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Question

Global adjustment to text frames placed independently

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
November 13, 2023
3 replies
4157 views

I have a 340-page coffee table–style book where all the main text frames must be narrowed <1 mm. Alongside these body text frames, which are always to one side of the page and randomnly alternating which side depending on image compositions, is, an independent second column for occasional editor sidenotes. Basically, the gutter between body and sidenotes is a hair too tight and needs a fraction more space between them. Body text and sidenote frames are both to be narrowed, but more so the body text.

Here's where it gets complex: Unfortunately, the book, labored on now for over a year, was not set up in a conventional manner. Not knowing how to variably control which side of the page that body text would appear on as needed by image compositions, body text frames were independetly placed on each spread, linked together for each chapter, and then shifted left or right as desired. The original text document frames (magenta by default) were never used.

So now a global adustement is hard. Furthermore, no script was learned and applied for the sidenotes. So everyting happens in a highly manual way. The sole upshot is the layout looks pleasing, but is arduous to deal with.

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TypothalamusAuthor

Known Participant

Very appreciative of the input but this gets more complicated fast, and I'm seeing further ramifications. Let me back up. I still do things rather manually, with, as mentioned, no experience with scripts at all. But I am meticulous about appearance, even if my workflow (as an editor/publisher of print titles dealing with architectural theory in German and English) is, in areas, abominably ineffiencient. I must wear many hats and some areas suffer.

I must convert to Latin before sharing copyrighted content further, but my thinking was just to address one issue (body text frame width) and start there. The margin notes alternate in justification and position, as partially picked up on, but it's complex – they can be to the left or right of the body, left or right page, and justified towards the spine when on the outside of the right page (yet not on the left page) and always away from the spine when on the inside of the page, either page. I wasn't initially attempting to address that through scripting though, and thought I'd be ok with just narrowing all body TFs and manually resetting the notes to create more gutter. Yet the two gutters dividng the page into equal thirds should each be equal.

But it's going to become more complicated and I need to plan ahead. Using a new printer in Asia where I am, and this particular layout, once we get closer to production with the printer, it may need to see inner and outer margins, or margins all around, slightly expanded increasing the format size, depending on how the pages sit in binding. Margins are deliberately a bit tight, but there's a limit and we're verging on it.

So I have this rather intricate sidenote structure and even ~0.5mm between them and the body affect the design's impact. Here, ideally, is what I seek:

1. As you can see in the examples shared, each page's grid, vertically, is basically divided into three main columns. Body text occupies two across, and sidenotes one, regardless which page and with the alternating orientations. I seek to have both of the two gutters each widen by 0.39mm. (Yes, I've tested it and remeausred repeatedly now. Not ~2mm.)

2. I need to be prepared to slightly increase the trim size of the book to widen the margins, if necessary. In ID, I expect this to possibly wreak havoc with the layout and some scripting may be essential to cope.

I'll stop there. Thank you for attempting to help.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

It's still perfectly doable - but there is no sample attached to your message - here nor on priv.

TypothalamusAuthor

Known Participant

Prepping a sample file with lorem ipsum substituted for copyrighted text and images, but the file size is too large (258MB).

TᴀW

Legend

You could perhaps use my free script https://www.id-extras.com/snap-margins-to-text-frame/

Not sure it will work though...

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@TᴀW, Unfortunately it won't as @Typothalamus needs to resize TextFrames - not pages.

TᴀW

Legend

The script readjusts the margins, it doesn't change the page size.

And if there are text frames sitting on the margins (including layouts with 2-column margins), the text frames will be readjusted to snap to the new margins (like the old Layout Adjustment feature that was replaced with the new, and worse, Adjust Layout). So I think this script could be made to do what he needs, although because it's a 2-column layout, I'm not sure if the mirror-margins will work as needed.

TᴀW

Legend

Some screenshots showing the layout with guides visible would be helpful.

TypothalamusAuthor

Known Participant

A few examples below:

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Hi @Typothalamus , Looks like the justification changes depending on whether the anchor is to the left or right of the body text, so as @Robert at ID-Tasker suggests it should be scriptable. Can you attach an ID file with a few pages

I'm not sure @rob day you've understood @Typothalamus requirements - or it's me??

I think he needs to adjust main body TFs - make them narrower - and anchored TFs should stay as they are?

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