Adobe InDesign: Creating Text and Text Frames

Overview

• Adobe InDesign uses containers called text frames to hold text.
• There are two main types of text frames:
  • Frame Grids: Specific to Asian-language compositions, displaying character emboxes and spacing as grids.
  • Plain Text Frames: No grid displayed, similar to text boxes in other software.

Tools for Manipulating Text Frames

• Type Tool: Used to enter or edit text within frames.
• Selection Tool: Used for general layout tasks like positioning and resizing frames.
• Direct Selection Tool: Alters the shape of frames.
• Horizontal/Vertical Grid Tools: Create frame grids.
• Type/Vertical Type Tool: Create or edit horizontal or vertical plain text frames.

Text Frame Connectivity

• Text frames can be connected (threaded) so that text flows from one frame to another, forming a story.
• Text frames can have multiple columns independent of page columns.

Creating and Using Text Frames

• Creating:
  • Drag with the Type tool to define a new text frame.
  • Use the Place command to import text files.
  • Click inside any empty frame to convert it to a text frame if preferences are set.
• Moving and Resizing:
  • Use the Selection or Type tool with specific key commands to move or resize text frames.

Text Frames on Parent Pages

• The Primary Text Frame option allows for an empty text frame on the default parent page.
• Set primary text frames when consistent page-sized frames are needed.
• Smart Text Reflow can automatically add pages as you edit text.

Changing Text Frame Properties

• Use Text Frame Options to adjust columns, vertical alignment, and inset spacing.
• Adding Columns:
  • Specify number, width, and gutter for columns using Text Frame Options.
  • Fixed Column Width and Balanced Columns options available.

Advanced Features

• Inset Spacing: Set offset distances for text margins within frames.
• Baseline Options:
  • Change first baseline offset.
  • Set baseline grids for individual frames.
• Word and Character Counts:
  • Use Info panel to view text statistics.
• Language Support:
  • Assign languages for spell-check and hyphenation.
  • Special versions for Asian and Middle Eastern languages available.

Conclusion

Understanding the manipulation and creation of text frames in Adobe InDesign is critical for efficient layout design. With various tools and features, users can create complex text layouts suitable for a multitude of design needs, including multilingual projects.