background image on master page

[Guest]

marketing wants me to put a background image on all pages of our manual (a light swoosh on top and bottom of each page).

i importing the image onto the master page. it comes in with an anchored frame.

but the image does not appear on the body pages.

i added some text to the footer so i know that it is using the right master page.

any ideas ?

thanks

[Art_Campbell1]

This is one of the few situations where it's better to copy in a file than import by reference (IMHO).

When you do File > Import, there are two check boxes at the bottom of the dialog box for Import by Reference and Copy.

Delete your anchored frames. Put the cursor outside all the text boxes and import the file again, this time specifying by Copy. Drag it and drop it where you want it. If it overlaps the header / footer text, set the Runaround property so it doesn't obscure text.

Art

[Guest]

that's it !

thanks so much art. have a great weekend.

[Be.eM]

Art_Campbell wrote:

This is one of the few situations where it's better to copy in a file than import by reference (IMHO).

Art,

it doesn't matter if you import by copy or reference. You've given the key to success later in your description:

The OP had placed the image within the body text frame (NOT a frame for background text like e.g. page numbers) on the master page. Everything that's within the master page's body text frame will not show up on the body pages. Placing the image outside of the frame (by clicking outside the frame before importing) makes the image a part of the master page, thus visible on the body pages.

Bernd

[planebook]

But what do you do if you need a background image on the whole page with full bleeds behind all text on both the master and body pages?  We are designing a product catalog and they want a background image on each page behind the product graphic frames.

[Art_Campbell1]

You import the full page graphic exactly as you did before, using the method I recommended -- copy in rather than import by reference.

You may want to do the additional check of making sure you set the graphic to  "Send To Back." (Sorry, Bernd, I understand your point on this, but I disagree because iin my experience Import by Reference doesn't always work here... not sure why not, but... . ;-  )

As with any page that you're setting up with a full bleed, you need to make the canvas size larger than the trim, but that isn't a big deal.

When you generate the PDF for the printer, you or they can crop to the bleed size as needed. If you are printing, I'd let the printer do that, 'cause you don't know the printer's processes and equipment.

[Be.eM]

Art_Campbell wrote:

(Sorry, Bernd, I understand your point on this, but I disagree because iin my experience Import by Reference doesn't always work here... not sure why not, but... . ;-  )

Hi Art,

it's OK. I haven't found a difference yet, but I rarely use background images. Whenever I did, they were always referenced. But if this is your experience, it's good to know why things might probably fail.

Bernd

[Art_Campbell1]

Bernd,

On occasion (and it happened so long ago that I don't recall all the details of version, type of graphic, and so on), the graphic didn't display on all pages.

Some pages only showed the left half of the graphic, and I also had trouble with the text frames occasionally going behind the graphic.

But I swapped to copied in, and the problem disappearted. It'e entirely possible it could have been PostScript handling, but because I found a work-around, I didn't try to beat the bug to death...

I suspect that FM treats each of its layers differently for rendering, and an anchored frame would always be above a background image, but that's must my own WAG about how it works...

Art

[Mike Wickham]

One thing I haven't heard anyone mention, and probably it's obvious, but to make a background image with bleed, you not only

need to make it larger than the page, you need to offset it. So if the page size is, say, 6"x9", you might make the graphic 6.5"x9.5", and then set the distance from top and left both to -0.25".

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Mike, excellent point!

FWIW, commercial printers usually want .125 inch bleed, so the graphic would be 6.25 x 9.25, with an offset top and left of -.125.

Regardless of the bleed area included, the PDF should contain this image even if you don't see it in the final PDF, and only when you print with printer marks to a sheet larger than 6x9.

The only reason to keep the bleed size to .125 is to keep it from cluttering up the printers marks, etc. to make it easier for the pressmen (as if "people" actually ever touch this stuff anymore!)

I've not read the whole thread, so forgive me if this second point was already mentioned...

Be aware that most inkjet- and toner-based printers will leave the outer .125" blank on 3 sides, and leave .25" blank on the side that draws the paper thru the printer (referred to as the "gripper"). You'll do well to recognize these limits in placing images and content out near the end of the page. I'd recommend no less than .25" blank space around all 4 sides, unless printing "to bleed" as Mike discussed above.

-Matt Sullivan

[Be.eM]

planebook wrote:

But what do you do if you need a background image on the whole page with full bleeds behind all text on both the master and body pages?

This works exactly as described above. You can use images larger than the page, covering the whole background. It works perfectly, as long as the image isn't anchored within the body text frame on the master page.

This isn't a question of size or where the image should be visible. It's only important which kind of item the image is:

• if the image is anchored within the body text frame on the master page, it's part of the body text frame. Any entry (text or images) in a body text frame on the master page is not shown on the body pages.
• if the image is freely placed on the master page (or anchored in a background text frame), then it will appear on each body page. This is what you want.
  

Bernd

[planebook]

Thanks!  This is extremely helpful.  I'm just beginnig this project and I'm still in the template design stage.  It's my first Framemaker project (I used InDesign on the last one), so the learning curve is steep.

Thanks again!

[peter minneapolis]

planebook wrote:

Thanks!  This is extremely helpful.  I'm just beginnig this project and I'm still in the template design stage.  It's my first Framemaker project (I used InDesign on the last one), so the learning curve is steep.

Thanks again!

It's not clear if you want the same background graphic on all document pages, or if you need a different background graphic on every document page.

Although there are differences between InDesign's and FrameMaker's master page behaviors, in this case the master page behavior is the same. In FrameMaker, on a master page, select nothing (click in a blank page area outside any text frames*) and use File > Import > File > Import by Reference, and browse to the graphic. In InDesign, on a master page, select nothing (Cmd/Ctrl+A or click a blank page area outside any text frames**) and use File > Place and browse to the graphic.

FrameMaker has no layers like InDesign's, but it does have a stacking order on its only layer. The last-added item - text frame or a graphic object that's not in the text flow - is on the top of the stack, and it's selected when you first import it. You can use Graphics > Send to Back to assure that the object is at the bottom of the stack.

Like InDesign, FrameMaker objects can have text wrap; it's called Runaround. You can check and enable/disable it by selecting an object, then choosing Graphics > Runaround Properties.

If you need the same graphic on more than one document page, use a master page with the graphic on it; FrameMaker can make up to 100 master pages per document. There's even a command that can apply a specified master page to all body pages that contain a specified paragraph format (aka ID paragraph style) if the paragraph isn't in a table. Search Help for assign master page.

If you need a different graphic on every body page, it's the same as importing to a master page - select nothing, then File > Import > File > Import by Reference, and browse. Then send the graphic to the back. If text goes crazy, check runaround properties.

If there are many graphics, InDesign's Data Merge, or a script, might be helpful in creating the many pages with background graphics quickly. FrameMaker currently has no practical data merge or script option, though the commercial third-party FrameScript utility can provide scripted operations. You can write your own, purchase existing or custom scripts, and even find some free ones.

HTH

Regards,

Peter

_______________________

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

[planebook]

This is also very helpful.  We will have a group of master pages, each with its own background image depending on the content (e.g. cylinder part numbers will have a cylinder image, pump part numbers will have a pump image, etc). With 24 expected chapters it will fit well within the 100 master page limit.

Thanks again everyone for your prompt and detailed responses.  I am a complete newbie with very little formal training in Framemaker so it is greatly appreciated.