Its almost inevitable that, whatever type of publications we create, theyre not going to be unique. Thus, for example, as we use InDesign to create newsletters, we will wish to reproduce a regular looking publication with each issue. Creating an InDesign template offers us a simple way of generating multiple documents having a consistent look and feel. A template is a core document containing all the main resources and common page layouts needed in each version of the given publication and which can be used as the starting point each time a new edition from the publication is made. Templates can have a quantity of essential elements.
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When the number of pages needed by the publication is always the same, the web pages can be contained in the template and any common layouts created. So, for example, when the font page of the newsletter has a masthead as well as an "In This Months Issue" section, they can be added to web site utilizing a mixture of final and placeholder items. InDesign has a nifty way of generating placeholder text. Simply position the cursor inside a text box and in the Text menu, choose Fill With Placeholder Text.
All the various types of style which InDesign allows users to create can also be included in a template. Almost all documents benefit through styles and InDesigns utilization of styles is extremely sophisticated. For formatting text, you may create paragraph and character styles. Object styles can be produced for formatting text and graphic frames. Theres also cell styles for formatting table cells and Table styles for formatting the table as a whole. Any styles defined in the template will automatically be available in all documents in line with the template, ensuring consisting formatting throughout.
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For extended documents master pages can also be included in the template. Master pages offer a method of standardising the layout of document pages and including elements which are common to all pages, either in one section of the document or within the document in general. InDesign even enables you to create a hierarchy of master pages; so, for instance, you may have one key master upon which several subordinate master pages might be based.
The use of colour may also be standardised by including colour definitions in the templates. Colour definitions are known as swatches in InDesign and each swatch definition represents a modifiable representation of the colour which will be printed wherever that swatch is used.
Having set up many of these elements, to convert your document to some template, just choose File - Save As and hang the document type to InDesign Template instead of InDesign Document. To produce a file from a template, simply choose File - Open and double-click the name of the template. Because the document is really a template, InDesign only will generate a copy of the template; to ensure that, whenever you save the document, the template wont be overwritten.
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