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Switching from PageMaker to InDesign CS2
Working with layers
The Layers palette (Window > Layers) in InDesign CS2 is similar to the Layers palette in
PageMaker. Layers are listed in the palette with the frontmost layer appearing at the top of the
palette. You can use the Layers palette to create, delete, hide, lock, and merge layers and specify
options that determine how layers are displayed and printed. You can also change the stacking
order of layers and move objects from one layer to another. InDesign CS2 also lets you decide
whether or not text wraps around objects on a hidden layer.
In PageMaker, the base layer used for new documents is called the Default layer. In InDesign CS2,
this layer is called
Layer 1.
Objects on a master page layer appear beneath page objects on the same
layer, just as they do in PageMaker. In InDesign CS2, however, master page objects assigned to a
higher layer appear above page objects assigned to a lower layer.
The Layers palette (Window > Layers) lets you add document-wide layers and show or hide individual layers.
As in PageMaker, layers in InDesign CS2 documents involve all pages of a document, including
masters. For example, if you hide Layer 1 while editing page 1 of your document, the layer is hidden
on all pages until you show it again.
Working with master pages
Just as in PageMaker, master pages in InDesign CS2 can contain ruler guides, page-number
markers, logos, or any other objects you want to add to multiple pages in a document. You create,
delete, and apply master pages in InDesign CS2 by using the Pages palette (Window > Pages).
As in PageMaker, new documents in InDesign CS2 include a document master that’s given the
default name A-Master. In PageMaker, you display the document master by clicking the left or
right master page icons at the bottom of the document window. In InDesign CS2, the document
master is displayed in the Pages palette. Unlike PageMaker, InDesign CS2 also includes a choice
for no master, called [None], in the Pages palette.
In PageMaker, you use the Master Pages palette to create and apply master pages, while
InDesign CS2 master page controls are in the Pages palette. Many of the controls for working with
master pages are the same in both programs, but InDesign CS2 has some useful master page
features that aren’t available in PageMaker. Here are a few:
Basing one master page on another
You create a new master page in InDesign CS2 by choosing New Master from the Pages palette
menu. The Based On Master menu in the New Master dialog box lets you base a new master on an
existing master page, much as you base a paragraph style on another paragraph style. So, if you’re
creating a newsletter and you want to use two-column, three-column, and four-column layouts,
you can create a
parent
master page with all of the repeating elements—page numbers, headers,
footers, folios, etc.—and then create
child
master pages with different column settings. If you
change the parent master page, all other master pages based on it are automatically updated.
