User Guide

Canvas 12 User Guide
Sharing layers
Sharing a layer means linking a layer to more than one page in a document. Since the shared layers
are linked, if you modify one layer, all the linked layers will change. Therefore, shared layers can be
used like additional master pages. The names of shared layers and objects on them are indicated in
italics in the Document Layout palette.
Unsharing a layer converts it from a shared layer into a regular, non-linked layer on one page or
throughout a document.
To share a layer:
1. Select the layer you want to share in the Document Layout palette.
2. Choose Share Layer in the palette’s menu.
3. In the Select dialog box, select the pages in the list that you want to share the layer and click
Select. The shared layer name appears in the list of layers for each page you selected.
The name and content of the dialog box changes according to the type of document you are
creating; i.e., pages, sheets, frames, or slides.
You can also share a layer by pressing Shift and dragging the layer to another page (except
the master page).
To unshare a layer:
1. Select the layer you want to unshare.
2. Choose Unshare Layer in the palette’s menu.
3. In the message box, click one of the following:
Yes: Unshares all instances of the shared layer in the document. Canvas unlinks the
layers and creates a copy of the layer on each page.
No: Unshares the layer on the currently selected page only. The rest of the layers remain
shared.
Dispersing objects
You can use the Disperse command to quickly move objects to pages throughout a document. This is
useful for creating frames and slides. For example, you can select a series of graphics, and use
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