Sessions

Building Great Templates with InDesign, Part 3

In Part 1 of this three-part tutorial, we learned about finding and editing pre-made templates; then in Part 2 we explored how to build our own custom templates, using styles, colors and masters. In part 3, we dive even deeper into:

  • Add elements to Creative Cloud Libraries, sharing and using them
  • Add anchored graphics to a library
  • Build a correct character style
  • Add and use Layers in a template
  • Use a couple valuable scripts to make template creation and template instructions easier
  • Create and embed a custom preflight profile to check your document before printing
  • Make sure all defaults are correct before saving and sharing your template

 

Acrobat PDF Accessibility

In Parts 1 and 2 of this multi-session tutorial, we explored how to set up Adobe InDesign to export accessible documents. But there’s only so much InDesign can do! In this session, let’s look at the proper next steps you need to take in Acrobat.

Building Great Templates with InDesign, Part 1

Creating a document in InDesign that can be used to build other documents, often by other people, requires an understanding of a wide range of InDesign features. In this three-part tutorial, we’ll explore the features you should know to set up a great template, how to set up files properly, and how to make use of templates you’ve acquired elsewhere.

Part 1: First, we’ll learn all about templates, what they are, how to create, customize and use. Then we’ll check out a few popular template resources to download for free, or purchase a pre-made template to customize for your own use. We’ll find out that these free or purchased templates may not suit your exact needs or be built with the correct tools. They are useless until you customize them for your own brand.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • What is a template? What’s the difference between an InDesign document (.indd) and a InDesign template (.indt)
  • What InDesign elements should go into a template, and what should stay out?
  • How to build a document from the ground up that others can use
  • How to save an existing document as a template
  • Where to find quality templates
  • How to find and use free templates from Adobe Stock
  • Customize a template for your own brand

Learn about Part 2 here.

Next Steps in InDesign Accessibility 2021

This is part 2 of our full-day accessibility tutorial. (See this link for Part 1.) In this session, we’ll explore:

  • Managing tables, images, and forms
  • Exporting PDF documents (including best practices for settings and presets)

InDesign Styles and Masters Deep Dive, Part 2

In Part 1 of this two-part tutorial, we learned about master pages and creating solid and flexible documents. Now, in Part 2, you’ll learn all about styles and masters.

Everyone knows that using styles in InDesign is key for efficient formatting of text and objects in a document. Not only do they save time and allow us to format content quickly and efficiently, but they also facilitate easily making changes in a document as well. Let’s not forget that they’re also a requirement if you want to take advantage of some powerful features in InDesign that help you to automate tasks. With styles however, there’s a lot more beneath the surface that can help you take your text formatting to the next level by automating specific formatting within a paragraph.

Part 2 includes:

  • Setting up your paragraph, character, and object styles
  • Leveraging Nested Styles to apply text formatting
  • Isolating and formatting text using GREP Styles
  • Understand ingthe order of operation when using automated and manually applied styles
  • Thinking creatively with styles

Accessibility Fundamentals for InDesign 2021

“Access to information is a fundamental human right”
—George Kerscher, DAISY Consortium

Ensuring that the PDF files you produce are accessible to all is not only a good idea, it’s the right thing to do! In this session, learn about what accessibility and “Section 508” means and how you can ensure that the PDF documents that you create from Adobe InDesign are accessible to everyone!

This tutorial is split into five individual sessions. In this session, we will journey through setting up an InDesign file for accessibility and giving your document the best chance for “out of the box” accessibility.

Topics include:

  • How to build an InDesign document the right way
  • Controlling content order
  • Using features that already exist in InDesign

InDesign Styles and Masters Deep Dive, Part 1

Anyone can build a house, but it takes skill to build a strong one that won’t fall down! In the same way, it takes skill to construct an InDesign document that is solid enough to withstand the test of time.

Even better, you want a file flexible enough to change when you need it to… like an hour before deadline (when your client or boss tells you to make a change).

In this two-part tutorial, we’ll learn the fundamentals every InDesign user needs to understand to make strong and resilient docs.

Part 1 includes:

  • Creating hierarchical master pages
  • Understanding why and when to use primary text frames and Smart Text Flow