This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with styles
InDesign provides paragraph styles, character styles, and object styles for quickly and consistently formatting text and objects. Another significant reason to use styles is that you can make global changes—such as changing the body text font or adjusting drop shadows—by simply editing the style. This can save you hours in making revisions to long documents such as books.
Styles work as follows:
A paragraph style includes all text formatting attributes—such as font, size, and alignment—and it applies to all the text in a paragraph. You can select a paragraph for formatting by clicking in it, highlighting any part of it, or highlighting all of it.
A character style includes only character attributes—such as font style (bold or italic) and color—and it applies only to selected text within a paragraph. Character styles are generally applied to call attention to specific text within a paragraph.
An object style lets you apply formatting—such as fill and stroke color, stroke styles and corner effects, transparency, drop shadows, feathering, text frame options, and text wrap—to selected objects.
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A diagram shows an object. The object contains a paragraph and the paragraph style. The paragraph styles specify formats such as alignment and basic character formats such as font and line spacing. A specific text within the paragraph is labeled as follows. The character styles specify variations from the character formats in the paragraph styles. A text pointed to the text frame reads as follows. The object style for this text frame specifies the inset (that indents the text from the edges of the frame), the stroke around the edges of the frame, and the drop shadow behind it.
Applying paragraph styles
Because the postcard is part of a series, all the paragraph styles you need are already created. You will first apply the Body Copy style to all the text in the two threaded text frames, and then you will apply the Subhead style to the headings.
Using the Type tool (
), click in one of the text frames containing the newly imported text.
A screenshot represents the step of applying paragraph styles. The text in the text frame is first selected. Then, the properties panel on the right is opened. The type tool drop-down list box is then selected. Within the list, the Body copy style is selected.
Choose Edit > Select All to select all the text in the story.
Click the Paragraph Styles button at the top of the Properties panel. Click the Paragraph Styles menu and select the Body Copy style to format the entire story.
Using the Type tool, click in the first line of text in the story: “Starters & Small Plates.”
NOTE
If a plus sign (+) displays next to the applied style (Body Copy or Subhead), it indicates that the text formatting does not precisely match the style’s formatting. To resolve this, click Clear Overrides (
) at the bottom of the Paragraph Styles panel. You will learn more about styles in Lesson 9, “Working with Styles.”As you can see from the hidden character (the paragraph return) at the end of the line, this line is actually its own paragraph. Therefore, it can be formatted with a paragraph style.
Select the Subhead style from the Paragraph Styles menu in the Properties panel.
Apply the Subhead paragraph style to the “Entrées & Desserts” subhead as well.
Choose Edit > Deselect All, and then choose File > Save.
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Formatting text for the character style
Highlighting key words in a paragraph can draw readers into the text. For the postcard copy, you will format the abbreviations for vegetarian foods (V) and gluten-free foods (GF) to make them “pop” and then create a character style based on that formatting. You can then quickly apply the character style to other selected words.
Using the Zoom tool (
), zoom in on the first text frame in the lower-left quadrant of the postcard. This frame contains the subhead “Starters & Small Plates.”Using the Type tool (
), select the “(V)” in the first paragraph of body copy; be sure to include the parentheses.In the Character controls of the Properties panel at the right, select Italic from the Type Style menu.
Click the Fill box (
) to display the document’s color swatches. Click the red swatch named Red-Bright to apply the color to the text.
A screenshot represents the step of formatting text. A text, (V) is selected in the text frame, it is highlighted. Then, the fill box in the appearance section of the properties panel is clicked. In the next step, the type style menu from the character section is set to Italic.
Click the pasteboard to deselect the text and view your changes.
Choose File > Save.
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Creating and applying a character style
Now that you have formatted the text, you are ready to create a character style based on that formatting.
Using the Type tool (
), select the newly formatted “(V).”Choose Type > Character Styles to display the Character Styles panel.
Select New Character Style from the panel menu (
).
A figure illustrates the creation of a new character style. The text, (V) is selected in the text frame. Then, the character styles panel is opened. The panel menu is opened. The option, new character style is then clicked. This selection is labeled out by a frame.
The New Character Style dialog opens with a new style named Character Style 1. This new style includes the characteristics of the selected text, as indicated in the Style Settings area of the dialog.
In the Style Name field, replace the default name (Character Style 1) with Red Italic.
At the bottom of the New Character Style dialog, select Apply Style To Selection.
A screenshot illustrates the new character style dialog box. The general option in the left panel is selected. The style name field is then set to Red Italic. Then, apply style to selection checkbox at the bottom is then selected. The general page has general and style settings sections.
Click OK.
Using the Type tool, select the “(V, GF)” later in the first paragraph.
Click Red Italic in the Character Styles panel.
Because you applied a character style instead of a paragraph style, the formatting affected only the selected text, not the entire paragraph.
Using the Type tool, select the “(V)” next to “fresh basil pesto” in the text frame at the right.
Click Red Italic in the Character Styles panel.
Repeat the process to apply the Red Italic character style to the “(V, GF)” and the trailing period at the end of the paragraph.
A screenshot illustrates the character styles panel. The text (V, G F) in the text frame is selected, it is highlighted. The text provides a brief for Entrees and desserts. The character styles panel is open on the right. The option, red italic within the panel is then selected.
Choose Type > Character Styles to close the panel, and then choose File > Save.
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