Adobe InDesign: How to Make a Non-Printing Layer
Non-printing layers are layers that disappear in a final PDF or printed document. They still exist in the document, but when you use the shortcut “W” for a print preview, they won’t show up. They’re great for unconventional guides or anything you might need to use.
Let’s create a non-printing layer:
First, let’s bring up our layers panel. You can do this by going “Window” and then “Layers”. The “Window” menu is organised alphabetically, so it makes things much easier to find.
Then, we’re going to create a new layer. Click the little plus at the bottom of the layers panel to create a new layer.
Then, double click on the new layer. This brings up the layer options where you can rename the layer, change the colour, and tick options on and off. We’re going to tick “printing” off.
Click “OK”, and now the layer name is in italics. This tells you at a glance that the layer won’t print, so you don’t mix it up with your other layers.
And that’s all there is to it, so now anything you’ve placed on that layer won’t print. You can see in this example I have text in the non printing layer.
