Conventions Used in This Book

Before I begin showing you the ins and outs of InDesign, I need to spend a few minutes reviewing the terms and conventions used in this book.

InDesign commands

The InDesign commands that you select by using the program menus appear in this book in normal typeface. When you choose some menu commands, a related pull-down menu or a pop-up menu appears. If I describe a situation in which you need to select one menu and then choose a command from a secondary menu or list box, I use an arrow symbol. For example, "Choose Layout ‚ Margins and Columns" means that you should choose the Margins and Columns command from the Layout menu.

Like most modern programs, InDesign has an interface feature that has proved to be quite popular called tabbed panes. This is a method of stuffing several dialog boxes into one dialog box. You see tabs, like those in file folders, and by clicking a tab, the pane of options for that tab comes to the front of the dialog box. You can even move tabs from one dialog box to another to create the arrangement that best suits your work style. In this book, I will tell you to go to the pane, which you do by clicking on the tab where the name of the pane is to display the pane. For example, "Go to the General pane" means click the General tab in the current dialog box.

Mouse conventions

Because you use a mouse to perform many functions in InDesign, you need to be familiar with the following terms and instructions. And, yes, when I say mouse, I also mean other pointing devices, such as trackballs and pen tablets.

• Pointer: The small graphic icon that moves on the screen as you move your mouse is a pointer (also called a cursor ). The pointer takes on different shapes depending on the tool you select, the current location of the mouse, and the function you're performing.

• Click: Most Mac mice have only one button, but some have two or more; all PC mice have at least two buttons . If you have a multibutton mouse, quickly press and release the leftmost mouse button once when I say to click the mouse. (If your mouse has only one button ‚ you guessed it ‚ just press and release the button you have.)

• Double-click: When I say to double-click, quickly press and release the leftmost mouse button twice (if your mouse has only one button, just press and release twice the button you have). On some multibutton mice, one of the buttons can function as a double-click (you click it once, the mouse clicks twice); if your mouse has this feature, use it ‚ it saves strain on your hand.

• Right-click: A Windows feature since Windows 95, right-clicking means clicking the right-hand mouse button. On a Mac's one-button mouse, hold the Control key when clicking the mouse button to achieve the right-click effect. On multibutton Mac mice, assign one of the buttons to the Control+click combination. (Mac OS X automatically assigns the right-hand button to Control+click.)

• Drag: Dragging is used for moving and sizing items in an InDesign document. To drag an item, position the mouse pointer on it. Press and hold down the mouse button, and then slide the mouse across a flat surface to drag the item. Release the mouse button to drop the dragged item in its new location.

Dealing with computer-platform appearance issues

InDesign runs on Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2 or later installed, and Windows XP, as well as later versions of these operating systems. Most desktop publishers use Apple Computer's Macintosh, and thus most readers of this book will likely be Mac-based. That's why I use Mac screenshots in the illustrations throughout this book. (Plus, Adobe uses Windows screenshots in its documentation.) But the minority in publishing who use Microsoft's Windows continues to grow, especially for business-oriented and personal publishing, so I do show Windows screenshots when notable differences exist. Adobe has done a good job of ensuring that the interface for InDesign is almost identical ‚ within the natural differences between Mac and Windows ‚ on the two platforms.

 

Keyboard conventions

This book provides both the Macintosh and Windows shortcuts throughout, with the Mac shortcut first. In most cases, the Mac and Windows shortcuts are the same, except for the names of the keys, as follows :

• The Mac's Command key ( z ) is the most-used shortcut key. Its Windows equivalent is Ctrl.

• Shift is the same on the Mac and Windows. In many Mac program menus ‚ including InDesign ‚ Shift is displayed by the symbol ƒ .

• The Option key on the Mac is usually the same as the Alt key in Windows. In many Mac program menus ‚ including InDesign ‚ you'll see the symbol used.

• The Control key on the Mac has no Windows equivalent (it is not the same as the Windows Ctrl key). Many Mac programs indicate it with the symbol in their menus.

If you're supposed to press several keys at the same time, I indicate that by placing plus signs (+) between them. Thus, Shift+ z +A means press and hold the Shift and z keys, then press A. After you've pressed the A key, let go of all three keys. (You don't need to hold down the last letter in the sequence.)

I also use the plus sign (+) to join keys to mouse movements. For example, Option+drag means to hold the Option key while dragging the mouse on the Mac, and Alt+drag means to hold the Alt key while dragging the mouse in Windows.

Also note that InDesign lets you change the shortcuts associated with menu and other commands (by choosing Edit ‚ Keyboard Shortcuts). Throughout the book, I assume the shortcuts in use are the default ones and that you haven't altered them.

Icons

You'll notice special graphic symbols, or icons, used throughout this book. I use these icons to call your attention to points that are particularly important or worth noting:

New Feature ‚  

The New Feature icon indicates a technique or action that is new to InDesign CS.

Tip ‚  

The Tip icon indicates a technique or action in InDesign that will save you time or effort.

Note ‚  

The Note icon indicates information that you should remember for future use ‚ something that may seem minor or inconsequential but will, in reality, resurface.

Caution ‚  

The Caution icon is used to warn you of potential hang-ups or pitfalls you may encounter while using InDesign (and how to avoid them).

Cross-Reference ‚  

The Cross-Reference icon points you to different parts of the book that contain related or expanded information on a particular topic.

Platform Difference ‚  

The Platform Difference icon alerts you to differences using InDesign on the Macintosh versus in Windows.

QuarkXPress User ‚  

The QuarkXPress User icon alerts QuarkXPress users who are switching to InDesign to significant differences in function and approach between the two programs.