Safety Margins

[Nathan Shirley]

What is the recommended way to create safety margins? The bleed settings work well, and setting standard margins works fine, but I can't seem to find anything specific for safety margins.

[GarryP]

I’ve never noticed an option to add a safety margin and there doesn’t seem to be anything in the Help about them.

One basic option is to:

• create a new master page/spread;
• set-up a margin on this new page/spread which is where you want the ‘safety margin’ to be;
• add the new master page/spread to each normal page/spread where needed;
• keep the “Safety Margin” master page/spread just above the other master page(s)/spread(s) so the ‘safety margin’ doesn’t interfere.

Then, when you want to check that things are okay:

• drag – and keep the mouse button down – the “Safety Margin” spread layer to the bottom of the layer stack to quickly check that all looks okay;
• while you’ve still got the mouse button down, drag the “Safety Margin” spread back to where it was.

It’s not ideal but this way the ‘safety margin’ remains hidden until you want to do your checks.

My attached GIF shows how it could be used, but I’m not sure if it helps much.

[Nathan Shirley]

Thanks for the workaround idea, makes sense.

I'd like to request the addition of dedicated safety margins, that would be very useful.

[GarryP]

You’re welcome.
If enough people request this feature then I feel sure that the Affinity team will at least consider it for inclusion, but probably for a future release rather than the first one.