q: I have a report sent to me in PDF form that uses foot notes (a little 1 or 2 that is raised after a ...
  A: These are called superscript numbers and there's a few ways to use them. First of all, if you're ...
Differences in InDesign on PC compared to Mac9/9/2009
  Q: If I learn how to use InDesign CS2 on a PC will I be able to use the program on a Mac as well or are ...
  A: I have to admit, I haven't used InDesign on a PC and haven't really used a PC since Windows 98... As ...
Indesign editing9/8/2009
  Q: Im stumped. Im not a trained InDesign or Adobe user but I have a cool document created by a friend ...
  A: If it is opening in Acrobat, it is (most likely) a PDF. It certainly isn't a native InDesign File. ...
Printing in InDesign9/2/2009
  Q: Two questions: 1. I am printing a book. I DO NOT want any page numbers. How do I do that? 2. Can ...
  A: In InDesign, if you want page numbers you have to set them up manually. So not setting them up will ...
opening CS 2.0 files in CS 3.018/30/2009
  Q: I have received files form InDesign CS 2.0 and can't open them in CS 3.01. What may I be doing ...
  A: I don't recall ever having an error like that when opening older files. How do you know for certain ...
Exporting PDF8/26/2009
  Q: I am exporting a document from indesign where I have the page numbers and title set up in master ...
  A: I've downloaded the document and everything seems fine to me. The master spread seems to work and ...
Exporting PDF8/26/2009
  Q: I am exporting a document from indesign where I have the page numbers and title set up in master ...
  A: Hey Nicole, thanks for the question. I have a feeling that your document is set up using Facing ...
Zipping InDesign packages8/25/2009
  Q: Sometimes when I try to zip an InDesign package and send it to a printer, the links and fonts are ...
  A: Honestly, I can't remember having that problem and I have been using InDesign on Mac since around ...
Transfering CS4 files from PC to MAC8/22/2009
  Q: My husband has a pc (windows xp) and he currently has Indesign CS4 which he's using to format/layout ...
  A: You're in luck! InDesign works seamlessly between operating systems. The only problem you could have ...
Linking to HiRes images in InD8/14/2009
  Q: Is it possible to direct InD (CS3 or CS4) to swap out a group of LoRes images for the HiRes images ...
  A: Hey Cathy, thanks for the question. I don't tend to use low-res images in my work since InDesign ...
Page Numbering Issue8/11/2009
  Q: It's good that you have been helping beginners, cuz i'm one,, i started working on InDesign 3 weeks ...
  A: Hey Nabil, thanks for the question. What you need to do is start a new Section. You do this under ...
Page Numbers are not showing!!8/4/2009
  Q: I have made 135 pages using Adobe illustrator but now I have to page number them (the easy way)... ...
  A: if you're having the problem I think you're having, we should be able to solve this easily. If this ...
Text box8/3/2009
  Q: I wonder if there is any way to make the text in the textbox start at the exactly at the border of ...
  A: Hey Sofia, thanks for the question. InDesign's default for your text box inset should be 0.0 ...
Indesign acting strange....7/22/2009
  Q: I work on a team with several designers at my place of work and we all use Indesign. On one ...
  A: A few things I would try: Make sure all of your Adobe products are up to date. You can check for ...
number a spread not each page7/22/2009
  Q: How do I include the spread number on the right hand page of each spread? I am making a proof book ...
  A: I'm afraid there's no straight-forward way to skip the page number sequence when using spreads. ...
ADOBE INDESIGN CS37/20/2009
  Q: Please List the drawbacks when converting InDesign CS2 to InDesign CS3. Is there any XML related ...
  A: You're asking a very involved question. CS3 was released over two years ago and I upgraded at that ...
Indesign CS47/17/2009
  Q: I hope you can help me please. I am drawing frames that represent a block of land and on the top and ...
  A: I think what you're asking is basically how to draw an arrow. First, use the Line Tool (fourth ...
Indesign page numbering7/13/2009
  Q: I'm busy working on my masters dissertation,and I have divided the A3 document into two pieces ...
  A: However, I don't have enough information to clearly understand where your problem is. If you think ...
InDesign Effects - Selection Tool vs. Direct Selection Tool7/10/2009
  Q: I am a beginner to indesign and I can't work out why I have one object sat on top of another and the ...
  A: here is the problem. There are Object Effects put on the arrows. However, whoever put them on, used ...
InDesign Display Performance7/10/2009
  Q: I am a beginner to indesign and I can't work out why I have one object sat on top of another and the ...
  A: Hey Dee, thanks for the question. I think there might be a simple answer and it has to do with your ...
tables in In Design7/9/2009
  Q: when compiling a table in one of the cells a red dot has appeared at the right hand corner. When I ...
  A: The red dot is similar to the red "+" at the end of a text block; it means you have overset text. ...
InDesign File Transfer7/8/2009
  Q: I would like to know how to transfer my entire InDesign file (a 300 page book) to another ...
  A: We call this Packaging for Service Provider. And basically what it does is creates a new folder, ...
InDesign master pages6/29/2009
  Q: I'm a long-time Quark user who would like to use InDesign for long book documents but haven't been ...
  A: This is a bit tricky, however, there is a solution that will work for you. Maybe try this with a ...
Indesign CS4 Masterpages6/23/2009
  Q: When I create a B Masterpage I cannot edit it. What am I doing wrong? I go into the page panel and ...
  A: When you base a master page on another master, it keeps the items of the A-Master locked, so that ...
InDesign - why are they using it?6/17/2009
  Q: We hired a company to create our website and other materials. On our website, we have some graphics. ...
  A: It's possible to design a web page in InDesign, however, it can't (really) be used to update it. And ...
Indesign Page Numbers6/16/2009
  Q: I have very new to Indesign (using CS4)having done a 2 day course. My project at the moment is a ...
  A: You have your page numbers show up by using master pages. Being new to InDesign, I'm not sure how ...
InDesign Black Background6/7/2009
  Q: my document is the standard 8.5x11- so far 120pgs of photographs. i kept the photo within the blue ...
  A: There are a couple ways you could do this--depending if you want it to print or not. If you do want ...
Chart from Excel to InDesign5/28/2009
  Q: I am trying to insert a chart from Excel into InDesign However, I do not want it to have any ...
  A: Well, what happens when you import an Excel spreadsheet, is that it actually removes the formatting ...
indesign mass replace text to object5/27/2009
  Q: I have to mass replace all 'a' char to an object (it's an example). How can i do it without using ...
  A: Well, there's the Find/Change dialog that can help you change a string of text quickly. To find ...
Resizing odd-shaped boxes5/21/2009
  Q: I am typesetting a book that contains odd-shaped boxes in the margin. The box height varies ...
  A: Tina. That's a great-looking graphic you've created, good work. Okay, here's what I would do. In ...
CS3 InDesign palettes5/19/2009
  Q: The pages palette is acting very strange... I have to pull the edge and make the palette very wide ...
  A: It seems this has come up quite often in CS3. A couple things I would try first: Under the ...
Burn Pdf files to DVD5/14/2009
  Q: I want to know if one needs to embed video clips that is inserted into a document made in Adobe ...
  A: When you choose embed multi-media files in the PDF export dialog box, it will embed them entirely ...
Burn Pdf files to DVD5/13/2009
  Q: I want to know if one needs to embed video clips that is inserted into a document made in Adobe ...
  A: Actually, when exporting the document to PDF, you have the option to link or embed the file, ...
Different page number format on page spreads4/30/2009
  Q: I am trying to figure out how to have different page number formats depending on whether or not the ...
  A: I'm not exactly sure why you're having this problem. When you set up your master page for facing ...
Importing text4/29/2009
  Q: I have a document that I will have to import into InDesign CS3 from word, and will need to change ...
  A: Actually, there's a very easy way to do this. It's called Mapping your styles. When you import your ...
Indesign CS24/20/2009
  Q: How do I export an Indesign file in a bw pdf format? I have lots of jobs that are requested to be ...
  A: There actually isn't a "one-click" way to do this in InDesign. And for good reason. To convert a ...
Building a page in InDesign for the web4/18/2009
  Q: Can I build (design) a page in InDesign CS3 5.0.4 using OS X 10.4.11, for the web? If so, is their ...
  A: InDesign has been getting much better at web conversions over the last few upgrades. CS4 even better ...
Text boxes4/17/2009
  Q: I've attached an image where you'll notice...the headline and text, which were place on top of a ...
  A: Ah ha, white box syndrome. Thanks for the question, Todd. This is your printer's RIP not handling ...
Outline bullets/numbers in paragraph styles4/15/2009
  Q: I am on a Mac, OS 10.5.6, InDesign CS3 (5.0.4). I am preparing a file to send to a printer who is ...
  A: Yikes! My first suggestion is to change printers. Anyone not accepting a print-ready PDF or native ...
MISSING TOOLS AND PALETTES4/2/2009
  Q: I RECENTLY PERFORMED AN UPDATE FROM ADOBE'S WEBSITE FOR INDESIGN CS2, AND WHEN I REOPENED A DOCUMENT ...
  A: I will update this answer once we solve it.
MISSING TOOLS AND PALETTES4/1/2009
  Q: I RECENTLY PERFORMED AN UPDATE FROM ADOBE'S WEBSITE FOR INDESIGN CS2, AND WHEN I REOPENED A DOCUMENT ...
  A: Kelly. One of the nice things about InDesign is how customizable it can be. However, it can also be ...
MISSING TOOLS AND PALETTES3/29/2009
  Q: I RECENTLY PERFORMED AN UPDATE FROM ADOBE'S WEBSITE FOR INDESIGN CS2, AND WHEN I REOPENED A DOCUMENT ...
  A: I'm hoping this one is the easy answer. The Tab key is the shortcut for Show/Hide All Panels. It ...
Multi-page/couple different size pages3/21/2009
  Q: I've never made a multi-page document with different size pages. I am trying to create a media kit ...
  A: There are a couples ways to do this, none, however, are as simple as choosing different page sizes ...
InDesign formatting3/19/2009
  Q: I am new to InDesign, I am formatting a 100 page book in Microsoft Publisher and am having a ...
  A: Beverly––thanks for the questions. Well, you've asked a mouthful. If you're asking about importing ...
Linking InDesign document to Acrobat3/18/2009
  Q: I have created a form using InDesign, exported it as a pdf and opened it in Acrobat Profession 6.0. ...
  A: The short answer is, unfortunately, you can't. But, using a newer version of Acrobat might help. In ...
Indesign print problem3/13/2009
  Q: I'm fairly new to indesign, but when I bring a psd file over it is printing a little pixelated. The ...
  A: I have a feeling that you're enlarging the PSD file once you bring it into InDesign. Whenever you ...
insert line3/13/2009
  Q: I just want to insert a horizontal line in my ID file to visually separate sections. Is there a way ...
  A: Depending on how you're using the horizontal lines, there may be a few easy ways to apply them ...
Combining InDesign Documents3/12/2009
  Q: How can i merge 2 indesign documents into one, taking bleed with it. When i merge them it only ...
  A: When you say the bleed isn't being "taken in" with it, it makes me think you might be Placing your ...
How do I copy from InDesign [ Mac OS] ?3/11/2009
  Q: When I select items (multiple items, pics & text boxes) from InDesign, and 'copy', then go to my ...
  A: Anytime you cut and paste individual objects or groupings of objects from one program to another, ...
Adobe InDesign questions3/10/2009
  Q: What happens if you hold down the Shift key while creating an object using frame tool? And how do ...
  A: The general result in holding the Shift key in InDesign is to constrain proportions. Basically, ...
Split cover with graphic and text3/9/2009
  Q: I appreciate your help. I am creating a flyer that is 17 X 11 folding to 8.5 X 11. However, there ...
  A: What version of InDesign are you using? Cutting and pasting a duplicate of the front is one ...
Split cover with graphic and text3/7/2009
  Q: I appreciate your help. I am creating a flyer that is 17 X 11 folding to 8.5 X 11. However, there ...
  A: excellent question. It would take a lot of work to eyeball this one, not to mention take all the ...
InDesign for Mac?3/3/2009
  Q: Sorry in advance for the basicness of this question! I started in publishing when Corel was ...
  A: and thanks for the question. Well, I'm a long-time Mac user and have been using InDesign since ...
How do I copy from InDesign [ Mac OS] ?3/3/2009
  Q: When I select items (multiple items, pics & text boxes) from InDesign, and 'copy', then go to my ...
  A: I'm sorry, but I'm unfamiliar with Multi-ad Creator. InDesign is a Postscript-based page-layout ...
In Design Page Numbers appearing on top of images2/27/2009
  Q: After setting up auto page numbering, everything works fine except page numbers on pages with full ...
  A: I get this a lot--and there's an easy fix. Many people don't use Layers effectively in InDesign and ...
indesign cs3 type box query2/25/2009
  Q: I am a novice with Indesign and AdobePhotoshop so excuse daft terminology. I am creating a diary ...
  A: I have a feeling that you have accidently turned on Snap to Document Grid or Align to Baseline Grid. ...
page edges2/25/2009
  Q: I am new to InDesign. I have a double-page spread with a coloured bar that extends the width of the ...
  A: There's no way to make the preview of the page edge disappear from the centre of your spread, ...
Link an Excel chart/graph in Adobe InDesign CS4?2/23/2009
  Q: How do I link an Excel chart/graph in Adobe InDesign CS4? Background: I am using PageMaker 7.0 in a ...
  A: Your description is very detailed and well-written, however, I'm not sure I completely understand ...
Saving to JPG2/21/2009
  Q: Good day, I have not worked with Adobe InDesign. I have a friend who knows less than I and he has a ...
  A: It's fairly simple to get a JPG out of InDesign once you know where to find it. In InDesign you ...
InDesign and Pagemaker11/6/2007
  Q: Scott, Pagemaker had a BOOK feature that re-paginated a document and layout for offset printing. ...
  A: Yes... I remember PageMaker's Book feature well. And when CS2 first shipped, they offered a ...
drop shadows not printing correctly11/5/2007
  Q: I was just working on an InDesign job that had a colored rectangle (with type inside) with a Drop ...
  A: The problem happened when the transparency in the shadow flattened in the RIP process at your ...
Basic format of a catalogue11/1/2007
  Q: I'm a beginner in InDesign, so i have some basic doubts. I' creating a catalogue(less than 20 pages) ...
  A: welcome to InDesign, good luck. First I'll give you the basic difference between a Document and a ...
Freehand into InDesign10/28/2007
  Q: I would like to know the ways of transferring my work from FH to indd and still retain my best ...
  A: Well, there's a couple different ways to copy things from Illustrator to InDesign. If you copy just ...
Freehand into InDesign10/27/2007
  Q: I would like to know the ways of transferring my work from FH to indd and still retain my best ...
  A: I have never really used Freehand. I have always used Adobe Illustrator for my vector artwork. I ...
how to layout spreads to print center binding?10/25/2007
  Q: I'm working as a designer and layouter in a magazine . every month i have to change the pages layout ...
  A: InDesign CS3 has a feature called Print Booklet under the File menu. It will open a dialog that has ...
InDesign pdf lines10/24/2007
  Q: PDF Hairlines and are caused by InDesign tiling the image under the text (cutting it into different ...
  A: Well, I wouldn't consider this a problem. InDesign does this because it's the most efficient way to ...
Placed Images Headaches10/24/2007
  Q: I use InDesign CS3 on a mac for pre-press for screenprinting. I'm getting grey boxes when i edit ...
  A: This seems to come up a lot, but there's an easy answer. What InDesign is doing is showing you a ...
Problems with PDF X1-a from InDesign10/22/2007
  Q: I am having an issue when trying to export to PDFX1-a from InDesign. I have an ad with ...
  A: The difference is that the PDF/x-1a:2001 setting flattens all transparency and the Press Quality ...
Can't remove process colors from PDF-out10/20/2007
  Q: I put a client's document together in InDesign (CS2,XPsp2) and upon exporting to PDF, couldn't ...
  A: I'm not sure I fully understand what you're trying to do. Maybe it's because I'm not as familiar ...
packaging for handoff10/20/2007
  Q: I am down to the last step in creating my book. I have selected package and after all the links are ...
  A: Oh, great! Well, if getting a report from Preflight works without that problem, then yes, try that. ...
packaging for handoff10/20/2007
  Q: I am down to the last step in creating my book. I have selected package and after all the links are ...
  A: I'm not sure what could be causing your problem. Especially if it was working okay to begin with. ...
text wrap problem in InDesign10/19/2007
  Q: I am trying to import images and text wrap them around a list of names in a newsletter I am working ...
  A: I don't remember this coming up before with anything I've worked on, but I can think of a few things ...
Error opening .indd attachments?10/18/2007
  Q: I recently upgraded to CS3 but when I click on .indd files attached to emails, my computer doesn't ...
  A: I personally haven't had this problem. When I installed CS3 onto my Mac, it instantly recognized it ...
Pages Palette Icon and Scrolling Issue10/10/2007
  Q: My pages palette in InDesign has issues. The page icons are about 1/3 off the edge of the palette ...
  A: I've heard of this problem before but (luckily) haven't had to deal with it personally. But here's ...
INDESIGN or IllUSTRATOR9/29/2007
  Q: I am working on a multi page booklet for work and I was wondering if you think I should purchase ...
  A: I think the only reason someone might have told you that InDesign won't work with your printer is ...
Text outlines showing on PDF9/28/2007
  Q: I am working in InDesign CS2. I have a text box over top of an image on my page layout. (it's white ...
  A: This comes up quite a bit and will not output at your printer's. It's called stitching and it is ...
Book Spine9/25/2007
  Q: I'm currently writing a book and have decided to use InDesign CS3 - in both the former and latter I ...
  A: First of all, good luck with your book. As for the design, I would say that your cover should be a ...
Changing PDF color9/25/2007
  Q: I have a pdf that I placed in Indesign CS2 - it is black and white. I need to change it to a PMS ...
  A: Well, I'm glad it helped a bit Jenny. I think getting their designer to update the PDF would be ...
Changing PDF color9/24/2007
  Q: I have a pdf that I placed in Indesign CS2 - it is black and white. I need to change it to a PMS ...
  A: This isn't an easy task. There's no way to colour a PDF in InDesign. There are, however, a couple ...
InDesignCS3 - background gradient renders badly9/21/2007
  Q: I'm using (reluctantly) InDesign CS3 on a Mac G5 running OSX 10.4.9. I'm trying to make upo a ...
  A: Unfortunately, working with gradients, transparencies and overlaid text and graphics can be ...
resizing document9/19/2007
  Q: I'm on an iMac for the first time and as a graphics newbie have also been thrown into learning ...
  A: Not an easy task. Besides having to shrink everything considerably, the width and height ratios on ...
typography: fitting text exactly to column9/18/2007
  Q: I am laying out a monthly magazine. How can I make sure the columns of text in the articles all ...
  A: Well, what I would do to try to get everything to end even along the bottom is to position and size ...
my InDesign CS2 freeze when I'm trying to place something9/18/2007
  Q: do you have any idea what's wrong if everytime my InDesign CS2 freeze when I do "place" to place an ...
  A: I'm not sure what the problem could be. I (luckily) haven't had the problem. I would try ...
Quark/indesign9/18/2007
  Q: I have a disc with a brochure produced in QuarkXpress passport v6 but have lost the programme off my ...
  A: Well, unfortunately, InDesign can't open any QuarkXPress files created after version 4 (without ...
Brochure Creation9/18/2007
  Q: I need to create and 8.5x11 tri-fold brochure, and am not sure how to get started. I am familiar ...
  A: I think you may be asking about a tri-panel brochure which many people call a tri-fold while it only ...
InDesign CS2: Missing Master and None icons in Pages Palete9/16/2007
  Q: Recently I noticed that I'm missing my master and none icons in the Pages Palate. I can see the ...
  A: I'm not sure if your icons are missing, or possibly just hiding outside of your screen. Here's a ...
InDesign - Text Background Color9/15/2007
  Q: I just installed CS2 Indesign into a new computer and can not figure out how to change what seems to ...
  A: I think what you might have is a font problem. It sounds like InDesign's default font isn't ...
Illustrator vs InDesign9/11/2007
  Q: I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. I will have to create a mini magazine for the ...
  A: Hey Allie, thanks for the submission. That's a great question. And, for the record, I love ...
InDesign and printing9/10/2007
  Q: I have a very large document and want to print a portion of the page on an 11 x 17 sheet of paper. ...
  A: Well, there's a couple ways you can do this. If I understand you right, you want to print the ...
bpi & indesign9/9/2007
  Q: I'm exporting Indesign CS2 images to a PDF file. ALL images linked are 300 bpi per Phogoshop CS2 ...
  A: I'm a little confused on what you're calling "bpi." I'm familiar with ppi (pixels per inch), dpi ...
InDesign and edges9/6/2007
  Q: I am trying to print something on the top-right edge and bottom of the paper but it leaves a gap ...
  A: InDesign CAN scale the document when printing, but the default is to print at 100%. And although ...
InDesign - Resizing A4 to A5 document9/4/2007
  Q: Scott Can you tell me the best way to resize a document from A4 to A5 size? I have tried the ...
  A: That's quite a reduction in size. The easiest way to resize your document and keep things intact is ...
indesign 2 auto page numbers9/3/2007
  Q: after setting up pagination with auto page numbers in my master pages, how do i select the text box ...
  A: There are a few ways to do this; I think you'll find InDesign is very versatile when using Master ...
Indesign CS38/29/2007
  Q: I use a Mac, our client a PC. I have made some doc. in Indesign CS3 version 5. which my client has ...
  A: Everything should go back and forth pretty easy between platforms. One thing you might want to try ...
InDesign Margins8/14/2007
  Q: I have an existing document in which my margin lines have totally disappeared. If I try to create a ...
  A: Since the problem is only on the one document, the first thing I would try is under VIew > Grids & ...
InDesign8/13/2007
  Q: Two questions: 1. Can I insert a graphic in a text line without moving from that line? 2. Is there a ...
  A: Yes, you can insert a graphic into a text line with moving from that line. Once you have the picture ...

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