This topic is similar to Anchoring an Image to a full page, but is more specific. I am preparing a book for self publication and have a few maps and diagrams which I would like to occupy a full page (map), and in one case facing pages between chapters (two diagrams of a ship). I have already done all rewriting, editing, proofreading, font selection, page sizing, etc. I am ready to add images and then do typographical proofing to get those final touches. I am sure many people have worked out a solid solution to this issue. Can anyone provide the optimal step-by-step method to insert full page images without disrupting existing text flow? Thanks so much in advance!
Inserting a full-page image on the first page of a document
and on each additional page that is to receive a full-page image, you need a page style “First page” or whatever you want to call it.
Whatever you do, adding new material to a book (text or images) will change text flow. If you didn’t use styles and their text flow properties, i.e. you direct formatted the book by manually inserted empty paragraphs for vertical spacing and page alignment or spaces and tabs form horizontal layout, any late addition will really a pain and nightmare.
I assume your images are not transparent and don’t appear over existing text. Consequently, they will flush text to make room at their location. In other word, your text flow will be affected.
If all your images have the same “geometric” characteristics (they are all intended to be full-page), the best is to create a user frame style configuring the properties. Doing so will allow you to lay out your images by merely assign the frame style to them without any other manual operation.
Any inserted “object” (image) need an anchor. This is a paragraph to which the image is attached and the image will move with the anchor. Position of the image is quite independent from the anchor. You can request full-page and no text will be set in the page.
DON’T anchor your image To page. This anchor mode doesn’t do what you think. It is a DTP-like feature which has surprised more than one newbie. Full-page is requested by the position settings, not by the anchor mode.
One last word: you can’t presently have a frame larger than one page. Therefore if you have double-page images, you must layout it in a double-size page, e.g. an A3 landscape page inside an A4 portrait book. But I don’t know how printshops handle the case. Consumer-grade printers output a physical sheet of paper, meaning you can’t really handle the logical flow of A4 pages on the other side of the A3 sheet. Say your double-sized diagram is to be presented on A4-pages 6-7. Back of the A3-sheet should show A4-pages 5 and 8 so that once folded, you have your standard A4 book. This is not possible.
The left hand diagram should be on an even-numbered page and the right hand diagram on the next page. Clicking Book View icon in the bottom right of the Writer window should show the layout, make sure you can see both images side-by-side. If your chapters begin on an odd-numbered page then the pictures will be followed by a blank page unless you add an additional image.
To make it easier add the images in order from the beginning
Thanks! The possibilities and limitations are gradually becoming clear. I think I have some interesting experimentation in store…in a copy not the master!
Thanks! To create the new pages, should I use ‘insert page break’? I tried that first, and inserting the image on the ‘new page’ just caused the preceding pages to"jump" into those pages and drag the image back into previous chapter. Text leapt all over with every attempt to reposition or resize the image. Just out of control. That is why I asked the question in the first place.
Should I create and format the two new pages, and then insert them between the two chapters?
Fortunately I am using a copy for these experiments.
So far:
Inserting images into a chapter is a breeze.
A full page map in the front matter? No sweat!
But pages between chapters? Nightmare.
BTW:
I’m confident I could go back to the Master Document manuscript, and insert all full page images there as individual files, but that is wayyy back in the process. Although, having transformed a double-spaced, times-new-roman manuscript into book format once, it would be much quicker a second time. Would that be a preferred route? To start again from the Master doc?
Just wondering, and for future reference.
Chris
This is new information. In the initial question, your page-images could happen randomly in your book. If your illustrations are located only between chapters (they are usually called frontispieces), there are smarter solutions with the help of custom paragraph- and page-styles which will handle automatically the issue of page breaks and page parity (left & right).
But, so far, we have absolutely no idea about the structure of your book and its styling. If you direct format everything (no usage of styles or incorrect use of them), your update will be a nightmare. Provide a sample file (max. 5 pages) for an evaluation of your formatting routine.
If your book is correctly styled, the operation needs about 10 seconds: since this targets only the discourse (document contents, excluding headings and other “decoration”), you only modify Body Text paragraph style, Indents & Spacing tab for Line Spacing and Font tab for type face. And, if the other spacings configured in paragraph styles are consistent, there is nothing else to do and your document automatically reflows.
So, give us an idea on how you format your creation. From there, we can recommend some route.
Thanks again ajlittoz!
I have used styles throughout the book, but since I was learning as I went, there may be parts where styles are not used correctly in every case. I did review the entire first draft applying styles for pages, paragraphs and lines, as my first few chapters had been done without styles. The main body of the book has all been reset with styles, and the headers set for uniform spacing and fonts.
Pages: Default is the parent, First page leads back to default. Format:user 5.5x8.5,mirrored: inner .69,outer .39, Top .29, bottom .04 footnote ‘left’ with a line above. Page numbers, outer side of footer. With E.B. Garamond regular font at 1.15 spacing that puts an average of 300 words per page.
The book uses Paragraph styles for Text body, First lines of chapters and paragraphs and headings. Only the First Page of the First Chapter and front matter are defined for right or left page. Still working on illustrations and final typographical tweaks. I don’t know if that gives enough information.
I am curious about your reference to your reference to:
“custom paragraph- and page-styles which will handle automatically the issue of page breaks and page parity (left & right)”
What would be involved in creating these?
I may have solved the problem. I have been experimenting with the 4.1"x 6.5"images set to “full width of text”, anchored “as character”, which forces them onto whole pages, after the end of the chapter. There is still room to caption them to credit the artist. The page style is left as default. Use of a frame does not seem necessary. If this can convert to PDF, as it appears right now, it may be all I need.
Custom styles may do a better job.
It is much better to provide a sample because there are many factors in assessing styling as good or improvable.
I remember having helped to solve a case where an optional full-page image was set on left page facing beginning of chapter on right page. The tricky part was to “include” this page for cross-reference purpose (numbering and captioning) inside the chapter which was not yet started. Unfortunately I could not (and still can’t) find back the question on AskLO (I answer too many questions).
Best is to provide a sample file representative of the book layout. If you want to anonymise, replace body with “lorem ipsum” (to get “lorem ipsum” sequence type lorem immediately followed by F3).
Well, here is my excerpt. I wasn’t sure of the optimal method to send a handful of pages with all styles intact so I just copied the whole book and deleted everything above and below the selection. I appreciate your observations. I hope it is not a bigger mess than you bargained for, lol!
Thanks again!
Chris
Sample file missing!