In Indesign, in the top menu bar, you can change the corner style from the traditional squared corners, to round, inset, etc. The problem is, if you want one or all of the corners to be different, there isn’t a way to do it from here.

If you go to Object > Corner Options, a dialog box comes up where you can edit the corner styles. By default, it is set to change all 4 corners at once, and to the same style. Simply uncheck the chain link in the center, and now you can change each corner shape individually. For example, you could have 3 squared corners and one round, or if you wanted a tab-style box, you could make 2 corners round and the other two square. The other neat thing about this menu is that you can change … Read More »

You can set up a good grid from the start of a new document in Indesign. When the New Document pops up, you can set the number of columns in your document. I tend to use either 3 or 5 columns. You can use as many as you want. I tend to try to keep it simple and to the point. This is a great base for setting up your document to be clean and well organized.

You can have an image take up 2 columns, while you could have 2 columns of text under it. Then, the other 3 columns could have objects aligned to them, or to fit those constraints. The grid will help you to align your different elements and keep the document clean and structured. The example shown uses the default margins, … Read More »

This tutorial will definitely come in handy for someone that has to create dozens, hundreds, or more of names badges, ID cards, business cards, or anything else that would have the same graphics, but different information on each one. I had a project where a company had a huge trade show, and I had to make around 2500 full color name badges for them. Instead of spending weeks on this, I was able to complete it in an hour and print it within a day.

First, you will need to gather your project pieces. You will need to create your background graphics, logo, and anything else that will be repeated on each name badge. Open a new InDesign document and place the graphics how you would like them, and to the specific size that you need. Create these graphics in the … Read More »

A reader adamantly requested that I create this tutorial, so I am going to run through the basics of creating your own business card.

First, you need to gather all of the information that you need for your card. You will need your company logo, your name, your position, phone number, fax number, cell phone number, e-mail, web site address, and a list of your services. Some of these may be interchangeable or you may have some info that you need to add for your business. You can work in RGB mode, but you will need to convert to CMYK at least when you are done, so that you will have a good idea of how it looks when it is printed.

Sizing
A normal business card is 3.5 inches wide by two inches tall. in printing, if you want a color to … Read More »