Every new publication starts with one master page. A master page can contain anything that you can put on a publication page, as well as some page elements (such as headers, footers, and layout guides) that can be set up only on a master page.

You have to create a new master page only if you want a variety of layouts in a publication that has more than one page.

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• About master pages

• Create a master page

• Apply a master page

• Edit a master page

• Delete a master page

• Rename an existing master page

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About master pages

Master pages contain the elements that you want to repeat on multiple pages in a publication. By using master pages for these common elements, you can give your publication a more consistent appearance.

Master pages are an invisible layer on which your publication is built. They can contain design and layout elements such as margin guides, headers, footers, and pictures. The master pages for certain publication types, such as Newsletters and Brochures, contain margin guides by default.

In publications that have more than one page, you can create multiple master pages for a more versatile publication design. Multiple master pages provide a variety of layouts that you can apply to any of the pages in your publication.

For example, if you are creating a brochure with the same picture on the front and back pages, you can use one master page. But if you want the pages inside the brochure to look different, then you must create a second master page for the inside pages.

You can add an item to a master page by selecting the item, such as a text box, and clicking Send to Master Page on the Arrange menu. You can also ignore the master page by clicking Ignore in the Apply Master Pages task pane.

Master pages make updates easier, because you can add and and update the page elements in one place, instead of changing them on each publication page.

Master pages control the following page elements:

• Page dimensions
• All margins and guides, including column guides and ruler guides
• Headers and footers
• Page backgrounds, such as watermarks or WordArt
• Single-page or two-page layouts

   Note   Use a two-page layout for two-sided publications, so that the second page can look different from the first page without using a new master page for the second page.

• Text and numbers, such as WordArt, dates, times, page numbers, or business information
• Pictures, such as clip art
• Objects, such as check boxes or text boxes

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Create a master page

You can create a new master page, or you can add elements to a publication and then send those elements to the master page. You can also duplicate an existing master page. If you duplicate a master page, you can change just those elements that you want to be different.

The kind of master page that you decide to use depends on how you set up your publication:

• If you set up your publication to be viewed as two-page spreads, use two-page master pages.
• If you set up your publication to be viewed as single pages, use single-page master pages.

You can also convert a single-page master page to a two-page master page, or you can convert a two-page master page to a single-page master page.

 Note    If you are working on a Web publication, you can view only single pages and can use only single-page master pages.

Create a blank new master page

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.
2. On the Edit Master Pages toolbar, click New Master Page.
3. In the Page ID (1 character) box, type a single-character identifier for your new master page. This can be any single Unicode  character.
4. In the Description box, type a brief description of your new master page.
5. Select the Two-page master check box if you want your publication set up as a two-page spread.

    Note   If your current publication is only a single page, two facing pages will be added to the master pages, but the number of pages in your publication will not automatically increase.

Send elements from a publication page to a new master page

If you created a new master page, you can create items in your publication and then send them to the new master page to complete it.

For example, you can create a calendar and then add a picture, a page number footer, and a text box, and then send all of those elements to the new master page.

1. Create a publication and customize it the way that you want your master page to look.
2. Click the items that you want on the master page.

    Note   To select more than one item, hold down CTRL while you click.

3. On the Arrange menu, click Send to Master Page.

Duplicate an existing master page

In some cases, you may want to create and use a master page with elements that are almost identical to an existing master page. Rather than recreate the identical elements on a new master page, you can duplicate the existing master page and then change or add the elements that you want on the duplicated master page.

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.
2. In the Edit Master Pages task pane, click the arrow next to the name of the master page that you want to duplicate, and then click Duplicate.
3. In the Duplicate Master Page dialog box, do one the following:
   • In the Page ID (1 character) box, type a single-character identifier for your new master page. This can be any single Unicode  character.
   • In the Description box, type a brief description of your new master page.

      Note   Only the first 28 characters are displayed in the Edit Master Pages task pane.

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Apply a master page

Every new publication starts with one master page applied to it by default. If you have a publication with more than one page, you can use the Apply Master Page task pane to apply different master pages to different pages within your publication.

 Note   You must have created more than one master page in order to follow these instructions.

1. In the Format Publication task pane, click the arrow, and then click Apply Master Page.
2. In the Apply Master Page task pane, click View master pages.

 Note   The Edit Master Pages task pane displays a single-page icon or two-page icon, depending on your publication type and whether your publication is set up as a two-page spread.

3. Do one of the following:
   • In the Apply Master Page task pane, in the list under the page icon, click the arrow and then click the master page that you want to apply to the current page or to the current pages in a two-page spread.
   • Click Ignore Master to hide master page objects for the page. This option does not ignore layout guides.

 Note   To apply a master page that is different from the default master page for a two-page spread, you must first clear the Use the same master page for both facing pages check box, and you must have created a new master page.

4. Select the master page that you want to apply to the page or facing pages.

    Note   If you are applying the new master page to facing pages, you can select the Use the same master page for both facing pages check box to apply a single master page to both facing pages in a two-page spread. If this check box is cleared, a separate list for each facing page in a two-page spread is displayed, so you can apply a different master page to each page.

5. Click Apply to Page Range to open a dialog box where you can apply a master page to a specified range of pages in your publication.
6. To change the task pane to Edit Master Pages where you can edit the content of master pages and create new master pages, click View Master Pages.

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Edit a master page

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.
2. In the Edit Master Pages task pane, point to the name of the master page that you want to edit, click the arrow, and then click Edit.
3. Edit the page the way you want.
4. To see the updated publication pages, click View publication pages, and then navigate to a page to which the master page is applied.

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Delete a master page

Every publication has one master page by default and must always have at least one master page. As long as you have at least one master page, you can delete any additional master pages. If you delete a master page that is used by any publication pages, Publisher will apply the first master page that is listed in the Edit Master Pages task pane.

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.
2. In the Edit Master Pages task pane, point to the name of the master page that you want to delete, click the arrow, and then click Delete.
3. In the message dialog box, click Yes.

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Rename an existing master page

If you are using more than one master page in a publication, you may want to more clearly identify how each master page will be used by giving it a unique page ID or description. To change the page ID or description of a master page, do the following:

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.
2. In the Edit Master Pages task pane, click the arrow next to the master page that you want to rename, and then click Rename.
3. In the Rename Master Page dialog box, do one of the following:
   • In the Page ID (1 character) box, type a single-character identifier for your new master page. This can be any single Unicode  character.
   • In the Description box, type a brief description of your new master page.

      Note   Only the first 28 characters are displayed in the Edit Master Pages task pane.

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