Core layout concepts and workflows
InDesign can be categorized as layout software. It is therefore used to create page designs for both print and digital media. InDesign sports powerful tools for working with text and graphics. It has robust typographical controls and is ideally suited for long documents. Its typographical controls are the gold standard for typesetting in its class. You can prepare interactive and high-quality PDF documents for sharing with audiences and print providers. Some of the projects that InDesign can help you create include books like this one, print and online magazines, ePub documents, and numerous other categories of formats for your design and communication projects.
InDesign works on the metaphor of a page or pages that are attached to a pasteboard. This is no different from you placing a piece of paper on a desk. Any elements you place on the page will be printed or exported. Elements that are placed on the pasteboard – the gray area surrounding the page, will not be in the output. You can use the pasteboard as a temporary holding area as you craft your design on the page.
This is a typical InDesign workflow scenario:
- Import text and tables from Office applications.
- Place vector and bitmap images from drawing and image editing software.
- Arrange elements into a pleasing design.
- Export or print the InDesign file for consumption by relevant target audiences.
The very first step in your InDesign workflow is to set up a new document. In the next section, we will look at the options for setting up and customizing the specifications of our document.
