Inspiring

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How can I create paragraph styles with the headings each on different column (split to 3) with text?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
July 8, 2024
6 replies
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How can I create paragraph styles with the headings - each on different column (split to 3) with text under each?

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Correct answer Barb Binder

Hi Hendy:

As I said earlier, InCopy allows the designer to create an InDesign file and manage the formatting, while allowing others (editors and copywriters) to work independently on the content by checking out files, working on them and checking them back in. This sounds like exactly what you want to do.

However, like any modern application, there is a learning curve on using the InDesign/InCopy workflow and it appears that you haven't yet taken the time to figure it out. My suggestion is that you set aside three hours to watch this class—https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-incopy/work-with-graphics-in-incopy—which will fully explain the process. You will either want your chef to watch the InCopy portion or plan on sitting down with them to explain the process. Then you should be good to go!

~Barb

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi @Hendy374084080dng:

I'd stick with InCopy, personally.

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

H

Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

Okay, not sure why my indesign instructor said he would do data merge.

I guess he's not so familiar.

H

Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

I was told Adobe is not actively devoloping incopy, is it still worth investing in?

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi @Hendy374084080dng:

As I've said a few times, I think InCopy is a good plan for your workflow—you just need to learn how to use it. As a career InDesign instructor, I think a 3-hour, US$30 investment (that's the price of one month of LinkedIn learning) is a bargain.

If you don't want to use InCopy, another (paid subscription) option is WordsFlow from Em Software. This allows your chef to edit in Word and you can pick up the updates. http://emsoftware.com/products/wordsflow/

Could you use data merge instead? Sure, but now you need to move your content to Excel and learn data merge.

The bottom line is you need to pause, make a decision on how to move forward, learn the software and then you can breeze ahead. InDesign is a professional page layout program—it is many things, but it is not intuitive for new users., even those with a simpler workflow. That's why a lot of us here make a living teaching it.

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

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Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

thank you for your time in responding to me all this time.

I'm not a new user to Indesign. I'm using it for close to 10 years already.

It's just the first time I'm having my clients and copywriter edit this.

As an Indesign expert, which would you reccomend for the layout I would like to create, using incopy or data merge?

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Hendy:

You can sign up for a free 30-day trial at LinkedIn. That's going be the most efficient way to get up and running on this workflow. If that's not an option for you for some reason, and you don't want to pay for a single month, there are links on this page that you can work through.

—https://helpx.adobe.com/support/incopy.html

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

H

Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks, I'll work on getting a grip of incopy.

Just want to make sure that this would be my best option for the coobook I'm creating.

An indesign instructor mentioned to me something about using excel and data merging, would you reccoment that?

Barb Binder

Correct answer

Community Expert

Hi Hendy:

As I said earlier, InCopy allows the designer to create an InDesign file and manage the formatting, while allowing others (editors and copywriters) to work independently on the content by checking out files, working on them and checking them back in. This sounds like exactly what you want to do.

However, like any modern application, there is a learning curve on using the InDesign/InCopy workflow and it appears that you haven't yet taken the time to figure it out. My suggestion is that you set aside three hours to watch this class—https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-incopy/work-with-graphics-in-incopy—which will fully explain the process. You will either want your chef to watch the InCopy portion or plan on sitting down with them to explain the process. Then you should be good to go!

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

H

Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

I'd rather not suscribe to another course, (I'm currently taking a few others)

Anywhre I can learn for free about this?

Barb Binder

Community Expert

There are a few ways to add column breaks. Here's a demo of @Willi Adelberger's suggestion:

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

H

Hendy374084080dngAuthor

Inspiring

Yes, that's what I tried, but look what happens!

The 'directions' style is what I want on the next column.

next_column.zip

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

It sounds as if the Keep Options setting is cascading to child styles, such as your body text. You need to break that chain.

One way is to set the "Break to Next Column" in the heading. All the text will break to next pages, or into overset text. Now work down your other styles and set the keep options to "Anywhere" — at some point you'll have that cascade down other styles and make the job easier.

As a fundamental design point, you should never have headings and body styles cascade ("Based On") from each other. Create a base body style that is based on "No Paragraph Style," and use it as the parent for all your body variations. Then create a base Heading 1 (or equivalent), also from "No Paragraph Style," and then create all similar headings as children of that.

Using cascading styles and settings is a very efficient practice — but not if you have settings you want on heads cascading to body styles, or captions, or cell text, or any of the vice-versa. Keep your hierarchy of styles organized.