Smart(er) Text Styling: Unlocking the Power of GREP in InDesign

GREP is one of InDesign’s most powerful tools — but for many designers, it’s often misunderstood, underused, or downright intimidating. In this session, trainer, writer, and content creator Erica Gamet, aka, The GREP Whisperer, will take the mystery out of GREP and show you how it can automate repetitive formatting and styling tasks. You’ll learn to define text patterns, then explore practical GREP examples that will help you style text more efficiently, consistently, and creatively. Whether you’re cleaning up imported content or applying character styles to your text, GREP can save you hours and elevate your InDesign workflow.  

Note: This session is beginner-level GREP for intermediate InDesign users. 

In this session, you’ll learn how to: 

• Apply character styling automatically as you type or import text 
• Superscript date ordinals like “1st” and “2nd” without manual formatting 
• Replace multiple spaces or line breaks with a single instant of each 
• Reorder text elements, turn quoted text to italic, and fix text runts 
• Format information, such as phone numbers or email addresses

Technical Level: Intermediate

Category: How To

Track: Graphic Design and Illustration

Audience: Art/Creative Director, Graphic Designer, Print Designer