10.0

A layout can contain up to 256 layers, including the Default layer.
Understanding layers
A QuarkXPress layer is like a clear overlay that covers every page in a layout. You can put
almost anything on a layer, including picture boxes, text boxes, lines, tables, interactive
objects, and any other kind of QuarkXPress item.
Layers can be useful in many different ways:
• You can put all pictures on a one layer and all text on another layer, allowing you to work
more easily with boxes should they overlap.
• You can put different translations of a document on different layers, and thus store all
language versions of the document in the same layout. When you print the layout, you
can hide all of the layers except the one that contains the language you want.
• You can put different versions of a design on different layers, so that you can easily switch
back and forth among variations on the design theme when showing a design to a client.
• You can use layer locking to prevent accidental changes to layers containing page elements
that should not be altered. For example, if you're going to be printing on stock that is
preprinted with a letterhead and background graphic, you can include that letterhead and
background graphic in a layer so that you can see what the finished printed piece will look
like, and then you can lock that layer and omit it from printing.
If you have used image-editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop, you may already
be familiar with the concept of layers. However, layers have some implications in
QuarkXPress layouts that they do not have in image editing:
• Even if a front layer is showing, you can "click through" any empty portions of that layer
and select items on underlying layers, without having to manually change the active layer.
• Each layer exists on every page in a QuarkXPress layout, rather than being specific to a
page or spread. This makes it easy to control the appearance of every page in a long layout.
• Text in a rear layer can run around objects in a front layer.
Creating layers
To create a layer, click the New Layer button in the Layers palette. The new layer is
added to the Layers palette, in front of the active layer. The new layer is active by default,
which means that any items you create will be placed on that layer.
To create a new item on a particular layer, first click the layer's name in the Layers palette
to activate that layer. Then use any of the standard item creation tools to create items on
the layer.
A GUIDE TO QUARKXPRESS 10 | 227
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