Indesign Secrets

When you start using InDesign CS3 (and the other CS3 applications) and export your first PDF file, you may notice an addition to the Adobe PDF Preset menu: You’ll see a new entry called PDF/X-4. To explain what it is and why it’s there, I need to give you a little background.

I’ve written about exporting […]

One of the more controversial changes in ID CS3 has to do with how the Undo commands are recorded.
In previous versions of InDesign a change in the Preview mode or Show/Hide Guides was not added to the Undo string.
In CS3 that behavior is changed.
If you switch from Normal to Preview mode, that step is added […]

Our colleague and contributor Pariah Burke came up with this fun trick (works in CS2 and CS3) for making transparent text in the article he and Anne-Marie wrote in the last issue of InDesign Magazine.
First, make a sandwich: Background image in back, then a frame with a fill of some color (such as Paper), then […]

Last week I presented a free eSeminar for Adobe on the topic of InDesign CS3. It was part of the Adobe Solutions Network Service Provider program. (The ASN program is pretty amazing… seems like very good value for what you get!) I had fun showing all the fun new CS3 stuff, and attendees on the […]

TK wrote:I have a client whose design agency has come up with a product that makes use of a non-existant letter in the product name… The product name is repeated many times through the document, and I have temporarily solved the problem by decreasing the tracking between two characters by a ridiculous amount. I’m wondering if there’s a better or simpler way to do this?

Ah, the vagaries of clients! There are several solutions for making custom characters…

Recently, a designer on an InDesign listserv said she missed PageMaker’s “Save As/with Links for Printing” feature, which she had found useful to get all of her original image files into a “clean, new folder” along with her saved-as PageMaker file.

Though InDesign lacks that specific feature, you can easily achieve the same end result with one of my favorite commands: Copy Links To. It’s fast, easy, and helps keep things organized as you work. I use it all the time.

After putting InDesign CS3 through it’s paces, I’ve summed up my impressions of the new version not only in the overview article for InDesign Magazine, but also in a full-blown product review on CreativePro.com that went live this morning.
The review covers the major new features, enhanced existing features, and many small touches, and is illustrated […]

I suspect that David is reluctant to self-promote himself in this way, so I’ll have to step up to the plate.
If you really want to get up to speed with InDesign — new user or seasoned pro — check out David’s new video tutorial series on Lynda.com, “InDesign CS3 Essential Training.” It just went live […]

Listen in your browser:
InDesignSecrets-048.mp3 (11.9 MB, 25:03 minutes)
(the transcript of this podcast will be posted soon)

• News: CS3 Ships, Our video tutorials in the box, Upcoming conferences
• All about trapping in InDesign (and, do we still need to worry about it?)
• New in InDesign CS3: Cool Text Wrap Options
• Obscure InDesign Feature of the Week: Detach Selection from Master
  

Here’s a little tidbit for CS3 that I just discovered.
Suppose you’ve used the new multiple images in a loaded cursor to add 7 images to your file.
And suppose you’ve just realized that you want to add 3 other images to the load.
CS3 lets you go back to the Place dialog box and add more images, […]