InDesign® CS4 Bible

Chapter 4. Creating, Opening, and Saving Documents

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Planning a publication

• Creating a new document

• Opening native and foreign documents and templates

• Saving documents and templates

• Exporting documents and document elements

You're pumped up. You've purchased a copy of InDesign, installed it, checked out the interface, and now you're ready to put the program to work. So, what's next? Launch the application and start clicking? Hardly. Creating a publication with InDesign is much like going on a trip. You don't reach your destination unless you've prepared a plan for getting there. And you reach your destination more quickly and more easily if your plan is a sound one.

Remember, too, that most trips don't go exactly according to plan. InDesign is both versatile and forgiving. As you create a publication, you should feel free to change your mind, experiment, and let your creativity roam. As long as you reach your destination (on time!), taking a few detours is acceptable, and encountering a few roadblocks (small ones, you hope) is inevitable.

Taking Stock before You Begin

Before you launch InDesign, open a new document, and begin working, you must answer several fundamental questions about the publication you are producing:

• What is the basic nature of the piece? Will it be printed, or will it be distributed over the Internet or an intranet? Is it going to be published as a print, PDF, Flash, or Web piece, or perhaps in several formats?

• What are its dimensions?

• How many pages will ...