2016

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.
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:
A GUIDE TO QUARKXPRESS 2016 | 283
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