Using Adobe InDesign Master Pages Properly...

May 27, 2006 2:30 PM

Please help me save some time laying out a document in Adobe InDesign...

I am laying out a long document using InDesign (importing from Word). The text boxes that I am placing the text into are the same style/size/etc from page to page. Is there a way I can setup a Master page with the size/shape of the text box I want so that on each page in InDesign, all I have to do is place/paste the text from Word? If I create a text box on the Master page the way I am doing it currently, all I get is that specific, static box on every regular page (not editable). Is there some way to have each new page that is applied with the Master page to have pre-created, editable text boxes?

posted by omair to computers & internet (5 answers total)

If you CTRL-SHIFT-click the objects on the master template, they will become editable on that local page. I cannot recall exactly if they then have any memory of being a master (i.e. if you can edit the master and push changes back to those frames) or not.
posted by misterbrandt at 2:43 PM on May 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Thank you SO much, misterbrandt!!
posted by omair at 2:52 PM on May 27, 2006

certainly
posted by misterbrandt at 2:54 PM on May 27, 2006

I cannot recall exactly if they then have any memory of being a master
I don't think they do. This is the one area where I like the way QuarkXPress handles it more.
posted by lunarboy at 8:30 PM on May 27, 2006

I cannot recall exactly if they then have any memory of being a master

They sort of remember being a master. I just tried setting a master box, editing it on one page (adding some text), and then re-sizing the master box. The edited box (along with all of the others) re-sized, but the copy in the edited box stayed (that is, it kept my edit).

Then I added some other copy to the master page frame, and all of the pages (except the edited page) updated to the new copy.

Did that make sense? Hope so. E-mail me (profile) if I can help with anything else.
posted by Alt F4 at 8:02 AM on May 30, 2006