Work with master pages

What are master pages?

Master pages are used to create consistency from page to page in a document.

Master pages typicially contain page headers, footers, margin and column guides, and other elements that occur on multiple pages in your document.

Every new document automatically contains one master page called “A-Master,” and this master page is automatically applied to every page in the document.

Add items to the A-Master page

The elements that you add to the A-Master page will automatically appear on any document page that has the A-Master page applied to it.

1. To display the master page in the document window, double-click the A-Master page thumbnail at the top of the Pages panel (Window > Pages).
2. Add text frames, objects, or images to the master page.
3. Double-click any page thumbnail in the Pages panel that has an “A” displayed on the thumbnail to show it in the Document window. You’ll see that the page contains the elements you added to the A-Master page.

Duplicate a master page

Some document layouts will require more than one master page. An easy way to create multiple master pages is to duplicate an existing master page and then modify it.

1. To duplicate a master page, drag a master page thumbnail onto the New Page icon at the bottom of the Pages panel.
2. Change the layout of the new master page as desired.
3. To apply the master to a document page, go to the Pages panel and drag the master page thumbnail onto the document page thumbnail.