Quick Start Template Guide for Adobe InDesign

Quick Guide: Using Book Design Templates in Adobe InDesign

Getting Started

  1. Opening the Template
    • Open InDesign
    • File > Open > Select template file
    • Save As to create your working copy
    • Name it appropriately for your project

Essential Features

Working with Styles

  1. Accessing Styles
    • Open Paragraph Styles panel (Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles)
    • Open Character Styles panel (Window > Styles > Character Styles)
    • All template styles are pre-configured for professional book layout
  2. Applying Styles
    • Select text
    • Click desired style in Paragraph Styles panel
    • Use Quick Apply: Ctrl/Cmd + Enter
    • Right-click style for options

Master Pages

  1. Accessing Master Pages
    • Open Pages panel (Window > Pages)
    • Double-click master page to edit
    • Contains pre-configured:
      • Running headers
      • Page numbers
      • Margins and guides
  2. Customizing Headers
    • Double-click master page
    • Edit text frames
    • Changes apply to all pages using that master

Working with Text

  1. Placing Text
    • File > Place (Ctrl/Cmd + D)
    • Click to place text frame
    • Use threaded text frames for flow
    • Apply appropriate paragraph style
  2. Text Flow
    • Red plus (+) indicates overflow text
    • Click plus to flow to next frame/page
    • Use Auto-Flow for multiple pages

Creating Publication Files

PDF Creation for Print

  1. Export Process
    • File > Export (Ctrl/Cmd + E)
    • Choose Adobe PDF (Print)
    • Select location and name
  2. PDF Settings
    • Choose PDF/X-1a:2001 preset
    • Verify settings:
      • All pages included
      • Marks and bleeds if needed
      • Color conversion to CMYK
      • Font embedding
    • Click Export
  3. Verification
    • Open PDF to check:
      • All pages present
      • Fonts embedded
      • Images at correct resolution
      • Proper page size

ePub Creation

  1. Preparation
    • Review all styles
    • Check image placement
    • Verify text flow
    • Set up table of contents
  2. Export Process
    • File > Export
    • Choose EPUB (Reflowable)
    • Configure options:
      • Version: EPUB 3.0
      • Cover image
      • Table of contents
      • CSS options
  3. Settings
    • Content tab:
      • Order: Based on Document Structure
      • Include footnotes
    • Text tab:
      • Break document at paragraph styles
      • Remove forced line breaks
    • Object tab:
      • Optimize images
      • Preserve appearance from layout

Best Practices

  1. Document Setup
    • Use proper master pages
    • Apply styles consistently
    • Check links panel for image status
    • Verify all fonts are available
  2. Before Export
    • Package file (File > Package)
    • Check for:
      • Missing fonts
      • Missing links
      • Color issues
      • Overset text
  3. Final Checks
    • Preview all pages
    • Run preflight
    • Check page numbers
    • Verify table of contents