The Yearbook Blog

Our favorite short cut key. Also known as “undo,” this combination can be used in InDesign, eDesign, Word, most email programs, and after taking a really hard test that you didn’t study for (although we don’t know where to find the keyboard to perform that last one). Other helpful keystrokes include:

• Ctrl/Cmd + S = Save
• Ctrl/Cmd + C = Copy
• Ctrl/Cmd + V = Paste
• Ctrl/Cmd + P = Print
• Arrow keys to nudge elements

*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “Z” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com

We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…

If you’ve been paying attention in math, you know it’s the horizontal axis on a graph. How is it relevant in Yearbook Land? Well, designing on a grid is basically using a graph. If you know the X axis of an element (what pica the bottom of the element rests on), you can line up other elements on the same line or equidistance away. It’s very handy when using internal margins less than a pica wide. Both Adobe InDesign and HJ eDesign have places to input the X (and Y) values for individual or multiple objects to ensure exact alignment.

*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “X” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com

We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…

InDesign, the ultimate in layout software. It’s what the professionals use, and chances are you’re not using even half of what it’s capable of. Here are some quick InDesign tips and tricks to get you started:

• Use the eye-dropper tool to copy text treatments in addition to colors. Click on the eyedropper, then click on the text you want to copy. Now drag the eyedropper to highlight the text you want to transform. Voila! You can repeat this on as many text elements as you want. The eyedropper stays full each time.
• Access Photoshop layers within InDesign - Right click on a graphic created in Photoshop, then click “Layer Options”. Here, you can turn on and off the different layers you created in Photoshop. (NOTE: This only works on .psd files with multiple layers.) This is great if you have one graphic that will  be in different colors on different spreads. Simply create one .psd file with all the colors as layers, insert the .psd file onto your InDesign spread, and turn on the color layer that you want to use.
• InDesign Layers - InDesign also has layers. You can lock layers and designate certain layers to be “non-printing.” This is great for templates.
• Place photos inside your text by highlighting the text, and clicking “Type” -> “Create Outlines”. You’ve just turned your text into an object. Now drag a photo into it!
• For more InDesign Tips & Tricks, visit “www.yearbooks.biz” and click “Resources” -> “InDesign Tips & Tricks”

*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “I” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com

We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…

Thank you, Mr. Moran of Woodrow High School in Dallas, TX, for posting this assignment on his blog, and then “tweet”ing about it, so we could find it! And now, we can share it with you! To view the original post, click here.

Creating a Spread in InDesign

1. Open Adobe InDesign

2. Choose “From Template”

3. Click on “Desktop”

4. Double-click the “Yearbook Folder“

5. Double-click “Desktop Templates”

6. Double-click “HJ Template Size 7 CS4.indt”

7. It will give you a “missing fonts” error. Click “OK.”

8. Click “View,” “Grids and Guides,” and “Show Document Grid.”

9. Create any one of the design samples below. (You may create one with a partner).

10. Save to your Thaw Space folder and Print before the end of class.

* Input sample pictures and fill text boxes (copy and caption) with placeholder text.

Want more out of your paragraph styles? Nested styles allows you to use several different character styles which combine into one paragraph style. For example, take a look at the following text:

WOMEN’S VARSITY TENNIS.  Front Row: Sarah Hozman-Lipsitz, Emily Springer, Lissy Schultz, Danielle Mannause.  Second Row: Catherine Andary, Joan Eisbrenner, Amy Howard, Colette Buckberry, Nikki Wickham.  Third Row: Jenna Comstock, Kaitlyn Combes, Sarah Shockery, Stephanie Gustafson.  Back Row: Caroline Crawford, Coach Alex A. Wiesner, Assistant Coach Ben Wolfe, Danielle Engman, Amelia Swinton.

This paragraph contains 3 different character styles. You could type all the names in one style and then go back, highlight the group name, apply the “group name” character style”, highlight each row name, and then apply a “group row” character style. This might be fine for one set of names, but after 5 teams/clubs, it starts to get tedious.

Nested styles allows you to apply all 3 character styles at once. Here’s a step-by-step guide for setting this up:

STEP 1: Define a Character Style for each part of the text.

Step 1a: Create "Group Title" Character Style

1a. Group Title: WOMEN’S VARSITY TENNIS.

Open the Character Styles palette (usually docked on the right side of the InDesign widow). Click the “Piece of Paper” icon to “Create New Style.” This will create a new style with the default name “Character Style 1.” Double-click the name to open the Character Style Options dialog box. Name the Character Style: “Group Title.” Now click on the Basic Character Formats on the left side of the dialog box. Set the type formats for the Group Title. In the example, the Font is AHJ Syntax, the Font Style is Bold, the Size is 8pt, the Leading is Auto and the Case is All Caps. Click OK.

Step 1b: Create "Group Rows" Character Style

1b. Group Rows: Front Row:

You will see that “Group Title” is now an option in your Character Styles palette. Click “Create New Style” and double-click the name of the new character style. Name the new Character Style: Group Rows. Click “Basic Character Formats.” Set the type formats for the Group Rows. In the example, the Font is AHJ Syntax, the Font Style is Bold, the Size is 8pt, the Leading is Auto and the Case is Normal.

Step 1c: Create "Group Names" Character Style

1c. Group Names: Sarah Hozman-Lipsitz, Colette Buckberry, Nikki Wickham.

Click “New Character Style” again. Name this Character Style: Group Names. Now click on Basic Character Formats on the left side of the dialog box. Select the type formats for the Group Names. In the example, the Font is AHJ Syntax, the Font Style is Regular, the Size is 8pt, the Leading is Auto, and the Case is Normal. Click OK.

Finished Character Styles menu

The Character Styles needed to format a group/team photo identification are now complete.

Step 2: Create a Paragraph Style

STEP 2: Create a Paragraph Style

Open the Paragraph Styles palette (usually docked on the right side of the InDesign widow). Click “New Paragraph Style.” Name the Paragraph Style: Groups-Sports IDs. Now click on “Drop Caps and Nested Styles” on the left side of the dialog box.

Step 3: Create Nested Style

Step 3: Create Nested Style

A Nested Style tells the Paragraph Style when to start and stop applying a specific Character Style when a specific “marker” is found. The markers must be present within the unformatted text in order for the Nested Paragraph Style to format the text properly. In our example. we use a period, a colon, and an “en space” to indicate when one character style ends and another should begin. Here’s how you set it up:

3a. Click on the New Nested Style button in the Paragraph Style Options dialog box. From the pull-down menu, select the Character Style to apply. In the example, the first New Nested Style is Group Title. The Group Title should be applied to the text through the “1” “.” found. Simply keystroke in a period.

3b. Click on the New Nested Style button again. Now apply the next Character Style. In the example, the second New Nested Style is Group Rows. The Group Rows should be applied to the text through the “1” “:“ found. Simply keystroke in a colon.

3c. Click on the New Nested Style button again. Now apply the next Character Style. In the example, the third New Nested Style is Group Names. The Group Names should be applied to the text through the “1” “En Space “ found. Select En Space from the pull-down menu.

What is an “en space”? A en space is inserted at the end of each row of names instead of a regular space. The en space can be inserted into text by going to Type > Insert White Space > En Space. The en space is an unique “marker” within the text to start/stop the application of the Group Names Character Style. One might be tempted to use the period at the end of each row of names as the “marker.” However, if within the row of names a period appears as part of a student’s first name or middle initial, the Group Name Character Style would find this period as “marker” and stop applying the style.

3d. Repeat Steps 3b and 3c for the maximum number of rows your photos will have (6 rows is usually sufficient).

Step 4: Set "Indents and Spacing" preferences

Step 4: Set "Hyphenation" preferences

Step 4: Set “Indents and Spacing” and “Hyphenation” preferences

Click on “Indents and Spacing” on the left side of the Paragraph Style Options dialog box. In the example, the group/team photo identification is justified. Select Left Justified from the Alignment pull-down menu. Finally, click on Hyphenation on the left side of the Paragraph Style Options dialog box. Since names should not be hyphenated, turn off Hyphenation by unchecking the box next to Hyphenation.

Click “OK” and the Groups-Sports IDs Paragraph Style is now complete.

Step 5: Apply your new Nested Paragraph Style

NOTE: When the text is typed onto the layout, the “markers” used to create the Nested Paragraph Style must be carefully and consistently included. In the example, a “.” must follow the name of the group or sports team. A “:” must follow after each row designation. An en space must be inserted after the last name in each row and before the next row designation.

To apply a Nested Paragraph Style, simply click anywhere in the text of an unformatted group or sports team identification with the Type tool. (The entire caption does not need to be highlighted.) Then go to the Paragraph Styles palette and click once on Groups-Sports IDs. The entire caption should be formatted automatically.

BEFORE

AFTER

CREDIT: Women’s Varsity Tennis photo and caption courtesy of
the East Lansing (Michigan) High School Ceniad

SUGGESTION: Nested Paragraph Styles should be created early in the production cycle. Ideally, Nested Paragraph Styles, along with other customizing, is completed on the blank template that will be distributed to the staff.

HOW TO LOAD A NESTED STYLE: If the Nested Paragraph Styles are not created as part of the school’s master template, Character Styles and Paragraph Styles can be loaded from an existing InDesign document to a new InDesign document. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Paragraph Styles palette.
2. Click on the fly-out arrow and select Load Paragraph Styles.
3. Navigate to the InDesign document containing the existing Character Styles and Paragraph Styles, select the file and click OK.
4. The Load Styles dialog box will open.
5. Select which Character Styles and Paragraph Styles to load, and then click OK.
6. The Character Styles and Paragraph Styles selected are now available in the new InDesign document.

If every caption in your book is in a different font or point size, or if you found yourself constantly reminding students of which font and point size to use, then you need to set up Character and Paragraph Styles in InDesign. Make this one of the first things you do for your yearbook next year. After you’ve decided on your theme (verbal and visual), choose your fonts and set up your styles.

What’s the difference between character styles and paragraph styles?

• Use paragraph styles when you want to apply one style to an entire paragraph or text box. Create a style for Headlines, Subheads, Body Copy, and Captions. You can even go further and create styles for Academics Headlines and then one for Student Life Headlines.
• Use character styles when you want to format text within a paragraph or text box, but you do not want to change the entire paragraph. You can create a style for quotes, names in captions, or those “row” descriptions in groups photos

How do you create a paragraph style?

1. Select "Paragraph Styles" from your dock (or go to "Type -> Paragraph Styles")

2. Click on "New Style"

3. Set your preferences for everything from font, to indent, to drop caps... Name your style, and click "ok"

4. Your style now shows up under the Paragraph Styles menu. Simply type your text, select your paragraph (or text box) and click the paragraph style you want to apply

ALTERNATIVE METHOD: If you’re more of a visual person, you can start by typing a paragraph with the format you like, then while you have that text box selected, click “create new style.” A new style will be created based on the paragraph that you currently have selected. All you have to do is name it!

How do you create a character style?

1. Select "Character Styles" from your dock (or go to "Type -> Character Styles")

2. Click "Create New Style"

3. Choose fonts, bold/italic, color, size, leading, etc... Name your style and click "ok"

4. Your new style now appears in your Character Styles menu. Select the text you want to format and then click on the style you want to apply!

ALTERNATIVE METHOD: If you just want to copy the format of another text on the same page, you don’t need to create a new style. You can use your eye dropper tool to copy text formatting as well. Highlight the text you want to copy, then use the eyedropper tool on it. While the eyedropper is “full,” continue to highlight every line of text that you want to format.

ADVISER TIP: Create all your styles on your master template BEFORE distributing them to each computer (or putting them up on the server). If students have already started working on their pages, it’s not too late. Create a blank template with the styles on it, and distribute this document to students (or place on the server). Students can then choose “Load All Text Styles” from the Character/Paragraph Styles pull down menu. They then locate the blank template (with the styles), click on it, and InDesign will import all of the styles from that template onto the page the students are currently working on. (*Herff Jones customers, HJ Planner will create a template for every page in your book with the styles already set. Ask your rep to show you!)

COMING SOON:

• InDesign Feature Focus: Nested Styles (Styles - Part 2 of 2)