Creating and applying parent pages
Last updated: 12 September 2026 · 5 minute read
Learn how to design repeating elements such as a logo, page numbers or a column structure once and apply them to many pages.
A parent page is a template layer that shows through on the pages it is assigned to. Blocks on a parent are not edited on the page itself; you change the parent and every page using it updates at once. A parent can carry two faces, left and right: in spread view the left face applies to left-hand pages and the right face to right-hand pages.
Steps
- 1
Create a parent page
PagesParent pageNew parent
In the Parent page strip at the top of the Pages panel click the New parent row. The strip collapses and expands and remembers your choice; its header shows how many parents exist. The new parent appears as a row: its name on the left and a thumbnail of the faces it carries on the right (a single face or Left + Right joined).
- 2
Edit the parent
PagesEdit parent
Double-click the parent row or use the pencil that appears when you hover it; on a Left + Right parent the face you click opens. The canvas switches to parent editing: an amber frame with the parent name surrounds the sheet and a strip with a Finish button appears at the top of the right panel. Put the elements that repeat on every page here: the logo, the page number, column rules; the face being edited is highlighted in the strip.
To design the two faces separately, switch with Toggle left/right parent in the View menu. In a book layout the inner margins are mirrored, so the two faces are usually mirror images of each other.
- 3
Put a page number on the parent
PagesPage no.
While editing a parent, use the Page no. button in the strip header. The command adds a new text block carrying the number token and also tries to copy the token to the clipboard. Position and format the block; you do not need to create an empty text block first.
- 4
Finish editing
PagesFinish editing
Finish editing in the strip header, Exit Parent Edit in the right panel strip or the same command in the top bar returns to normal page editing. Check the save status and preview the result on the pages that use the parent.
- 5
Assign the parent to pages
PagesAssign parent
Select one or more pages in the list, choose Assign parent and pick the template. In spread view the left and right faces match the position of the page within its sheet automatically.
To remove a parent, clear the assignment in the same place. The page's own blocks are untouched.
- 6
Use parent guides
ViewGuides: parent (all pages)
Guides are kept in two scopes: only the page you are on, or the parent, meaning every page. Set columns and margins in the parent scope and they land in the same place on every page.
You switch the scope from the View menu or the Canvas panel; the Canvas panel also has an action that applies this page's guides to all pages.
- 7
Delete a parent
PagesParent page
The trash button that appears when you hover the parent row asks for confirmation. The deleted parent is removed from the pages that used it; those pages keep their own content and continue without a parent.
Options
Parent page actions and where they live.
| Option | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| New parent | Pages | The last row of the strip; creates an empty template layer. |
| Edit parent | Pages | Double-click the row or use the pencil; switches the canvas to parent editing. |
| Left / Right / Left + Right | Pages | The small faces on the right of the row show which faces the parent carries. |
| Toggle left/right parent | View | Switches between faces while editing. |
| Page no. | Pages | Places a page-number token in parent text. |
| Assign parent | Pages | Applies the template to the selected pages. |
| Finish editing | Pages | Leaves parent editing. |
| Guides: parent (all pages) | View | Moves the guide scope to every page. |
Result
Parent elements sit under the page content in the publication and in exports. Change the template and every page bound to it updates together; there is nothing to fix page by page.