Datasheet

16
Part I: Before You Begin
the X: and Y: values in the Control panel update as you drag the zero point so
that you can place it precisely.
If you change the zero point, it changes for all pages or spreads in the docu-
ment. You can reset the zero point to the upper-left corner of the left-most
page by double-clicking the intersection of the rulers in the upper-left corner.
If you move the zero point, all the objects on the page display new X: and Y:
values even though they haven’t actually moved. Objects above or to the left
of the zero point will show negative X: and Y: values, and the X: and Y: values
of other objects will not relate to their actual position on the page or spread.
You can lock the zero point, making it more difficult to accidentally change it.
Control+click or right-click the ruler origin and choose Lock Zero Point from
the menu that appears. (The Unlock Zero Point command is right there as
well, so you can just as easily unlock it.) Locking the zero point is a good idea
because it will remind anyone working on your document that you prefer that
they not fiddle with the zero point.
Pasteboard
The white area that surrounds the page is called the pasteboard. It’s a work-
space for temporarily storing objects. The pasteboard above and below each
page or spread is an inch deep. The pasteboard at both left and right of a
page or spread is just as wide as the page. For example, a spread composed
of two 8-inch-wide pages has 8 inches of pasteboard to the left and 8 inches
of pasteboard to the right, plus 1 inch of pasteboard above and 1 inch below.
You can make the height of the pasteboard above and below pages something
other than the default of 1 inch. To do so, open the Guides & Pasteboard
pane of the Preferences dialog box and choose a new value for the Minimum
Vertical Offset field. (Choose InDesign➪Preferences➪Guides & Pasteboard
[Ô+K] or Edit➪Preferences➪Guides & Pasteboard [Ctrl+K] to open the
Preferences dialog box.)
Application frame and bar
InDesign CS4 introduces the application frame. Windows users will already
know what an application frame is, though it never had a name: All the elements
of InDesign — its panels, document windows, and so on — were confined into
a window with a gray background. By contrast, on a Mac, all these elements
floated freely, so folders, icons and other applications could be visible “under-
neath” InDesign’s elements — and that confused some users.
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