Step-By-Step Instructions for Using InDesign

Before you even start a new document in InDesign, you will need to think about the size of your book as well as the number of pages you want to include (not including the front and back cover). See the picture below for available size options. You can pick from the sizes highlighted in black. Since your book will be including photographs, you may want to consider doing the book in landscape (9 x 7 inches).

Once you decide on a size, open up InDesign and select “New Document”. You will be able to input the number of pages you wish to include as well as the size of your book. Make sure the “Intent” of the document is set to “Print”.

If you are unsure about now many pages you need at this point, you can change this at a later time.

Input your height and width in inches. Indesign might change the inches into “p0” as in the picture on the left, but don’t worry, your document will still be in the correct size.

If you look at an example of a paperback book, you’ll notice that the inside margin (i.e. the margin which sits against the bind of the book) will be a little more generous than the outside margin. This

is to allow for a few millimetres of the page to be sucked into the binding and the fold created by the binding. Since our books will be published in what is called a ‘perfect bound’ paperback, whatever the page size, allow an extra 3 mm on the Inside Margin.

Once you hit “OK” InDesign will create the layout for your book. It is formatted in a way that will help you visualize what your book will look like.

On the right side panel, you will see a portal called “Pages”. Here you can see a thumbnail of every page in your book.

Remember that page 1 is NOT the front cover of your book. Likewise, your last page is NOT your back cover.

If you double-click on any page, you will notice that InDesign will automatically jump to that page in your actual document. You can also use this tool to drag any page to a different part of your book.

If you wish to add a page or remove a page, go to the top panel of your desktop and click on “layout”. From the dropdown menu click on “Pages”. Here you will see the option to add a single page, add multiple pages, or delete pages.

Inserting Your Photos into InDesign

The first rule to remember is that images are Placed and Linked in InDesign. They are not embedded, as you might do with a Word Document or in Photoshop.

When you Place an image, InDesign remembers the Link to that image’s location in the relevant folder on your computer or USB. This means you can work quickly and efficiently without dealing with a large quantity of heavy images slowing down your workflow. If you move an image to another location on your computer, i.e. another folder or drive, InDesign will be unable to locate the image and will flag up a warning in the Preflight panel. Therefore it is important to keep your photos in one place. I would suggest keeping all your images in one place on a USB stick if you do not have enough space on you computer’s hard drive.

The second rule to remember is that InDesign places images within a Frame. Whether you prepare a frame before placing the image, or you place the image straight into the document (File > Place) InDesign will contain the image within a four-sided frame by default.

You can choose from three Frame Shapes in the Tools panel (Window > Tools), Rectangle (F), Ellipse and Polygon. These are marked out as different to the Shape Tools by an x shape running through the centre of them.

Select a Frame Tool, and click and drag to create a frame (hold Shift to create a perfect shape). With the frame selected, go to File in your Desktop panel, click Place and select an image. Click Open. It is important to note that the images you place in your InDesign document do not have to be in JPEG or PNG format. You can also place PSD (photoshop) files!

Now that you have place an image in your frame, you may have noticed that it does not fit the frame.

To change this, make sure your image is selected then click “Object” in the desktop panel, scroll down to “Fitting…” and click either “Fit Frame Proportionally” or “Fit Content Proportionally”. “Fit Frame Proportionally” will adjust your image to fit the frame (this may crop parts of your photo) while “Fit Content Proportionally” will make your image fit the frame as close as possible while keeping the proportions of the original photo. For example:

Fit Frame Proportionally: Fit Content Proportionally:

You may have noticed that your photos do not appear to be in good quality. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the photos in InDesign are linked and not embedded. InDesign displays the lower quality image so as to not slow down the program. If you’re working with hundreds of photos, that’s a lot of extra data! However, you can view the images in their original quality when you click on “View” in your desktop panel, then hit “Display Performance” and then click “High Quality Display”.

It is also important to make sure that the images you are putting into your book are the best quality possible (300 DPI), otherwise when your book goes to print, all the images may turn out pixelated. Follow this link to make sure your photos are set to the highest resolution:http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/change-image-dpi-designers-need-know/

Inserting Text into InDesign:

Use the “Type Tool” on the left panel to insert text in your book. With this tool, you will first have to create a frame (the same way you create a frame to place a picture).

Next you will be able to type in your frame. In the top panel, you will see that there is a variety of fonts and sizes to choose from. You can also change the size of your frame even after you insure text, using the selection tool (the first arrow in the left panel). If you are using text, make sure that the font is big enough for your viewers to read!

Exporting Your Book:

In order to send your book to the publisher, you will need to export it into a PDF file. To do this, choose File in your desktop panel and then choose “Export”. Here you will need to choose a location and file name for your PDF. Your best option would be to save it onto a USB stick. When choosing the export format, choose Adobe PDF (Print) and click “save”.

Next, a window will pop up with export options. Here, make sure that the Adobe PDF Present is set to High Quality Print and make sure your “Pages” will export as “Pages” NOT as “Spreads”.

Hit Ok and your book will export and open up as a PDF document!