Page Layout Editor

The Page Layout Editor lets you edit page layouts, including individual pages and frames within them. See Page Layouts and Editing Pages and Frames.

A page layout is used for page specifications (e.g., size, margins) and to apply certain content (e.g., headers, footers, page numbers) to many (or all) topics in print-based output. It allows for easy configuration through the use of content frames, bleeds, crop marks, registration marks, margins, padding, alignment features, and more. You might create multiple page layouts for different purposes (e.g., title page, TOC, chapters, appendix).

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What You Can Do in the Page Layout Editor

Following are the primary tasks that you can perform in the Page Layout Editor.

Bleed, Crop Marks, Registration Marks (Show) You can turn on indicators to see where your bleed is set on a page, as well as crop and registration marks. See Showing the Bleed, Crop, and Registration Marks in Page Layouts.
Frames (Add) You can add the following types of frames: Body, Header, Footer, Decoration, Image. See Adding Page Layout Frames.
Frames (Remove) Just as you can add new frames to a page as necessary, you can remove existing frames as well. See Removing Page Layout Frames.
Margins (Show) You can turn on indicators to see where your margins are set on a page. See Showing Margins in Page Layouts.
Padding (Show) You can turn on indicators to see where padding is set in a frame. See Showing Padding in Page Layouts.
Page Numbers/Variables (Add to Frame) The Select Frame Text dialog is used to choose an existing snippet for a frame. This is often used to insert page numbers or Heading variables into frames. You can also create custom snippet templates and select them from the dialog. See Select Frame Text Dialog.
Page Properties (Set) The Page Properties button lets you set properties for the active page in the layout. You can set properties such as the size, margins, page name, page type, background, and bleeds. See Page Properties Dialog.
Pages (Add) In each page layout, you need to decide how many pages you need and add them to the layout. The number of pages that you add depends on the differences that may occur on the various pages. For example, you might add a First Right page to be used only for the first page of the chapter. You also might add a Left page for even pages (e.g., 12, 14, 16, 18) and a Right page for odd pages (e.g., 11, 13, 15, 17). Each of those page types might display header or footer content differently. You also might want to add an Empty Left page to make sure that new chapters start on a right page. In the Page Layout Editor, only one page will be visible at any one time, but you can navigate to the other pages quickly by using the small squares to the right of the editor (one for each page in the page layout). See Adding Pages.
Pages and Frames (Edit) After you have the pages and frames that you need in a page layout, you can modify them to affect the content, as well as the look of the pages in the output. This might consist of various tasks, such as inserting page numbers or text, adding borders to frames, resizing frames, and more. See Editing Pages and Frames.
Text (Add to Frame) You can add any kind of content to a frame that you can add to a regular topic (e.g., text, links, images). See Adding Text and Content to Frames.

Local Toolbar

	Opens the Properties dialog for the page layout file. You can use this dialog to set file tags on the file, as well as apply condition tags to it.
	Clicking the face of the button opens the Page Properties button, which lets you set properties for the active page in the layout. You can set properties such as the size, margins, page name, page type, background, and bleeds. See Page Properties Dialog. If you click the down arrow, you can select any of the following from the menu. Copy Page Copies the active page. See Copying Pages in Page Layouts. Paste Page Pastes the page, thus creating a new one. See Copying Pages in Page Layouts. Duplicate Page Copies and pastes the page, thus creating a new one. See Duplicating Pages in Page Layouts. Remove Page Removes the selected page from the layout. See Removing Pages From Page Layouts. Add Page Opens a menu that lets you add one of the following types of pages. See Inserting Pages in Page Layouts. Title Select this type if you want the settings to be applied to the first page in your output, which typically displays the manual title. If you include an Empty page type in your page layout, the title page in the output will be followed by the empty page. It is not mandatory that you use this page type for a title. Instead, you can use one of the other types, such as Normal. First Select this type for the first page of a new chapter. This page type can be used in a situation where you are creating a simple configuration and you are not concerned with left and right pages (e.g., a document for electronic distribution only). In most cases, a First page type would be followed by Normal pages. First Left Select this page type if you want chapters to begin on left-sided pages, and you need a different look for those pages than would be used for a regular left page. First Right Select this page type if you want chapters to begin on right-sided pages, and you need a different look for those pages than would be used for a regular right page. Left Select this type if you want the settings to be applied to a page in the output when it appears on a left (or even) page (e.g., page 42). Right Select this type if you want the settings to be applied to a page in the output when it appears on a right (or odd) page (e.g., page 43). Normal Select this type if you do not want a Left/Right type of page flow, but instead just want the same layout on every page, perhaps like a screenplay. Empty Select this type if you want the settings to be applied to an empty page in the output. You might use this page type after Title pages. Otherwise, you probably want to use the Empty Left and Empty Right page types instead. Empty Left Select this type if you also have a First Right page type and need empty pages to be injected before them when necessary (i.e., to force a new chapter to begin on the right side). Empty Right Select this type if you also have a First Left page type and need empty pages to be injected before them when necessary (i.e., to force a new chapter to begin on the left side). Mirror Page Use this method if you have already created and configured a page and want the new page to share the same settings, with the page setup "mirrored" (i.e., the left and right margin settings will be reversed). For example, if the left margin on the original page is 1.5 inches and the right margin is .75 inches, the mirrored page will have a left margin of .75 inches and a right margin of 1.5 inches. This feature is typically used if you plan to create a Left page (for even pages) and a Right page (for odd pages). Most of the time, you would want a greater margin on the side of the page closest to any binding (to compensate for the extra space consumed by the binding). See Mirroring Pages in Page Layouts. Page Properties Opens the properties dialog for the page.
	Opens the Frame Properties dialog, which lets you edit frames that you add to a page layout. See Editing Pages and Frames and Frame Properties Dialog.
	Select the down arrow to choose one of the following, adding a new frame. See Adding Page Layout Frames. New Frame Mode The first time you select this option, it will allow you to draw a body frame. The second time, it will allow you to draw a header frame. The third time, it will allow you to draw a footer frame. And the fourth time, it will allow you to draw a decoration frame. New Header Frame Mode This lets you draw a header frame. This frame is designed to hold content from the topic (e.g., chapter title, page number). The frame is usually positioned at the top of a page, above the body text. Note You can have only one header frame per page. New Footer Frame Mode This option lets you draw a footer frame. This frame is designed to hold content from the topic (e.g., chapter title, page number) or text that you add. The frame is usually positioned at the bottom of a page, below the body text. Note You can have only one footer frame per page. New Body Frame Mode This option lets you draw a body frame. This frame, usually the largest on the page, is basically a placeholder for the content that you add to topics. You cannot add content directly to a body frame. If necessary, you can have multiple body frames on a page. This lets you customize the flow of text from one frame to another on a page. New Decoration Frame Mode This option lets you draw a decoration frame. This frame can be used to display content for aesthetic purposes on a page. You can add color, a border, text, and images to a decoration frame. Note Decoration frames are not supported in Word output. New Image Frame This option lets you draw an image frame. This frame opens the Insert Image dialog, prompting you to provide an image file. The image is added to a frame of the same size, which you can place on the page as necessary. If you do not want to use an image frame, you can use a decoration frame instead to display a picture.
	Converts the cursor to Select mode, which lets you select any frames in the page.
	Enables the snap feature, which functions somewhat like a magnet in the editor. When you are resizing, moving, or creating a frame, this option lets you snap its edges to different display positions—such as the edge of the page, margins, other frames, and the middle of the page vertically or horizontally. You do not need to have indicators—such as margins—turned on in order to use this feature, but it may be helpful to do so. See Using the Snap Feature in Page Layouts.
	Lets you add any kind of content to a frame that you can add to a regular topic (e.g., text, links, images). See Adding Text and Content to Frames.
	Opens the Select Frame Text dialog, which is used to choose an existing snippet for a frame. This is often used to insert page numbers or Heading variables into frames. You can also create custom snippet templates and select them from the dialog. See Select Frame Text Dialog.
	Opens a submenu to select from various rotation, depth, and alignment options. Rotate Rotate Clockwise Turns the frame 1 degree clockwise. Rotate 45 Clockwise Turns the frame 45 degrees clockwise. Rotate 90 Clockwise Turns the frame 90 degrees clockwise. Rotate Counter Clockwise Turns the frame 1 degree counter clockwise. Rotate 45 Counter Clockwise Turns the frame 45 degrees counter clockwise. Rotate 90 Clockwise Turns the frame 90 degrees counter clockwise. Reset Rotation Returns the frame to its original setting. Depth Float Floats the selected frame, bringing it forward one level if at least one other frame overlaps it (above it). Sink Sinks the selected frame, sending it backward one level if at least one other frame overlaps it (below it). Sink To Bottom Sinks the selected frame, sending it backward to the bottom level if at least one other frame overlaps it (below it). Float To Top Floats the selected frame, bringing it forward to the top level if at least one other frame overlaps it (above it). Align on Canvas Center on Canvas Centers the selected frame(s) both vertically and horizontally on the canvas. Vertically Center on Canvas Centers the selected frame(s) vertically on the canvas. Horizontally Center on Canvas Centers the selected frame(s) horizontally on the canvas. Make Same Same Left Horizontally aligns the frames so the left border is at the same location. Same Right Horizontally aligns the frames so the right border is at the same location. Same Top Vertically aligns the frames so the top border is at the same location. Same Bottom Vertically aligns the frames so the bottom border is at the same location. Same Width Resizes the width of the selected frames so that they are all the same. The resizing is based on the width of the first frame that you select. Same Height Resizes the height of the selected frames so that they are all the same. The resizing is based on the height of the first frame that you select. Same Size Resizes the width and height of the selected frames so that they are all the same. The resizing is based on the width and height of the first frame that you select. Same Center Vertically aligns the selected frames so that the center of each is at the same location. The alignment is based on the center of the first frame that you select. Same Middle Horizontally aligns the selected frames so that the middle of each is at the same location. The alignment is based on the middle of the first frame that you select. Vertically Align Top Aligns the text vertically along the top edge of the frame. Middle Aligns the text vertically at the middle point of the frame Bottom Aligns the text vertically along the bottom edge of the frame. Align Left Aligns the text horizontally along the left edge of the frame. Center Aligns the text horizontally at the center point of the frame. Right Aligns the text horizontally along the right edge of the frame. Justify Spaces the text so both the left and right sides are aligned. Default Resets the text alignment to the default (inherited) setting.
	Opens a submenu that lets you select from the following options. Page Overview Bar You can show or hide the Page Overview Bar, which is the area on the right side of the Page Layout Editor that displays small rectangles, representing each page in the layout. Anchor Lines If you have anchors enabled on a frame, this option displays lines to show where the anchors are placed. Bleed (as well as crop and registration marks) You can turn on indicators to see where your bleed is set on a page, as well as crop and registration marks. Bleed This refers to the area beyond the edge of the page where printing occurs. Professional printers use the bleed to prevent a final trimmed document from having unprinted areas along the edge of the document. You can set the size of the bleed in the Page Properties dialog. Crop marks These are thin vertical and horizontal lines that show the edges of the page, where it will be trimmed by the printer. The location of crop marks are determined by the page size you specify. Registration marks These are small cross-hair target icons shown next to crop marks. Each color in the final output is printed on its own layer. Therefore, in order to make sure the colors are matched up accurately, printers use registration marks to align plates on the press. Labels You can turn on indicators to see labels on a page, both for the page itself and frames within it. Margins You can turn on indicators to see where your margins are set on a page. Padding You can turn on indicators to see where padding is set in a frame. Word Overlay When enabled, this option shows the real header, footer, and body areas if the page layout will be used in Microsoft Word output. Why is it important to have a special page layout view for Word output? Because Word treats the header, footer, and body areas differently than Contributor and other outputs treat them. In Contributor the frames are determined by the sizes that you specify either in the Frame Properties dialog or by drawing them on the page. But in Word, frames are determined instead by the margins and content within the frames. Therefore, if you send output to Word, you might end up with results that you do not expect, unless you use the Word Overlay to see what the actual results will be. Note You can still edit frames when the Word Overlay view is enabled. Show Vertical Ruler Shows or hides a measurement ruler vertically at the left of the editor or window pane. If you click the ruler after it is opened, you can select to convert the ruler to pixels, points, centimeters, inches, or ems. Show Horizontal Ruler Shows or hides a measurement ruler horizontally at the top of the editor or window pane. If you click the ruler after it is opened, you can select to convert the ruler to pixels, points, centimeters, inches, or ems. Scale to 100% Displays the page at 100% of its actual size. Fit Width Resizes the page so that it displays in proportion to the width of the editor. Fit Height Resizes the page so that it displays in proportion to the height of the editor.