Converting Spreads To Single With Different Left And Right Margins

[Chris Panny]

This is more of a curiosity question.

I have a document set to Facing Pages for print. My Master Page has left and right margins that are set to the inverse of each other:

Left page is set with a left margin: 0.75" and right is 1".

Right page is set with a left margin: 1" and right is 0.75".

If I were to uncheck Facing Pages to convert to single page, is it possible to do this where the layout converts, but the odd and even pages maintain the different margins (when it was a spread) like this:

Pages 1, 3, 5, etc keep the left margins from the master page and 2, 4, 6, etc keep the right margins.

[James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted solution]

You can create 'Even' and 'Odd' page layouts and assign them to any document pages you like. But all of the automatic selection of recto/verso pages through the document flow will be lost; the process will be entirely manual and you will have none of the automatic spread management.

Parts of it could be scripted, I suppose. Which seems like a long ways to go to get around the built-in feature/s unless there's a truly compelling reason.

[Chris Panny]

Hi James, I got asked this question by another designer. My response to her was do this when exporting to print PDF and choose single pages, versus spreads.  Afterwards it got me thinking if this was possbile in InDesign itself. What you said about setting up odd and even page layouts was what I first considered, but you're right about it being a lot of hoops to jump through. There isn't any compelling reason to work this way other than to setup a visual workflow that matches the final PDF. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Chris Panny 

If you work on a PC - my tool can do it quickly & easily.

First step - apply Masters.

Second step - move objects on the LEFT pages.

Third step - move objects on the RIGHT pages.