10.2

• 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.
Selecting layers
The active layer is identified in the Layers palette by the Edit icon . The active layer
is the layer where any new items you create will be put. You can set the active layer
in two ways:
• Click the layer name in the Layers palette.
• Select a single item on the page. That item's layer automatically becomes the active
layer.
Only one layer can be active at a time (even if you select items on more than one layer
at a time). However, you can select more than one layer at a time (for example, if you
want to merge the layers). To select more than one layer, do one of the following
things:
228 | A GUIDE TO QUARKXPRESS 10.2
DOCUMENT CONSTRUCTION