Skip to main content
C
claireh45534778
Participant
June 7, 2024
Answered

How to automatically add extra pages when text is overset?

  • June 7, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 4662 views

I'm a beginner with InDesign and I've used some great youtube tutorials to get me through the basics. I've created a simple book with paragraph styles and a series of chapters and ToC. I'm now placing in the content to the chapters themselves but am stuck.

 

When I place some text content into a chapter document within my book, I then apply a Paragraph Style + next style which works perfectly. However, it always causes overset text. Is there a way of that process automatically creating and threading the text into a new page where its needed? I know that I used settings to ensure the extra pages would be added at the point I place in the text, but have I missed a setting somewhere to enable that for when I apply the styling?

(My master page has a full page text box included, so new pages should hopefully create the text box ready to accept text - hope I've explained and understood that clearly enough.)

 

I can go in to each chapter document and manually add a new page and then deal with the overset text myself, but for 20+ chapters, I am hoping there's a quicker fix!

Many thanks.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Barb Binder

Hi Claire:

 

Two more things to check:

 

1. What are your Smart Text Reflow settings when your file is open?

 

2. And check your body pages. Is the text actually in the primary frames, or in new frames on top? Sometimes people who are new to InDesign end up with stacked frames without realizing it. 

 

~Barb

3 replies

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 7, 2024

Hi Claire:

 

Two more things to check:

 

1. What are your Smart Text Reflow settings when your file is open?

 

2. And check your body pages. Is the text actually in the primary frames, or in new frames on top? Sometimes people who are new to InDesign end up with stacked frames without realizing it. 

 

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
C
claireh45534778Author
Participant
June 18, 2024

Many thanks Barb!

It turned out that I did indeed have stacked text frames and hadn't realised that I wasn't editing / placing into the parent text frame.  Once you know, you know..........

I've been and transferred my text into the parent text frames for each chapter document and deleted the surplus text frames. Lo and behold, it all works perfectly now.

 

Thanks so much to you and the other posters for your help, much appreciated.

C
claireh45534778Author
Participant
June 18, 2024

(hehe, am learning. I mean PRIMARY text frames, not parent.)

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 7, 2024

Hi Claire:

 

Book layout is best accomplished by using primary frames on the parent pages.  You can ask for them when creating a new file, or add them manually. Primary frames are helpful in long document layout: they add and delete pages as needed because they automatically integrate with the Smart Text Reflow feature that Eugene mentioned. 

 

I know you said your parent page (called master page in older versions of InDesign) has a text frame, but is it a primary text frame? I'm guessing not, based on the behavior you are encountering. 

 

~Barb

 

Primary frames have arrows on the parent page 

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
C
claireh45534778Author
Participant
June 7, 2024

Many thanks Barb,

I've checked and yes, the text frames on my parent pages (facing pages) are primary frames.

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 7, 2024

You're welcome @claireh45534778 

 

Hope it helps

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 7, 2024

You can use Smart Text reflow for text at end of document
https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/threading-text.html#:~:text=Use%20Smart%20Text%20Reflow

 

 

If text is between 'chapters' then it might not work so well.

 

You can also add extra pages yourself - then when threading pages you can hold down the modifier key to modify the behaviour of what will happen
https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/threading-text.html#:~:text=Flow%20text%20manually%20or%20automatically

 

It's the same webpage -a ll the info is there for how-to

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices