Setting the page background
Last updated: October 5, 2026 · 2 min read
Set the background colour of one page, every page or a master page.
The page background is the page colour that goes into the publication: it shows in the reader, in PDF and image exports and in thumbnails. The Canvas Background, by contrast, is only the workspace behind the pages in the editor and never reaches the publication. A page takes its colour from itself first, then from its master; if neither has one, the page is white.
Follow these steps
- 1
Open the Canvas settings
PropertiesCanvas
Click an empty area of the canvas to clear the selection. The Properties panel shows the Canvas settings; find the Page Background section.
- 2
Choose the page colour
CanvasPage Background
Click the colour field and pick from the palette or the Document and Recent rows, or type a colour code. The colour applies to the open page only.
- 3
Apply it to every page
CanvasPage BackgroundAll
Turn on the All switch next to the colour. The colour is written to every page in the catalog, and while the switch stays on, later colour changes go to every page too.
- 4
Set the master colour
PagesMaster Page
While you edit a master, the same section shows Master page colour and writes the colour to the master. Every page that uses this master and has no colour of its own takes it; on those pages the panel shows From master page.
- 5
Remove a page’s own colour
CanvasPage Background
Once a page has its own colour, Reset to default appears in the section. Press it and the page goes back to the master colour or white.
Controls in the Page Background section
| Control | Where? | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Page colour | Canvas | Changes the background colour of the open page. |
| All | Canvas | Writes the colour to every page in the catalog. |
| Master page colour | Canvas | Changes the master’s background colour while you edit it. |
| Reset to default | Canvas | Removes the page’s own colour; the master colour or white comes back. |
Result
The page colour looks the same in the editor, the preview, the reader and exported files. In spread view each page keeps its own colour.