Generally, the Frontify Templates solution is best suited for creating less complex templates, with as little running text as possible. Why? Simply because when applying lengthy text snippets or complex imagery, you could run the risk of creating inconsistencies. Business cards, posters, or ads are better suited than flyers, brochures, or fact sheets. Text-heavy translation workflows can also prove tricky since text lengths can differ depending on the language.

Keep your InDesign package content (e.g. images) as small as possible (as big as necessary). Large files and unused elements make the templates slower, so we recommend you only add images and other links in the required sizes/quality (e.g., jpg image instead of a PSD) and remove any unnecessary elements (like master pages) from your original InDesign file.

Our Templates solution only modifies elements in the source document that have been changed. For example, if no changes are made to an element, the element in the original document remains untouched. This means that even if elements don’t look quite right while being in editing mode, they still render correctly when downloaded – because, essentially, they haven’t changed.

We support InDesign CS4 (where IDML was introduced) or newer. Make sure NOT to use a version between 15.0.2 and 15.1.1 (due to some InDesign bug in those versions which affect the font display in our editing mode); ideally use a current version of InDesign.

Fonts need to be included in every InDesign package you upload, not just one for the whole Frontify instance, because we take the fonts from the package to use in the templates.

Only static TTF and OTF fonts are supported; other formats you need to convert before packaging (e.g., TrueType Collections (TTC) are not supported). Variable fonts are not supported; please make sure to use static fonts.

Adobe Cloud fonts are not supported because of licensing restrictions: Ensure fonts are available and not marked with square brackets, e.g., in the paragraph style settings.

Sometimes it's hard to get the right fonts into an InDesign package if you are working with an INDD file from an InDesign package that somebody else had created. If you are sure you have the correct fonts installed, try the following: Close InDesign - remove the "Documents fonts" folder from the package - open the INDD file. Then do your changes and repackage. This should help get the right fonts in.

Put editable elements into the foreground (as high up in the layers panel as possible), while non-editable elements should be in the background (as low in the layers panel as possible). This is due to the partial render mechanism: We try to render as many of the non-editable elements as possible in a static background image. This can help you if you have complex elements in your template that are not supported by our templating tool or are difficult to implement.

If these elements are below the first editable element, you don't have to worry about how they look in the template in editing mode, because we display them as images to the end-user (and thus they look correct to your end-users).

Elements placed on master pages can’t be changed in templates or publications. Make sure to put the content you want to change on the content pages and not in the Master. Remove Master Pages.

Always set object styles to "None", as information programmed into object styles will not be correctly interpreted in edit mode.

Try to keep your document as simple as possible and group and nest only what needs to be grouped/nested.

Think about which elements you want the end user to edit. The less "deep" an element is nested, the easier it is for the user to get to that editable element.

In the "Layers" list in the template and in the publication, we show default values (e.g., "image" for an image). If you want to display a custom value for it, you can manually rename the element in InDesign. Double-click the element you want to rename and add the new name.

We will then use this name in the template/publication.

Add images as big as necessary, but as small as possible. Large files make the templates slower, so we recommend you only add images and other links in the required sizes/quality (e.g., jpg image instead of a PSD, no 20MB jpg for a social media template).

You cannot see nor replace embedded images (recognizable from the “embedded” icon in the Links palette) in editing mode. The “Replace Image” functionality will fail to replace the images in the Download. The solution is to unembed (right click on the image in the links section and then choose "Unembed Link") these images, so they appear in the "Links" folder in your InDesign package.

Embedded image

How to unembed the image

Do not use pasted graphics in your designs. Use properly placed and linked images instead, so they appear in the "Links" folder in your InDesign package.

Transformed images or other elements (especially scaled and mirrored) might end up in the wrong position in editing mode. Additionally, if they should be replaceable by the consumer, it can be very confusing for the end users because we keep the transformations when replacing images.
The screenshot below shows two errors: not only does the image have (unnecessary) rotation and minus scaling, but the image is even slightly squeezed (visible by the fact that the X and Y scaling is not the same)

How it should not look like

How it ideally looks like

Illustrator, Photoshop, or PDF files could be scaled incorrectly, depending on how they were placed in InDesign.

Additionally, images with applied options during the “Place…” operation (e.g., automatically cropping the background of PSD files or selecting a specific page) are not properly supported. Convert Illustrator or Photoshop files to JPGs, EPS, or PNGs whenever possible to mitigate these issues.

Additionally, “Frame Fitting Options” are not supported, and using them could result in ill-positioned images and wrong cropping. Therefore, please remove the frame fitting with "Clear Frame Fitting Options".

If you want to include image placeholders (empty image frames) without an actual image (but maybe an example color), make sure to use a Graphic Rectangle (set content type via “Right-click > Content > Graphic”). Any other elements won’t be recognized as image placeholders.

This is a common use case for placing elements like partner logos in your designs. Review the necessary steps here or in the video below.

If you want to replace images in a polygon, make sure you crop them at the required ratio in the original image so that you don't apply any cropping in InDesign. This way, the crop function in our template tool works as expected.

It's also possible to use a polygon shaped graphic frame as image placeholder (see topic above).

When you place a path from Illustrator in InDesign, be sure to paste only the path itself, without a clipping path (or group). That way, the path is interpreted correctly in Edit mode.

Remove clipping path in Illustrator

Only paste the path to InDesign

If you'd like a line element to be editable in Frontify (specifically changing the color of it), use a fine rectangle rather than the graphic line option in InDesign. This will give you more flexibility and more accurate representation within Frontify.

Split different text styles or elements (e.g., title and subtitle) into separate text fields to be unlocked, edited, and styled independently. Because of differences in text rendering between the browser and InDesign, line breaks might end earlier or later in the text.

Try to keep text simple and avoid multiple text stylings whenever possible. Some text styles, such as super-/subscript, are not supported.

Always use clean paragraph styles to style your text. Don't work with style overrides where you just override the Basic paragraph or another paragraph style. When necessary to override your paragraph styles (e.g., with a different color), do so with character styles. Again: Do not just override it manually.
Leading and font sizes can be especially tricky – make sure to have clean leadings and font sizes on your paragraph and character styles.

Paragraph and Character Styles need to be ordered by their “Based On” setting. Styles can only base on the styles listed above. If you have a style hierarchy that uses the “Based On” setting, move the most basic style to the top of the styles list.

If you have many different styles and are not sure where you have overrides, you can use the Style Override Highlighter to find them.

InDesign controls the text flow in many ways that cannot be displayed by a browser. In order to achieve the closest possible representation between InDesign and the browser, InDesign magic should be removed as much as possible. For this reason, we recommend the following settings under "Justification":

InDesign standard is “hyphenation on.” Due to browser restrictions, the hyphenation sometimes won't be 100% the same as in InDesign. If you want to ensure that edit mode and the final output match, make sure to turn off hyphenation in your paragraph styles.

The browser (meaning edit mode) will always use metric kerning. If you want to ensure that edit mode and the final output match in terms of spacing, make sure to set kerning to "Metrics" in your paragraph styles.

In the section "Indents and Spacing" define the text alignment to Left, Center, Right or Left Justify.

We don't support alignment to a grid in paragraphs. Set it to "None".

We partially support the "Auto-Size" option in InDesign.

You can define auto-sizing under "Text Frame Options" for Height, Width, or Height & Width. Be careful when working with "Height & Width" - this may result in some unwanted behavior.

We support auto-sizing from the corners (but not from the middle) and with the "No Line Breaks" option (for width) active.

Create Bullet & numbering lists by setting the bullet list in a paragraph style. We support the following properties in the text list

To define the correct indents for your bullet list, do so as follows:
​

We don’t support the following properties:

Please be aware: deleting or adding bullet lists within the editing mode doesn’t work.

Irregularly shaped text frames are not supported – use rectangular text frames instead. If you need a circle text field, you can use a rectangular text frame with rounded edges.

Hyperlinks are not supported in our Digital & Print templates. It is not possible to change or add hyperlinks in your text in our editor nor will you see them in editing mode.

If you have fixed hyperlinks in the InDesign file that are static and in a separate field, you can enable this in your downloads by adding a custom PDF preset that supports hyperlinks (read more about adding custom PDF presets here). They will then appear in the downloaded pdf file.

QR codes that have been generated directly in InDesign won't show in editing mode nor can they be edited in Frontify. If you want to have a showing QR codes, add the QR codes as an image.

If you want to resize your text frame, change the actual size (width and height) of the text frame. So the scaling should always be 100%.

Columns don't appear correctly in editing mode (despite downloading correctly). Balanced text columns look fine in some cases, sequentially filled columns never work. Use two separate text frames instead.

For text heavy designs, you might be used to InDesign's features that connects one text frame to another for overflowing text:

If you're creating InDesign templates for use in Frontify, make sure not to use this feature, as it cannot be replicated in the edit mode in Frontify. Each text frame will need to be edited independently.

Wrapping text around objects is not supported. Make sure that you remove all wrapping settings by selecting all layers and then applying "No text wrap".

Use individual text frames with strokes instead.

DO use individual text frames with strokes:

DON'T use InDesign's table feature:

Use multiple text frames if you want to ensure text alignment.

DO use multiple text frames for alignment:

DON'T use tabs for alignment:

Text with superscript/subscript will not be shown correctly in editing mode and text can't be transformed into superscript/subscript. But any unchanged text using superscript/subscript will in the end be exported correctly.

Different types of gradients are supported for templates. Make sure to follow the instructions below and never use re-usable object styles to set up gradients.

You can use the effect "Gradient Feather" for partially transparent overlays or a gradient fill if you'd like to color an element fully with a gradient:

Gradient Feather

Gradient Fill

Supported features:

Unsupported features:

When exporting, the "Intent" of the document is respected. If the intent is set to Print, CMYK values are applied if available. If the intent is set to Web or Mobile, RGB values are used.

Set the document intent when you set up your InDesign file, or change it later in File - Document Setup.

Additionally, if you're exporting as a PDF, color transformations can be programmed into the PDF preset (read more about PDF presets on Frontify here). For correct results, make sure that the intent you have set and the settings of your PDF preset match. If you mix "Intent: Print" with a PDF preset for digital use, you might end up with unexpected results. If you're unsure of your setup, we recommend you run some tests before going live.

We use the standard InDesign color profiles. In the rare case that you need a custom color profile that isn't covered by InDesign's default profiles, please contact your Customer Success Manager and make sure you have the color profile (.icc file) ready to send to us.

Our Templates solution only accepts InDesign package archives, not .indd files. To package an InDesign document, please follow these steps:

Create the package and check the following:

Should the upload fail, make sure to check that your ZIP file contains the full InDesign package (including the .idml file)