Adobe PageMaker  – Tools and Effects

When you choose File > New to begin a new publication, the Document Setup dialog box appears. You can define the basic parameters of the publication, such as page size, orientation, margins, and the number of sides on which you print.

To set up a new publication:

1. Start PageMaker, and then choose File > New.
2. Specify page size and page attributes in the Document Setup dialog box as follows:

• Select a standard page size from the Page Size pop-up menu. When you select a page size, its dimensions appear in the Dimensions text boxes.
• Use the Dimensions text boxes to specify a custom page size up to 42 by 42 inches (1065 by 1065 mm). (You can also choose Page > Custom to set your own page size.)
• For Orientation, select Tall for a page that is taller than it is wide (Portrait orientation), or select Wide for a page that is wider than it is tall (Landscape orientation).
• Click Double-sided to set Inside and Outside margins to accommodate binding on pages that will be printed on two sides and to make the Facing Pages option available. Deselect Double-sided if you intend to print your publication on one side of the paper (single-sided) and don't want to turn on Facing Pages.
• Click Facing Pages if you want left and right pages displayed together (as a two-page spread) and you have selected Double-sided.
• Enter the Number of Pages you initially plan for the publication. (You can add or delete pages later if necessary.)

1. For information about adding and formatting page numbers, see Numbering Pages. Also note that several pagination options are designed to help you work with a single long document divided into two or more booked publications (publications linked together with the Utilities > Book command).

Changing Document Setup options in existing publications

Although the Document Setup dialog appears when you choose File > New to create a publication from scratch, you can modify a publication's Document Setup at any point in your work by choosing File > Document Setup while the publication is active.

Be sure to check the Adjust Layout option in the Document Setup dialog box if you change margins, page size, or orientation, and you want PageMaker to accordingly reposition (and in some cases resize) text, graphics, and nonprinting guides. Otherwise, objects on pages might not align with the modified page layout, and might even fall outside the margins or spill onto the pasteboard.

How PageMaker repositions or resizes objects and guides when you change the document setup depends on several factors, including the settings you specify in the Layout Adjustment Preferences dialog box (File > Preferences > Layout Adjustment), the kind of changes you make, and the position of objects and guides on each page. See Adjusting a Layout automatically for more information.

If you do not check Adjust Layout in the Document Setup dialog box, PageMaker does not reposition or resize objects and guides when you change margins, page size, or orientation.

Other changes you make in the Document Setup dialog box may not require layout adjustment, but can lead to conditions you need to consider:

• When you increase or decrease the starting number or number of pages in a publication by an odd number (1, 3, 5, and so on), left-hand, even-numbered pages become right-hand, odd-numbered pages, and vice versa. In a double-sided publication, text and graphics that bleed across the pages stay with the new right-hand, odd-numbered pages and spill onto the pasteboard. For more information, see Adding and Deleting Pages.

• If you change from a double-sided to a single-sided page, or vice versa, elements on left-hand pages may be repositioned relative to the new margins. When text flows onto the pasteboard or onto pages where you don't want it, you must reposition it manually on each page.

• If you change the Target Printer Resolution value, you should also resize existing 1-bit bitmap images to match the new printer resolution.

Using master pages

In multi-page publications, your design will be more cohesive if each page is built on a common foundation, or master page. A master page typically contains basic design elements, such as headers, footers, and page numbers, that are common to most or all pages in your publication. Master pages also contain nonprinting layout guides, such as column guides, ruler guides, and margin guides. Each publication can have a virtually unlimited number of master pages.

You can create, modify, and delete objects on master pages just like any other objects, but you must do so from the master pages themselves.

Each publication you open contains a Document-Master page or (if the publication includes facing pages) a Document-Master page spread. The Document Master applies to all pages in the publication until you specify otherwise, and cannot be renamed or removed from the publication.

An icon representing the master pages appears at the lower left corner of a publication window in layout view. The letters L and R (for left and right) mark the master page icon for facing pages; a single-sided publication icon is marked by an R alone. Click the icon to turn to the master applied to the current publication page.

To create additional master pages, you use commands on the Master Pages palette menu. To create publication pages without basing them on master pages, apply the master None. (You can also choose to apply a master, but hide the master page items on particular pages.

By default, applying a master does not affect existing objects on the page. So, if you apply a master with margins or column setups that differ from the page's original master, you might need to reflow text or reposition objects on the page to fit them within the new master's page design. However, you can choose the Adjust Layout option on the Master Pages palette menu to have PageMaker automatically reposition (and even resize) text, graphics, and ruler guides on the pages to which the new master is applied, based on the margins and column setup of the new master. (Always check your pages to verify that the layout adjustments meet your needs, and to make corrections and manual adjustments as required.)

How PageMaker repositions or resizes objects and guides when you apply a master depends on several factors, including the settings you specify in the Layout Adjustment Preferences dialog box, the differences between the newly-applied master and the previous master applied to the page, and the position of objects and guides on the affected page.

Applying a different master to existing pages

The Document Master is applied to all pages in your initial publication. You can use a variety of methods to apply a different master to a page.

To change one page or spread at a time:

1. Turn to the page you want to change.
2. Choose Window > Show Master Pages.
3. Select Adjust Layout on the Master Pages palette menu if you want objects and guides on the page or spread to be repositioned or resized as appropriate for the margins and columns of the master you are about to apply.
4. Click the master name or icon on the Master Pages palette.

Note: If you apply a master to a page and PageMaker asks you to confirm that you want to apply the master, click Apply in the dialog box that appears. To prevent this message from appearing subsequently, deselect the Prompt on Apply command on the Master Pages palette menu.

To quickly apply the same master to several pages throughout a publication:

1. Choose Window > Show Master Pages.
2. Choose Apply from the Master Pages palette menu.
3. Specify a range of pages to change.

If appropriate, use the Page Range text boxes to type a contiguous range (use a hyphen to separate the first and last page numbers in the range--as in 3-6) or a discontiguous range (use commas to separate the numbers--as in 2, 4, 8) or a combination of both. For example, typing "1, 3-6, 10-" applies the specified master to pages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and all subsequent pages in that publication.

4. one of the following:

• To apply a single master, select its name from the Master Page pop-up menu.
• If the publication is double-sided, and you want to apply one master to the left-hand pages in the range and another master to the right-hand pages in the range, select the Set Left and Right Pages Separately option, and then select the masters you want to apply.

1. Select Adjust Layout if you want objects and guides on the specified pages to be repositioned or resized as appropriate for the margins and columns of the master you are about to apply.
2. Click Apply.

Applying spreads versus single pages

When you apply a master page spread to a page or pair of facing pages, the publication pages are not associated with the left- or right-hand master page specifically, but with the spread itself. That is, when repagination causes a left-hand publication page to change to a right-hand page, the right-hand page of the master spread is automatically applied to the page. (This is consistent with earlier versions of PageMaker.)

Note: If you want to ensure that a page doesn't switch masters when the pages are rearranged, you can create and apply a single-sided master page.

In a publication that is double-sided with facing pages, you can take advantage of two special techniques:

• Apply one page from a master page spread to any page, including either the left or the right publication page in a spread. (You can only apply the left side of a master page spread to a left-hand page, and the right side of master page spread to a right-hand page.) The palette will highlight both master page names in the palette list, but only highlight the left or right side of the page icon in the palette.
• Apply a single-sided master (or the empty None master) to either side of a spread. The palette will highlight the single-page master, but display an L or an R to indicate the side of the spread to which it is applied.

Note: Objects that straddle both sides of a master page spread are associated with the left-hand master page. Therefore, if a left-hand page's master includes an object that straddles both sides of the master-spread, then that object will appear on the right-hand publication page, regardless of that page's master.

To change the master on only one side of a two-page spread:

1. Go to the spread you want change.
2. Choose Window > Show Master Pages.
3. Select Adjust Layout on the Master Pages palette menu if you want objects and guides on the affected page to be repositioned or resized as appropriate for the margins and columns of the master you are about to apply.
4. Press Alt and do one of the following:

• To assign a master page spread to a left-hand page, click the left-hand side of the master page icon on the palette. (If the master is a single page, click the left edge of the icon.)
• To apply a master page spread to a right-hand page, click the right side of the master page icon on the palette. (If the master is a single page, click the right edge of the icon.)

Choosing a measurement system and setting up rulers

Each publication window can include horizontal and vertical rulers that extend along the top and left borders of the window. You can display rulers when you need them and hide them when you want more room on the screen to view a publication. The rulers must be visible in order to manually create ruler guides, which are nonprinting extensions of the ruler.

When you need to position text objects and graphics precisely on a page, you can use the ruler increments. The increments shown on the rulers depend on the size and resolution of your screen, the unit of measure you specify, and the display size you choose. You can make any item you place, resize, or move align to the nearest intersection of tick marks on the invisible grid defined by the rulers.

Because you use the rulers to set up your layout grid, it's a good idea to choose a measurement system before you begin laying out pages. You can set the unit of measure separately for each ruler. For example, you may want to measure lines of text vertically in points, but prefer millimeters for margins, tabs, and other horizontal measurements.

The horizontal ruler reflects the unit of measure used for most measurements in the publication. You specify tabs, margins, indents, and other measurements according to the measurement system reflected on the horizontal ruler.

You usually work with one unit of measure throughout a publication, but you can change to another unit of measure at any time. Guides and objects already positioned using the original measurement system will stay in place and may not align with the altered ruler tick marks.

To hide or display rulers:

Choose View > Show/Hide Rulers.

To select a measurement system and set the vertical ruler:

1. Choose File > Preferences > General.
2. Select the Measurement System option you want to use.

The horizontal ruler reflects the measurement system you select.

1. Select a Vertical Ruler option, and then click OK.

To use points as the vertical measurement, select Custom, and then type the number of points you want between tick marks on the ruler--typically this will match the leading for body text in your publication.

Note: PageMaker uses PostScript points, which do not correspond exactly to traditional printer points. (There are 72.27 traditional printer points in an inch, as opposed to 72 PostScript points.) Because a point is such a small unit, if you set the vertical ruler to Custom, the ruler actually shows picas, not points.

Overriding the unit of measure

You can temporarily override the current unit of measure when you enter a value in any dialog box. For example, if you have specified inches as your publication measurement system, but you want the top margin of your page to be six picas, enter 6p for the top margin in the Document Setup dialog box. PageMaker converts the measurement for you.

Using the zero point

The zero point is the position at which the zeros on the vertical and horizontal rulers intersect.

When you start a new, single-sided publication, PageMaker puts the zero point at the intersection of the top, left edge of the page. When you work with facing pages, the default zero point is at the intersection of the top, inside edges of the facing pages.

You can move the zero point easily to measure distances from a specific part of your page or to customize the way oversized pages print. To avoid moving the zero point accidentally after you set it, you can lock it in place.

To move the zero point:

1. Position the pointer tool on the crosshair in the zero point window.
2. Drag to the new location.
3. Release the mouse button; the zero point is reset.

To lock the zero point: Choose View > Zero Lock.

To reset the zero point: Double-click the zero point window to reset it to the default location.

Working with non-printing guides

Nonprinting guides are lines that help you position objects on pages but do not appear in print. These lines form the framework of the layout grid. There are three kinds of nonprinting guides: margin guides, column guides, and ruler guides.

• Margins are defined in the Document Setup dialog box when you first create a publication, and are applied to the Document Master page. Margin guides appear automatically on the pages to which the Document Master is applied. Master pages you create in addition to the Document Master can have different margins. You can change the Document Master margins using the File > Document Setup command or by selecting the Master Page Options command from the Master Pages palette menu with the Document Master selected. You change the margins on other master pages only by using the Master Page Options command on the Master Pages palette menu.
• Column guides serve as boundaries for text you place within them. Every page has at least one column, which is the area between the margins. When you specify multiple columns (with the Layout > Column Guides command, or when creating or editing a master page), PageMaker automatically creates columns of equal size that fit between the margins. To create unequally-sized columns, use the pointer tool to drag the column guides to the positions you want. (Or use the Grid Manager plug-in described later in this chapter.)
• Ruler guides, like column guides, are nonprinting lines that help you align items on a page. Unlike column guides, ruler guides don't control the flow of text; they help you align objects precisely.

You can define and revise each kind of guide separately, or you can use the Grid Manager plug-in to define and save a collection of margin, column, and ruler guides as layout grids. You can apply a grid to any range of pages in the publication, and reuse grids in other publications.

To display or hide the column, ruler, and margin guides on the page: Choose View > Show/Hide Guides.

If you try to select an object but instead select a guide that overlaps it, you can press Ctrl to select the object through the guide. Or, you can set guides to display in back of page elements throughout the current publication by choosing View > Send Guides to Back. (To set the option for all new publications you create, choose the command with no publication open.)

To force objects you move or resize to align with the nearest guide: Choose View > Snap to Guides.

All margin, column, and ruler guides exert a magnetic-like pull on any tool, text, or graphic within three pixels of the guide. (A pixel, or picture element, is one dot in an array of dots that together create an image on the screen.) This option makes it easy to align text and graphics precisely to a guide, regardless of whether or not the guide rests on ruler increments.

Setting up column guides

You create columns to control the flow of text in text blocks that you place automatically and to help position text and graphics. How you specify columns is determined by the command you use:

• The Layout > Column Guides command creates a specified number of columns of identical widths, fitting them within the margins of the page. If there is text or graphics already on the page, PageMaker can reposition them to align with the revised column setup if you select Adjust Layout in the Column Guides dialog box. See Adjusting a Layout automatically for details.
• The Utilities > Plug-ins > Grid Manager command provides the additional capability of fitting columns within any area you specify, or creating columns of a specified width. For more information, see Creating and Applying Layout Grids.

You can create up to 20 columns on a page. (PageMaker's default setting is one column per page, which is the entire area between the margins.) To save time and ensure consistency, add column guides to master pages rather than to specific publication pages. For more information about setting up columns on master pages, see About Guides and Master Pages.

To set up columns on a page:

1. Turn to the publication page or master page where you want the columns.
2. Choose Layout > Column Guides.

When facing pages appear in the publication window and you choose Column Guides, the Set Left and Right Pages Separately option appears so you can set columns differently for each page.

3. Enter the number of columns you want on the page and the space you want between columns, called the gutter.

If you are setting left and right pages separately, enter values for both pages.

4. Select Adjust Layout if you want existing text and graphics on the page to adjust to the revised column setup.
5. Click OK.

PageMaker creates the specified number of columns, equally spaced and equally sized.

Moving and locking columns

• adjust column widths, you can move the column guides by dragging them. The two lines forming the gutter between columns move together. Text and graphics already on the page are not changed in any way when you drag column guides.

The leftmost and rightmost column guides, which overlap the margin guides, move individually. (Moving these column guides does not affect the margin guides.) All other column guides move in pairs, so that the space between columns remains consistent.

Note: If you choose the Column Guides command after moving column guides manually, the word Custom appears for the Number of Columns option. The space between columns remains as originally specified.

Once you have set up your columns, you can lock them in place to prevent accidental moving.

To lock or unlock column and ruler guides: Choose View > Lock Guides.

Creating a page with different numbers of columns

You can vary the number of columns on different parts of the same page. For example, you may want two columns on the top half of the page and three columns on the bottom. You can mix columns in almost any combination within the limit of 20 columns per page.

To create different column setups on the same page:

1. Choose Layout > Column Guides, enter the number of columns you want in the top part of your page, and then click OK.
2. Position a ruler guide where you want the two-column format to end.
3. Position text within the first column down to the ruler guide. Then, click on the bottom of the windowshade handle.
4. Position text within the second column down to the ruler guide.
5. Repeat step 1, only this time enter the number of columns you want in the bottom part of your page, and make sure the Adjust Layout option is not selected in the dialog box. Then pull a ruler guide down and position it where you want the top of the columns to begin.
6. Place the rest of the text within the newly defined columns, or select another document to place.