For many versions, Indesign lacked this ability, though many older and lesser programs had it. That’s all in the past, though. Now, you can produce chapters or other divisions as individual files, then asemble them all into a book places all these files in order. Indesign also makes sure you can apply consistent styles to each of the component files. You also can arrange to have page numbers run consecutively throughout the book and include them in an overall index and table of contents.

Set up the book file

A book file looks like a book file because, mainly, that’s what it is. In it, you assemble a list of the individual files hold indivudual chapters or other sections. Once they are inserted into the book file, they combine to create the finished book.

1. Create the file

From the main menu, select File > New > Book.

Give the book a name, select a location, and click on Save. The book appears as a panel; so far, it shows very little else.

2. Add existing documents to the file.

In the row of symbols at the bottom of the panel, click on the Plus sign.

This is the symbol to add documents to the file. A dialog box opens for that purpose.

Select one or more files—as many as you’d like­—and click on Open.

Note: You also can drag files into the book panel from other displays such as the Mac Finder or the Windows Explorer.

The files open one at a time; as you re-save them, they appear in the book panel. If they’ve been given page numbers, these also appear in the display.

Note: One or more of these files might also display a yellow triangular symbol, which indicates that document has been edited outside the book file. To avoid or correct these, open the files, when necessary, by double-clicking on them inside the book panel.

3. Place the files in order.

The files appear in alphabetical order, which probably is not the way you want them to appear in the book. You can drag the files up and down to place them in the order you want.

4. Save the book file

Click on the symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the panel to open the Book menu. It includes similar options to those you would use to save other types of files.

The book file is saved separately from the document files it contains. It has an .INDB extension.

Note: You also can use this menu to remove or replace documents in the book.

Synchronize document styles

When you assemble a collection of documents like the chapters in a book, you probably take care that they are all alike in style and formatting. Nevertheless, a few exceptions are likely to slip in.

Synchronizing the book lets you select one chapter to serve as a model, then ensure that all the other files match that example.

1. Select items to synchronize.

Open the Book Panel menu, and select Synchronize Options. The Synchronize Options dialog box presents a variety of characteristics you may want to synchonize. You can check or oncheck those you want.

Normally, the preselected options are good choices, particularly those under Styles and Swatches. Select Master Pages if you want to make sure common elements like running headers are consistent from document to document. If you want to preserve differing master pages, leave this item unchecked. Make any changes you’d like; then click on Synchronize.

2. Select a model document.

In the book panel, identify the document you want to use as a model. Click on the empty box to the left of the document name. A symbol appears in the box to indicate this is the chosen item.

3. Select the files to be synchronized.

You can select specific files to be synchronized. If you select no files, all are synchronized.

Be safe: If you want to synchronize all the files, scroll to the bottom of the file list, and click on the blank area just below the document names. This ensures that you haven’t selected a file or two by mistake.

4. Finish the job.

Open the book panel menu, and select Synchronize Book. Any style differences between documents are changed to match the model.

Number pages

As you add documents to the book, Indesign automatically assigns page numbers. These appear in the right-hand column of the book panel. Though the process is fairly automatic, you can change the standard numbering scheme, both for the overall book and for individual chapters.

Set book options

Open the book panel menu, and select Book Page Numbering Options. Here, you can set the overall pattern of page numbering to be used throughout the book.

Generally, you’ll want to continue the numbering from one document to the next. If you prefer, you can start on odd or even pages. In that case, you might want to check Insert Blank Page when needed to start a chapter on the designated page. You can uncheck Automatically Update Page & Section Numbers if you’d rather set the numbering individually for each chapter.

Set chapter options

You might want some chapters to depart from the overall numbering scheme. For example, you might want to number the introductory pages with small roman numerals, then apply more conventional numbering to the body of the book.

1. Open the chapter.

In the book panel, double-click on any chapter’s page numbers. The chapter opens, and you see a list of numbering options for that chapter.

Open the Style list, and select the lower-case numerals. Click on OK. Save and close the open file.

2. Adjust the subsequent numbers.

This book now shows the table of contents pages numbered i through iv and the next chapter starting on page 5. You might prever that it start fresh with page 1.

Double-click on the page numbers for this chapter. This time, elect to Start Page Numbering at 1. Again, click on OK, save and close the file.

The chapter is renumbered, and all the subsequent page numbers are adjusted as well.

Set up text:

First, of course, you’ll need some text to be wrapped. For the sake of this exercise, you can use any document that contains a fair amount of text and is available for experimentation. Or, you can follow these steps:

1. Open a new document.

Press Command/Ctrl + N, and open a new document. Two pages should do the job here.

Select a two-page document with one column. Click on OK. The new document opens.

2. Fill it with text.

Display the first page. Select the Type tool and draw a text frame large enough to stretch to the margins on all four sides. From the main menu, select Type > Fill with Placeholder Text. The page fills with Latin gibberish. Repeat the process on the second page.

3. Set up two columns.

Using the Selection tool, select the text frame on the first page. Press Command/Ctrl + B, or select Object > Text Frame Options. From the dialog box that opens, select 2 columns; then click on OK.

The text on that page appears in two columns.

Note: If you’ve set up a document with two or more pages, you can leave the remaining pages as single columns.

Wrap text around a rectangle

The most basic text wrap is to arrange the text around the sides of a rectangular picture.

1. Place the picture.

There are several ways to add a picture to a document, including dragging the image from another application like Adobe Bridge. Or, you can select File > Place (or press Command/Ctrl + D). Drag a frame for the picture along the left-hand margin of the document.

Initially, the picture covers the text. Your object, of course, is to wrap the text around the picture.

2. Select a wrap.

If the Text Wrap panel is not already open, select Window > Text Wrap.

Shortcuts: The keyboard shortcuts are Option + Command + W or Alt + Ctrl+ W.

A row of symbols across the top of the panel gives you a variety of text wrap options. Initially the left-hand button, No text wrap, is selected. Click on the next button to the right, Wrap around bounding box. This is the basic setting for wrapping the text around a rectangular picture. You now can read the text that previously was covered.

Hang on: We’ll get to the the other wrap styles in a moment.

3. Create some space.

As you may have noticed, the wrapped text clings very tightly­—too tightly­—to the picture. You’d probably want to create a little space around the picture. You can do this in the second section of the Text Wrap panel.

There are spinners to set the margins on each side of the picture plus a chain link symbol in the center of the group. Selecting this symbol, which probably is already selected for you, links the margins together so when you change the setting on one side, it applies to all four. With this link selected, click on one of the spinners to create a margin around the picture. Six points (0.6 on the spinner scale) usually works pretty well.

The picture now appears with some space around it.

Try other types of wrapping:

This type of basic text wrapping is only one of your options. If the illustration sits at the left-hand margin, the text will naturally wrap around the right-hand side. But if you place the picture in some other position, new possibilities appear.

1. Move the picture to the center.

Place a new picture a little to the right of the left-hand margin.

2. Play around with wrap options.

Open the Wrap Options list, and select other options to see how they look. For example, if you choose Right Side, the text will wrap around only that side, leaving a large gap on the left. Left Side does exactly the opposite. Select other options to see how they fit. Feel free to move the picture around the page to see how this affects the wrap.

Note: Some choices might not behave as you expect. For example, the choices that involve the binding apply only if you have chosen a facing-page layout. The Largest Area option affects only the wrap in a single column, not multi-column layouts.

3. Try other types of wraps.

The icons across the top of the Text Wrap display other types of wrapping. Wrap Around Object Shape has little effect on this rectangular picture. Others split the text above and below the picture or jump the text to the next page or column.

Wrap around other objects:

You may not always want to wrap text around illustrations. For example, you might want to insert a pull quote that emphasizes some major point in the article. If so, you can insert the pull quote in a text box, and wrap around it just as you would an illustration.

1. Insert a text box.

Select the Type tool, and draw a text box across a two-column page. Leave its edges a little short of the margins on either side of the page.

2. Enter some text.

In the text box, enter the text you want to use for the pull quote. Adjust its size and style to fit your needs.

If you’ve called for no text wrap, the box again overlaps the body text, with nearly illegible results.

3. Set a text wrap.

In the Text Wrap panel, select the Jump Object icon.

The text wraps above and below the text box.

Wrap text around a contour:

Now for the fun part: wrapping text around the contours of an image.

1. Place the illustration

Place an illustration that has a path around one or more of its contours.

2. Locate the edges.

Make sure the imported image is selected. From the main menu, select Object > Clipping Path > Options. Open the Type list, and select Detect Edges.

Note: The remaining options in this dialog box may be useful should a complex image produce unexpected results. Normally, the standard settings should work well.

Click on OK. The text flows rather tightly around the contours of the illustration.

3. Set the margin

As you did with the rectangular objects, use the spinners in the Text Wrap panel to set the distance between the illustration and the text.

Tip: Should you want more control, click on the image with the Direct Selection tool. You then can adjust the path around the image. You might want to do this, for example, to correct the awkward break around the headlight in this image.

Tip: Aperture links up with the Address Book every time it starts. If you change an address book entry, you must restart Aperture before the program will recognize the change.

When you’re reviewing a PDF document, you’re often inspired to write notes. You might want to ask the author to revise the text, ask a source to provide more information, or just remind yourself to take care of something.The traditional ways of doing this include notes in the margins, sticky notes, and highlight pens. Acrobat formalizes these commenting tools, letting you use the electronic equivalents. It also adds some new tools to the traditional set.

Note: You also can use comments and the accompanying edit tools when a document is being circulated for review.

Add comments to a document:

1. Display the commenting tools

The first step may be obvious: open the document where you want to add your comments. Then, you can display a toolbar that contains all the available commenting tools. To do this, select Comment in the toolbar, or from the main menu select View > Comment > Annotations. If necessary, click on the arrow that opens the Annotations group.

2. Highlight text

The yellow highlighting pen has become a note-taking staple, and Acrobat gives you a way to do it electronically.

Start by selecting the Highlight Text icon. Select the text you want to highlight. The familiar yellow highlight appears immediately.

3. Add a sticky note.

This is another familiar item you can duplicate within Acrobat. Select the Add Sticky Note icon. Click on the spot where you want to attach the note. A window opens; use it to type your note.

When you’re finished, click outside the note window. The icon remains visible; you can click on it to reopen the note.

4. Add a stamp of approval.

The Add Stamp icon includes a drop-down menu that opens to a variety of electronic rubber stamps. If you don’t like this list, there’s an option to create your own stamps.

Select the stamp you want to use. In the document, click twice on the area where you want the stamp to appear.

5. Check your comments.

Open the Comments List. There, you’ll find a list of the comments you’ve added. If it’s a long list, you can search, sort, or filter the list to find the one you want.

Check out other options:The Annotations and Drawing Markups windows offer a host of other options for adding comments and notations. Among the possibilities:

• Underline and strike out added or deleted text. You can use these Text Edit tools if you circulate the document for review, using options in the Review section.

• Add a text or audio file to the document.

• Add a text box or callout.

• Add lines and shapes.

You can use this method to add a sticky note to any other type of comment. In fact, some commenting tools open the note window automatically.

Tip: If you’re using the Text Edit tool, you can strike through existing text by selecting it, then pressing Delete.

It was possible, of course, to create muti-column headlines in Indesign using a complex system of text boxes, but that qualified as Doing it the Hard Way. In later versions, you can now do it the easy way.

1. Divide the text into columns.

Using the Selection tool, select the text frame on the first page. Press Command/Ctrl + B, or select Object > Text Frame Options. From the dialog box that opens, select 2 columns; then click on OK.

The text appears in two columns.

Note: You also can set up columns by selecting Layout > Margins and Columns, but this sets the columns on the underlying page, not on the text frame as needed here.

2. Create the spread

Select the text you want to spread across the two columns. From the main menu, select Type > Paragraph.

Shortcut: You also can press Option + Command + T or Alt + Cmd + T.

When the Paragraph panel opens, open the panel menu and select Span Columns.

In the Span Columns dialog box, open the Paragraph Layout list, and select Span Columns.

Other options give you the ability to span only a limited number of columns and to add space before or after the span. When ready, click on OK. The selected headlines now span the multiple columns.

Split a paragraph into columns:

You also can do the reverse: split a paragraph into two or more columns within the overall page layout. You might want to do this, for example, to emphasize the contents of that paragraph.

1. Set up the split.

Select the paragraph you want to split. As before, open the Paragraph panel menu, and select Span Columns. This time, open the Paragraph Layout list, and select Split Column.

The dialog box presents several options for defining the split. The first is to select the number of sub-columns you want to use in the split text.

2. Add spacing

The split paragraph is usually more effective if you add some space to help emphasize it. These options include:

• Space Before Split and Space After Split. These set the amount of space before and after the split paragraph.

• Inside Gutter. The space between the columns.

• Outside Gutter. Extra space between the split paragraph and the outside margins.

Make your selections, and click on OK. The paragraph appears in the split format.

In full-screen view, the Heads-up Display or HUD normally floats over the top of work. That can be a good thing—or not. In that configuration, the HUD covers part of your work. You may find yourself frequently moving it around, and that can get old after a while.

If you prefer, you can dock the HUD on one side of display and have the rest of the screen to show your work.

To dock the HUD:

1. Switch to full-screen view

If you’re not already in full screen view, Select View > Full Screen, or more simply, press F.

2. Display the HUD

In the toolbar at the top of the screen, select the button that shows or hides the HUD, or just press H.

The HUD appears floating over the display.

3. Dock the HUD

In the upper right-hand corner of the HUD, above the Adjustments button, is a small button-shaped switch.

Click on it, and the HUD docks itself against the side of the display. Depending on its initial position, it will dock on either the left- or right-hand side. If you’d rather have it on the other side, you can drag it there.