Using tables in your InDesign project is a terrific approach to maintaining the aesthetic appeal and order of your text and graphics. Cells are arranged in rows or columns in tables. Text, photos, and even other tables are all permitted in a cell. This easy tutorial will teach you how to insert and edit tables in Adobe InDesign.

To create a table in InDesign, create a new document, go to Table, and select “Insert Table.” In the next dialogue box, you must mention the number of rows and columns you need in your new table, as well as their width and height. Click “OK” once that is done.

Keep reading below as we discuss these instructions in more detail.

How to Create a Table in InDesign

This section contains a brief guide on how to insert a table in InDesign.

If you’d like more information on working with tables in InDesign, watch this video below:

1. Open InDesign and create a new document or open an existing one.
2. Click on the page where you want to insert the table. A cursor will appear, indicating that you are in text-entry mode.
3. Go to “Table” in the menu bar and select “Insert Table.”
4. In the dialog box that appears next, mention the number of rows and columns you need. You can also adjust the width and height of the table, as well as the width of the columns and the height of the rows.
5. Click “OK” to create the table.

How to Import Table in InDesign

In addition to creating tables directly within InDesign, you can also import tables from other applications such as Microsoft Excel or Word. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to import tables into InDesign:

1. Open InDesign and create a new document or open an existing one.
2. Go to “File” in the menu bar, select “Place” or press “Ctrl” + “D” (for Windows) or “Cmd” + “D” (for MacOS).
3. Navigate to the file containing the table you want to import, select it and click “Open.”
4. Use the “Place” cursor to position the table on the page. You can also adjust the size of the table by dragging the handles on the corners or sides of the table.

When importing tables from other applications, it may not retain the original formatting and design of the table. And some of the features may not be available when importing. And also, sometimes, you may need to adjust the table to fit the design and layout of your document.

Check the file compatibility of the table you will import or try to export it to other formats if the original one is incompatible. This can ensure that the imported table will retain its formatting and design as much as possible.

How to Add Graphics to a Table in InDesign

In this section, we’ve listed the steps required to add graphics to a table.

1. Click on the cell where you want to place the graphic.
2. Go to the “File” menu and choose “Place.” Navigate to the graphic file that you want to add to the table and select it.
3. The graphic will be placed in the selected table cell. You can adjust its position and size within the cell by dragging its handles or by using the “Object > Fitting” menu commands.
4. You can also use the “Cell Options” dialog box to adjust the placement and size of the graphic within the cell. To access this dialog box, right-click on the cell and choose “Cell Options” or go to Table > Cell Options.
5. In the Cell Options dialog box, you can set the vertical and horizontal alignment of the graphic within the cell, as well as the graphic’s scale and position.
6. Click “OK” to close the dialog box and apply the changes to the graphic.

How to Convert Text to Table in InDesign

In this section, we’ve demonstrated how to convert text to tables.

1. Select the “Type” tool from the Tools panel or press the “T” key to activate it.
2. Select the text that you want to convert. The text should be separated by tab or comma.
3. From the “Table” menu, click on “Convert Text to Table.”
4. In the Convert Text to Table dialog box, choose the options for your table, such as number of columns and rows, separator type and formatting.
5. Click “OK.”
6. In the resulting table, you can adjust the column widths and row heights as needed by using the “Table” tool.

Conclusion

Tables are essential for organizing information and create artwork. In this tutorial, you learned how to create a table in InDesign from scratch, convert text into a table, add text or graphics to a table, and more.