Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
The default size of Pages (actually, of all the iWork apps) is smaller than I like and I repeatedly have to resize the window to a size I prefer. Is there any way to specify a new default window size for iWork apps?
Thanks.
iWork-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
LDM,
When you have a new document set the way you want it, Save As a Template from the File Menu. In the future, use this custom template.
Jerry
You can set the default zoom for new documents created from templates or imported documents in the Pages preferences > Rulers. It doesn't matter what the zoom was of a template you created when you save it, it will always open at the setting in the preferences. Only if you save a document at a particular zoom will it reopen at that same setting.
Hi Peggy,
Do you have any idea why I might get a different behavior than you do? I have a Pages preference to open at 125% zoom, but I have certain documents saved with other zooms and they open with their own settings, not my 125% default. Just checked and I don't seem to be hallucinating.
Jerry
Saved documents will open at whatever zoom they were last saved as. Templates & "foreign" documents opened in Pages always use the preference zoom setting.
Peggy,
Excellent clarification. I guess I need to be smacked on the head twice before I get it. 🙂
Jerry
No problem. Being the only human female in the house, I'm used to it. It takes a lot more than twice for me to get through to my husband or sons.
My wife would sympathize with you.
All it takes to throw me off sometimes is a perfectly good compound sentence. Seems my brain doesn't have to patience to break it down.
Jerry
Is it possible to edit the default template (or replace it) with my settings?
LDMartin1959 wrote:
Is it possible to edit the default template (or replace it) with my settings?
Edit, yes. Replace, no. Save your edited regular template as a Custom template.
Jerry
One of my frequent answers:
You need to create your own default template. Open the blank template & insert a table, click in it & choose the font, size, color, etc. you want in the fonts panel or format bar. You can do similar changes to inserted objects & text boxes. While you're at it resize the box if you want, set the amount of extra space in the wrap inspector, etc. Delete each text box, object & table after you've set them. Now, save this document as a template & select that template as default in preferences. If you decide to make any changes to the template down the road, just Save As Template again with the same name & replace the previous version.
Now, save this as a template then, in Pages > Preferences, select this template as the default for new documents. All of your new documents will have these settings for inserted objects, images & tables. Unfortunately, the settings won't apply to any other templates or "foreign" documents you open with Pages.
About the only thing you can’t set a template to do is remember to show invisibles & the window position. It is possible to get a template to show invisibles when opened, if you want. Save this document as a document then, in the Finder, change the extension from .pages to .template & put it in your My Templates folder in HD > Users > (your account) > Library > Application Support > iWork > Pages > Templates > My Templates.Set up your document with the line spacing, margins, headers, etc. as you'd like. Redefine all of the paragraph & character styles to have your desired font.
Okay, this didn't do it. The custom template I saved still reverts back to the default size, not the size I had it set to when I saved it. I even tried the "change the extension" trick; the original opened to the correct size but the renamed ".template" version reverted back to the default template size. Any other ideas?
You must set the default zoom percent for templates/new documents to open in Preferences > Rulers. Here is the same screenshot I posted earlier in this thread that shows where to make the change. It's the top drop-down menu.
Interesting. When I set the window size I wanted, then selected View | Zoom | Fit Width the zoom setting in the Rules Prefernces was set to a specific size (based on the zoom that was required to fit width) but that apparantly doesn't work. I wonder if it is simply the act of using the drop down you directed me to or if it was that the size which appeared there (280%) was not a standard size therefor not sufficiant for the template requirement....
Thanks for the info though. That helped a log.
I don't think we're talking about the same thing. The View > Zoom control has nothing to do with setting a default display zoom. By dragging the lower right corner of a document window then choosing fit width or fit window the % in the lower left of the document window changed but the preference setting doesn't. It only allows a choice of one of the % in the drop-down menu.
Actually, I think we are talking about the same thing, which may be why it didn't work for me the first time. Previously when I had resized the window and gone into the initial zoom settings (in the ruler preferences) it read 280%, which was the zoom level I that was set when I did View | Zoom | Fit Width, so it gave the appearance to me of having set the default zoom to the currently selected zoom level. I understand what you are saying, that changing the visible zoom level shouldn't/doesn't have anything to do with the default zoom settings, but what I saw was that it was changed when I changed the visible zoom level. It's just that it wasn't changed dispite what it seemed to be indicating.
Set the initial (default) window size
