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Format text and objects faster with Quick Apply (CS2)

• InDesign CS2 features a way to select and apply paragraph, character, and object styles. The Quick Apply command eliminates the need to search for styles buried deep in the Paragraph Styles, Character Styles, and Object Styles palettes.
• To select a style using Quick Apply:
  • 1. Highlight the text you want to format with the Type tool or click on the objects you want to format with the Selection tool.
  • 2. Press [command][enter] ([Ctrl][Enter] in Windows), click the Quick Apply button on the Control palette, or choose Edit > Quick Apply.
  • 3. Type the first letter of the style you’re looking for in the resulting Quick Edit list box. If you have a lot of styles named similarly, you can either type a few more letters or numbers in the style’s name or use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list.
• To apply a style selected in the Quick Edit list box, do one of the following:
  • Press [enter] or click the Quick Apply button to apply the selected style and close the Quick Edit list box.
  • Press [shift][enter] to apply the style and keep the Quick Edit list box open.
  • Press [option][enter] ([Alt][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style and remove formatting overrides.
  • Press [option][shift][enter] ([Alt][Shift][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style as well as remove formatting overrides and character styles.
  • Press [esc] to close the Quick Edit list box without applying a style.
• You may find assigning keyboard shortcuts to styles and using them to apply styles is quicker and easier, but when you have more styles than you do available keyboard shortcuts, Quick Apply is a nice feature to have.

A click way to make your palettes disappear (CS/CS2)

• As useful as all the InDesign palettes are, they can really get in the way if you’re limited to working on a single monitor. When you can’t see your document through the sea of palettes, there’s a really quick way to return them from whence they came.
• Simply [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on a palette name to minimize all the vertically docked palettes on your screen. Repeat the action when you want to display them all again.

Convert a document page into a master page

• Let’s say you just created an awesome layout. It’s so great, in fact, that your boss says he wants every publication to follow the same layout. If only you had set it up as a master page! Not to worry, you still can.
• To convert a document page into a master page:
  • 1. Choose Window > Pages to display the Pages palette.
  • 2. Select the page or spread in the Pages palette. (To select a spread, [shift]-click on one of the page icons.)
  • 3. Drag the page or spread to the Master Page section in the Pages palette.
• This creates what’s known as a parent/child relationship between master pages. The child master’s page icons are labeled with the parent master’s name. Now, any changes you make to the parent master (the A-Master by default) will apply to the child master and, subsequently, the attached document pages.

Generate Sudoku puzzles in InDesign for free (CS/CS2, Sudoku Generator by Rorohiko LTD)

• No publication is complete without a hip-and-trendy Sudoku puzzle! But why pay for an expensive subscription service when you can generate puzzles for free? The Sudoku Generator by Rorohiko LTD (English translation: Lightning Brain) makes it easy for you to generate puzzles in your InDesign documents.
• To get started, go to http://www.rorohiko.com, click on Downloads, and click on the InDesign Plug-in Collection link. Scroll down the page until you find the Sudoku Generator. Along the way, you’ll notice many other interesting plug-ins for InDesign, such as Lightning Brain Sudoku—a more advanced, commercial version of Sudoku Generator that you can purchase for $49.
• Once you find Sudoku Generator, click on the More Info And Download Of Sudoku Generator link. Read the information, and then click the appropriate link. To install the software, simply place the SudokuGenrator.spin and Active Page Item Runtime files for the version of InDesign you’re runningin the Adobe InDesign/Plug-Ins folder.
• To generate a puzzle:
  • 1.Open the sudoku.indt template in InDesign.
  • 2.Set the options in the Sudoku Generator dialog box and then click OK.
  • 3.Reposition the puzzle’s placement in the InDesign document just as you would any table.
• If you like, you can click Cancel to open the template and change the appearance of the puzzle. Just remember to save the file as an InDesign template.You can also scale the puzzles Sudoku Generator creates and change their appearance in your InDesign documents using the Table menu commands.

Get your non-printing slugs to print (CS/CS2/CS3)

• A slug is an area on the pasteboard in an InDesign document in which you can type comments to your printer, coworkers, etc. You can specify slug parameters in the Bleed And Slug pane of the New Document dialog box as you create a new document. The only problem is that the slug area is typically non-printing and trimmed. There is, however, a way to get a slug to print.
• To print the slug area:
  • 1. Choose File > Print, or press [command]P ([Ctrl]P in Windows), to open the Print dialog box.
  • 2. Click on Marks And Bleed in the list box and select the Include Slug Area check box.
  • 3. Set the remaining Print options as usual, and then click Print.
    Depending on your printer and document size, you may also need to select the Scale To Fit option button on the Setup panel in the Print dialog box.

Copy and paste text outlines in one step (2/CS/CS2/CS3)

• When you select text with the Type tool and choose Type > Create Outlines, you transform the selection into editable paths. Converting text to outlines enables you to manipulate the individual letter shapes, as well as use them as frames, and it eliminates the need for the font. The only downfall is that once you convert text to outlines, it loses its editing capabilities. To correct a misspelled word, for example, you have to retype the word and reconvert it to outlines, and reapply any other effects too. However, if you hold down the [option] key ([Alt] key in Windows) while you choose Type > Create Outlines, InDesign creates a copy of the text directly on top and converts it to paths—leaving the original text intact. After you move the converted text to a new layer, lock and hide the layer for the original text. This will keep it from getting in the way and creating problems in print. Best of all, you still have a copy of the text that you can edit if necessary.

Revitalize your InDesign layouts with unique page numbering schemes

• Finding new ways to make your layouts stand out can be a challenge. One thing that many designers overlook is the opportunity to uniquely number pages. Instead of just placing numbers on a page with little or no thought, we'll show you how you can use them to liven up the pages in your next InDesign publication.
• To create innovative page-numbering schemes in InDesign, we'll show you how to:
  • Create master page items that enable you to automatically number pages.
  • Enhance page numbers with decorative artwork you can easily create using glyphs.
  • Apply master pages to document pages to ensure accurate page numbering.
  • Read More About This Tip Click Here > Adobe Indesign Tips

Produce action-packed pages with the use of custom-made filmstrip frames

• When InDesign's default framing options just won't do, you can always create custom frames for your images. InDesign offers many tools for that purpose. And to put them to good use, we'll show you how to create a custom frame that resembles a piece of 35mm film.
• To add this custom frame to your collection, we'll:
  • Use the Rectangle and Scale tools to draw a group of frames.
  • Create a uniquely shaped frame using the Pathfinder command.
  • Save the custom frame as a snippet or a library item for future use.
  • Read More About This Tip Click Here > Adobe Indesign Tips

The calculating nature of InDesign (2/CS/CS2/CS3)

• Hate math? Prove your seventh grade math teacher (the one who said you'd need to know it later in life) wrong by letting InDesign do it for you! InDesign can perform simple math equations, so you don't have to take your mind off your work. You can add (+), subtract (-), multiply (*), or divide (/) to the current value of any option that has a numerical text box in a palette or dialog box.
• For example, if you want to double the size of a selected object, simply type *2 after the W dimension in the Transform palette and press [command][enter] ([Ctrl][Enter] in Windows). By pressing the [command] key ([Ctrl] key in Windows), InDesign automatically applies the same equation to the H field to resize the image proportionately. InDesign also understands percentages. For example, say you want to scale down the same image by 25 percent. To do so, simply type -25% after the W value in the Transform palette and then press [command][enter] ([Ctrl][Enter] in Windows).

Blend text layers into a jellylike substance

• It's easy enough to apply a “gel” effect to text in Adobe Photoshop, but there's a downside--Photoshop rasterizes text, which is great for the web, but not so great for print. We'll show you how to create a gel effect in InDesign that preserves the natural vector characteristics of text for superior print results.
   
  To embellish text with a gel effect, we'll:
  
  • Type and format text to create the basis for this technique.
  • Duplicate layers so that we can build on the effect.
  • Apply transparency effects to soften edges and blend layers.

Tip: Improve the look of black type and objects in print (2/CS)

• Do the black headlines in your InDesign documents tend to look a little blah in print? You can make them and other large black areas really pop in your four-color print jobs by using a rich black, rather than the default [Black] swatch. The difference between blacks.
• To define a rich black swatch in the Swatches palette:
  • 1. Choose Window > Swatches, or press [F5] to show the Swatches palette.
  • 2. Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches palette’s pop-up menu, or [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) the New Swatch button.
  • 3. In the New Color Swatch dialog box, deselect the Name With Color Value check box and enter Rich Black in the Swatch Name text box.
  • 4. Define the swatch with the following color values: Cyan: 60%, Magenta: 40%, Yellow: 20%, Black: 100%.
  • 5. Then, click OK.

Tip: Add to your options for underlining text CS/CS2

• At one time, underlining text was seriously frowned upon in the publishing world. It was passé, tacky, and just not done. Forget all that. Underlining ain’t what it used to be, at least not in InDesign. Prior to InDesign CS, you couldn’t edit underline attributes. They were always the same weight and text color and they frequently interfered with the appearance of your text. Now, however, you can format your text underlines to perfection, so there’s no excuse not to!
• To edit your Underline options:
  • 1. Select the text you want to underline with the Type tool.
  • 2. [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on the Underline button on the Control palette (while viewing the Character Formatting controls) to open the Underline Options dialog box.
  • 3. Select the Underline On check box to access the options.
  • 4. Set the options as you like, and then click OK.

Tip: Easily reveal and remove local style overrides 2/CS/CS2

• It’s easy to format text and objects consistently in InDesign CS2 when you save the desired attributes in styles. Every once in awhile, though, a plus sign (+) may appear next to a style in the Character Styles, Paragraph Styles, or Object Styles palette. What does this mean?
  A plus sign to the right of a style name indicates that the selected text or object is formatted with attributes other than what are defined in the applied style.
• The only way this can happen is if you format a selection locally, rather than through its style. This is what’s called a local override and InDesign makes you aware of it because it can cause formatting inconsistencies. Enough talk—now, for the tip.
• To remove a local override:
  • 1. Hold your mouse pointer over the plus sign next to the object, character, or paragraph style. A text balloon displays in CS2, as shown in Figure B, informing you of the local overrides applied to the selection.
  • 2. [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on the style name to clear the style overrides.

Tip: Create outlines without losing text formatting 2/CS/CS2

• You just formatted a headline to perfection. Then, to ensure the font doesn’t default, you decide to use the Create Outlines command to convert the text to paths. Great idea! In doing so, however, certain text formatting attributes may be lost. Fancy italic fonts and strokes applied to text in particular don’t hold up well in the conversion. Oh where, oh where did your formatting go? Good question—one for which we don’t have an answer. We do, however, have a solution. Convert the text in Illustrator!
• To preserve text formatting:
  • 1. Copy and paste your text from InDesign to Illustrator.
  • 2. Choose Type > Create Outlines while the text is selected.
  • 3. Copy and paste the text back to InDesign. Sneaky, but it works!

Tip: Create short text macros with Autocorrect (CS2)

• InDesign is much more user-friendly when it comes to typing text—thanks to the Story Editor—but you might wish for a text macro feature whenever you have to type commonly used words or phrases over and over again. You won’t find this sort of feature in InDesign, but there’s a sneaky way you can get the Autocorrect feature to perform similarly to a macro.
  Say, for example, that you have to frequently type the text Adobe InDesign. You can edit your User dictionary in such a way that InDesign inserts the phrase for you.
• To create a pseudo text macro:
  • 1. Launch InDesign and choose InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect in Windows).
  • 2. Select the Enable Autocorrect check box.
  • 3. Click the Add button located at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
  • 4. Enter a couple of letters that you normally wouldn’t type in the Misspelled Word text box.
  • 5. Enter the correct phrase, such as Adobe InDesign, in the Correction text box.
  • 6. Click OK to close the Add To Autocorrect List dialog box, and then click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
  • 7. Type the letters you added to the Misspelled Word list in your document, press the [spacebar], and then watch InDesign insert the correct words much more quickly than you could’ve typed them!

Tip: Balance ragged headlines automatically (CS2)

• You can insert a soft return where you want to force a headline to break, but that isn’t very efficient. Not when you can use the Balance Ragged Lines command in InDesign. It enables you to automatically balance multi-line headings, pull quotes, and other centered paragraphs.
• To balance a single ragged headline:
  • 1. Click the Type tool in the headline.
  • 2. Choose Balance Ragged Lines from the Control palette while in Paragraph Formatting mode or from the Paragraph palette’s pop-up menu.
• InDesign automatically determines where the line should break and balances the headline without a special character.
• To balance headlines formatted with a style:
  • 1. Double-click on the style used to format the headlines in the Paragraph Styles palette.
  • 2. Click on Indents And Spacing in the Paragraph Style Options dialog box.
  • 3. Select the Balance Ragged Lines check box.
  • 4. Click OK.
• All the headlines in your document formatted with the style are automatically adjusted.

Tip: Format text and objects faster with Quick Apply (CS2)

• InDesign CS2 features a new way to select and apply paragraph, character, and object styles. The new Quick Apply command eliminates the need to search for styles buried deep in the Paragraph Styles, Character Styles, and Object Styles palettes.
• To select a style using Quick Apply:
  • 1. Highlight the text you want to format with the Type tool or click on the objects you want to format with the Selection tool.
  • 2. Press [command][enter] ([Ctrl][Enter] in Windows), click the Quick Apply button on the Control palette, or choose Edit > Quick Apply.
  • 3. Type the first letter of the style you’re looking for in the resulting Quick Edit list box. If you have a lot of styles named similarly, you can either type a few more letters or numbers in the style’s name or use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list.
• To apply a style selected in the Quick Edit list box, do one of the following:
  • Press [enter] or click the Quick Apply button to apply the selected style and close the Quick Edit list box.
  • Press [shift][enter] to apply the style and keep the Quick Edit list box open.
  • Press [option][enter] ([Alt][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style and remove formatting overrides.
  • Press [option][shift][enter] ([Alt][Shift][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style as well as remove formatting overrides and character styles.
  • Press [esc] to close the Quick Edit list box without applying a style.
    You may find assigning keyboard shortcuts to styles and using them to apply styles is quicker and easier, but when you have more styles than you do available keyboard shortcuts, Quick Apply is a nice feature to have.

Tip: Create short text macros with Autocorrect (CS2)

• InDesign is much more user-friendly when it comes to typing text—thanks to the Story Editor—but you might wish for a text macro feature whenever you have to type commonly used words or phrases over and over again. You won’t find this sort of feature in InDesign, but there’s a sneaky way you can get the Autocorrect feature to perform similarly to a macro.
  Say, for example, that you have to frequently type the text Adobe InDesign. You can edit your User dictionary in such a way that InDesign inserts the phrase for you.
• To create a pseudo text macro:
  • 1. Launch InDesign and choose InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect in Windows).
  • 2. Select the Enable Autocorrect check box, shown.
  • 3. Click the Add button located at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
  • 4. Enter a couple of letters that you normally wouldn’t type in the Misspelled Word text box.
  • 5. Enter the correct phrase, such as Adobe InDesign, in the Correction text box.
  • 6. Click OK to close the Add To Autocorrect List dialog box, and then click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
  • 7. Type the letters you added to the Misspelled Word list in your document, press the [spacebar], and then watch InDesign insert the correct words much more quickly than you could’ve typed them!

Tip: A click way to make your palettes disappear (CS/CS2)

• As useful as all the InDesign palettes are, they can really get in the way if you’re limited to working on a single monitor. When you can’t see your document through the sea of palettes, there’s a really quick way to return them from whence they came.
• Simply [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on a palette name to minimize all the vertically docked palettes on your screen. Repeat the action when you want to display them all again.

Tip: Add to your options for underlining text

• At one time, underlining text was seriously frowned upon in the publishing world. It was passé, tacky, and just not done. Forget all that. Underlining ain’t what it used to be, at least not in InDesign.
  Prior to InDesign CS, you couldn’t edit underline attributes. They were always the same weight and text color and they frequently interfered with the appearance of your text. Now, however, you can format your text underlines to perfection, so there’s no excuse not to!
• To edit your Underline options:
  • 1. Select the text you want to underline with the Type tool.
  • 2. [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on the Underline button on the Control palette (while viewing the Character Formatting controls) to open the Underline Options dialog box.
  • 3. Select the Underline On check box to access the options.
  • 4. Set the options as you like, and then click OK.
    The difference between the old way you weren’t supposed to underline text and the new way you can underline text.

Tip: Easily reveal and remove local style overrides

• It’s easy to format text and objects consistently in InDesign CS2 when you save the desired attributes in styles. Every once in awhile, though, a plus sign (+) may appear next to a style in the Character Styles, Paragraph Styles, or Object Styles palette. What does this mean?
  A plus sign to the right of a style name indicates that the selected text or object is formatted with attributes other than what are defined in the applied style.
• The only way this can happen is if you format a selection locally, rather than through its style. This is what’s called a local override and InDesign makes you aware of it because it can cause formatting inconsistencies. Enough talk—now, for the tip.
• To remove a local override:
  • 1. Hold your mouse pointer over the plus sign next to the object, character, or paragraph style. A text balloon displays in CS2, informing you of the local overrides applied to the selection.
  • 2. [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) on the style name to clear the style overrides.

Tip: Create short text macros with Autocorrect (CS2)

• InDesign is much more user-friendly when it comes to typing text—thanks to the Story Editor—but you might wish for a text macro feature whenever you have to type commonly used words or phrases over and over again. You won’t find this sort of feature in InDesign, but there’s a sneaky way you can get the Autocorrect feature to perform similarly to a macro.
  Say, for example, that you have to frequently type the text Adobe InDesign. You can edit your User dictionary in such a way that InDesign inserts the phrase for you.
• To create a pseudo text macro:
  • 1. Launch InDesign and choose InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect in Windows).
  • 2. Select the Enable Autocorrect check box.
  • 3. Click the Add button located at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
  • 4. Enter a couple of letters that you normally wouldn’t type in the Misspelled Word text box.
  • 5. Enter the correct phrase, such as Adobe InDesign, in the Correction text box.
  • 6. Click OK to close the Add To Autocorrect List dialog box, and then click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
  • 7. Type the letters you added to the Misspelled Word list in your document, press the [spacebar], and then watch InDesign insert the correct words much more quickly than you could’ve typed them!

Tip: Format text and objects faster with Quick Apply

• InDesign CS2 features a new way to select and apply paragraph, character, and object styles. The new Quick Apply command eliminates the need to search for styles buried deep in the Paragraph Styles, Character Styles, and Object Styles palettes.
• To select a style using Quick Apply:
  • 1. Highlight the text you want to format with the Type tool or click on the objects you want to format with the Selection tool.
  • 2. Press [command][enter] ([Ctrl][Enter] in Windows), click the Quick Apply button on the Control palette, or choose Edit > Quick Apply.
  • 3. Type the first letter of the style you’re looking for in the resulting Quick Edit list box. If you have a lot of styles named similarly, you can either type a few more letters or numbers in the style’s name or use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list.
• To apply a style selected in the Quick Edit list box, do one of the following:
  • Press [enter] or click the Quick Apply button to apply the selected style and close the Quick Edit list box.
  • Press [shift][enter] to apply the style and keep the Quick Edit list box open.
  • Press [option][enter] ([Alt][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style and remove formatting overrides.
  • Press [option][shift][enter] ([Alt][Shift][Enter] in Windows) to apply the style as well as remove formatting overrides and character styles.
  • Press [esc] to close the Quick Edit list box without applying a style.
    You may find assigning keyboard shortcuts to styles and using them to apply styles is quicker and easier, but when you have more styles than you do available keyboard shortcuts, Quick Apply is a nice feature to have.

Tip: A sneaky way to make a solid color fade to transparent

• Some day, InDesign will have a more intuitive way for creating a gradient that fades into the background. Until then, you can use the following workaround technique to create a gradient effect.
• To create a gradient that fades into the background:
  • 1. Select the Rectangle tool and draw an object twice the size of your desired gradient.
  • 2. Fill the object with the gradient’s start color.
  • 3. Choose Object > Feather to open the Feather dialog box and select the Feather and Preview check boxes.
  • 4. Enter a Feather Width the length you want the gradient to be and choose Diffused from the Corners pop-up menu. You can also add some noise to the effect in InDesign CS2 to create a smoother gradient. Click OK.
  • 5. Create another rectangle the size of your final gradient; or, do as we did and convert some text to outlines.
  • 6. Select the feathered object with the Selection tool and choose Edit > Copy.
  • 7. Select the target object and choose Edit > Paste Into.
  • 8. Use the Direct Selection tool to adjust the position of the gradient in the frame.

Tip: Paste a graphic in the center of the page

• Need to place a graphic in the center of a page in InDesign? It’s easy. Make sure there isn’t anything else selected on the page and then copy and paste the item into your document. InDesign pastes it in the center of the page by default. This works with objects already in your document too. In fact, it’s best to place large files first, to link rather than embed them. Then, you can copy and paste the items to center them.

Tip: Convert a document page into a master page

• Let’s say you just created an awesome layout. It’s so great, in fact, that your boss says he wants every publication to follow the same layout. If only you had set it up as a master page! Not to worry, you still can.
• To convert a document page into a master page:
  • 1. Choose Window > Pages to display the Pages palette.
  • 2. Select the page or spread in the Pages palette. (To select a spread, [shift]-click on one of the page icons.)
  • 3. Drag the page or spread to the Master Page section in the Pages palette.
• This creates what’s known as a parent/child relationship between master pages. The child master’s page icons are labeled with the parent master’s name. Now, any changes you make to the parent master (the A-Master by default) will apply to the child master and, subsequently, the attached document pages.

Tip: A click and easy way to change page views

• In addition to the View menu commands in InDesign, you can change the view of your pages via the Pages palette. For example, double-click on a page icon in the Pages palette and InDesign displays that page. Press [option] ([Alt] in Windows) as you do this to fit the page in the window. If you want to view an entire spread, double-click on the page numbers, instead of the page icons.

Tip: A quick way to place text and graphics

• Standard procedure for importing text and graphics files into an InDesign document is to use the Place command. This, however, requires you to locate the file you want to import, which isn’t always easy. When you can see the file, it’s much quicker to simply drag it into your document. Drag and drop it on a selected frame and the text or graphic imports into it. This method also creates a link to the original file, so you can keep track of updates made to it.

Tip: Control how you scale stroked objects

• Prior to InDesign CS, when you scaled an object with the Free Transform or Scale tool, the stroke weight scaled too—whether you wanted it to or not. Two little-known options added to in InDesign since the release of CS, however, allow more control over how you scale and transform objects.
• First, you can now choose whether you want strokes to scale at all. Strokes are set to scale by default. Second, you can return scaled objects to 100 percent of their original size.
• To scale an object’s fill and stroke:
  • 1. Choose Scale Strokes from the Transform palette or Control palette pop-up menu.
  • 2. Select the Scale or Free Transform tool in the Toolbox.
  • 3. Scale your object as usual.
• The difference between scaling an object with the Scale Strokes command on or off is shown in Figure C. When scaling strokes, be aware that the increase in size isn’t reflected in the Weight value that displays in the Stroke palette. You can also scale an object with the Selection tool, but the stroke doesn’t scale, regardless of whether the Scale Strokes command is selected.
• To reset scaling to 100 percent:
  • 1. Select the object that you scaled while the Scale Strokes option was selected.
  • 2. Choose Reset Scaling To 100% from either the Transform palette or Control palette pop-up menu.
• This restores the original proportions of the object’s fill and stroke.

Tip: Control how you scale stroked objects

• Prior to InDesign CS, when you scaled an object with the Free Transform or Scale tool, the stroke weight scaled too—whether you wanted it to or not. Two little-known options added to in InDesign since the release of CS, however, allow more control over how you scale and transform objects.
• First, you can now choose whether you want strokes to scale at all. Strokes are set to scale by default. Second, you can return scaled objects to 100 percent of their original size.
• To scale an object’s fill and stroke:
  • 1. Choose Scale Strokes from the Transform palette or Control palette pop-up menu.
  • 2. Select the Scale or Free Transform tool in the Toolbox.
  • 3. Scale your object as usual.
• The difference between scaling an object with the Scale Strokes command on or off is shown in Figure C. When scaling strokes, be aware that the increase in size isn’t reflected in the Weight value that displays in the Stroke palette. You can also scale an object with the Selection tool, but the stroke doesn’t scale, regardless of whether the Scale Strokes command is selected.
• To reset scaling to 100 percent:
  • 1. Select the object that you scaled while the Scale Strokes option was selected.
  • 2. Choose Reset Scaling To 100% from either the Transform palette or Control palette pop-up menu.
• This restores the original proportions of the object’s fill and stroke.

Tip: Access your swatch colors more easily

• There’s nothing more annoying than trying to apply color to objects when you have a long list of colors in your Swatches palette. Every time you click on an unformatted object, the selection in the Swatches palette defaults to None. Then, you have to scroll all the way down to find the color you want and select it.
• A solution is to change the way your Swatches palette displays. The default is to list the colors and names, but you can change it to display just swatches. Simply choose Small Swatch from the Swatches palette pop-up menu. This format takes up much less real estate on your monitor and enables you to see all your colors without scrolling down a palette the length of your InDesign window.

Tip: Draw attention to your text with compound paths (2/CS)

• Looking for a way to call attention to some text? Perhaps you want to enhance a drop cap or design a letter-based logo? You can create this sort of effect easily using the Compound Paths command in InDesign.
• To do so, type your text as usual and use one of the shape tools to create the background object. Choose Object > Arrange > Send To Back, or press [command][shift][[] ([Ctrl][Shift][[] in Windows) to place the selected object behind the text. Now, select the text and choose Type > Create Outlines to convert the text to paths. Then, select both the text and object with the Selection tool and choose Object > Compound Paths > Make, or press [command]8 ([Ctrl]8 in Windows). The text path is then cut away wherever it overlays the underlying object to reveal whatever lies beneath the background object.

Tip: Save your PDF files in style (2/CS)

• Exporting an InDesign document can be time-consuming if you have to set every one of the Export PDF options. If you save your settings as a preset (style in version 2), however, creating subsequent PDF files takes mere seconds.
• To create a PDF preset, choose File > PDF Export Presets > Define (choose File > Define PDF Styles in version 2) and click New in the resulting dialog box. Name the preset according to the intended use of the PDF file and set the options as usual. Then, click OK. The next time you need to export an InDesign document to PDF, simply choose it from the Preset pop-up menu (Style pop-up menu in version 2) in the Export PDF dialog box and then click Export. You can't get any more efficient than that!

Tip: Save your PDF files in style (2/CS)

• Exporting an InDesign document can be time-consuming if you have to set every one of the Export PDF options. If you save your settings as a preset (style in version 2), however, creating subsequent PDF files takes mere seconds.
• To create a PDF preset, choose File > PDF Export Presets > Define (choose File > Define PDF Styles in version 2) and click New in the resulting dialog box. Name the preset according to the intended use of the PDF file and set the options as usual. Then, click OK. The next time you need to export an InDesign document to PDF, simply choose it from the Preset pop-up menu (Style pop-up menu in version 2) in the Export PDF dialog box and then click Export. You can't get any more efficient than that!

Tip: Apply a master page to several pages at once (2/CS)

• There's an easy way to apply a master page to several pages at once. First, select Apply Master To Pages from the Pages palette's pop-up menu. In the Apply Master dialog box, select the master that you want to apply from the Apply Master pop-up menu and enter the page numbers to which you want to apply it in the To Pages text box. When entering page numbers, use hyphens to indicate a page range and commas to indicate nonconsecutive pages. Finally, click OK.

Tip: Quickly change the way your toolbox displays in Adobe InDesign (2/CS 3)

• Although you can specify how the toolbox in InDesign displays in Preferences, it's quicker to just click on the zoom (green) button in the upper-right corner of it (double-click on the title bar in Windows).  By default, your toolbox displays as tow vertical rows, but you can display it as a single vertical column or a single horizontal row.  Cycle through the options until you fine the one you lie best.  Optionally, you can make your preference the default setting for all subsequent documents.  To do this, choose InDesign > Preferences > general while no InDesign documents are open.  In the General Options pane of the Preferences dialog box, choose Single Column, Double column, or Single Row from the Tools Palette pop-up menu.  Then, click OK.

Tip: Access info about placed image files in InDesign (CS)

• The Links palette isn't the only place you can access vital information about image files placed in your InDesign documents. The Info palette is a great resource too.
• Select a page item and the Info palette displays all sorts of things - from the item's x- and y-coordinates to its outer dimensions. You can also find basic information - such as file format, file size, and color space - for a selected image from here. Or choose File Info from the Info palette's pop-up menu to view embedded metadata in the File Information For [filename] dialog box.
• Additionally, you can click in a text frame with the Type tool to view the number of characters, words, lines, and paragraphs in the story. Overset text is indicated by a plus sign (e.g., Characters: 270+178).
• Lastly, you can change the ruler units to something other than what you have set in Preferences. To do so, simply click on the crosshairs to the left of the X and Y fields and then choose a unit system from the resulting pop-up menu.

Tip: Mask an image with another image (2/CS)

• InDesign doesn't have a specific Mask command, but you can still combine two images to create unique graphics. The secret is in the Clipping Path command. You can't actually use clipping paths to mask images in InDesign, but you can use paths created in InDesign or embedded alpha channels created in an image-editing application. The Clipping Path command allows you to both create and control these types of paths.
• To mask an image with an InDesign path, place the image you plan to use as a mask into your document. Next, select Clipping Path from the Object menu to display the Clipping Path dialog box. Choose Detect Edges from the Type pop-up menu. Then, click OK. Finally, click on the image with the Direct Selection tool and use the Place command to import the second image into the selected path.
• To mask an image with the alpha channel of another image, select the Show Import Options check box as you place the image you plan to use as a mask and click Open. In the resulting dialog box, choose the embedded channel from the Alpha Channel pop-up menu. Click OK and click the loaded icon on the page to import the file into your document. Now, while the object is selected, choose Clipping Path from the Object menu. In the Clipping Path dialog box, select Alpha Channel from the Type pop-up menu and select the embedded alpha channel from the Alpha pop-up menu. Then, click OK. Finally, select the image with the Direct Selection tool and place the second image into the selected path.

Tip: Place just one of many pages of a PDF file into Adobe inDesign (2/CS3)

• Want to place just one page of a multi-page PDF file into an InDesign document?  No porblem!  Just choose File > Place or press [command]D ([Ctrl]D in Windows) as usual.  In the resulting dialog box, select the PDF file, but before you click Open, select the Show Import Options check box.  Then, in the resulting dialog box, select or enter the page number you want to place and click OK.  Just the page number you indicated places in your InDesign document.

Tip: Make a grayscale TIFF look like a photographic negative (InDesign 2/CS)

• Just for fun, you can colorize a grayscale TIFF in Adobe InDesign to make it look like a negative. To do this, press [command]D ([Ctrl]D in Windows) to open the Place dialog box. Select a grayscale TIFF image and click Open. Click the loaded icon on the page to place the image. Next, click on the image with the Selection tool and select the [Black] swatch in the Swatches palette ([F5]) to set the highlight. Then, click on the image (not the frame) with the Direct Selection tool and select the [Paper] swatch to set the shadow to white.

Tip: Work the way you want to in InDesign (CS)

• You may have noticed that InDesign CS is a little palette-crazy.  Even if you have the ability to use two monitors (one for viewing pages and one for viewing palettes), you'll find it easier to work in InDesign if you take a moment to create your own personal workspace.  To do so, display and arrange the palettes you use the way you like.  You can drag and drop panes from one palette to another, attach palettes together, have them display as single or double columns or single rows (a General Options preferences setting), and so on.  Once your palettes are set up just the way you like them, choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.  Enter a name for your workspace in the resulting dialog box, and then click OK.  You can create however many workspaces you may need.

Tip: A quick and easy way to duplicate spot and process colors (InDesign 2/CS)

• In Adobe InDesign, you can easily duplicate a process color defined in the Swatches palette ([F5]) by selecting it and then clicking the New Swatch button. To duplicate a process color and change its color type to spot color at the same time, press [command] ([Ctrl] in Windows) while you click the New Swatch button.
• Along the same lines:
  • Press [option] ([Alt] in Windows) while you click the New Swatch button to open the New Color Swatch dialog box. From here, you can name your swatches, define color values, and specify a color mode. To quickly cycle through the color modes, [shift]-click in the color proxy.

Tip: Drag and drop color (InDesign 2/CS)

• It seems so obvious, but it's easy to forget that InDesign allows us to drag and drop colors defined in the Swatches palette to page items. We can even format table cells and cell borders this way.
• Simply display the Swatches palette ([F5]) and drag a color from the Swatches palette to the item. Make sure the Hand icon with the plus sign (+) is directly over the area you want to color. Then, release your mouse button to apply it. For multiple applications, click the Eyedropper tool on the item to sample its stroke and fill attributes. Then, click on the target items to format them similarly.

Tip: Easter eggs are good any time of the year (InDesign 2/CS)

• Software programmers have a tough job that requires long hours.  We can only guess that it's while they're working late into the night that they program hidden code called "Easter eggs," which are only revealed if you hit just the right key combination.  For example, open InDesign and choose About InDesign from the InDesign menu (the Help menu in Windows).  When the splash screen displays, type SVG to see your multi-colored Easter egg.

Tip: Share your InDesign library with others (2/CS)

• InDesign libraries are cross-platformable.  That is, an InDesign library created on one platform is accessible in InDesign on another platform.  File extensions aren't required on the Mac but they are in Windows, so be sure to add the .indt extension to your library files.  And to ensure objects in your libraries display properly, save them in ASCII data format with TIFF previews.

Tip: Save your custom colors to save time in InDesign (2/CS)

• Although you can mix your own colors via the Color palette, if you're using a color in more than one area of an InDesign document, take a moment to save it as a swatch.  Once you do that, any changes you want to make to the color will be applied globally so you won't have to edit individual objects.  To save a custom color as a swatch, simply drag and drop the color swatch from the Color palette to the Swatches palette.  The new swatch will be named with the color break information.  To give the color a different name, double-click on the swatch in the Swatches palette to open the Swatch Options dialog box.  Deselect the Name With Color Value check box so you can enter a name in the Swatch Name text box.  then, click OK.

Tip: Learn how to share InDesign styles well with others (2/CS)

• Tired of importing text documents improperly formatted with alien styles?  Why not supply the styles you use in InDesign to those who supply you the files?  It's easy to import your InDesign styles into a word processing program.  Begin by creating a paragraph of text for every style you want to export.  to each line, apply a style.  Next, click an insertion mark in the text and choose File > Export.  In the export dialog box, name the file, choose Rich Text Format from the Format pop-up menu, and then choose a location in which to save the file.  Finally, click Save.  That's all there is to it!  Writers can then open the RTF file in their word processing program and your styles will be added to their style list.  tell them to save the text document as a template file on which to base all future text documents sent to you for layout in InDesign.

Tip: Vertically justify text in frames enhanced with the Corner Effects command in Adobe InDesign (2/CS)

• When you apply the Corner Effects command to a text frame, the vertical justification of the text defaults to the top and can't be adjusted via the Vertical Justification options in the Text Frame Options dialog box (Object menu). If you need to vertically realign text in the center of the frame, choose Object > Text Frame Options and increase the values for Inset Spacing more than the corner radius you specified in the Corner Effects dialog box. Click OK to flow the text into place.

Tip: Saving Adobe InDesign CS documents for use with version 2 (2/CS)

• According to the InDesign CS Help files, you should be able to export CS documents in InDesign Interchange format and, with the aid of the Scripting plug-in and the XML Reader plug-in, open the fully editable INX document in version 2. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. Your choices for getting an InDesign CS document to open in version 2 are as follows:
  • 1. Export the CS document to a compatible graphic file format, such as PDF, EPS, or JPEG, and use the Place command to import the resulting non-editable graphic file in version 2.
  • 2. Select the text and export it in Adobe InDesign Tagged Text format. Place the resulting TXT file and graphic files in version 2. Then, recreate the page layout.
  • 3. Export the CS document to XML and import the resulting files in version 2. This is easier said than done!

Tip: Removing local formatting in one quick-and-easy step (InDesign 2.x/CS)

• Applying local formatting styles, such as Bold and Italic, is a no-no on the Mac--using the appropriate PostScript font is preferred.  Unfortunately, it's common practice to use local formatting in Windows because TrueType fonts don't have different styles.  So when you import text documents created in Windows in InDesign, chances are the text will have some local formatting.  to remove local formatting, you can't simply apply a paragraph style to the text--local formatting overrides the global formatting paragraph styles create.  The style's paragraph attributes will apply to the selected text but the local formatting will remain as well.  The trick is to press the [option] key ([Alt] key in Windows) as you select the paragraph style--this will strip the text of its local formatting.  If the look the local formatting created must be maintained, use character styles to format the individual words.

Tip: Save your custom page sizes as InDesign presets (CS)

• When creating a new document, there are several generic page sizes you can choose from, or you can manually enter the custom width and height you need. More often, though, InDesign documents are set up using custom page sizes. Manually entering the same information over and over again is tedious and a waste of time. To speed things up, you can add your custom page sizes to the Page Size pop-up menu in the New Document dialog box.
• To do this, locate the file New Doc Sizes.txt in the Adobe InDesign CS\Presets folder and open it. Then, follow the instructions in the file to add your custom page size to the list. After you list your custom page size, save and close the text file. Then, choose File > New > Document. In the New Document dialog box, simply choose your custom page size from the Page Size pop-up menu and click OK to get to work!

Tip: Getting rules to export from InDesign to an EPS file properly (2/CS)

• Generally, rules export from InDesign to EPS without a hitch. There's always a catch, though. In this case, it's the Create Outlines command. If you're in the habit of converting text to outlines prior to exporting a document, be careful not to include rules. Rules won't export to EPS properly if, for example, you select a text frame with the Selection tool and then choose Type Create Outlines. Instead, select only the lines of text you want to convert to outlines with the Type tool. This preserves any rules that exist above or below the text, so they export to EPS correctly.

Tip: A quick-and-easy way to zoom in and out on text (InDesign 2.x/CS)

• Here's the scenario:  You're formatting text in an InDesign document with rapid speed.  Then, you come to a section where you know you need to apply a character style to a word.  You're working in Fit Page In Window view, however, so you can barely read the text.  There's no way you can select the word with any accuracy.  Do you stop what you're doing so you can select the Zoom tool and use it to magnify the page?  Heck no! Instead, just press [command][=] ([Ctrl][=] in Windows) to zoom in (the magnification increases each time you press the key combination).  After you're done applying the character style, press [command][-] ([Ctrl][-] in Windows) to zoom out, or just press [command]0) ([Ctrl]0 in Windows) to return to Fit Page In Window view.

Tip: Copying master pages from one InDesign document to another (2/CS)

• Although you can't synchronize master pages in your booked InDesign documents like you can swatches and styles, there is an easy enough way to copy master pages between documents. Simply open the document that contains the master pages you want to copy, and then open the document to which you want to copy the master pages. Now, choose Window > Arrange > Tile (Window > Tile in Windows). Make the document that has the master pages you want to copy the active document and then drag the master pages from the Pages palette and drop them into the other document. Your work is done!

Tip: Prevent spot colors from turning spotty after being flattened (InDesign 2.x)

• Transparent objects in your InDesign documents must first be flattened before they can be printed or exported to another format (other then PDF 1.4).  this flattening process has been known to create thin white lines, known as "stitching," in areas where process colors overlap spot colors.  There are two ways you can prevent this from happening.
• Your first option is to convert spot colors to process colors prior to flattening.  To do so, press [F5] to display the Swatches palette.  Next, double-click on a spot color to open the Swatch Options dialog box.  Choose Process from the Color Type pop-up menu.  Then, click OK.  Repeat this process to convert any other spot colors in your Swatches palette.  Converting spot colors to process colors can result in slight color changes, though, so this may not be an acceptable option for you.
• Another option is to change the stacking or layer order of the spot and process colors--instead of the process-colored object overlapping the spot-colored object.  If the objects are on the same layer, select the spot-colored object.  If the objects are on different layers, simply rearrange the stacking order of the two layers.  To do so, access the Layers palette ([F7]) and then drag and drop the layer on which the spot-colored object sits above the layer on which the process-colored object sits.

Tip: Shortcuts for selecting InDesign's tools (2/CS)

• Don't keep going back to the Toolbox every time you need to select a different tool. Nearly every tool has a shortcut key assigned to it. For those that don't, you can assign them one using the Keyboard Shortcuts command. Additionally, there are other ways to activate certain tools. For example, you can double-click on a text frame with the Selection tool to select the Type tool. And while the Type tool is active in a text frame, you can press the [command] key ([Ctrl] key in Windows) to temporarily select the Selection tool. Take advantage of these shortcuts to work more efficiently in InDesign!

Tip: An easy way to save unnamed colors in InDesign (2/CS)

• Although it's tempting to mix custom colors in the Color palette as you work, forgoing the extra step of saving the colors in the Swatches palette isn't a good habit to develop. Not that the colors won't output properly, because they probably will. The problem with using unnamed colors is that they're very hard to find in your document when the need arises. Say, for example, that you used a custom color throughout a document and now need to change it to a different color. It's a simple step if the color is saved in the Swatches palette. It's a time-consuming process if it isn't. Luckily, unnamed colors that you created in the Color palette and used in your document are easily added to the Swatches palette. Simply choose Add Unnamed Colors from the Swatches palette.
• This, however, names the colors with their color values. To rename a color, double-click on the swatch in the Swatches palette to open the Swatch Options dialog box. Then, deselect the Name With Color Value check box and enter a name in the Swatch Name text box. Finally, click OK. Now, your custom colors are saved in your Swatches palette and easier to identify too.

Tip: Eliminate font errors while exporting an Adobe InDesign document to PDF (2/CS)

• If you get a font error while trying to export an InDesign file to PDF, the likely culprit in your document is a placed EPS file that was created without embedded fonts. To eliminate font errors in PDF files, embed fonts while saving the file as an EPS in the original application. In Adobe Illustrator, select the Include Document Fonts check box to do this. In InDesign, choose Complete from the Embed Fonts pop-up menu in the Export EPS dialog box.

Tip: Get two views of your Adobe InDesign document fro the price of one (2.x/CS)

• Oftentimes, don't you wish you could see a page in your InDesign document in more than one view at the same time?  Well, you can!  For example, you can view a document at 100 percent and then choose Window > New Window to open a second window of the same document, in which you can choose a different view.  To evenly display both versions on your screen, choose Window > Tile.  Now you can work in both windows at the same time!  Everything you do in one window automatically appears in the other window.

Tip: Creating multi-page spreads in Adobe InDesign (2/CS)

• To create a multi-page spread (a spread with more than two pages), target the spread by clicking on the page numbers in the Pages palette and then choose Keep Spreads Together from the Pages palette's pop-up menu. Finally, drag a page or spread icon from the top portion of the Pages palette down to the bottom portion and drop it to the immediate right or left side of the spread. You can have up to 10 pages in a spread.  

Tip: An easy way to share color swatches among Adobe InDesign documents (2/CS)

• Once you save a swatch in the Swatches palette of an InDesign document, you can make it available in other InDesign documents as well. Simply choose Window > Tile so you can see both documents -- the one in which the swatch is saved and the one in which you want to save the swatch. Then, drag the desired swatch from the Swatches palette in one document and drop it anywhere in the other document. New in CS, you can also choose Load Swatches from the Swatches palette's pop-up menu, select an InDesign document, and click Open to load its swatches in your open document's Swatches palette.

Tip: Being selective about the measurement system you use in Adobe InDesign (2.x/CS)

• You can change the rulers' units of measurement by [control]-clicking (right-clicking in Windows) on either the horizontal or vertical rulers.  From the resulting contextual menu, you can choose a different measurement system or choose Custom to display the ruler increments with a specific number of points.  You can also change the way the rulers display (or don't display).  Only the ruler you click on is affected; that is, if you click on the horizontal ruler, the change will apply only to that ruler.

Tip: Printing transparent items in your Adobe InDesign documents with style (2.x/CS)

• To print an InDesign document, you must first set numerous options in the Print dialog box (File > Print).  Depending on the type of job you're printing, some options are more important than others.  For example, if your document doesn't contain any transparency effects, the transparency flattener style you use isn't really relevant.  If your document does contain transparency effects, however, this setting becomes very important indeed.
• You'll find the transparency Flattener option on the Advanced pane in the Print dialog box.  From the Style pop-up menu, you have three default choices: Low Resolution, Medium Resolution, and high Resolution.  You can use one of these settings to output your document or you can create your own style.
• To determine whether one of the default styles is appropriate or you need to create a new style, choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Styles.  In the resulting dialog box, select the default styles one at a time to review their settings in the Style Settings window.  If they aren't appropriate, click New to create a custom flattener style.  In the resulting dialog box, name your style and then set the options accordingly.
• Drag the Raster/Vector Balance slider to determine the amount of rasterization performed on your artwork.  Enter DPI values appropriate for output device in the Flattener Resolution and Gradient Resolution text boxes.  Select the Force Text To Outlines check box if you want to ensure a consistent text width throughout the document, not just transparent portions of text.  Select the Convert Strokes To Outlines if you want to ensure a consistent stroke width throughout the document, not just strokes within transparent objects.  Then final option is kind of complicated.  Basically, the amount of available RAM and the complexity and types of objects that overlap in your document determine the amount of rasterization that occurs in print.  Selecting the Clip Complex Regions check box ensures that complex objects are rasterized in a more desirable fashion.  The only time you might want to deactivate this option is when memory is a concern, as it can produce rather complex clipping paths that not all PostScript devices can output.  Finally, click OK.  Now, when you go to print your document, you can choose your custom flattener style from the Style pop-up menu in the Print dialog box.

Tip: A quick and easy way to reset your Adobe InDesign Preferences file to default settings (CS)

• The Preferences file may become corrupt or you may want to return to default settings. The old way is to drag the Preferences file into the trash. In CS, you can now simply press [command][option][control][shift] while launching the application. A dialog box opens next, asking you if you want to delete InDesign Preferences file. Click Yes to do so. A new Preferences file is created. If your Preferences file isn't corrupt, though, you might want to make a copy of it before you do this.

Tip: Let readers know where a story is going to and coming from (InDesign 2.x/CS)

• When you're laying out a story that continues or jumps to a page other than the next page or two, it's common practice to add a reference to where the rest of the story can be found in the publication.  If you did this manually, you'd go nuts trying to track the page numbers for jumped stories.  Fortunately, Indesign makes it easy for you to create jump-line page references and ensure their accuracy.
• After you finish laying out the entire store, create a jump-line page reference by selecting the Type tool and creating a text frame just large enough to contain the text reference you intend to use.  Position this text frame just below where the story ends on the page--making sure that the two text frames overlap at least a little.  (Depending on the placement of your jump-line reference, you may need to add a text wrap to the frame.)  Next, type the reference text, such as "continued on page," in the text frame.  then, to command InDesign to add the correct page number, add a space and choose Type > Insert Special character > Next Page Number or press [command][option][shift]([Ctrl][Alt][Shift] in Windows).
• As a precautionary measure, you can group the story and jump-line reference text frames together.  Simply select both frames with the Selection tool and then choose Object > Group or press [command]G ([Ctrl]G in Windows).

Tip: Import swatches from Adobe Illustrator into Adobe InDesign (2/CS)

• You can import colors, tints, and gradients (but not patterns) from Illustrator 8 EPS files into your InDesign documents two different ways. One option is to place the EPS file. This, however, only imports spot colors, tints, and gradients that were actually used in the document. The following method imports every color, tint, and gradient swatch in the EPS file's Swatches palette:
• Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches palette's pop-up menu. In the New Color Swatch dialog box, choose Other Library from the Color Mode pop-up menu. Locate your Illustrator 8 EPS file and click Open (Choose in version 2). Select a swatch you want to add to the Swatches palette and then click Add to do so. Continue to add swatches. Then, click Done. If you return to the Color Mode pop-up menu in the New Color Swatch dialog box, you'll see that the filename of the EPS file is now listed just above the Other Library menu item.  

Tip: Choosing the appropriate method for importing graphics into Adobe InDesign (2.x/CS)

• There are a few ways you can import graphics into InDesign, but you should consider the situation before choosing a method.  For example: You should use the Place command if you're importing graphics from other applications and want to maintain a link to the original files and preserve image integrity.  When you choose File > Place, you bring up the Place dialog box, which allows you to select the file of your choice and place it in the document.  At the bottom of the dialog box, you'll see a check box named Show Import Options.  If you enable this check box, you'll get the Image Import Options dialog box specific to the type of graphic that you import after you click Open.  For example, if you import a PDF, it allows you to select the pages, crop out areas, and more.  If you import a TIFF, it gives you image-and color-setting options.
• You can also drag and drop graphics into your documents.  The graphics will still appear in the Links palette the same as if you placed them, but you won't be able to specify any import options for them.  If you're copying graphics from one InDesign document to another, exact duplicates are created.  However, if you're copying graphics from another application into your InDesign document, the integrity of your graphics may be somewhat compromised.
• Another option is to copy and paste graphics into InDesign, but this should only be done for placement purposes when importing resolution-dependent images, as integrity may be compromised.  Additionally, graphics that are copied and pasted into InDesign won't show up in the Links palette because they're embedded.  This is another reason not to copy and paste graphics into your documents, as embedding imported files increases a document's file size, making it unmanageable and subject to memory errors.

Tip: Make sure your RGB colors are in gamut color (InDesign 2/CS)

• When you're mixing a new color in RGB mode, you may notice an alert icon and a small color box appear just below the main color box in the Color Mode pane on the New Color Swatch or New Gradient Swatch dialog box or in the Stop Color pane on the New Gradient Swatch dialog box. This is alerting you to the fact that the color you've mixed is out of gamut and can't be duplicated. Click on the small color box and InDesign automatically adjusts the color values to produce a color that's in gamut for that color space.  

Tip: Set up InDesign the way you prefer to work (2.x/3)

• Every time you create a new InDesign document, do you immediately change the default Character attributes, such as the font, font size, and leading?  What would you say to never have to do that again?  All you have to do is change the default settings!  For InDesign to use the character attributes of your choosing every time you crate a new document, simply launch InDesign without crating a new document.  Next, choose Type > Character to show the Character palette.  Then, choose your font and font style, font size, leading, and so on.  Every time you create a new document, the Character palette will display your settings (until you have to create a new Preferences file).  You can do this with all the palettes, so take the time now to set up InDesign the way you prefer.

Tip: To link or to embed, that isn't a question in InDesign (2.x/3)

• In InDesign (as with all desktop publishing applications), you have the option to link or embed graphics.  Embedding graphics stores the original file in the InDesign document so you no longer need to keep track of the original graphics files.  However, it also increases the document's file size.  If you're placing a lot of graphics in a document, this can produce a ridiculously (and dangerously) huge file.  Aside from simple clipart files that are less than a few 100K, you should always link graphics placed in your documents to the original files.  InDesign will display a preview of your graphics and the file size of your documents will be kept to a minimum.

Tip: Changing the starting paragraph of placeholder text (InDesign 2/CS)

• The Fill With Placeholder Text command provides you with a quick-and-easy way to generate placeholder text. After awhile, though, you might get tired of looking at the same old story. To mix things up, you can change the starting paragraph for InDesign's default placeholder text. To do this, click the Type tool in a text frame and then simply hold down the [option] key ([Alt] key in Windows) while you choose the command from the Type menu. Alternatively, you can create your own placeholder text. To do this, create a text file with custom text and name the file placeholder.txt. Then, place this file in the InDesign application folder.  

Tip: Applying leading to text in InDesign like you used to do in QuarkXPress (2.x/3)

• In InDesign, you can specify for leading to be applied to individual lines of text or entire paragraphs.  If you're in the process of converting QuarkXPress documents to InDesign, you'll experience one fewer conversion nightmare by specifying that InDesign apply leading to entire paragraphs as this method more closely resembles the way in which QuarkXPress applies leading to text.  To make this the default setting for all new InDesign documents, launch InDesign but don't create a new document.  Choose InDesign > Preferences > Text (Edit > Preferences > Text in Mac OS 9 and Windows) to access the Text panel in the Preferences dialog box.  Next, select the Apply Leading To Entire paragraphs check box.  Then, Click OK.

Tip: Getting menu commands to list alphabetically (InDesign 2/CS)

• A little-known trick in InDesign lets you temporarily sort menu commands in alphabetical order. To do this, hold down [command][option][shift] ([Ctrl][Alt][Shift] in Windows) and then select an item from the application menu bar. Release the keys to restore the menu to its default state. This is especially useful for sorting fonts in the Type > Font menu.

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