Customizing InDesign's Links Panel

This post was originally posted on February 5, 2010 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.

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NOTE: While this page may have useful insights, be aware that it was published more than 10 years ago and may not be relevant for current software versions.

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I’m primarily a print designer. So when it comes to linked files in InDesign, I need to know two main things – what is the color space of the linked file and what is the resolution of the file. InDesign CS4 makes it easy to find this info. If you click the arrow in the lower left hand corner of the Links Panel, you’ll see a link information box that gives you all sorts of data about the selected link including color space, actual PPI and effective PPI. (Actual PPI measures what the resolution of the file in its native form. Effective PPI calculates the output resolution based on how it is scaled within InDesign.)

It’s great and very handy, but you can only see one link at a time. And if you are trying to scan a document quickly to find low-res or RGB files, you still have to click on each link. Thankfully, Adobe offers another option. On the Links Panel, go to the flyout menu and select “Panel Options.”

Select “Panel Options” from the flyout menu…

…and you can fully customize the appearance of your Link Panel.

Here you can customize what information is shown in the Link Info Box AND you can add information to show up in the Link Panel itself. Very handy for scanning a document quickly.

Link Panel showing color space and effective resolution.