Working with layouts in Studio

Layouts are an integral part of creating content for output to print. In Studio, working with layouts can be done in various ways.

This article gives a brief overview of each task that can be performed and — where applicable — provides links to other articles that contain more detailed information.

The following topics are described:

• Creating a new layout
• Editing a layout
• Placing articles
• Placing images
• Using the zoom tool
• Viewing publications
• Showing or hiding the Workflow Status of placed objects
• Placing Sticky Notes
• Converting a layout to a Digital article
• Text in layout previews is shown in greek type

Creating a new layout

Step 1. Click Create new... at the top of the page.

The Create New dialog appears.

Step 2. Click the Layout icon.

Two lists appear:

1. Filter templates by Brand
2. Choose a template

Step 3. Choose a Brand and subsequently a template from the lists and click Next.

Tip: Type any part of the name of the template to filter the list.

The Properties dialog appears.

Step 4. Fill out all necessary details and click Create. The layout is created.

Editing a layout

Editing a layout (changing the design, styling, adding or rearranging frames, and so on) can only be done in Adobe InDesign with Studio for InDesign installed. For more information about working with Studio for InDesign, see the documentation.

However, tasks such as placing articles or images can be performed within Studio on layouts that have been specifically prepared for these tasks.

Placing articles

Working on a print publication is team work and involves many steps before the final product is completed.

One of these steps is placing a created article on a layout in frames which have been added in InDesign. Depending on your workflow, this step can be performed by various people within the team and at various stages during the production process.

In Studio, the tools for placing an article on a layout are available in the fullscreen mode of a layout. An article can then be dragged from the Place Articles panel onto a frame on the layout.

Figure: The Place Articles panel.

For more information, see Placing articles on a layout in Studio.

Placing images

When working on a Print article, the Images panel of the Print editor can be used for placing images directly on the layout.

Figure: The Images panel (A) and empty graphic frames in the Layout preview (B).

For more information, see Placing, cropping or removing images in the Print editor of Studio.

Using the zoom tool

Zooming in on the layout can be done by using the zoom tool. The position and features of the zoom tool depends on the version of Studio used (see how to check the version of Studio that is installed):

• Position:
• For Studio 11.191 and higher: The zoom tool is positioned vertically in the bottom right corner so that it does not obscure any content on the layout.
• For Studio 11.176 – 11.190: The zoom tool is positioned centrally and horizontally at the bottom of the screen.

• Features:
• Buttons and a slider to increase or decrease the zoom level by 10%, or to re-set the zoom level to 100%.
• An input field to manually enter the zoom level (Studio 11.176 – 11.190 only).

Figure: The zoom tool in Studio 11.176 – 11.190.

Figure: The zoom tool in Studio 11.191 and higher.

Viewing publications

Layouts are typically part of a multi-page publication such as a magazine, catalog, brochure, and so on.

Viewing these layouts together and seeing how far working on these layouts has progressed can be done in the Publication Overview Application.

Figure: The Publication Overview Application shows you a complete overview of the progress of a publication.

For more information, see Using the Publication Overview Application in Studio.

Showing or hiding the Workflow Status of placed objects

Any article, image, and spreadsheet that is placed on a layout (and stored in Studio Server) can be highlighted when viewing the layout in fullscreen mode. The color used is the color of the Workflow status that is assigned to the object.

This gives a good overview of how far the layout and the publication as a whole is progressing.

Enabling or disabling this feature is done by doing the following:

• Control which objects should be highlighted by making a selection in the View menu, accessed by clicking the three dots in the top right corner.
• Make sure that you are not in Place Articles mode.

Figure: Articles and images highlighted when viewing a layout in fullscreen mode.

Placing Sticky Notes

Sticky Notes can be added to an InDesign layout as a way of leaving short messages to other users — including InDesign and InCopy users — for instance to indicate any changes or corrections that need to be made to the content of a page.

Figure: A layout with Sticky Notes added. The conversation of Sticky Notes can be followed in the Sticky Note panel.

For more information, see Working with Sticky Notes on layouts in Studio.

Converting a layout to a Digital article

Stories that have been created as a layout in InDesign for use in a print workflow can be turned into a Digital article by exporting the layout from InDesign.

This way, the content can be re-used and does not have to be re-created. Once it has been turned into a Digital article the content can be modified for output to a digital channel.

The full process is described in Exporting an InDesign layout to a Digital article in Studio.

Text in layout previews is shown in greek type

Layout previews in Studio are generated by Studio for InDesign. In Studio for InDesign, it is hard coded that for previews, greeking (text displayed as a dimmed bar) is done for font sizes below 7pt. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to change this behavior with a setting in Studio for InDesign or in InDesign itself.

Revisions

• 26 January 2026: Added section 'Text in layout previews is shown in greek type'.