Live Area and Margins not visible when trying to setup template

[Justin_242]

I need to set this template up for an assignment I'm doing. I put the exact same units in from the tutorial video for the assignment but the live area and margins still aren't visible on my document. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Just as a wild guess... is your file set up in pixel dimensions, instead of inches, mm or picas? That would make very small distances from the same numbers.

[Justin_242]

Thanks for your respone, I have my file set up in inches. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

It's impossible to say if "the video tutorial" is showing the correct procedure. Is it publically accessible?

Generally, I use the margins to determine where the page-by-page content area is--which is not the same thing as the live area. This does not include any header & footer area.

The live area is simply how close to the trim edge (the page edge) that the printer will guarantee not to cut off. This measurement tends to be overly large as many printers can safely trim within 1/8 or even 1/16 inch from the edge accurately. I didn't bother with them on my parent page since the other margins gave me all the information I needed. However, if I did need the live area margins, I would use ruler guides.

By default, margins are pinkish color and ruler guides are blue/cyan. It looks like you just have margins set. Consider learning how to do a screen capture rather and taking a photo of the screen.

[Justin_242]

Thank you for your response, due to it being a tutorial for an assignment in a college course it's not accessible to the public. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

List the specs given to you for the assignment: page/time size, live area, margins, etc.

State the type of job--brochure, newsletter, etc.

Show your setup screen:

[Justin_242]

Main setup for video game back cover. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Based on what you input, your live area is 10.25 x 5.5 inches--or 1/8 inch from each edge. 

Does that match the requirements you were given?

Here's how I would do it...

I would set my margins to show how close my text and critical photo elements are from the edge from a DESIGN viewpoint. For example, large amounts of text that is only 1/8 inch away from the edge would be too hard to read. I would probably use 3/8 inch for my margin. (Of course, this depends on knowing the full requirements of the job.)

THEN, I would set my live area with the ruler guides to to show how close my larger text and critical photo elements are from the edge from a MECANICAL viewpoint

[Justin_242]

Thank you very much for your help. The input is exactly what is required for the assignment as per the video tutorial.  In the video my prof puts that input in and the margins and live area is visible, so I don't understand why that's not the case for my own document.  

I will try your suggestion. 

Once again thank you for your help!

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

It's not uncommon to use the margins as the live area, but with few exceptions, I don't consider it the best practice.