I have Master-A and Master-B pages. It’s a large document and I need to apply Master-A and Master-B to the same page in some instances but I don’t seem to be allowed?

Eg.
Page 2-9 = Master-A
Page 10-12 = Master-B
Page 13-16 = Master A & B

Does this make sense?

When I apply the second Master it overrides the first. Frustrating.

Thanks

Note that you can import Master pages from another document. From the Pages flyout menu, choose Master Pages > Load Master Page. Then you are given a window where you can navigate to the file that has the Master you want to reuse and import it into your new document.

Thanks for the great questions,
Colleen

Here’s an example from my own experience in the book publishing world about why you might want more than one Master Page in InDesign. Different repeating types of pages might require different repeating elements. For example, a Chapter Opener page might need the page number taken off, a placement box for the Chapter Title and a graphic frame placeholder for some kind of opening image. Meanwhile, a running page would have all the standard repeating elements like footers, folio, and body text frame. You might also have a Sidebar page that had a full bleed background, no folio, and a special icon for the sidebar built-in.

Note that the A, B, etc. are just InDesign’s default names for Masters. You can right-click any Master in the Pages panel and choose “Master Options for [page name].” You’ll get a dialog box that lets you change both the name and the prefix. So I might name my Sidebar master “Sidebar” and set it’s prefix as SB so I can quickly see where it’s applied in my book pages.

For short documents, you may only need one as you imply.

Thanks for asking!
Colleen

A great selection of tutorials on master pages, but I still havent found what I’m looking for. I dont understand the entire list of Masters, e.g. A-Master, B-Master, and so on. Why do we need more than one? And why do we need more than one in one document? When would we use them all? So far all I’ve gleaned is that master pages help with repetitive elements like page numbers, headings, and such, but really, beyond that I cant understand when you would use a Master, A or B or any other. Please help.

“True, but in the vast majority of cases, you don’t want master page objects in your EPUB file. You certainly don’t want page numbers, footers, background images, and the like. But if for some reason you did want one, you would need to override it (command-shift-click it) to make it a page item.”

Great question, and David’s partner in our InDesign Secrets techniques, Anne-Marie Concepcion has a collection of InDesign to EPUB courses, one for every version of InDesign since CS4. Here’s the latest (CS6):

Thanks for your timely, relevant feedback!