Creating, inserting and modifying tables in Adobe Indesign is a very easy process, and can be mastered in a short time. We show you how in our Indesign courses.
You can either create tables from scratch or import them from Microsoft Word or Excel. You can also create Table Styles to maintain a consistent appearance throughout a document. To create a table from scratch select your Type tool and click & drag to create the size of your table on the page. Then go to the Table drop-down menu from the top of the screen and choose Table > Insert Table. A dialog box will open asking you to add number of rows, columns and possible headers or footers. You can add a table style here if you have already created one.
Then you add data cell by cell using the Type tool and the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from one cell to another.
To import a table from Word or Excel you can create a text box as above, or simply go to File > Place and navigate to where the table is saved. Tick Show Import Options at the bottom of the dialog box – this will allow you to Preserve or Discard any formatting, if in Word. In the case of an Excel spreadsheet, it’ll allow you to choose a range of cells.
To format a table, select it with the Type tool by clicking on the top left hand corner of the table. Then right-click or go to the Table menu and choose Table Options. A dialog will open, allowing you to modify the border width, row & column stroke widths, and the row fill colours. The Preview is not great, so you’ll have to hit OK and click off the table to view it properly. You can modify again by selecting the table and going to the Table Options.
To modify the text, select and modify as with any standard text. And to add space to the cells, right-click and go to Cell Options. When you are happy with the appearance, go to Window > Styles > Table Styles. Select the table and go to the options button > Create New Table Style. This style will be saved with this document, and can be applied to multiple tables in future, or loaded into future documents. The text formatting itself is not saved however – you’ll have to also save a paragraph style for the text, and apply separately.
More tips can be found at the Sydney Indesign User Group which meets regularly in the city, and is a free forum for designers to discuss topics and the latest Indesign features. See many examples of our own clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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