Recommended Preferences & Setting Defaults

Recommended Preferences & Setting Defaults

Setting Preferences

Optimizing InCopy's default preferences can significantly streamline your editorial workflow and reduce repetitive formatting tasks. These recommended settings have been refined through years of professional publishing experience and will help ensure consistency across your projects. Before implementing these changes, consult with your system administrator or production team, as they may have established specific preferences tailored to your organization's workflow requirements.

1. If you have any files open, close them all. This ensures that preference changes will apply to all future documents rather than just the current session.

2. To access the Preferences window, navigate to:

   Mac:	InCopy > Preferences > Type
   Windows:	Edit > Preferences > Type

3. Check Apply Leading to Entire Paragraphs. This setting ensures consistent line spacing throughout each paragraph, preventing awkward spacing variations that can occur when leading is applied character by character.
4. On the left sidebar, click on the Units & Increments section to fine-tune your adjustment controls.

5. Modify the Keyboard Increments to these professional-grade values:

   Size/Leading:	1 pt
   Baseline Shift:	1 pt
   Kerning:	5

   NOTE: A Kerning and Tracking amount of 5 in InCopy and InDesign equals 1 in QuarkXPress. For reference, QuarkXPress values of 1, 2, 3 correspond to InCopy/InDesign values of 5, 10, 15. This standardization helps maintain consistency when collaborating across different design platforms.

6. Navigate to the Spelling section in the left sidebar to configure real-time proofreading tools.
7. Ensure Enable Dynamic Spelling is checked. This feature provides immediate visual feedback on potential spelling errors, helping catch mistakes before they reach the final publication stage.
8. Click on the Display Performance section to optimize your visual editing experience.
9. Set Greek Type Below to 0 pt. This ensures all text remains readable regardless of zoom level, which is crucial for detailed editorial work.
10. Next to Adjust View Settings, change the dropdown from Typical to High Quality. This provides the clearest possible view of your text and formatting, essential for professional editing work.
11. Again, verify that Greek Type Below is set to 0 pt. under the High Quality view settings.
12. Select the Clipboard Handling section to configure copy-paste behavior between applications.
13. For seamless integration with Microsoft Word documents, check All Information under the Paste options. This preserves formatting such as bold, italic, and other character styling when transferring content, saving significant time in maintaining document consistency.

14. Click OK to apply all changes.

With your core preferences optimized, the next step is establishing consistent defaults for typography and formatting elements that will serve as the foundation for all new documents.

Changing Defaults (Such As Fonts, Hyphenation, Etc.)

1. Ensure all files are closed before proceeding.

   Any modifications you make with no documents open will become the default settings for all future files you create. This is particularly valuable for establishing consistent typography standards across your publications. For example, you might want to set your preferred typeface for the Layout view or establish hyphenation rules that align with your publication's style guide.

2. To establish a default font that reflects your publication's brand identity, navigate to Type > Font and select your preferred typeface. Consider choosing a highly readable font that works well across various content types and maintains legibility at different sizes.

3. To configure hyphenation settings, open the Paragraph panel by going to Type > Paragraph. Proper hyphenation settings are crucial for maintaining clean, professional text flow.

4. To disable automatic hyphenation (recommended for many editorial workflows), uncheck Hyphenate. If this option isn't immediately visible, access the panel menu , select Hyphenation, then uncheck Hyphenate. Many professional editors prefer manual control over hyphenation to ensure optimal readability and avoid awkward line breaks.