Managing pages and sections

Once your flatplan is set up, most of your time will be spent arranging and refining pages. This article covers everything you can do with pages – individually and in bulk.

Selecting pages

Click a page to select it. Hold Shift to select a range of adjacent pages. Hold Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows/Linux) to select non-adjacent pages. The sidebar updates to show actions relevant to your current selection.

Several pages selected at once, with the sidebar updating to show multi-page actions: swap, pin, lock, delete, and choose thumbnails.

When you have multiple pages selected, the sidebar shows the multi-page actions: swap, pin, lock, delete, and choose thumbnails.

Moving pages

Select a page (or several) and drag. An insertion line appears between pages as you drag to show exactly where the page will land when you release the mouse. Single pages and multi-page selections both move together this way.

A page being dragged across the flatplan grid, with the insertion line marking exactly where it will land when the mouse is released.

Swapping pages

To swap two non-adjacent pages without disturbing everything in between: hold Command/Ctrl and click both pages to select them, then right-click and choose Swap pages. The two pages exchange positions; nothing else moves.

The right-click context menu with Swap pages highlighted, used to exchange two non-adjacent pages without disturbing anything in between.

Inserting pages

Use the page count controls in the top bar to add pages. You have two options:

Add to the end – new pages are inserted just before the back cover (cover pages are always fixed).
Add before or after a selected page – select the page you want to insert around, then choose the position from the dropdown.

The page count controls in the top bar showing options for adding pages to the end or inserting them before or after a selected page.

Deleting pages and the binding warning

Select the pages you want to remove and press the Delete key, or use the delete action in the sidebar or right-click menu.

If the resulting page count no longer works for your binding method – a saddle-stitched magazine needs a count divisible by four, for example – PageTatin shows a warning triangle in both the progress ring and the top bar. Click either warning to add the pages needed to fix the count. The new pages are added at the end; drag them to the right position.

The binding warning triangle visible in both the progress ring and the top bar, flagging a page count that doesn't work for the chosen binding method.

Pinning a page position

Pinning locks a page in place so it cannot be moved by dragging. It’s useful for any page that has a fixed position in the print run.

A pinned page in the flatplan grid, showing the pin icon that appears when a page's position is locked against accidental dragging.

To pin: select the page and click Pin position in the sidebar, or right-click and choose Pin position. A pin icon appears on the page. Trying to drag a pinned page flashes it red.

To unpin: click the pin icon on the page, or use the sidebar or right-click menu.

Locking page content

Locking prevents any changes to a page’s category, status, or notes. The relevant sidebar controls dim, and attempting to change them flashes red.

A locked page in the flatplan grid, showing the padlock icon that protects content from changes to category, status, or notes.

To lock: select the page and click Lock content in the sidebar or right-click menu. A padlock icon appears on the page.

To unlock: click the padlock icon, or use the sidebar or right-click menu.

Right-clicking a page gives you a menu that mirrors most of the sidebar: set category, set status, pin or unpin, lock or unlock, add editorial region, add ad, and delete. It’s a quick way to act on a page without shifting focus to the sidebar.

Editorial regions

Editorial regions let you subdivide a page into named areas – useful when a page carries more than one piece of content and you want to track them separately.

A flatplan page subdivided into editorial regions, showing how named areas let you track multiple content pieces on a single page.

To add a region: select the page, then click Add region in the sidebar or right-click and choose Add new region. Half pages and quarter pages are currently supported.

The sidebar focused on an editorial region, showing controls for size (half or quarter page), orientation, position on the page, and label.

Click a region to bring it into focus in the sidebar. From there you can:

Switch between half page and quarter page.
Switch between portrait and landscape orientation.
Set the position on the page.
Give the region a label.

To remove a region: click the page, then remove the region from the sidebar.

Ads work similarly to editorial regions but are tracked separately in the flatplan.

A flatplan page with an ad placement shown in the grid, tracked separately from editorial content with its own size and position settings.

To add an ad: right-click the page and choose Add new ad. The default is a full-page ad.

The sidebar focused on an advertisement, showing size options (full, half, or quarter page) and position controls for placing it on the page.

Click the ad to bring it into focus in the sidebar, then choose the size (full page, half page, or quarter page) and its position on the page. To remove an ad, click the page and remove it from the sidebar.

Page thumbnails

Thumbnails give you a visual preview of each page’s content directly in the flatplan grid. You can apply them from .jpg or .png image files, or from a single or multi-page .pdf.

To add thumbnails: select the pages you want to fill – Select All with Command/Ctrl+A works well – then click Choose thumbnails in the sidebar. Pick the file when the file chooser opens. You can also drag and drop a .jpg, .png, or .pdf directly onto the flatplan. Depending on your cursor position you can target pages, editorial regions, or ads as drop zones.

A dialog confirms how many consecutive pages will receive thumbnails starting from the first selected page, and asks whether you want to fill existing pages or also add new pages to match the .pdf. Click Place to apply.

The thumbnail placement dialog confirming how many consecutive pages will receive thumbnails and whether to add new pages to match the source file.

PageTatin handles large issues with many thumbnails without any slowdown.

Spacebar preview

Hover your cursor over any page and press spacebar to enlarge it for a closer look. Press spacebar again to return to normal. The page doesn’t need to be selected – just hovered.

Progress ring

The progress ring with each arc segment representing a different status, filling progressively as pages are marked complete through the issue.

The progress ring at the top of the sidebar gives you a live color-coded breakdown of how many pages are in each status. As you mark pages complete, the ring fills up – a quick visual check of where the issue stands without counting anything.

What’s next

When you’re ready to get the flatplan out of the app, Exporting covers the .pdf and .json options. To customise your categories and statuses, or update project details, see PageTatin Settings.