Datasheet
InDesign Vocabulary 101
I
nDesign comes with its own terminology, much of it adopted from other Adobe products. The gen-
eral terms include the following:
n
Frame: The container for an object, whether text, graphic, or color fill.
n
Link: The connection that InDesign makes to an imported file; the link contains the file’s
location, last modification date, and last modification time. A link can reference any
image or text file that you have imported into a layout. InDesign can notify you when a
source text or graphics file has changed, so you can choose whether to update the version
in your layout. (A
hyperlink,
often also abbreviated to
link
in casual conversation, con-
nects elements in a Web page to other Web pages or other resources such as PDF files.)
n
Package: The collecting of all files needed to deliver a layout for commercial printing.
n
Pane: A section of a dialog box or panel whose options change based on what set of con-
trols you’ve selected in the dialog box or panel.
n
Panel: A container for controls that stays on-screen even when you aren’t using it (unlike a
dialog box, which appears only while you are using it). Panels, which used to be called
palettes
, can be docked to the right edge of the screen or free-floating. Panels can be
combined into a single container called a
panel group
.
n
Path: A shape in which the endpoint and start point are separate, keeping the shape
“open.” Lines are a straight type of path.
n
PDF: The Adobe Portable Document Format is the standard for electronic documents. No
matter what kind of computer it is viewed on (Windows, Macintosh, Palm, or Unix), a
PDF document retains high fidelity to the original in typography, graphics representation,
and layout. InDesign can both place PDF files as if they were graphics and export its own
pages as PDF files.
n
Place: To import a graphics file or text file.
n
Plug-in: A piece of software that loads into InDesign and becomes part of it, adding more
capabilities.
n
Stroke: The outline of an object (whether a frame, a line, or an individual text character).
n
Thread: The links between text frames that route stories among them.
Summary
InDesign offers a strong set of features for professional publishers working on brochures, maga-
zines, advertisements, and similar publications. It offers many unique features such as a multiline
composer, glyph scaling, and customer character strokes.
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Welcome to InDesign
Part I
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