InDesign CS6 / Features

Apply liquid page rules to automatically adapt content when you create an alternate layout with a different size or orientation in InDesign.

Efficiently create and design multiple versions of a layout for different devices and print needs, all within a single InDesign file.

Link content within or across InDesign documents so that changes (including interactivity) made to the parent text or object are applied to all linked children objects.

Grab text and objects from an existing layout using the Content Collector. In a new layout, use the Content Placer to add items in the order you want them to appear.

Create form fields directly within InDesign before you export to PDF. You can also assign the tab order in InDesign using the Articles panel.

Buy and update the Middle Eastern version of InDesign directly from Adobe for easier localization of global documents and enhanced functionality.

Display alternate layouts in the Pages panel to organize content efficiently.

View two side-by-side layouts within the same document to compare the look and feel of the layouts and help ensure consistency.

Access fonts you use frequently. Recently used fonts appear at the top of the font list.

Set frames to grow with additional text, based on simple parameters. Expand and shrink frames automatically for headlines, callouts, or other variable content.

Preview your layouts in grayscale to see how they will look on a black-and-white device or when printed in black and white.

Export PDF files in grayscale directly from the Print dialog box.

Align selected items to a key object you define.

Access more than 100 open source dictionaries.

Save in IDML format from the Save As menu to use the layout in an earlier version of InDesign.

Calculate values in panels and dialog boxes using complex calculations (for example, 12.5p/2x3).

Keep lines together in paragraphs that split or span columns.

Export an interactive PDF as pages instead of spreads.

Export your InDesign document to PNG, a lossless format, for use on the web. You can export the entire document, part of the document, or individual items.

Zoom in to a linked object from the Links panel to evaluate it more clearly.

Enable or disable groups of extensions based on your current workflow.

Use the World-Ready Composer, an alternate composition engine, to work with Hindi, Punjabi, and other Indian languages‡, as well as complex script languages such as Arabic and Hebrew.§

Include interactive HTML — such as Google Maps and animation developed with Adobe Edge software — in InDesign layouts. Interactivity is retained when exporting to HTML, EPUB3, or .folio for Adobe Digital Publishing Suite*.

Control how content in linked text is styled. Specify different text styles for parent text and children.

Package InDesign projects for handoff in Adobe Digital Publishing Suite* workflows, including functionality such as overlays.

Access Adobe Digital Publishing Suite* from within InDesign to publish engaging digital documents for a range of tablet devices. New Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition lets you publish a single app to iPad.

Create more engaging eBooks, with less need for developers. Include refined typography and images that resize to fit virtually any screen.

Include video and audio† in InDesign layouts you export to EPUB format. Embedded audio and video play on mobile devices that support HTML5, such as iPad.

Control the order of text, images, and graphics when you export to EPUB or HTML without changing the InDesign layout. Drag content into the Articles panel to define the order.

Map paragraph and character styles directly to HTML, EPUB, and PDF tags so they export using appropriate specifications.

Design and publish an EPUB eBook with imagery that will look good on virtually any size screen on which it is played, making the content accessible and enjoyable on any device.

Add inline graphics and other anchored objects quickly and intuitively by simply dragging them to the desired anchor location in the text.

Reduce the time it takes to create PDF documents that include accessibility features for people with disabilities. Add, edit, and view Alt text attributes associated with an object.

Add interactivity, motion, sound, and video to documents and presentations, exporting directly to SWF for playback in Flash Player.

Create pages with different sizes in a single document.

Quickly create text that spans or splits into multiple columns in just a few steps.

Perform repetitive layout tasks efficiently using convenient tools and on-object controls.

Help eliminate font substitution issues with document-installed fonts.

Mark up text directly in InDesign, easily tracking copy revisions.

Move smoothly from design to output, thanks to tight integration with industry-leading Adobe software such as Adobe Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Acrobat®, and Flash® Professional.

Produce sophisticated page layouts with linked content, Alternate Layout, Content Collector tools, Smart Guides, rapid table creation, and on-object controls.

Find and drag images into page layouts from Adobe Mini Bridge without leaving InDesign.

Generate static or live captions automatically from image metadata.

Create powerful automated workflows using standards-based XML features to lay out pages with text and images. Incorporate database-driven content to publish across channels.

Export PDF files that meet the PDF/X-4:2010, PDF/X-5:2010, and PDF/VT-1 standards for tight integration with Adobe Acrobat X and Adobe PDF Print Engine 2.5.

Easily manage page items with a Layers panel similar to the one in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.