Overview
You know InDesign. You use it daily. But there’s a layer of power features that most users never touch—features that can cut production time in half and eliminate repetitive manual work. This course is built for professionals ready to move beyond proficiency into true mastery with the guidance of the man who literally wrote the books on mastering InDesign (Book: InDesign Masterclass: Type & Tables, Book: InDesign Masterclass: Text Techniques: 150+ Step-by-Step InDesign Recipes, and Mastering InDesign for Print Design & Production).
Over one to two days (depending on your team’s needs), you’ll tackle advanced typography, nested and GREP styles, sophisticated table design, data-driven automation, and long-document workflows. You’ll leave with techniques that transform how you build templates, manage complex publications, and deliver polished work faster.
Format: 1–2 Days | VILT or On-Site
Who Should Attend
- Production designers managing complex or long-form documents
- Template builders creating systems for teams
- Publishing professionals working on books, catalogs, and reports
- Any experienced InDesign user seeking advanced efficiency techniques
What You’ll Learn
- Build nested styles and GREP styles for automated formatting
- Design sophisticated tables with repeating headers, styles, and formatting
- Create production-ready templates and publication systems
- Automate repetitive work with Data Merge and conditional text
- Manage long documents with cross-references, books, and TOCs
- Control anchored objects for complex, repositioning-proof layouts
Course Outline
Module 1: Advanced Typography
- Fine-tuning paragraph composition: Adobe Paragraph Composer and optical spacing
- OpenType features: stylistic sets, fractions, ordinals, and contextual alternates
- Controlling hyphenation, justification, and line breaks
- Baseline grid strategies for multi-column and mixed-content layouts
Module 2: Nested Styles and GREP Styles
- Building nested styles for run-in headings, numbered lists, and structured text
- GREP fundamentals: patterns, metacharacters, and practical expressions
- Applying GREP styles to automate inline formatting (phone numbers, prices, codes)
- Combining nested and GREP styles for powerful, self-formatting paragraphs
Module 3: Advanced Table Design
- Table styles and cell styles for consistent, efficient formatting
- Repeating headers and footers across pages and frames
- Alternating fills and strokes for readability
- Handling complex table structures: merged cells, nested tables, and imports from Excel
Module 4: Object Styles and Anchored Objects
- Creating object styles for frames, strokes, effects, and text wrap
- Anchored objects: inline, above line, and custom positioning
- Building repositioning-proof layouts with anchored figures, callouts, and sidebars
- Managing object style inheritance and overrides
Module 5: Data Merge and Automation
- Setting up data sources: CSV structure and best practices
- Creating templates for variable text, images, and QR codes
- Running merged documents: previewing, troubleshooting, and exporting
- Conditional text for single-source, multi-version documents
Module 6: Long-Document Workflows
- Book files: managing chapters, syncing styles, and pagination
- Tables of contents: custom formatting, multiple TOCs, and updates
- Cross-references: creating, formatting, and maintaining links
- Indexing fundamentals and strategies for large publications
Module 7: Scripting Opportunities and Efficiency
- Where scripting fits: identifying repetitive tasks worth automating
- Built-in scripts and script panel management
- Overview of ExtendScript basics and resources for learning more
- Third-party scripts and plugins that extend InDesign’s capabilities
Prerequisites & Technical Requirements
- Minimum 1 year of professional InDesign experience
- Adobe InDesign CC (latest version recommended)
Customization Options
This course adapts to your production environment. We can focus on the modules most relevant to your work—whether that’s data-driven catalogs, long-form book production, or template systems for a distributed team. Bring your actual files and challenges, and we’ll work through them together.