When type is selected, you can apply a style to characters by clicking buttons in the Control panel’s character options: All Caps, Small Caps, Superscript, Subscript, Underline, and Strikethrough (Figure 33a). All these commands are available in the Character panel menu as well.

Figure 33a The character options in the Control panel include buttons for styles such as Small Caps and Underline.

When text is selected with the Type tool, you can stroke, or outline, its edges and change its color. To apply a stroke to text, enter a value in the Weight field in the Stroke panel (Window menu). To change the color of text, click a color swatch in the Swatches panel (Window menu). The Fill/Stroke button on the Swatches panel and the Tools panel controls whether the color applies to the stroke or body of the characters (Figure 33b).

Figure 33b The Stroke panel lets you outline selected characters, and the Swatches panel lets you apply a color to them.

To achieve certain design effects, you might want to horizontally scale (expand) or vertically scale (condense) text. Since scaling distorts text, it is usually reserved for increasing the visual impact of display type such as headlines. Some designers, however, will scale text a tiny bit (such as 97% horizontally) for copyfitting purposes. You have two options for scaling text, numerically or visually:

•   Using the Type tool, select a range of text and then enter a percent value in the Horizontal Scale or Vertical Scale field in the Character panel (Figure 33c) or in the character options in the Control panel. If you end up with overset text from scaling characters, resize the text frame.

Figure 33c The Vertical Scale and Horizontal Scale fields let you condense and expand text, respectively.

Use the Appropriate Font Face

When you select a typeface in InDesign, such as Helvetica, an adjacent menu lets you select a style such as Condensed, Expanded, or Italic. In general, it is better to use the font style rather than scaling or skewing type because you benefit from alterations the font designer made to the spacing and characters. Scaling and skewing work best for creating special effects.

•   Using the Scale tool , drag a corner of a text frame to resize it (Figure 33d). All the text scales automatically, scaling vertically if you change the frame width and scaling horizontally if you change the frame width. As a shortcut to selecting the Scale tool, you can press Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows) while using the Selection tool to resize a text frame.

Figure 33d Dragging the corner of a text frame with the Scale tool scales the text as you resize the frame.

InDesign can skew, or slant, type to somewhat mimic italics. To do this, select text with the Type tool and enter a value in the Skew field in the Character panel (Figure 33e) or in the character options in the Control panel. Skew is expressed in degrees with positive values skewing text to the right and negative values skewing text to the left.

Figure 33e The Skew field lets you enter a value in degrees to slant type to the right or left.

If you cannot achieve the look you want by adjusting the font, stroke, color, scale, or skew of type, you can convert the characters to a frame of the same shape. You can then add a stroke or fill color—or you can fill the frame with text or a graphic. To do this, select the text with the Type tool (you can only convert one line of text at a time) and choose Type > Create Outlines.

To create a drop cap:

1.   Click in a paragraph with the Type tool to select the paragraph.

2.   In the Paragraph panel (Type menu) or in the paragraph options in the Control panel (Figure 34a), locate the Drop Cap Number of Lines and Drop Cap One or More Characters fields.

Figure 34a The Paragraph panel provides control over how many characters are treated as drop caps and how deep they drop into the paragraph.

3.   In the Drop Cap Number of Lines field, enter the number of lines you want the drop caps to drop into. For example, if you enter 3, the drop caps become large enough to drop down into the first three lines of the paragraph.

4.   In the Drop Cap One or More Characters field, enter how many characters you want to become drop caps.

Generally, you will only see one-character drop caps, but sometimes the number is adjusted based on the context. For example, it might be modified so the entire first word of a paragraph becomes the drop cap (and therefore you have to set the value for each paragraph). Or, if you usually use one drop cap but the first character is an open quotation mark, you might adjust that paragraph to have a two-character drop cap.

Once you have created drop caps for a paragraph, you can still select those characters and apply additional character attributes. It’s pretty common to see a font or color change in a drop cap.

The Drop Caps and Nested Styles dialog box (Figure 34b) lets you create a drop cap, apply a character style to it, and apply a character style to the beginning of the paragraph—for example, to change the first sentence to all caps—all in one place. You can also apply character styles to specific lines—such as every third line—in a paragraph using line styles. To set up this formatting, first create any character styles you will need for the drop caps, nested styles, and line styles. Then click in the paragraph and choose Drop Caps and Nested Styles from the Control panel menu or Paragraph panel menu.

•   Drop Caps area: Set up the drop cap in the Lines and Characters fields. To apply additional formatting to the drop caps through a character style, choose it from the Character Style menu.

•   Align Left Edge check box: Certain characters, often in sans serif fonts, might appear to be out of alignment with the rest of the paragraph. If this is the case, check Align Left Edge.

•   Scale for Descenders check box: In tight leading situations, some drop-cap characters may overlap text below in the paragraph. If this is the case, check Scale for Descenders.

•   Nested Styles area: To specify formatting for the beginning of the paragraph, click New Nested Style. Select the character style for the text first, and then use the next three fields to specify how much text to apply it to. For example, you might apply a bold font to the first three words in a paragraph. Or, you might apply a different color up to an em space. You can create more than one nested style for a paragraph, which is helpful for formatting single-line paragraphs in a table of contents, for example.

Repeating Nested Styles

InDesign provides the option to repeat, or loop, two or more nested styles. You might do this to apply an italic font to every other word or every third word in a paragraph, for example.

To loop nested styles, create a new paragraph style. In the Drop Caps and Nested Styles pane of the New Paragraph Style dialog box, click New Nested Style, and then choose the first character style you want to apply from the list of character styles. Modify the settings as needed. Add new nested styles in the desired sequence. To loop the nested styles, click New Nested Style, choose Repeat from the list of character styles, and then specify the number of character styles you want to include.

•   Line Styles area: This area works much the same as the Nested Styles area. To get started, click New Line Style. Select a character style to specify the formatting for the line. Then, specify the number of lines for that formatting. To create a pattern of formatting, such as every other line, create additional line styles.

Figure 34b The Drop Caps and Nested Styles dialog box lets you easily apply formatting within paragraphs, including drop caps and style changes such as small caps or bold.

Note that you do not have to use drop caps, nested styles, and line styles: You can specify only what you need.

From the Insert Special Character submenus (Type menu), you can insert commonly used characters. For example, the Symbols submenu lets you insert a Bullet •, Copyright Symbol ©, Ellipsis ..., Paragraph Symbol ¶, or Registered Trademark Symbol ^®; the Hyphens and Dashes submenu lets you insert an Em Dash—or En Dash –. The character is inserted at the text insertion point and formatted with the active font. If you end up inserting these characters often, you might want to learn and remember their standard keyboard shortcuts or create your own (see #3).

To access every variation of every character within a font, choose Type > Glyphs to open the Glyphs panel (Figure 35). To insert a glyph at the text insertion point, scroll through the panel to locate the glyph and then double-click. The glyph is inserted and formatted according to the surrounding character formats. The Glyphs panel provides access to all the fonts currently active on your system and offers the following controls:

•   Recently Used: The most recent glyphs you access are listed across the top of the Glyphs panel for quick insertion.

•   Show menu: You can limit the glyphs shown in the panel by choosing an option from the Show menu such as Alternates for Selection or Standard Ligatures. The options vary according to what is built into the font, with OpenType fonts generally offering the most options.

•   Font menu: By default, the Glyphs panel displays the font in use at the text insertion point. You can select a different font from the menu in the lower-left corner of the panel. The menu next to it lets you choose a variation of the font such as Bold or Italic.

•   Scale buttons: Click the scale buttons in the lower-right corner of the panel to increase or decrease the size of the glyphs shown. This makes it easy to find the right glyph but does not affect the size of the character you insert.

•   Alternates indicator: Some glyphs have alternates, or different visual forms, from which you can choose. If you see an arrow in the lower-right corner of a glyph’s field, click it to view and select alternates.

Figure 35. The Glyphs panel provides quick access to all the glyphs within the selected font. Double-click a glyph to insert it in text at the text insertion point.

If you use certain glyphs frequently—for example, if you’re working on a cookbook and need to access various fractions—you can save them as a glyph set for quick access. Glyph sets are saved with your copy of InDesign. To create a glyph set:

As with other glyphs, you can insert a glyph from a set by double-clicking it.

You have two choices for anchoring objects: You can anchor existing objects or you can anchor placeholder objects. To anchor an existing object in text:

By default, the object is anchored Inline, but you can reposition it using the Anchored Object Options dialog box. If the object is larger than surrounding text, it may overlap the text; in that case, you may need to adjust the leading or insert line breaks.

If you haven’t created the object that will be anchored—or if its content is not ready—you can create a rectangular placeholder and anchor it in text. To do this:

You can also specify the position of the anchored object, as discussed in the next section.

To change the positioning of an anchored object, click it using a selection tool and choose Object > Anchored Object > Options. The controls in the Anchored Object Options dialog box are the same as those for positioning in the Insert Anchored Object dialog box. Choose an option from the Position menu at the top:

If you choose Inline or Above Line from the Position menu, the Anchored Object Options dialog box (Figure 36b) lets you specify which type of anchoring you want and then further fine-tune the positioning.

Figure 36b When Inline or Above Line is selected from the Position menu, the Anchored Object Options dialog box lets you specify the position of anchored objects that are flowing with text or above lines of text.

If you choose Custom from the Position menu, the Anchored Object Options dialog box (Figure 36c) lets you specify precisely where the object should be placed.

Figure 36c For an anchored object with Custom alignment, the Anchored Object Options dialog box lets you position the object in relation to the columns of text, the page, and more.

The interplay of these settings is fairly complex, so be sure to check the Preview box so you can see any changes you make as you make them.

If you no longer want an object anchored, select it with a selection tool, and then choose Object > Anchored Object > Release. (The Release command is available only for anchored objects with Custom alignment.) To unanchor an object that you anchored, select it with the Selection tool, choose Edit > Cut, and deselect the containing text frame. Then, choose Edit > Paste to place the unanchored object on the page.

To apply optical margin alignment to a text frame:

1.   Select a text frame with the Type tool or either selection tool.

2.   Choose Type > Story.

3.   Check Optical Margin Alignment in the Story panel (Figure 38b).

Figure 38b Use the Story panel to create hanging punctuation for the selected text frame.

4.   Specify how much the text should hang outside the margins by entering a point size in the field. (In general, select the point size of the text itself.)

If you have headlines and body text in the same text frame, you might want to set optical margin alignment for the text frame so the headline appears properly aligned. You can then specify that the body paragraphs ignore the optical margin alignment setting. To do this, select the paragraphs with the Type tool and choose Ignore Optical Margin from the Paragraph panel menu (Type menu).

To import tables from Word or Excel:

1.   Choose File > Place.

2.   In the Place dialog box, navigate to and select the Word (.doc) or Excel (.xls) file.

3.   Check Show Import Options.

4.   Click Open. The Microsoft Word Import Options dialog box or the Microsoft Excel Import Options dialog box opens.

5.   For Word files, make sure Preserve Formatting from Text and Tables is selected in the Formatting area in the Microsoft Word Import Options dialog box. For Excel files, make sure Formatted Table is selected from the Table menu in the Formatting area (Figure 39).

Figure 39. The Microsoft Excel Import Options dialog box lets you customize how Excel tables are imported into InDesign.

6.   Click OK.

7.   Since the table is treated like text, the table is either imported at the text insertion point or the cursor is loaded and you click in an existing text frame or create a new one.

When you import tables, spreadsheets, and text files, you have the option to link to the original file. If any changes occur in the original file, you can update the link in InDesign (using the Links panel) and the table or text is automatically updated. This is similar to updating the link to a graphic file, which InDesign maintains automatically. If you want to do this, check Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheet Files in the Type pane in the Preferences dialog box before you import the table. Then check the Links panel to see if a table needs to be updated. See #58 for more information about managing links.

Linking to tables sounds great, right? How many times do writers and accountants make changes after you have formatted their text and tables? But linking is really not as great as it seems, because if you update the link between InDesign and the original file, any formatting you applied in InDesign is lost. And why would you be using InDesign if not to make the table look better? Use this feature only if you’re not planning to make formatting changes to the tables in InDesign.

To add text to a table cell, click in the cell with the Type tool. You can then type in that cell, paste text into the cell (Edit > Paste), or import text into the cell (File > Place). To navigate between cells, press the Tab key to jump to the next cell and press Shift+Tab to jump to the previous cell. Row height will adjust automatically to accommodate the amount of text you type in the cell.

Since table cells function like small text frames, to place graphics in them you anchor the graphic in text. With tables, it’s easiest to size the graphic appropriately first, before you anchor it. That way, you can ensure the graphic will fit in the cell. To anchor a graphic in text, select it with the Selection tool and choose Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy. Select the Type tool, click in a cell where you want the graphic, and choose Edit > Paste (Figure 42). You can also click in a cell and choose Object > Anchored Object > Insert to anchor a placeholder for a graphic.

Figure 42. You can combine text and graphics in the same table cell by anchoring a graphic in text like the steak shown here.

To format an entire table as opposed to individual cells, click anywhere in the table with the Type tool. Then choose Table > Table Options > Table Setup. The Table Setup tab (Figure 43a) lets you change the number of rows and columns, add a table border, and specify the amount of space before and after the table.

Figure 43a The Table Options dialog box provides formats for the entire table such as a table border and spacing before and after the table.

In the Table Options dialog box, the Row Strokes, Column Strokes, and Fills tabs (Figure 43b) let you apply a pattern of strokes and/or fills such as applying a fill to every third column. You can also apply a table style to a selected table (see #44). For information about the Headers and Footers tab, see #45.

Figure 43b The Fills tab automates the process of creating a pattern, such as applying a tint to every other column, to improve a table’s legibility.

To format cells, you first need to make a selection—a single cell, multiple adjacent cells, or the entire table. You can then specify how the text is positioned within the cell, specify strokes and fills for the cell, and even select cells with a pattern of diagonal lines. To make a selection, use the Type tool and then do one of the following:

Once you have cells selected to format, choose Table > Cell Options > Text. The Text tab in the Cell Options dialog box (Figure 43c) lets you change Cell Insets, Vertical Justification, First Baseline, Clipping, and Text Rotation within the cells. The Strokes and Fills, Rows and Columns, and Diagonal Lines tabs let you specify cell sizes and add strokes and/or fills to the cells for emphasis or clarity. You can also apply cell styles (see #44).

Figure 43c The Cell Options dialog box lets you specify the text placement, strokes, and fills for selected cells.

The table formatting options used most often are also available in the Table panel (Figure 43d). To open the panel, choose Window > Type & Tables > Table. Point at the controls on the panel to display their tool tips and see what they do. The Table panel menu provides quick access to most of the commands in the Table menu.

Figure 43d The Table panel provides quick access to commonly used table formatting options such as number of rows and columns, and text inset within cells.

When table rows or columns are selected, the Control panel provides quick access to common table formatting options (Figure 43e). These include options for formatting text in selected cells, rotating text, adding rows and columns, merging cells, and more. You can also apply styles to selected cells or the entire table (see #44).

Figure 43e When you select rows or columns in a table, the Control panel offers options for formatting the text, cells, and table.

Table styles apply to entire tables and include both table formatting options and cell styles. For example, a table style might include a table border, a cell style for header rows, and an alternating pattern of row strokes. Cell styles include options such as text inset, baseline, and fills.

Generally, the best way to create styles is to first format a sample table or sample cell. Then, use the formatted table or cell as a basis for the style. To create a style:

1.   Using the Type tool, select a formatted table.

2.   Choose Window > Type & Tables > Table Styles or Cell Styles.

3.   From the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel menu, choose New Table Style or New Cell Style.

4.   In the Table Style Options (Figure 44a) or Cell Style Options dialog box, enter a name for the style.

Figure 44a The Table Style Options dialog box lets you specify a name and shortcut key in the General pane and table formatting in the Table Setup, Row Strokes, Column Strokes, and Fills panes.

5.   All the options are already set based on the formatting applied to the selected table or cell as summarized in the Style Settings area. Click in the scroll list at left to display panes of different options and change any formatting.

If you’re not working with a formatted table or cell, you can create a new style by clicking the Create New Style button at the bottom of the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel. This creates a new style in the panel called Table Style 1 or Cell Style 1. The number reflects the creation order. Double-click the new style to name and modify it.

You can apply a table style when you create a table (Table > Insert Table) or convert text to a table (Table > Convert Text to Table). In addition, you can select tables and cells and apply styles from the Control panel, Table Styles panel, and Cell Styles panel.

•   Table style: To apply a table style, click in a table with the Type tool. Click the style name in the Table Styles panel (Figure 44b). If rows or columns are selected in the table, you can choose a style from the Control panel as well.

Figure 44b Click a style name in the Table Styles panel to apply it to selected text.

•   Cell style: To apply a cell style, select the cell, cells, rows, or columns with the Type tool (see #43 for more information about selecting rows and columns). Click the style name in the Cell Styles panel or the Control panel.

Once you apply a table style, you’re not stuck with that formatting. You can continue to modify the table’s formatting as you wish. Any formatting that does not match the style is called an “override.” After applying overrides, if you need to revert a table’s formatting to exactly match the formatting in its style, choose Clear Overrides from the Table Styles panel menu. You can also Option-click (Mac OS) or Alt-click a style name. If rows or columns are selected in the table and you only want to clear overrides in the selection, click Clear Overrides in Selection at the bottom of the Table Styles panel. These same techniques work for clearing overrides in selected cells.

To change the attributes specified in a table style or cell style, double-click the style name or select the style name and choose Style Options from the Table Styles or Cell Styles panel menus. Or, as a shortcut, reformat a cell or table, and then choose Redefine Style from the panel menu. The Table Styles and Cell Styles panel menus also provide options for duplicating, deleting, importing, and exporting styles.

You have two choices for creating header and footer rows: You can convert existing rows, or you can add new rows.

•   Converting Rows: In many cases, you will format your own rows to serve as header or footer rows—then realize you need the “official” header or footer rows because the table will actually continue in a different column, text frame, or page. In that case, you can convert the rows containing the header and footer information into actual header and footer rows. To do this, select the rows containing the header or footer information. (Using the Type tool, move the pointer over the right or left edge of the table until it turns into an arrow. Click to select the row, or click and drag to select multiple rows. Choose Table > Convert Rows > To Header or Table > Convert Rows > To Footer. If you’re using both headers and footers in a table, you’ll have to convert the rows separately.

•   Adding New Rows: To add new rows for headers and footers, choose Table > Table Options > Headers and Footers. In the Headers and Footers tab (Figure 45b), enter the number of header rows to add in the Header Rows field. Enter the number of footer rows to add in the Footer Rows field.

Figure 45b The Headers and Footers tab lets you add header and footer rows to the selected table and control how often the rows repeat.

•   Headers and Footers Options: Whether you convert existing rows or add new headers and footers, you can control how often they appear in the Headers and Footers tab. Use the Repeat Header and Repeat Footer menus to specify whether the row should appear every time the table flows to a new column, to a new text frame, or only to a new page. If the start of the table contains column headings or footer information in a different format, such as a graphic, you can remove the header and footer from the start of the table. To do this, click Skip First in the Header area or Skip Last in the Footer area.

If you change your mind about header and footer rows, you can select the rows and delete them or decrease the number of Header Rows or Footer Rows in the Headers and Footers tab.

When you edit content in rows designated as headers and footers, the text and graphics automatically update wherever the header and footer is used. (As a result, do not insert words such as “continued” in the header of the continuation of a table because it will show up on the first part of the table as well.) To quickly jump to a header or footer row to start editing it, choose Table > Edit Header or Table > Edit Footer.

You can insert blank rows and columns within a table whenever you need them. To insert rows and columns, first select the Type tool.

•   Inserting rows: To insert rows within a table, click in a row above or below where you want the new rows. Choose Table > Insert > Row. In the Insert Row(s) dialog box (Figure 46a), enter the number of rows to insert in the Number field and then click Above or Below to indicate the position.

Figure 46a The Insert Row(s) dialog box lets you specify how many rows to insert and where to insert them.

•   Inserting columns: To insert columns within a table, click in a column to the left or right of where you want the new columns. Choose Table > Insert > Column. In the Insert Column(s) dialog box, enter the number of columns to insert in the Number field and then click Left or Right to indicate the position.

You can add rows to the bottom of a table or add columns to the right side of a table at any time. First, click in the table somewhere with the Type tool, then do one of the following:

The Delete key will eliminate just about any selection in InDesign—selected text and objects, for example. It will not, however, delete selections within a table but will delete the contents instead.

To delete parts of a table or an entire table, make a selection first. With the Type tool, click in a row, column, or table that you want to delete. Choose Table > Select, and then choose Row, Column, or Table. You can also click outside the table when the arrow pointer displays to select a row or column (Figure 46b). Drag the arrow pointer to select multiple rows or columns. Once you’ve made a selection, choose Table > Delete, and then choose Row, Column, or Table.

Figure 46b When you point outside a table with the Type tool, the arrow pointer lets you select entire rows and columns to format, cut and paste, or delete.

If the initial column widths and row heights are not quite right—and they rarely are—they are easy to adjust. Using the Type tool, you can drag the gridlines between rows and columns to adjust the sizes (Figure 46c). You can also drag any edge of the table to resize the table height or width in any direction.

Figure 46c Using the Type tool, drag the gridlines to adjust column widths and row heights.

To “clean up” a table so the columns are the same width and the rows are the same height, choose Table > Distribute Columns Evenly or Table > Distribute Rows Evenly. You can also specify a height for selected rows and a width for selected columns in the Table panel and in the Rows and Columns tab in the Cell Options dialog box (Table menu).

You may need to merge and split cells for various reasons such as creating a single-cell row for a table’s title, adding a column that contains a vertical graphic, or dividing a cell into two to contain a note along with data.

To merge cells, first select the cells to merge with the Type tool. You can select any number of adjacent cells, including selecting cells across rows and columns to create a large rectangular cell. When the cells are selected, choose Table > Merge Cells (Figure 46d). If you change your mind about the merged cells, select the cell and choose Table > Unmerge Cells.

Figure 46d The Table menu lets you merge and split cells.

To split a cell, click in it to select it. Then, choose Table > Split Cell Horizontally or Table > Split Cell Vertically.