Long-document layout & copyfitting
Lay out books and magazines with styles, threads and copyfit.
20 project-authored proposals · taxonomy v1.1 · 0 new benchmark runs. Verifiers and partial-credit rules below are designs, not executed results.
- Typical applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher · QuarkXPress
- Class GUI-need label
HY· Hybrid
Task proposals · 20
Expand to inspect the complete original wording and proposed checks. Original proposal text remains English in both interfaces.
R06.09.01.01-T01 Flow a manuscript into a 6x9 book template
Original instruction
Place input/manuscript.docx (40 pages, 8 chapters) into fixtures/book_6x9.indt, mapping Word styles to H1/H2/Body/Caption/Quote, with every chapter starting on a recto page, no overset text, and a TOC generated from H1/H2 on page 5. Save output/book.indd and export output/book.idml and output/book.pdf.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickdrag· Drag & droptype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: all paragraphs use template styles (no Word-imported styles left in use); story text equals DOCX text (normalized) and appears in the PDF (overset 0); each H1 on an odd page; TOC entries match H1/H2 with correct page numbers. Scripts panel disabled; script labels absent.
Proposed partial credit
30% style mapping; 25% no overset/text complete; 20% recto chapter starts; 25% TOC correct.
R06.09.01.01-T02 Set a baseline grid and keep options
Original instruction
In fixtures/report.indd set the baseline grid to 14 pt starting at the top margin, align Body and Body First paragraph styles to it, and set Keep Options so no paragraph leaves fewer than 2 lines at the start or end of a column. Save output/report.indd and export IDML and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML preferences: BaselineDivision 14 pt, start relative to top margin; Body styles AlignToBaseline; KeepFirstLines 2 / KeepLastLines 2; PDF text-line positions: body baselines on the 14 pt grid (+/- 0.1 pt); no widow/orphan lines detected.
Proposed partial credit
30% grid settings; 30% styles aligned; 25% keep options; 15% verified in PDF.
R06.09.01.01-T03 Anchor figures near their first references
Original instruction
In fixtures/textbook_ch3.indd anchor the 12 figures in the main story so each figure lands on the same or the next page as its first in-text reference 'Fig. 3.x', set captions with object style 'Figure+Caption', and keep figures within the text column with 12 pt space after. Export output/ch3.idml and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF + IDML: for all 12 figures, page(figure) - page(first reference) in {0, 1}; figures are anchored objects in the story; object style applied with caption; figures inside column bounds; no overset; reference text unchanged. InDesign scripting (Scripts panel, ExtendScript/UXP, AppleScript/COM) is disabled, and IDML/PDF files written outside InDesign are logged and fail.
Proposed partial credit
45% placement rule per figure; 25% anchored; 20% object style/captions; 10% no overset.
R06.09.01.01-T04 Copyfit a feature story by marked cuts and tracking
Original instruction
The 'Feature' story in fixtures/magazine_p24.indd oversets by 9 lines. Delete exactly the sentences the editor highlighted in yellow, then tighten tracking (no less than -10) on paragraphs with loose last lines until no overset remains and no paragraph ends in a single word. Export output/p24.idml and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · InCopy
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgmenttype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: highlighted sentences absent and all other text intact (diff); story fits (overset 0 via PDF text completeness); tracking values >= -10 on all ranges; last lines contain >= 2 words (runts 0); frame geometry unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
30% exact cuts; 30% no overset; 20% tracking limits; 20% no runts and frames unchanged.
R06.09.01.01-T05 Thread a magazine story with a wrapped pull quote
Original instruction
On the spread in fixtures/spread_12_13.indd, thread the story 'Ocean Cities' through the 3 column frames in order, add a pull quote frame with the quote from notes/pullquote.txt centered on page 13 with text wrap offset 12 pt, and ensure no widows or orphans and no hyphenated line ends at column bottoms.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher · QuarkXPress
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: thread order frame1->frame2->frame3; pull quote frame centered on page 13 (+/- 2 pt) with wrap offsets 12 pt; PDF line analysis: column-bottom lines not hyphenated, no 1-line widows/orphans; full story present.
Proposed partial credit
30% threading; 25% pull quote placement and wrap; 30% typographic rules; 15% text complete.
R06.09.01.01-T06 Set up parent pages with running heads and mixed numbering
Original instruction
In fixtures/handbook.indd create parent pages for front matter (roman numerals, no running head) and body (arabic from Chapter 1 page 1, running head with chapter title via section marker or running-head variable, page number outside), and apply them so numbering restarts correctly. Export output/handbook.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsdrag· Drag & drop- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML sections: front matter style lower roman starting i; body section arabic starting 1 at Chapter 1; PDF: running head on each body page equals current chapter title; page numbers on outside margins (odd right, even left); front matter pages without running heads.
Proposed partial credit
30% numbering sections; 35% running heads correct; 20% outside placement; 15% parents applied.
R06.09.01.01-T07 Import and style 85 footnotes from Word
Original instruction
Place input/essay_footnotes.docx into fixtures/journal.indd keeping the 85 footnotes as live InDesign footnotes, apply footnote paragraph style 'Note' (8/10 pt), a 0.5 pt rule above of 72 pt width, and restart numbering per article. Export output/journal.idml and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: 85 Footnote elements (not static text) in order with markers in the right paragraphs; Note style applied with size/leading; footnote options rule weight 0.5 pt width 72 pt; numbering restarts at each article section; PDF has every footnote on its reference page or continued.
Proposed partial credit
35% live footnotes; 25% styling; 20% rule options; 20% numbering restarts.
R06.09.01.01-T08 Build a back-of-book index from tagged terms
Original instruction
fixtures/field_guide.indd has 140 index-term candidates listed in notes/index_terms.csv (term, subentry, see-also). Add index markers at every occurrence of each term, create cross-references, and generate the index on the final pages with a 'Index' style set, two columns, section headings A-Z. Export output/field_guide.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: index topics match CSV (terms/subentries); markers count vs GT occurrences recall >= 0.95; generated index story in 2 columns with A-Z headings; page numbers in index match PDF pages of occurrences (>= 95%); see-also references present.
Proposed partial credit
25% topics; 35% marker coverage; 25% index page accuracy; 15% layout.
R06.09.01.01-T09 Lay out a 16-page booklet in Affinity Publisher
Original instruction
In Affinity Publisher create a 16-page A5 booklet from input/booklet_brief.pdf and input/booklet_text.docx: master pages for cover and inner pages, text styles Heading/Body/Caption, 3 mm bleed, 12 mm margins, images from fixtures/booklet_img/ placed in frames, no overflow. Export output/booklet.pdf (press-ready).
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Affinity Publisher · InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF: 16 pages A5 trim with 3 mm bleed box; text completely present (vs DOCX) and in brief order; fonts embedded; images at effective >= 250 ppi; margins respected (no text outside 12 mm); style consistency (font size clusters = 3 styles).
Proposed partial credit
25% page setup/bleed; 30% text complete and ordered; 20% images; 25% margins and styles.
R06.09.01.01-T10 Import an Excel table with repeating header rows
Original instruction
Place fixtures/price_list.xlsx (sheet 'Q3', 180 rows) into fixtures/catalog.indd as a table spanning pages with table style 'Prices', cell styles for header/body/total, header row repeating on each page, alternating row fills, and numbers right-aligned on the decimal. Export output/catalog.idml and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · QuarkXPress
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML table: 181 rows incl. header; HeaderRowCount 1 with repeat; cell styles assigned per row type; decimal tab alignment on price column; PDF: header present at top of each table page; all values match the XLSX.
Proposed partial credit
30% data complete; 25% styles; 25% repeating header; 20% decimal alignment.
R06.09.01.01-T11 Generate a product catalog with Data Merge
Original instruction
Use Data Merge in fixtures/catalog_template.indd with input/products.csv (50 rows: name, sku, price, @image) to produce a 50-product catalog, 4 products per page, image fitting 'fill proportionally', no overset in descriptions (shorten font size not allowed), and export output/catalog_merged.indd and PDF.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickdrag· Drag & drop- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF: 13 pages; every CSV row appears once with matching name/sku/price; images match the referenced files (perceptual hash) and fill frames; description text complete (no overset); template styles unchanged. Control pair is T12.
Proposed partial credit
40% records merged correctly; 20% images; 25% no overset; 15% page structure.
R06.09.01.01-T12 Build the catalog IDML by script (control pair of T11)
Original instruction
Control pair of T11: from a terminal only, write a Python script (simpleidml or direct IDML XML templating) that fills fixtures/catalog_template.idml with the 50 rows of input/products.csv, 4 per page, and writes output/catalog_cli.idml; render it to PDF with the provided InDesign Server test endpoint.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- Python (IDML) · InDesign Server
- Interfaces
term· Terminal- GUI need · task setting
CL· CLI-sufficient- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
code· Code & commands- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
Same checks as T11 on the rendered PDF (records, images, no overset, structure). No desktop InDesign session. Scored side by side with T11 for the GUI-vs-script delta.
Proposed partial credit
40% records merged correctly; 20% images; 25% no overset; 15% page structure.
R06.09.01.01-T13 Replace local formatting with paragraph and character styles
Original instruction
The 10-page story in fixtures/newsletter.indd uses local overrides (bold, italic, sizes) instead of styles. Apply paragraph styles H2/Body/Quote and character styles Emphasis/Strong so the look is unchanged but no local overrides remain. Export output/newsletter.idml.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickkey· Shortcuts- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: 0 local overrides on font style/size/leading in the story; character styles applied on all GT bold/italic ranges; paragraphs mapped to GT style per paragraph (>= 98%); PDF render SSIM >= 0.99 vs original.
Proposed partial credit
40% overrides cleared; 30% correct styles; 30% appearance unchanged.
R06.09.01.01-T14 Copyfit a book to an exact page count
Original instruction
The production edit of fixtures/novel.indd runs 262 pages; the printer signature requires exactly 256. Within the limits in notes/copyfit_rules.md (leading 13.6-14 pt, tracking -5 to 0, margins +/- 2 mm, no text changes), make it 256 pages with chapters still starting recto, no widows/orphans/runts. Export output/novel.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF: exactly 256 pages; text identical to source; IDML leading/tracking/margin values within limits; chapter starts on odd pages; widow/orphan/runt detector 0; no overset.
Proposed partial credit
35% page count; 25% within copyfit limits; 25% typographic quality; 15% recto chapters.
R06.09.01.01-T15 Lay out bilingual parallel text with synchronized paragraphs
Original instruction
Lay out input/guide_en.docx and input/guide_es.docx (same 64 paragraphs) as a bilingual booklet in fixtures/bilingual.indd: English in the left column, Spanish in the right, each paragraph pair starting at the same baseline (aligned per pair), page breaks never splitting a pair. Export output/bilingual.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF line positions: for each of 64 pairs, first-line baselines equal (+/- 0.5 pt) and on the same page; no pair split across pages; texts complete in each language; Spanish text language attribute set (IDML AppliedLanguage). InDesign scripting (Scripts panel, ExtendScript/UXP, AppleScript/COM) is disabled; the VM has no terminal, and PDF/IDML files written outside the two apps are logged.
Proposed partial credit
45% pair alignment; 25% no split pairs; 20% complete text; 10% language tags.
R06.09.01.01-T16 Add GREP styles and nested run-in heads
Original instruction
In fixtures/directory.indd add to paragraph style 'Entry' a nested style making the name up to the first colon bold, and GREP styles that set phone numbers (pattern in notes/grep.txt) in tabular lining figures and all-caps acronyms of 3+ letters in small caps via character styles. Export output/directory.idml.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML style definitions: NestedStyle up to ':' applying Bold char style; GREP style expressions matching the given patterns linked to Phone/SmallCaps styles; PDF font feature check on phone numbers (tnum/lnum) and small caps glyphs on GT acronyms; no local overrides added.
Proposed partial credit
35% nested style; 40% GREP styles correct; 25% verified rendering.
R06.09.01.01-T17 Produce a 120-page illustrated non-fiction book
Original instruction
From input/book_package/ (manuscript.docx, 64 images, captions.xlsx, style_guide.pdf) produce a 120-page 7x10 in book in InDesign: styles per guide, chapter openers on recto with drop caps, images anchored near references with captions from the sheet, footnotes, TOC, and a clean preflight. Export output/book.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
HY· Hybrid- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF 116-124 pages; manuscript text complete; style mapping per guide; images placed within 1 page of first reference (>= 90%) with matching captions; footnotes live; TOC page numbers correct; preflight profile 'Book' 0 errors. VLM rubric for overall design consistency (15%).
Proposed partial credit
25% text and styles; 25% figures/captions; 35% footnotes/TOC (15 pts) and preflight and structure (20 pts); 15% rubric.
R06.09.01.01-T18 Lay out a 24-page magazine issue with ads and jumps
Original instruction
Build issue 07 of fixtures/mag_template.indt from input/issue07/ (wireframes, 9 stories, 6 ads with page/position bookings, photos): place ads exactly per the booking sheet, flow stories with jump lines 'Continued on page X' using automatic next/previous page markers, and copyfit every story without editing text. Export output/issue07.pdf.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · QuarkXPress
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF: 24 pages; ads at booked page/position (bbox IoU >= 0.95); every story complete (text diff) with no overset; jump lines show correct page numbers (text check vs actual continuation pages); wireframe section order respected.
Proposed partial credit
25% ads; 30% stories complete and copyfit; 25% jump lines; 20% wireframe structure.
R06.09.01.01-T19 Set vertical Japanese text with mixed horizontal numerals
Original instruction
Lay out input/essay_ja.txt (synthetic Japanese essay, 6 pages) in fixtures/tategaki.indd with vertical text frames (tategaki), ruby on the 12 terms in notes/ruby.csv, tate-chu-yoko for 2-digit numbers, and kinsoku line-breaking rules set to Strong. Export output/tategaki.pdf and IDML.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- InDesign · Affinity Publisher
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro apptutorial· Follow docs/tutorial- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
IDML: frames with vertical story direction; ruby attributes on all 12 GT terms with correct readings; tate-chu-yoko applied to every 2-digit number; kinsoku set 'Hard/Strong'; PDF text complete in order (extracted vertically); no line starts with prohibited characters.
Proposed partial credit
25% vertical frames; 25% ruby; 25% tate-chu-yoko; 25% kinsoku and completeness.
R06.09.01.01-T20 Set up a newsletter with chained text boxes in QuarkXPress
Original instruction
In QuarkXPress build a 4-page newsletter from input/newsletter_copy.docx and fixtures/newsletter_brief.pdf: 3-column grid, style sheets for Head/Deck/Body/Caption, text boxes chained across pages 1-3 for the lead story, sidebar on page 4, and export output/newsletter.pdf (PDF/X-4).
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- QuarkXPress · InDesign
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
PDF: 4 pages; lead story text complete and continuous across pages 1-3; 3-column layout detected (text block x-positions); style consistency (4 type styles); sidebar on page 4; PDF/X-4 OutputIntent present. Project file must exist (.qxp).
Proposed partial credit
25% grid; 30% chained story complete; 20% style sheets; 25% sidebar (15 pts) and PDF/X export (10 pts).
Mapped research references
No benchmark reference is assigned to this class in the current mapping.