Some Flash, some don’t
InDesign can't open any Flash file that is formatted in version 6 or later. To change the format of an SWF file, you must be able top-export it from a Flash-aware application. To do this in Flash, import the file if you don't have the .fla file, and then export it as a Flash file, and select Flash Player 5 from the Version drop-down menu.
Between en and em
There are times that an em dash is too long and an en dash is too short. What you really need is a 3/4-em dash. This exists in many fonts but is only accessible through the Glyphs dialog, which is inconvenient, especially for documents with a lot of instances.
Here is a solution. First create a new Character Style called "¾ em dash" and define the character style. Make sure it is based on None. The only characteristic should be set in Advanced Character Formats; set the horizontal scale to be 75%. Then use the Find/Change Dialogue box to convert the dashes. In Find/Change open More Options and enter an em dash (Alt 0151 for PC , Option Shift for Mac) in the Find What section and the exact same thing in the Change To field. Then click the Format button and in the Character drop-down select the "¾ em dash" style, and change the ones that need changing, or simply click on Change All.
If you have large items in your file, the undo or history record of incremental changes that InDesign builds is stored within the file. So the file gets bigger and bigger and can become a multi-megabyte file. If the size starts to slow you down, just do a Save As. All the history will be discarded.
Keep styles simple
Try not to set up styles based on a style that, in turn, is based on a style. If you ever need to separate this third-generation style from it originator, it will loose all of it settings. (CS2 Only)
Shape text
Text frames can be edited just like graphics frames. They can be transformed into almost any shape. Use the Selection or the Direct Selection tool to select the text box, and then use the Pen tool to add anchor points. You can manipulate these anchor points just as you would any vector path.
J is for jump
To navigate from page to page, press Command/Ctrl+J. This will not open a dialog, as it does in XPress, but will highlight the page number on the lower-left corner of the document window where you can type in the page number.
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Disappearing handles
If you have a fairly flat, i.e., short, column you will notice that the side handles disappear, leaving only the in-port and out-port boxes. You can get the text box handles to reappear by zooming in very close, or you can simply drag the in- or out-port boxes, and they will work just like the resize handles. When the handles are showing, the ports will not resize the box.
First-Line Baselines Control
InDesign positions the first line of text so that the top of the text touches the top of the frame; tall type therefore falls on a lower baseline than short type. To control this positioning, select the frame and press Command/Ctrl+B to display the Text Frame Options dialog box. Choose Leading from the First Baseline pop-up menu, and InDesign will place the baseline at a position below the top of the frame equal to the amount of leading applied to the text.
Text combs
Text combs are the spaces used on forms to space out type. When adjusting a table, dragging on an edge will increase the size of the cell that you are dragging. Holding down the Shift key will increase the size of all the cells. A hidden feature to make this work for combs: by holding down the Option/Alt key after you start dragging, you will add cells of the same size. One of the useful features of this is to create a comb effect for a form. This is where you have a table one row high with the top edge missing, making a comb effect, which people can fill in one letter at a time. In the Cell Options (Table>Strokes and Fills>Cell Options) you can deselect the top line, and apply a stroke to the other lines. This will produce the comb effect.
Read before you switch
For those switching to InDesign from other applications, it's worth reading the three white papers Adobe has buried in the InDesign section of their Web site. In fact, they're so well buried that Adobe has forgotten to update them from version 2 to 3 (CS); but they are still relevant and informative. The three PDFs are called “In depth: Page layout for designers,” “In depth: Page layout for production artists,” and “In depth: Text and typography.” They're at www.adobe.com/products/indesign/indepth.html.
Another useful document not easy to find is a white paper on working with InCopy and InDesign using the Bridge plug-in. Using this tool, Adobe has developed a new way for designers, editors, and writers to interact—all described in this informative document.
www.adobe.com/products/incopy/pdfs/ic3bridge.pdf
Why do they want an EPS?
If a printer asks you to supply an EPS file from InDesign, you should seriously consider changing printers. It is almost certain that the printer will end up placing the file into QuarkXPress, and this is a seriously flawed workflow. If they use EPS files that they generate for their internal workflow, this can be fine, but the responsibility of making the file should not be the customer's. In fact, even if the printer wants PDF, make sure that they also use and understand InDesign, just in case you need to be there and make a last-minute fix. If they don't use InDesign, consider finding another printer, or persuade them to start at once. Adobe often helps printers get up to speed with setting up InDesign workflows.
Trap when you must
Although it is possible to apply trapping to all placed images in InDesign, this should not be done without a specific reason. The option is deselected by default, but can be turned on by checking the Trap Images Internally option. Windows>Trap Styles and in the small flyout menu select New Style. Once this color has been selected, colors in each bitmapped image will be trapped internally, and not only where they touch other objects on a page. This is useful for trapping high contrast items like logos. DCS, EPS and PDF files cannot be trapped in InDesign.
Placing info
When placing an Illustrator image or PDF in InDesign, you can choose to crop the image to the bounding box of the PDF, or alternatively you can select Art, Crop, Trim, or Media. Just select the Show Import options in the Place dialog (File>Place), and you will be presented with the option to make the background transparent. Placing other image types brings up other options, including color management options and clipping paths if they are in the source file.
At last, drag-and-drop+
Using the InDesign CS2's new drag-and-drop feature (set in Preferences), you can also copy rather than move text. To do so, click on highlighted text and then hold down the Alt/Option key as you drag to a new location. To create a new text frame on the fly, hold down the Ctrl/Command key as you drag. If you hold down the Ctrl+Alt/Command+Option keys while dragging, you both create a new text frame and copy the text. This is really useful for pull-quotes or callouts.
How much is it scaled?
To find out the percentage that an image has been scaled since it was first imported at 100%, make sure it is unselected, pick the Direct Select tool, and then click on the object.
Moving the object with the Direct Select tool will not move the bounding box that contains the image, but it will move the image around inside this box. Using the regular Selection tool will move the box and the image. Likewise dragging on a corner of the image with the Direct Select tool will scale the image, and using the Selection tool will only scale the box. However, it is important to note that each of these assumes the box is unselected before using the above. If the box is selected with the Direct Select tool and then you change tools, it works as if you still have the box selected with the first tool.
Windows fonts on a Mac
InDesign on the Macintosh running OSX can read and use Windows fonts in any format. This is the only Adobe application that can do so. To use these fonts on OSX, simply place them in the InDesign fonts folder, they will not work if placed in any other folder.
Colorizing
To colorize a grayscale image or add an overall color tint to it, or even to try and replicate a duotone using a color image, duplicate the image by placing the copy on top of the original (Edit>Copy and then Edit>Paste in Place). With the Direct Selection tool, select the top image and delete it. This will delete the image but not the frame. With the frame selected, fill it with the desired color. Then send this frame to the back (Object>Arrange>Send to Back) and select the front image and change its Blending Mode to Luminosity (in the Transparency dialog). This will allow the color to come through.
Sorting menus
To sort any menu in the menu bar into alphabetical order, select the required menu while holding the Command-Option-Shift/Ctrl-Alt-Shift keys. This will sort all menus and sub-menus into alphabetical order. This is good to gain control of a long font menu. Returning to the menu, it will appear in the default position.
No more paragraph returns
When you import text file that contains paragraph returns at the end of each line, check Show Import Options where you will get the options to remove them.
Toolbar control
InDesign CS allows you to alter the shape of the toolbar. It can be the regular two columns or a long, thin, one column bar, which can be vertical or horizontal. With the thin bar, it can occupy very little space at the side or top of the page area, allowing more room for working. You change the shape by Command/Ctrl clicking on the top bar.
Bring back Modify
Many people who migrate from XPress to InDesign miss the Modify box. If this is a big issue, check out InTools from alap. One of the tools in this collection of InDesign add-ons is InModify, which transfers the same functions in a single box to InDesign. Also in the package is InNudge, InStarburst, and InPathfinder, for combining and cutting using multiple objects; InItemMarks, which makes custom crop marks; and InPrint, which allows you to print portions of a page or save the same to disk. Altogether, a really useful addition to InDesign, with features Adobe may not include for some time to come. $99.
www.alap.com
Harmless error
When you open a file and get an alert saying: "Cannot open resource file," it probably means that the scripts palette was open and included a script when you quit, and the next time you open that document you may get this message. It appears to be harmless-just cancel the alert and continue. Be sure to close the Scripts window next time before closing the document.
Spot drops
With version 2 or CS, when you are in CMYK and you make a colored drop shadow or create a feather, the colors may appear washed out or even be made with the wrong colors. This is because the CMYK palette (gamut) is less than extensive. It will help to use RGB as the blending space (Edit>Transparency Blend Space>Document RGB) and later go to CMYK when outputting.
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