About PodoLay
What PodoLay is, and what the terms used in this guide refer to.
What is PodoLay
PodoLay is a print layout application that runs in a web browser. There is nothing to install — open the address, sign in, and start working. A recent Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Whale and the like) is recommended. You place text frames, images, shapes and tables on pages, set styles and colors, and produce a PDF to hand to the print shop.
Every edit is recorded right away in a working copy on the server, so it survives closing the window. To commit your work to the document, press Save (⌘/Ctrl+S) in the editor. PDFs are made only from a saved document. See "Save" in the "Editor screen" article for details.
Related questions
- What kind of program is PodoLay?
- Do I need to install anything?
- Which browsers can I use?
- How do I save my document?
Two screens — the web portal and the editor
PodoLay is split into two screens.
- The web portal — the first screen you see after signing in. On the Dashboard you create and open documents, upload images, and manage fonts and account settings.
- The editor — the editing screen that opens in a new browser tab when you open a document. All actual editing happens here.
Closing the editor tab does not lose work: it stays in the working copy on the server, and you pick up where you left off when you open the document again. To open it again, click the document in the web portal's document list.
Related questions
- Where do I open the editor?
- Where is the list of my documents?
- The editor opened in a new tab — is that normal?
Terminology
This guide uses the terms below and does not call the same thing by different names.
| Term | Meaning | Other names people use |
|---|---|---|
| Document | One file you edit in PodoLay | file, project, job |
| Spread | An opened view: a single page or two facing pages | facing pages, page pair |
| Page | One side within a spread | sheet |
| Master page | A background page applied to many pages (Master Pages) | master, parent page, template |
| Object | Anything placed on the canvas — shapes, lines, text frames, images, tables | element, item |
| Frame | An object that holds text or an image | box, container |
| Text frame | A frame that holds text | text box, text block |
| Threading | Linking several text frames so text flows from one to the next | chain, link, flow |
| Overset | The state where not all the text fits in its frame | overflow, cut-off text |
| Inline object | An object placed in the text like a character, moving with the line (see "Inline (anchored) objects" in the "Text" article) | anchored object, inline graphic |
| Point editing | The state you enter by double-clicking a path or polyline to edit its anchors and handles | Direct Selection, node editing |
| Toolbar | The column of tool buttons on the left of the editor | tool panel, tools |
| Inspector | The Attributes tab of the right panel, where you change the selected object's properties | properties panel, attributes |
| Layers tab | Right panel: objects listed by level — stacking order, visibility and locking | layers panel, object list |
| Levels | A document-wide layer; hide or lock everything on it at once | layers (InDesign), sublayer |
| Page tab | Right panel: the page list and master pages | pages panel |
| Document Setup | The dialog for Baseline Grid, Color Profiles, Print and Language. Page size is set in the Page tab, margins in Attributes › Margins | document properties, document setup |
| Baseline Grid | The horizontal and vertical grids that lines of text snap to | baseline grid |
| Swatches | A color you save and reuse | swatch, palette |
| Spot | A named ink other than the four CMYK inks | spot color, Pantone |
| Pattern | A motif repeated across a fill or stroke. You can register a shape's outline as one with Register Pattern | pattern swatch, texture |
| Ink Manager | The dialog for managing the document's inks (including spot colors) | ink manager |
| Separations Preview | A preview that shows each ink separately | separations, separation preview |
| Proof Preview | A window where the server re-renders the PDF you just saved to show its plates and ink coverage | proof, soft proof, output preview |
| Kinsoku | Rules for characters that may not start or end a line (Kinsoku Settings) | line-breaking rules, no-break rules |
| Media Gallery | The dialog for choosing uploaded images | image gallery, media library |
| Save as PDF | Making the print-ready PDF | export PDF, print to PDF, output |
| Placing a PDF | Putting one page of another PDF into a frame, as vectors (Choose PDF page) | place PDF, import PDF, link PDF |
Related questions
- What is a spread?
- Is a text box the same as a text frame?
- What does overset mean?
Help assistant
The Help Assistant is a chatbot that answers how-to questions from this manual. Open it with the button at the bottom right of the canvas in the editor, or the button at the bottom right of the web portal (Open help assistant). If something isn't in the manual it says so, and it points questions outside how-to help, such as design advice, to Contact Us.
The number of questions is limited.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Per month | Free 10 · Starter 30 · Pro 100 |
| Per day | 50 (every plan) |
| Length of one question | 1,000 characters |
| Questions in one conversation | 20 — after that, start a new conversation |
A day starts at 00:00 UTC (9 a.m. in Korea), and a month on the 1st at the same time. Questions that got no answer because of a service error are not counted, but a question you close while the answer is still coming in counts as one. When you reach a limit, the message tells you the date and time you can ask again, in your own time zone. The bottom right of the assistant window shows how many questions you can still ask ("N questions left"); hover over it to see what is left this month and today, and when it refills. To see how many questions you have used this month, go to My Account › Plan in the web portal and check Help assistant (this month).
Related questions
- How many questions can I ask the chatbot per day?
- It says I've hit my question limit
- When does the help assistant quota reset?
When you need more help — Contact Us
Anything the help assistant can't answer, error reports and feature requests go through the web portal's top menu Support › Contact Us. It is available after you log in, and when our team replies you can read it in the inquiry list under the same menu. If you are working in the editor, click the Contact Us link at the bottom of the Help Assistant window; the portal's inquiry form opens in a new tab. When the assistant recognizes a bug report or feature request, a Send via Contact Us button appears under its answer and files the inquiry on the spot.
Related questions
- Where do I send an inquiry?
- I want to report a bug
- How do I reach your team?
- Can I contact you by email?