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Inspiring
August 6, 2025
Question

Two-sided playing cards with bleed and threaded text... on spread?

  • August 6, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 254 views

I have a puzzle here... I'm probably overlooking something obvious.... 🙂 


Basically, I'm designing some cards for board gaming, and want to lay them out in spreads so that we can review and revise the front and backs of cards on the same spread - and need to have threaded text frames.  (What a great feature it would be if we could thread frames across different parents... one can dream.) 

 

The card fronts and backs are entirely different. I have a LOT of content to flow in, and 10 text frames (6 front, 4 back.)

I want to set the document up to trim size.Now, this is an old challenge, but there's no bleed in the gutter... and I need bleed...

 

I'm currently using clunky workarounds that involve going back and forth between facing pages. It works, but... it's super-clunky. Not ideal. And flowing right-to-left doesn't work, so I'm also set up with a left-page start. 

Plus, it's clunky.

 

I considered oversizing the pages & trimming after, but somehow I feel there's a better way... 
Any suggestions?

 

 

 

 

5 replies

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 6, 2025

I think Im not as clear as I thought at first about how the text is supposed to flow here.

Can you show us a mock-up example?

As a matter of interest, I was testing in CS6 whcih happened to be open, and I'm able top flow text right to left across a single two-page pair if I place it it holding the Shift key in the right-hand page Parent Frame, but anything longer than will fit on a single spread then shifts to left-to-right. My solution to that would be swap the positions of the front and back pages and always place on the left.

Also, if after setting up the two-page parent pair you drag the name into the lower section of the Pages panel it will add the already grouped two pages. None of that may really be relevant in using Rob's method, but I found it interesting.

 

turner111Author
Inspiring
August 6, 2025

Thanks guys - I tried Rob's method, but it doesn't seem like threaded text frames want to behave- 
Allow Shuffle needs to be re-checked when text is flowed in threaded frames in order to not populate a spread with more pages, but reverting to Shuffle creates single additional pages rather than spreads.

Hmmm.... still experimenting...

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 6, 2025

Did you put the text frames on the Parent Pages and link them there?

turner111Author
Inspiring
August 6, 2025

Hi Peter - sure did.

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 6, 2025

I think Rob's method is probably simpler than mine...

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 6, 2025

If I understand waht you are doing, you should be able to set up single pages, rather than facing.

Add your bleed, then go to the Pages Panel and reset the number of pages on Parent A from 1 to 2, and use the Page tool to move them apart enough for the bleed in the gutter.

In the Documents pages section, turn off page shuffling and rag every other pagenaxt to its parner until you see the little vertical line indicating they will display as a single spread, and again use the page tool to create enough gap at the gutter.

Yoou should be able to thread text across the pages any way you like.

rob day
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 6, 2025

Hi @turner111 , A facing page document assumes the spread will fold on the spine. You are not designing a book, so you can set up the cards as non facing pages. Uncheck Allow Document Pages to Shuffle and the spreads can then be pulled apart—see attached sample.