Free PatternMaker Plug-in for InDesign
TeaCup PatternMaker Palette
Here’s how it works: After you download and install the PatternMaker plug-in into your InDesign > Plug-ins Folder, you can select any InDesign frame (even text converted to outlines), select Window > PatternMaker, choose a pattern, and click the Apply Pattern button. The palette lets you customize the pattern in all kinds of ways (each pattern has its own set of variables you can tweak).
Note that the PatternMaker plug-in can assign colors to the patterns, but it only works with process colors in this version.
You do not need the plug-in in order to print (that is, you can give your InDesign documents to anyone and they can view and print them even without the plug-in). This works because the plug-in simply creates a very small EPS file and embeds it into the InDesign document. Embedding images such as this is no big deal because it only adds about 2 or 3 K to the file size and prints or exports to PDF with no trouble.
PatternMaker Examples
Editor’s note: I wrote the postscript code behind these patterns, so I have a financial bias here. For each free plug-in you download, I get exactly zero dollars! 
On the other hand, I am hoping that you’ll like the patterns so much that you’ll want to upgrade to the $99 PatternPack, which gives you 10 more (even cooler) patterns.
Or perhaps you have a need for bar codes, which are just sort of another kind of customizable pattern, right? Teacup also has a barcode pattern pack that can make ISBN, EAN, PostNet, and UPC barcodes. These plug-ins are even scriptable, so you could create a custom barcode workflow for an automated system.
Thanks so much for sharing this little ditty with us! The possibilities are endless.
I tried to download the free plugin, but I can’t find it on the teacupsoftware.com web site. Only a trial version and the full plugin for $99 was there. What’s the url to download the free version?
That\’s a cool plug-in, David! I\’ll have to check that out.
Very good point, Jan! I am pretty sure the demo version is the free version (it’s “demo” because it’s only 3 free patterns), but I’m going to suggest that they clear that up on their site.
Yes David. It’s only 3 patterns. Suggest them soon to do it.
It would also be nice if they showed the other patterns in the retail version (or at least include a healthy set of examples). Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough…
I just try the tool it’s great, however, it doesn’t tile the pattern for you which means you’ll have to make it yourself.
Jackie, I’m not sure what you mean by not tiling the pattern. Many of the patterns are automatically tiling.