Set facing pages for left to right text?

[somnolentsurfer]

I very occasionally work on documents that require text set in languages that read right to left. A while ago I installed the Arabic version of InDesign to make this possible. Now all my documents start with Arabic defaults.

I've worked out how to change the text direction and story direction back, but whenever I start a new document with facing pages it's set up for right-to-left reading, with page one on the left, and all the page numbering following through from the right hand side.

How do I change facing pages back to left-to-right settings? Or better yet, set everything back to English defaults, without having to reinstall InDesign every time I need to make a page in another language?

[hammer0909]

I'm not an expert in multi-lingual text, but the general practice to set the defaults for all new documents your create, is to do so with no document open. So basically, launch InDesign and have no document open. Then change your settings/preferences to how you want them to behave. Now all new documents you create should use those settings. I hope that helps!

[somnolentsurfer]

OK, that helps save the story and paragraph settings, so thanks. But it doesn't solve the facing pages/page order problem. And what I'd really like is an option for all English defaults, in case there's more things I've missed somewhere.

[somnolentsurfer · Accepted solution]

Found it!

File -> Document Setup -> Binding.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

But this means you have to pay attention to the binding direction each time you create new document. What I would suggest besides Chad's suggestion above, is to change binding direction some where else in case all or most of your documents are Left-to-Right.

Go to the menu File > Document Presets > Define, double click on [Default] preset

it will open the new document dialogue window, change binding direction there to LTR, click OK, then OK from the second window.

[somnolentsurfer]

Ah, thank you. Yes that was what I was looking for. Although it otherwise seems to save settings based on the last document created. So when I looked in there it had now gone back to Left to Right anyway.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

You're welcome.