8.5

Table Of Contents
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:
Select items from more than one layer (for example, by selecting everything on the page).
To select consecutive layers in the palette, press Shift while you click the first and last layer
in the range you want to select.
To select nonconsecutive layers in the palette, press Command/Ctrl while clicking the
layers you want to select.
To deselect a layer when multiple layers are selected, press Command/Ctrl and click the
layer you want to deselect.
A GUIDE TO QUARKXPRESS 8.5: PLUS EDITION | 193
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