Adobe InDesign: Feature Requests
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2. Why is this valuable to you?
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5497 results found
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Save state of checkbox "Preview" in dialogs, which since ages does resets after every maj/min-update – in contrast to the Preferences 😭
A crazy idea, to not have the user do settings AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!
You cant tell me, there is noone angry with this behaviour. Or everybody has resignated after years, and has accepted this extremly bad UX, which you cant be proud of.
2 votes -
Add Native Slug Area and Mechanical Dimensioning Tools (Inspired by Mechanical Cubed + Illustrator's Dimensions Tool)
As a freelance Production Designer and Creative with a fine arts background, I work across pharma, retail, and packaging—where detailed mechanicals, slug data, and precise dimension callouts are a daily necessity. One of the most essential—but frustratingly missing—features in InDesign is the ability to efficiently manage mechanical specs and slug information natively.
To bridge this gap, many of us rely on plug-ins like Mechanical Cubed and Slug Cubed from Triple Triangle Inc. These tools automate the placement and consistency of critical production data—such as trim, bleed, dimensions, and job metadata—directly into the slug area.
Interestingly, Adobe Illustrator already includes a built-in Dimensions tool, so it’s surprising that InDesign—Adobe’s flagship print and layout software—lacks this capability.
InDesign would benefit greatly from native tools that:
Automatically generate and manage mechanical dimension lines
Populate standardized slug info using document metadata
Apply reusable slug templates across multi-page or multi-SKU files
Lock dimension and slug elements to prevent accidental edits
These features are essential in high-volume environments where accuracy and consistency are just as important as creative execution.
By integrating this functionality directly into InDesign, Adobe can streamline workflows for production artists, packaging designers, and print creatives—many of whom already rely on workarounds or third-party solutions to fill this gap.
Happy to share real-world examples of how this functionality has saved time and improved production precision.
Thanks for considering this suggestion.
—
Khalid Best
Freelance Production Designer & Creative
Fine Arts Trained
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalid-best-b49b0155/As a freelance Production Designer and Creative with a fine arts background, I work across pharma, retail, and packaging—where detailed mechanicals, slug data, and precise dimension callouts are a daily necessity. One of the most essential—but frustratingly missing—features in InDesign is the ability to efficiently manage mechanical specs and slug information natively.
To bridge this gap, many of us rely on plug-ins like Mechanical Cubed and Slug Cubed from Triple Triangle Inc. These tools automate the placement and consistency of critical production data—such as trim, bleed, dimensions, and job metadata—directly into the slug area.
Interestingly, Adobe Illustrator already includes a…
2 votes -
Automatic French Punctuation Spacing Based on Language Settings
In French typography, it is standard practice to insert a narrow non-breaking space before certain punctuation marks such as colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, and question marks. While InDesign correctly applies French hyphenation and dictionary rules when the language is set to French, it does not automatically handle these essential spacing conventions. This omission often leads to typographic issues such as widowed punctuation at the end of lines, especially in justified text. Currently, users must manually apply non-breaking spaces or rely on GREP styles and Find/Change routines to correct these. It would greatly enhance multilingual typesetting workflows if InDesign automatically inserted appropriate non-breaking spacing for French punctuation when the language is set to French, in line with professional typographic standards.
In French typography, it is standard practice to insert a narrow non-breaking space before certain punctuation marks such as colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, and question marks. While InDesign correctly applies French hyphenation and dictionary rules when the language is set to French, it does not automatically handle these essential spacing conventions. This omission often leads to typographic issues such as widowed punctuation at the end of lines, especially in justified text. Currently, users must manually apply non-breaking spaces or rely on GREP styles and Find/Change routines to correct these. It would greatly enhance multilingual typesetting workflows if InDesign automatically inserted…
2 votes -
Export from InDesign to Adobe Express with frames & keep the frames as frames not as shapes that can't be filled with photos or color.
Export documents containing frames from InDesign to Adobe Express & keep the frames as frames not converting them to shapes that cannot be filled with photos or color.
I'm working on a project with a document created in Adobe InDesign, which may have photos, fill colors, or be blank to fill in Adobe Express. When I export to Adobe Express, the frames convert into elements/shapes, preventing me from placing photos or changing the fill color. This limits my ability to design efficiently and uniformly. Recreating in Express or using new boxes and masking doesn't solve the issue, especially for custom shapes like trapezoids with rounded walls or specific corners. It seems like Adobe could add this functionality easily, but I'm not sure. Is there a way to do this? I prefer to stick within Adobe InDesign and Adobe Express without using a third program as a bridge or to convert.Export documents containing frames from InDesign to Adobe Express & keep the frames as frames not converting them to shapes that cannot be filled with photos or color.
I'm working on a project with a document created in Adobe InDesign, which may have photos, fill colors, or be blank to fill in Adobe Express. When I export to Adobe Express, the frames convert into elements/shapes, preventing me from placing photos or changing the fill color. This limits my ability to design efficiently and uniformly. Recreating in Express or using new boxes and masking doesn't solve the issue, especially for custom…2 votes -
Provide Options for Export to Express
Please provide choices when using the export to Adobe Express function. Right now there are none, and I cannot directly export a high resolution, letter-sized, print-ready document into Express without dimension downsizing and image resolution loss.
Having these options via a direct transfer into Express is critical to being able to quickly transfer current Indesign documents into correctly-sized, print-ready, editable templates for use bt non-design users at my organization.
2 votes -
Numbering positions
I'd like to be able to place numbering AFTER text, such as "Recommendation 1.2" and be able to cross-reference that in the appendix as "1.2", but all of the work-arounds I've seen are very clunky and prone to issues with long report documents.
2 votes -
Share for Review - needs added feature
It would be extremely useful to be able to stop specific reviewers from commenting at a certain point - allowing others to continue. This would allow the wider group in an org. to comment - but then have the ringleader sort through their internal comments, accept them or remove them - then provide me (the designer) with a draft to make my edits from. Right now, people can still comment way after they have been told the commenting time is over.
2 votes -
Allow Share for Review Comments to be Printed or Exported
I can't believe you can't print or export comments created during a Shared Review. I had a reviewer ask for her comments to keep as a record for the next round of document updates and there is NO FEATURE in the browser, or InDesign that will allow those comments to be printed, PDF'd, or exported (so I could import them into a PDF for permanent archival).
This is a HUGE missing feature.
My company archives all comments from InDesign's Share for Review and in some cases I've had them disappear entirely.
Adding the ability to print those comments to a PDF or export them to be imported in Acrobat would allow us to permanently archive the feedback without being dependent on a web link that may or may not save those comments in perpetuity.
As a workaround, I took a screenshot of every page of the document in the browser and placed those back into InDesign, then ran OCR on the exported PDF (so at least it is searchable).
It seems that it would be logical to add an Export Comments as .fdf option in this panel, or add a "Print Review Comments" button in the InDesign Print dialog.
I can't believe you can't print or export comments created during a Shared Review. I had a reviewer ask for her comments to keep as a record for the next round of document updates and there is NO FEATURE in the browser, or InDesign that will allow those comments to be printed, PDF'd, or exported (so I could import them into a PDF for permanent archival).
This is a HUGE missing feature.
My company archives all comments from InDesign's Share for Review and in some cases I've had them disappear entirely.
Adding the ability to print those comments to a…
2 votes -
A better, user friendly, way to create fractions
There should be an easier way to create a fraction beyond changing to an open type font that supports fractions. Something similar to what QuarkXpress does with its Make Fraction feature that can be applied to any font type at any font size.
2 votes -
Display effective ppi and actual ppi of selected image at the Control panel
I'd like to see the effective ppi and actual ppi of an image displayed at the Control panel for easy of use. It's a very important information for me as I routinelly place several images on our publications and it's really cumbersome to have to open the Links panel or the Info panel just to check an image resolution while there's plentiful of unused space at the Control panel where this information could sit.
2 votes -
Why is there no copy filename only option when you right click on an image in the link window?
Never figured it out, was it forgotten or did Adobe feel it wasn't needed?
It's necessary when links are missing and you need to find images.2 votes -
2 votes
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Possibility to insert multi-language variables in one document
I would like to be able to insert multilingual variables in InDesign, within a single document. I often have to produce multilingual documents and have to insert dates, texts and so on.... I would like to be able to insert these variables in different layers of a document (e.g. ‘Italian’ layer = Italian text variable; ‘English’ layer = English text variable and so on).
I think this could be a good function to add in future versions.
2 votes -
Text variables with text preparation
Text variables with text preparation:
Text variables whose final values are calculated using a script, GREP, case conversion according to user-defined schemes, and the ability to assign character styles to parts of the resulting string would be very helpful.
Text variables can extensively use the existing serialization mechanism for paragraph and character styles, such as in running headings.For example, many scientific journals generate a DOI (Digital
Object Identifier) for each scientific article, which is a URL that optionally uses a constant prefix, year of publication, issue number in the specified year, and the initial page number of the article. Rather than checking all these details each time, text variables with text preparation could be used.It would also be interesting to work with non-text variables for color and size, which could be used in styles, changing many styles with one variable.
It would also be nice to be able to use the values of multiple text variables in building a combined one.
Text variables with text preparation:
Text variables whose final values are calculated using a script, GREP, case conversion according to user-defined schemes, and the ability to assign character styles to parts of the resulting string would be very helpful.
Text variables can extensively use the existing serialization mechanism for paragraph and character styles, such as in running headings.For example, many scientific journals generate a DOI (Digital
Object Identifier) for each scientific article, which is a URL that optionally uses a constant prefix, year of publication, issue number in the specified year, and the initial page number of the article.…2 votes -
Option to save GenAI expanded files in different locations.
I like to save all associated files with individual jobs. It keeps thing together as the company uses a job number system for each Job (like a lot of Design companies in UK).
At the moment, InDesign saves everything in Documents > InDesign GenAI Assets Folder including all alternative AI options. The option to choose where to save the AI files would be great.
Also... 300dpi images would be amazing!
2 votes -
Online publishing and interactivity needs importvments
1- make it responsive so it will fill in the screen
2- add navigation (TOC) on the side
3- better way to mange multiple publications, possibly folders..
4- Adding custom URL, for example: Comapnyname.com/issue 01
5- Allow publishing from another adobe ID, this would be great for teams so the publication isn't tied to one person. Maybe the publishing can be directly in the dashboard, for example: user login into the dash board, select new publication or exciting one, the click publish to get indesign file to be uploaded or opened on the computer and automatically published. this way we are sure the person own the file!
6- The interactivity panels needed to be improved and account the complexity may have, mabye we can have Interactive Styles panels, copy/past interactivity?
7- an option in in-design settings, where everytime user add link, it will automatically copy it project folder, this cab be turned on and off
8- make all indesign cash/backup files, located on the local machine to speed up the work on server.Thanks
1- make it responsive so it will fill in the screen
2- add navigation (TOC) on the side
3- better way to mange multiple publications, possibly folders..
4- Adding custom URL, for example: Comapnyname.com/issue 01
5- Allow publishing from another adobe ID, this would be great for teams so the publication isn't tied to one person. Maybe the publishing can be directly in the dashboard, for example: user login into the dash board, select new publication or exciting one, the click publish to get indesign file to be uploaded or opened on the computer and automatically published. this way we…2 votes -
Include parent (master) page assignments in styles
When designing a book, every time I make a substantial amount of edits or add photos, it shifts all pages after it through smart reflow (which is great); HOWEVER, once the edits are done, part of my proofreading workflow is to then to manually. reassign CO master pages to chapter openings, "blank" to any blank verso pages preceding them, and Text to the pages that were shifted to the blank- and CO-assigned pages.
This happens EVERY TIME I make edits, and adds a SUBSTANTIAL amount of time to my workflow--unnecessarily, I believe.
I put this request on the InDesign forum to see if maybe there was a already a solution of which I was unaware, but even the experts weren’t able to offer a more efficient idea than manually reassigning the pages. Discussion can be found here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/how-to-assign-master-pages-to-certain-pages-and-quot-lock-quot-them-so-reflow-doesn-t-move-them/td-p/14990755
What I’d like to see:
Once a page is assigned a parent page, it can be “locked” to that parent page, keeping the assignment regardless of any reflow that moves the page.
It would be a bonus if pages could also be “unlocked”, or able to change page assignment if certain conditions are met, e.g., verso pages that are assigned “blank” because the preceding chapter ends on a recto page could become “text” pages if any text is added to them during reflow AND they precede a chapter opening paragraph style.
This would be a real timesaver for me! Thanks!
When designing a book, every time I make a substantial amount of edits or add photos, it shifts all pages after it through smart reflow (which is great); HOWEVER, once the edits are done, part of my proofreading workflow is to then to manually. reassign CO master pages to chapter openings, "blank" to any blank verso pages preceding them, and Text to the pages that were shifted to the blank- and CO-assigned pages.
This happens EVERY TIME I make edits, and adds a SUBSTANTIAL amount of time to my workflow--unnecessarily, I believe.
I put this request on the InDesign forum…
2 votes -
Support for conversion or migration of legacy Adobe pagemaker files
It would be nice if Adobe InDesign allows opening or showing conversion options for legacy Adobe Pagemaker PMD files
2 votes -
Include bit depth (8/16/32 bits per channel) as an item to be included in the Links panel (or at least in the Info panel).
I know that bit depth is included in XMP File Info but as this panel is modal (and overly high) it is tedious to fetch this information from there. It would be convenient to have both in Links and Info panels. Possibly these panels could be updated with other useful data, too,. This is useful as HDR is becoming increasingly popular, and while PDFs can include 32-bit images, I'd imagine they are problematic in press.
2 votes -
Auto size headshots in frames based on a "key object" frame
Similar to how Photoshop has facial recognition, a lot of the time in my job I have to place many headshots in a grid of frames, etc. and they're not all the same resolution, crop or size. It would be awesome to have a feature that lets you select all of the frames with face photos, then click one of the frames like setting the "key object" and then InDesign will size the headshot images within the rest of the frames to match the cropping of the "key object" so everything looks consistent.
2 votes
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