Changing margins on master pages and applying

[AlyMcF1]

Hi, I would like to adjust the margins in my master pages and apply them to the rest of the document. My trouble is with doing the former…when I try to drag the margins over on the master pages (InDesign CS5 by the way) it doesn't change the margin guides, but it does create a dotted line border. I've got this dotted line thing applied now to the pages I want it applied to, and the text appears to flow within the dotted lines, but just for a sanity check…is this really how I'm supposed to do it? It just seems odd that I can't bring up a dialog of some kind allowing me to type in exact figures, and it seems odd to me that my margin guides stay put and I just get these dotted lines instead.

[Peter Spier]

IF the text frames are snapped to the margins to start with, you can use layout adjustment to change the margins and resize the frames. Use Layout > Layout Adjustment... and enable it BEFORE you make changes.

Then select the master page and go to Layout > Margins and Columns... and reset the margins.

[AlyMcF1]

Do you think I need to do that, i.e. your suggestion with Layout Adjustment?

Wondering about what best practices are with this.

[Peter Spier]

If you don't use Layout Adjustment the text frames on existing pages will not resize automatically.

[AlyMcF1]

I'm just surprised there was no way to get the margins I wanted from the beginning. Like in the Document Setup page there is no where to choose margins. If I could have chosen margins at the beginning I wouldn't be having this problem. Why is a .5 inch margin all around (or maybe it is 3p0) what InDesign assumes everyone want for all documents? Surely I am missing something somewhere.

[Peter Spier]

When you create a new document, the margin controls are there in Document Setup, but after the file is created you have to access them through the Layout menu. Did you actually open document setup when you created the file, or use a preset or template?

[AlyMcF1]

I'm using InDesign CS5 and don't see margin controls in Document Setup. I did open a new document, not a preset or template.

I see Layout > Margins now but when I enter a number, all 4 margins end up getting changed to the same margin number, and I need the inside margin to be different.

I still haven't tried Layout Adjustment, because I am afraid it will make even more of a mess and I won't be able to undo it. Right now I'm faking my way through this using the dotted line margin I was able to apply in Master Pages. I did manage to successfully auto flow my text into those margins, so that's something.

[Peter Spier]

The above screen shot shows the new document setup dialog (ignore the red line showing facing pages). Do you see the margin settings at the bottom? Notice the little chainlink button in the middle? When it is unbroken as in the screen shot, all fields are linked and will be the same. Click to break the link here, or in Layout, and you can set the margins individually.

[AlyMcF1]

Ok, yeah I should have noticed the little chain.

Thanks for all your help!

[Tom_Usrey_2]

If you're worried about messing up your layout so you can't undo the changes, then make the changes to a copy of your layout.

Tom

[kai_smith1]

Hello! I realize that this is an old post, but I am using InDesign CC 2017 and I am needing to have different margins within the same document. I tried going to Layout > Layout Adjustment and I do not see Layout Adjustment under Layout? Is it different in this version? I would appreciate any help!

[Steve Werner]

It was demoted in CS6 and later with the advent of Liquid Layout. Choose Window > Liquid Layout to open the Liquid Layout panel. Choose Layout Adjustment from the panel menu.

[Willi Adelberger]

You find it also in the margin border menu as a checkmark.

[Derek Cross]

Also have a look at this script: QuickResize | Id-Extras.com

[sarai53562771]

My cc version does not have Layout Adjustment but does have Liquid Layout. Is it equivalent?

[TᴀW]

Layout Adjustment and Liquid Layout are not equivalent.

But CC does have Layout Adjustment, it's just a little hard to find: Open the Liquid Layout panel, and from the little flyout menu at the top-right, select Layout Adjustment.

Ariel

[sarai53562771]

Okay, I am 30 pages into changing a document from half-inch to full inch margins and the document is over 150 pages long.  I created a master with 2 columns and full inch margins and applying it to the pages, then manually adjusting each page to meet the margins guidelines of the master.

Belatedly I think there must be a better way.

[TᴀW]

There is. Use Layout Adjustment 🙂

First step is to read this: Lay out frames and pages in InDesign

Ariel