Laying out a magazine, book or brochure for print or screen? Adobe InDesign builds multi-page publications, with parent pages for recurring elements such as page numbers and headers.
Parent pages organize recurring layouts
A document can contain multiple pages and spreads, with parent pages supplying repeated layout elements. Applying a parent page to several pages keeps shared items in place while allowing individual pages to carry their own content.
Text frames can be threaded so copy flows from one frame to the next.
Styles and linked artwork keep layouts consistent
Paragraph and character styles store type settings for reuse. Updating a style can change the appearance of every passage that uses it, instead of requiring edits to each instance. Object styles provide a similar way to reuse formatting for page objects.
Place artwork from programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator, then manage those files through the Links panel. InDesign can flag a changed or missing linked file so the layout can be updated or corrected.
- Use paragraph styles for repeated heading and body-copy treatments.
- Use grids and alignment controls to position text and graphic elements.
Preflight and export prepare a publication
Preflight checks a document for production issues, including missing fonts and links. Resolving flagged items before output can prevent problems from carrying into a print or digital file.
Export layouts as PDFs for sharing or print workflows, and create EPUB files for supported digital publishing workflows. Acrobat, Photoshop, and Illustrator fit into common InDesign projects when documents need review or placed artwork.
Pros
- Parent pages keep recurring page elements consistent across a document
- Paragraph and character styles preserve typography across long layouts
- Preflight checks can flag issues such as missing links and fonts
System requirements: Windows 10, Windows 11 · 64-bit only · 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended) · 3.6 GB available disk space for installation
What kinds of documents can InDesign create?
It is used for multi-page layouts such as books, magazines, newspapers, booklets, and other print or digital publications.
What do parent pages do in InDesign?
They provide layouts and repeated elements that can be applied across multiple document pages.
How does InDesign check a layout before export?
Its Preflight feature checks for production issues such as missing fonts and linked files.