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I need to know changing the size of a document and what the lines mean indesign

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
June 4, 2019
7 replies
2275 views

Hi I made a document with 3 pages, one for my letterhead, one for an envelope size and last one for a business card with measurements provide by my professor, I went ahead and put them in the window from file document setup, but my business card came out too big. I don't know if I am going too far with my design and maybe I am getting out of the space that I am supposed to be working on. I don't know what the color lines mean.

can you tell me how to change the pages size without changing all them.

what I am doing wrong?

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Correct answer Michael Bullo

The white area represents the actual page. You can put anything you like, wherever you like. Those inner lines are just those margins (guides) to help if you wish.

You want to make sure you don't have text right at the edge of a page (or business card) as it could potentially get trimmed during the printing process. This is where those margins can be helpful. You could, for example, set the margins to a specific number and then make sure no important elements of your design fall outside of those margins. Again, these margins are just a guide to help you layout the page.

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Debbie:

Be sure the page you want to change is selected in the Pages panel, then use the Page tool in the toolbox.

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

Frans v.d. Geest

Community Expert

Don't mind me saying, but... as you have not even grasped the very basics of inDesign on an absolute beginner level, woud it not be a far better idea to let someone else, with knowledge, do this design...?

Or if I misunderstood: get some better education?

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Frans:

Debbie is taking a class on InDesign and is earnestly trying to figure out what the teacher assigns for homework, but doesn't appear to explain.

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Speaking as a long-time InDesign instructor, I'm a bit shocked by how much it appears that Debbie's teacher is NOT teaching her.

The lesson about the InDesign interface and what the "colored lines" mean is in Session 1 of every InDesign class I've ever taught or heard about. And, I agree with Barb that including multiple page sizes in the same document isn't for a beginning/fundamentals class. It's definitely an intermediate-level feature.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

You said you used document setup. Don’t. Does the client want INDD or PDF?

debbiea22675948Author

Known Participant

Indd

On Wed, Jun 5, 2019 at 4:39 PM Test Screen Name <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Debbie:

I would advise a new user to do this in three separate files: one for the letterhead, one for the envelope and one for the business card because yes, Document Setup will update the page size for all pages in a single file.

An intermediate to advanced user might decide to define each page size in a single file using the Page tool. This tutorial will walk you through it.

https://indesignsecrets.com/making-indesign-work-illustrator-multiple-artboards-large-pasteboard.php

Did your teacher tell you to put them all in single file? If he didn't, I wouldn't.

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

debbiea22675948Author

Known Participant

he did he wants all of them in a single file, but when I change the size it

changes my letterhead too.

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Debbie:

In that case, use the Page tool to change each page independently.

InDesign Help | Mixing page sizes with the new Page tool

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

Yes, Document Setup does the whole document. Are you trying to make a business card and something else a different size in the same document? If so, why?

debbiea22675948Author

Known Participant

we are making a stationary, with letterhead, envelope and business card

On Wed, Jun 5, 2019 at 3:42 PM Test Screen Name <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

Michael Bullo

Community Expert

The "color lines" you are referring to are margins. They are there as a guide to help you layout the content on your page. You can set them to whatever will serve you best for any given project. You can just ignore them if you don't need them.

debbiea22675948Author

Known Participant

Michael so for the business card do I stay inside the inner red ones?

On Tue, Jun 4, 2019 at 7:04 PM Michael Bullo <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

Michael Bullo

Correct answer

Community Expert

The white area represents the actual page. You can put anything you like, wherever you like. Those inner lines are just those margins (guides) to help if you wish.

You want to make sure you don't have text right at the edge of a page (or business card) as it could potentially get trimmed during the printing process. This is where those margins can be helpful. You could, for example, set the margins to a specific number and then make sure no important elements of your design fall outside of those margins. Again, these margins are just a guide to help you layout the page.

Michael Bullo

Community Expert

The Document Setup is a global dialog box for your whole document.

If you want to change the size of individual pages, use the Page Tool. Select a page with this tool and you will be able to resize it from the Control panel running along the top of InDesign or from the Properties panel.

debbiea22675948Author

Known Participant

it tried to do it from file document setup but it changes all of the pages

sizes, it wouldn't do it to just 1 page even when only the business card is

highlighter

I am not sure what I am doing wrong.....

my business card is supposed to be 3.5" x 2" so I believe it should be 3.5"

W X 2" H, right?

On Tue, Jun 4, 2019 at 7:01 PM Michael Bullo <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

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