Basic Adobe InDesign 2026
Basic Adobe InDesign 2026 is a beginner course in page layout for print and digital publications such as brochures, leaflets, newsletters and books, from parent pages, text threading and Thai typesetting to styles, images, colour and tables, through to print-ready PDF and EPUB export. It suits newcomers to layout, communications and marketing staff, teachers and students.
- Duration12 hours · 2 days
- FormatOnsite / live online
- Next roundOn request
- CertificateIncluded
Course overview
Brochures, leaflets, annual reports, newsletters and books laid out in an ordinary word processor tend to cause trouble: text reflows through the whole document after a single edit, images drift out of place, printed colours do not match the screen and the files sent to the printer are incomplete. Adobe InDesign is built for page layout, giving precise control over pages, text, images and colour, and exports for both print and digital.
This course lays the foundations of InDesign 2026, from creating documents with bleed, using parent pages and automatic page numbers, and threading text across frames, to setting Thai text correctly, typography and styles, and placing images with Content-Aware Fit. It continues with colour swatches, layers, tables, AI features such as Text to Image and Generative Expand, Flex Layout, and exporting interactive PDF and EPUB, and closes with a workshop that checks the file with Preflight, packages it and exports a print-ready PDF. (2 days, 6 hours per day, 12 hours in total, Beginner level.)
What you’ll gain
- Create new documents with the right page size, margins, columns and bleed for print
- Manage pages, use parent pages and add automatic page numbers
- Place and thread text across frames, and set Thai text so it breaks lines and positions vowels correctly
- Format characters and paragraphs, and use paragraph, character and object styles
- Place and manage images, and work with colour swatches, transparency, layers and tables
- Use the AI features and Flex Layout in InDesign 2026 with an understanding of copyright limits
- Check files with Preflight, package them and export print PDF, interactive PDF and EPUB
Who this course is for
- Beginners who want to lay out brochures, leaflets, newsletters or books
- Communications, marketing and in-house graphics staff
- Teachers, lecturers, academics and students who produce documents or books for publication
- Word users who want to move up to professional page layout
Prerequisites
- Basic computer skills such as copy, paste and managing files and folders
- Comfortable using Windows or macOS
- Some experience of a word processor such as Microsoft Word
- An Adobe account with InDesign installed from Creative Cloud (a paid plan or a trial)
Curriculum
Course Details
This is the 2026 edition of the Basic InDesign CC 2018/2019 course. It runs for 2 days, 6 hours per day (12 hours in total, 09:00-16:00), as lectures with a lab in every section, at Beginner level. The content has been rewritten for InDesign 2026, uses today's name, parent pages, and adds Flex Layout, Text to Image, Generative Expand, AI-generated alt text, Share for Review and Preflight checks. Learners use InDesign from their own Creative Cloud plan, which is a paid service, or a trial, and the AI features use generative credits from the learner's plan. Learners take home the course handbook, sample files and a print-ready checklist.
Day 1 Documents, Pages, Text and Images
Section 1: Getting to Know InDesign 2026 and Creating Documents
- What InDesign is for, and how it differs from Word, Illustrator and Photoshop
- The Home screen, workspaces, the Tools panel and the Properties panel
- New documents: page size, facing pages, margins, columns, bleed and slug
- Lab: create an A4 leaflet with bleed and set up a workspace that suits you
Section 2: Lab: Parent Pages and Managing Pages
- The Pages panel: add, delete, move and resize pages
- Create parent pages for headers, footers and logos and apply them to many pages
- Automatic page numbers, sections and restarting page numbering
- Lab: set up parent pages for an eight-page newsletter with page numbers
Section 3: Lab: Text Frames, Threading and Thai Text
- Place text from Word and set Text Frame Options
- Thread text across frames and pages, and fix overset text
- Set the Adobe World-Ready Paragraph Composer and the Thai language so Thai breaks lines and positions vowels and tone marks correctly
- Lab: flow a long article across several pages and edit it in the Story Editor
Section 4: Lab: Typography and Paragraph Formatting
- Fonts, size, leading and tracking, and pairing Thai and English fonts
- Drop caps, paragraph rules, bullets and numbering
- Tabs, span columns and paragraph shading
- Lab: lay out an article with a heading, a drop cap and a bulleted list
Section 5: Lab: Styles and Find/Change
- Paragraph and character styles for headings, body text and emphasis
- Edit a style once to update the whole document, and object styles for frames
- Find/Change for text and formatting, and Find Font to replace missing fonts
- Lab: build a newsletter style set and restyle the whole publication in one go
Section 6: Lab: Placing Images and Managing Links
- Place images, crop them in frames and fit them with Content-Aware Fit
- The Links panel: missing and modified images and image resolution
- Text wrap, and anchored objects that move with the text
- Lab: lay out an illustrated article with text wrapping around images
Day 2 Colour, Objects, New Features and Output
Section 7: Lab: Colour Swatches and Transparency
- Fill and stroke for frames and paths, and CMYK versus RGB for print and screen
- Create colour and gradient swatches, and why unnamed colours cause trouble
- Transparency, drop shadows and effects used with restraint
- Lab: build a brand colour set and apply it across the document
Section 8: Lab: Frames, Paths, Objects and Layers
- Draw and edit paths with the Pen tool, corner options and Pathfinder
- Scale, rotate, duplicate and Step and Repeat
- Align, distribute, group and arrange objects
- Lab: build a cover page with separate layers for images, text and graphics
Section 9: Lab: Tables
- Create new tables and import tables from Word or Excel
- Add rows and columns, merge cells and repeat header rows on every page
- Cell styles, table styles and placing images in cells
- Lab: lay out a price table and a schedule so they are easy to read
Section 10: Lab: AI Features and Flex Layout
- Text to Image and Generative Expand, powered by Adobe Firefly, and how generative credits are used
- Generate alt text for images with AI, then review it before use
- Flex Layout to arrange objects that adapt as content changes
- Copyright for AI images, terms for commercial use, and human review
- Lab: generate an illustration, expand an image to fill its frame and group objects with Flex Layout
Section 11: Lab: Interactive and Digital Documents
- Hyperlinks, cross-references and an automatic table of contents
- Interactive PDF, and reflowable and fixed-layout EPUB
- Publish Online, and Share for Review for collecting comments on the web
- Lab: export the newsletter as an interactive PDF with working links and contents
Section 12: Workshop: A Print-ready Brochure
- Workshop: lay out a brochure from text and image files from start to finish
- The Preflight panel to check fonts, images, colour and overset text before handing over
- Package fonts and images, and export a print PDF with bleed
- Test print from the Print dialog, and a checklist before sending to the printer
Schedule & training options
For individuals — public rounds
No public rounds are open right now. Join the waiting list and we will contact you first when the next round opens, or ask us on LINE. Or call 02-570-8449 or 088-807-9770
For organisations — in-house / private
- Tailor the content to your team’s tools and projects
- Your dates, at your office or live online
- Quotation with tax ID for procurement
Instructors
Frequently asked questions
What are parent pages (formerly master pages) in InDesign and how do you use them?
Parent pages are template pages holding elements that repeat on every page, such as headers, footers, page numbers and guides; older versions called them master pages. Apply one to document pages and they all show those elements, which you edit in one place. Create them from the Pages panel menu and drag them onto the pages you need. Add automatic page numbers on the parent page via Type, Insert Special Character, Markers, Current Page Number.
How do you thread text across several frames in InDesign?
Create the first text frame and place your text. If it overflows, a red plus sign appears in the out port at the bottom right. Click it with the Selection Tool, then click or drag on the next page to create a new frame, and the text flows on. Hold Shift while placing text to autoflow, and InDesign adds pages and frames until all the text fits. Show the links with View, Extras, Show Text Threads. For Thai text, use the Adobe World-Ready Paragraph Composer so lines break correctly.
How do you prepare an InDesign file for a commercial printer?
Check the job in the Preflight panel for missing fonts, broken image links and overset text. Set the bleed your printer asks for, then export to PDF with a print preset such as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4, as your printer recommends, including crop marks and bleed. If the printer wants the source files, use Package to gather the INDD file, fonts and linked images into one folder.
Who is the Basic Adobe InDesign 2026 course for, and what should I know beforehand?
It suits beginners who want to lay out brochures, leaflets, newsletters or books, communications, marketing and in-house graphics staff, teachers, lecturers and students. You should have basic computer skills on Windows or macOS, some experience of a word processor such as Word, and an Adobe account with InDesign installed from Creative Cloud, on a paid plan or a trial.
What will I be able to do after the Basic Adobe InDesign 2026 course?
You will be able to create documents with bleed, use parent pages and automatic page numbers, thread text and set Thai text correctly, format a whole publication with styles, place images, work with swatches, layers and tables, use the AI features and Flex Layout with their limits in mind, and export print PDF, interactive PDF and EPUB. Participants who complete the training receive a Certificate of Completion with its own number, which can be verified online.
Can the Basic Adobe InDesign 2026 course be run in-house for our team?
Yes. It can be run in-house for your team, with examples adapted to your own work, such as using the leaflets, newsletters or reports your department actually produces as the workshop brief. You can request a quotation from this page, or contact us on LINE @itgenius or by phone on 02-570-8449.