Using InDesign Manual 2025

Using the Control panel with type The Control panel has two modes when using it with type. If you are using the Type tool to create or select text, the character mode will appear in the Control Panel. This gives you tools to modify font, size, line spacing, kerning, tracking and much more. The Control Panel also has paragraph mode, which allows you to adjust entire paragraphs or stories at once. This includes options for alignment, margins, styles and columns. Text frames Text frames refer to an area that contains text or copy in a document. The boundary or scope of the text box is defined by a bounding box with text frame handles and in and out ports for linking or threading text boxes. Placeholder text Placeholder text

FILL AND STROKE A stroke

A stroke is a line that surrounds an object, also known as the border. Text characters and the outside of text frames can also have

a stroke just like shapes and paths.

Stroke palette The Stroke palette is used to select the width and style of the stroke or border of the shape or path. Stroke weight The stroke weight is the thickness of the line created by the Stroke palette. In the Stroke palette, you can view additional options by selecting the palette menu and choosing Show Options. Fill Fill refers to the color or mix of colors color. A fill can be applied to an object by selecting the object and clicking a color in the Swatches palette. A gradient fill can be applied by selecting the Gradient Swatch or Gradient Feather tool, then click, hold and drag across a selected object. Swatches palette The Swatches palette is used to control the color used in a document. When the stroke or fill of a selected object or text contains a color or even a tint of a color, the applied swatch is highlighted in the Swatches palette. applied to the inside of an object. Fills can also be paper, none or a gradient of any

is used to design a page until you have the actual text to

work with. To fill a text frame with placeholder text, click in a text frame so you have a blinking cursor, then go to Type > Fill with Placeholder Text. Overset text

When working within a text frame, you may see a red plus sign in the bottom right of the frame. This indicates that there is hidden or overset text within that frame. To

reveal this text, you need to stretch the text frames to increase the width or height, or by flowing the overset text into another text frame.

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