Dashboard

The web portal screen you see after signing in. Create and open documents, and manage images, patterns and fonts.

Layout

A row of tabs sits at the top; only the content below it scrolls.

• Documents — your documents
• Images — images uploaded to your account
• Patterns — user patterns registered in the editor
• Fonts — fonts (see the "Fonts" article)
• Templates, Plugins — opening them shows "Coming soon".

On the Documents tab, the right of the tab row holds Document Settings (gear icon) and the New Document button. On the other tabs that spot holds the tab's own buttons (Add Images, Add Fonts and so on).

Above the Documents tab is the usage line: your current plan, your Documents, Storage and Prints & PDFs (this month) usage (shown in red when a limit is reached), and the editor version you are using. Manage plan at the right end takes you to My Account › Plan.

Administrators also see Admin in the header — under Users they create accounts and manage roles, activation and passwords, and under Notifications they send a notification to all members or to one member (choosing Admin or the system as the sender).

Related questions

• What tabs does the dashboard have?
• The Templates tab is empty

Creating a new document

1. Click New Document.
2. Set the options.
• Title — defaults to "Document"; if that title already exists, a number is appended ("Document 2"). Two of your documents cannot share a title, so entering an existing one shows "A document titled … already exists" and asks for another. Case and surrounding spaces are ignored when comparing.
• Page Size — A4, A5, B5, Letter, Legal or Tabloid, in Portrait or Landscape orientation
• Page Mode — Single or Facing Pages. For facing pages choose the First Page: Right (book) or Left.
• Pages, Start page number — the page count can go up to your plan's pages-per-document limit, shown next to it as Up to {{max}} pages on your plan.
• Margins (mm) — top, bottom, inside and outside (left and right for single pages). At first the four values change together; click the 🔗 button next to the label (tooltip Set individually) to enter them separately.
• Columns — Count and Gutter (mm)
• Primary text frame — when on, every page gets a text frame that fits the margins and columns, and the frames are threaded from page to page. When text oversets, pages are added automatically; when it shrinks, the automatically added pages are removed again. Handy for long, text-heavy documents.
3. Click Create. The document is created and the editor opens in a new tab.

If you have reached your plan's document limit, clicking New Document shows a "Plan limit" window. Confirm it to go to the pricing page.

The document language is not chosen here — the new document takes the language set under Language in the document settings, and afterwards you change it in the editor's Document Setup. Margins, columns and the primary text frame are set when the document is created. Afterwards only the margins can be changed, in the editor (see the "Pages" article). The settings you created with (paper, page mode, margins, columns and so on) are remembered in this browser, so the next New Document dialog starts from them.

Related questions

• How do I create a new document?
• How do I make a facing-pages document?
• What is the primary text frame?
• Can I change the number of columns later?

Folders

On the Documents tab, click New Folder, type a name and click OK to create a folder where you are. Double-click a folder card to go into it (a single click selects it, like a document); inside, New Document and New Folder work too — a new document goes into that folder and a new folder becomes its subfolder. The path of the current folder (My Documents › …) is shown at the top left under the tabs; click any step to go back to that folder. Inside a folder, the first card under the path is Parent folder; double-click it to go one level up. The browser's Back button also returns to the previous folder. Two folders in the same place cannot share a name, and names cannot contain / or \. Drag a document card onto a folder card (including the parent-folder card and the steps of the path) to move it there; hold Option (Alt on Windows) while dropping to put a copy there instead (its title gets (Copy)). Folder cards can be dragged the same way to move them into another folder, or dropped with Option held to copy them. Copying a folder copies its subfolders and documents along with it (document titles get (Copy)); if a folder with the same name already exists where you drop it, the copied folder's name gets it too. A folder is not moved if a folder with the same name already exists there, so rename one first. A folder cannot be moved or copied into itself or one of its subfolders. If documents and folders are selected together, dragging any one of them takes them all. A duplicated document is created in the same folder as the original. Document titles must still be unique across all your documents, whatever folder they are in.

The Received Files folder is always first at the top of the Documents tab. Documents you accept from notifications arrive there. This folder cannot be deleted, moved, copied or renamed (it has no ⋮ menu and cannot be selected or dragged). Only received documents go into it — inside it New Document and New Folder are turned off, and other documents or folders cannot be dragged or copied into it. Its documents can only be dragged out to another folder (copying with Option and Duplicate are not available). Opening, editing and deleting them work as for any other document.

After Received Files comes the fixed Shared folder. It too cannot be deleted, moved, copied or renamed; inside it New Document and New Folder are turned off, and no other documents or folders can be put in it. Its documents can only be deleted — they cannot be dragged out, moved or copied (their cards cannot be dragged), and Duplicate and Send in the ⋮ menu are turned off.

The number to the right of a folder's name is how many items are directly inside it (documents plus subfolders). Hover over a folder card to show the ⋮ button on its right. Rename opens a window where you type the new name; Delete is available only when the folder contains no documents. You can also select a folder by clicking it and use the delete button in the tab row (you can select documents along with it and delete them together). If the folder — or any of its subfolders — contains even one document, it is not deleted and you are told why. Move the documents to another folder or delete them first, then try again. A folder with no documents is deleted together with its empty subfolders.

Related questions

• How do I create a folder?
• How do I create a document inside a folder?
• How do I move a document to another folder?
• How do I move or copy a folder?
• Where are the documents I received?
• Can I delete the Received Files folder?
• Can I move documents out of the Shared folder?
• How do I delete a folder?
• How do I rename a folder?
• A folder won't delete

Opening a document

On the Documents tab, double-click a document card and the editor opens in a new browser tab. If no tab opens, check your browser's pop-up blocker. The card shows the title, the date it was last edited and, to its right, the document size (content plus images and other files uploaded to it and page previews, e.g. 850K, 12M; fonts are a library shared by your documents and are not counted). A document you changed in the editor but did not Save shows a pencil icon (Editing) at the top right of its thumbnail — your changes are kept automatically; open the document and save it to clear the badge and refresh the thumbnail.

Hover over a thumbnail to show a page indicator at the bottom (for example 2/5); documents with two or more pages also show left and right arrow buttons. Click the arrows to flip through the thumbnails of the other pages without opening the document (next on the last page goes to the first page, previous on the first page goes to the last). Moving the mouse off the card returns it to the first page. Thumbnails show the document as it was as of the last Save.

If the same document is already open in another tab of this browser, that tab is brought forward instead of opening a new one. If it is open in another browser or on another device, a "Document open elsewhere" window appears. Click Close there and open to open it here; the editor on the other side can then no longer edit.

Related questions

• How do I open a document?
• I double-clicked a document but nothing opened
• There is a pencil icon on a card
• It says the document is open somewhere else

Document card menu

Click the ⋮ button on a card to open its menu.

• Info — opens the document info window. You can edit the title, description and author (title and description also change in the editor; an empty author shows your account name dimmed), and see the creation and last-modified dates, the Document version (the editor version that last edited the document — see "Editor version" below; older documents with no version record show Not recorded (created before version tracking)), page size (in your Document Settings unit), page layout, page count and size (document content, images and other files uploaded to it, and page previews). If there are unsaved changes in the editor, the values include them.
• Download PDF — downloads, in a new tab, the print-ready PDF last exported from the editor. The dashboard does not create PDFs. If you have never exported a PDF from the editor, or the file was deleted after its retention period (Free 1 day · Starter 7 days · Pro 30 days), the item is dimmed and cannot be clicked. On the Free plan the item is usable only after exporting a print-ready PDF with a PDF pass. PDFs made for proof printing are not offered here. The server keeps only the last exported PDF for each document — exporting again deletes the previous one.
• Share › Observer mode / Reader mode — shares this document with another member for viewing only (see "View sharing" below).
• Duplicate — duplicates the whole document. Content, images and page previews are copied, and the title becomes "original title (Copy)" (a number is added if that exists). The copy counts toward your document and storage limits, so it is refused when a limit is reached. If the document is being edited, the latest autosaved content is copied.
• Send — sends this document to another member. Enter the recipient's member ID (sign-in email) and click Send: the recipient gets a document request in Notifications. When they click Accept, the content, images and page previews as they are at that moment are copied into a new document for them in the Received Files folder at the top of the Documents tab (a number is added if the title already exists there), and you are notified whether they accepted or declined. Your document stays as it is. The copy counts toward the recipient's document and storage limits, so if they lack space or have reached the document limit, they are told when they accept and nothing is copied (the request stays, so they can accept again after freeing space). While a request is waiting you cannot send the same document to the same member again, and there is a daily limit on requests. If the document uses fonts you uploaded yourself, the recipient may not have them.
• Delete — deletes the document after asking for confirmation.

Related questions

• How do I delete a document?
• Can I download a PDF from the dashboard?
• How do I copy (duplicate) a document?
• How do I change a document's title or author?
• How big is my document?

Selecting several documents and deleting them together

1. Click a document (or folder) card once to select it. Hold Command (Ctrl on Windows) and click other cards to add them to the selection; doing so on a selected card removes it. Click an empty area to clear the selection.
2. Click the delete button that appears in the tab row (it shows how many are selected).
3. Confirm, and all selected documents are deleted.

Related questions

• How do I delete several documents at once?
• How do I select several documents?

View sharing

Choose Observer mode or Reader mode under Share in the document card menu to open a window. Type a member ID (sign-in email) and click Add (or press Enter) to add members one after another; remove one with the ✕ in the list (up to 20 at a time). Click Share: one copy of the document as it is now is made in your Shared folder, and each member in the list gets a share request in Notifications. If you click Share without adding anyone, only the copy is made and no requests are sent. The copy opens only in the chosen mode — its card shows Observer or Reader at the top left, and double-clicking opens it in observer mode (the read-only editor; see "Observer mode" under "Editor screen") or reader mode (below); it cannot be edited or saved. Your original document is unchanged, and the copy counts toward your document and storage limits.

When the recipient clicks Accept in notifications, the copy appears in their own Shared folder. It is not a copy but a link to your copy, so it does not use their storage, and its card shows Linked. They can open it only in the same mode, and deleting it removes it from their list only. If you delete your copy, it disappears from their list too. User fonts you uploaded are used when they open it as well. Documents in the Received Files and Shared folders cannot be shared.

Choose Shared With in the card menu of a copy in your Shared folder to see who it was shared with and each member's status — Pending (waiting for a reply), Accepted, Declined (declined or deleted the notification), Not received, or Removed (accepted, then removed it from their list). Add or remove members in the box below and click Share to send the same copy to them as share requests (no new copy is made); the members you sent to move up into the list. Members who are pending or have accepted cannot be added again; the others can be shared with again.

Related questions

• How do I share a document with someone for viewing only?
• Where are documents shared with me?
• Can I edit a document shared with me?
• How do I open observer mode or reader mode?
• Can I share with several people at once?
• Where can I see whether people accepted my share?
• How do I share an already shared document with more people?

Public link

A copy made in your Shared folder by sharing in Reader mode can also be shown to people who are not members. Choose Public Link in the card menu and turn on Make public with a link to get a link. Copy it with Copy and pass it on: anyone with the link can view the document in reader mode without signing in (they cannot edit or download it). A small "Made with PodoLay" badge appears in the lower-right corner of a page opened from a public link.

It can be viewed up to 100 times. Each time the document is opened through the link counts once, and opening it again from the same place within 30 minutes counts only once. The window shows the view count and the last view time; at 100 the link no longer opens. Turning it off closes the link right away; turning it on again continues with the same link and view count. Deleting the copy closes the link too. Observer mode copies and ordinary documents cannot be made public.

Related questions

• How do I show a document to someone who is not a member?
• How many times can a public link be viewed?
• How do I close a public link?

Reader mode

Reader mode in view sharing is a viewer for leafing through your layout as if it were printed on paper. It draws the same way as the editor, so what you see is what you get; the bleed beyond the trim and the guides and margin lines are not shown. It only views, so the document never changes, and it does not take over a document being edited elsewhere. If there are unsaved edits, it shows the latest autosaved content.

• Spread / Single page — switch with the two buttons on the right of the top bar. In spread view the first page stands alone on the right (or pairs from the start if the document starts on the left), then pages come in pairs. Single-page documents can be viewed as spreads too.
• Turning pages — hover over the page and turn buttons appear on both sides. ←/→, PageUp/PageDown and Space also turn pages, and Home/End go to the first and last. Grab the outer edge of a page and drag it to fold the paper over — past halfway or with a quick flick it turns, otherwise it falls back. With the system's "reduce motion" setting on, pages turn without animation.
• Go to page — click the page number field, type a number and press Enter to go to that page. Section numbers (e.g. iii) work too. The « » buttons on either side of the page number field go to the first and last page.
• Selecting and copying text — works as in the editor: drag to select, double-click for a word, triple-click for a paragraph, quadruple-click for the whole text, and Shift+click to extend. Threaded text frames are selected in reading order. ⌘/Ctrl+A selects the whole story of the selected text and Esc clears the selection. Copied text (⌘/Ctrl+C) keeps its paragraphs, and tabs stay tabs. Right-click the selected text for a menu with Copy and Find — Find opens the find bar with the selected text (the first paragraph if several are selected) and searches right away. With no text selected, the browser's own menu appears. Table cells, text on a path and text from master pages (page numbers and running headers, with that page's values) can be selected too.
• Find — ⌘/Ctrl+F or the magnifier button searches the whole document. You can turn on Match case and Whole word, and Enter / Shift+Enter go to the next / previous result. Matches are highlighted in yellow and the current one in orange.
• Full screen — toggle with the button just left of the close button at the right end of the top bar.
• Close — the rightmost button in the top bar closes the reader tab.
• The last page you viewed and your spread/single choice are remembered in this browser.

Reader mode opens in the editor version chosen for your account. If you have chosen an older version without reader mode, you get a Reader mode is unavailable notice — choose a newer version in Document Settings › Version (see "Editor version" below).

Related questions

• I want to leaf through my document like a book
• How do I see the print result without editing?
• Can I copy text in reader mode?
• How do I search in reader mode?

Images tab

The Images tab is the image library of your account. Images uploaded here appear in every document's Media Gallery on the User tab.

• Upload: click the Add Images button or drag files onto the list. You can upload jpg, png, gif and tiff; the per-file limit depends on your plan (Free 10 MB · Starter 30 MB · Pro 50 MB). An uncompressed high-resolution tiff easily goes over it — save it with LZW or ZIP compression (the quality stays the same).
• The ⋮ menu on a tile offers View Original (the original in a new tab) and Delete.
• Tick several images and delete them in one go.

Related questions

• Where do I upload images?
• Is there an image size limit?
• Which image files can I upload?

Patterns tab

The Patterns tab lists the user patterns you registered in the editor by selecting shapes and choosing Register Pattern › User... from the context menu (see the "Color" article for how to make them). These patterns can be loaded into the pattern fill and stroke of any document. Document patterns, registered for a single document, are not listed here.

• Patterns are made only in the editor; this tab has no upload button.
• Click a tile to select it. Select several and delete them together with the delete button in the tab row.
• The ⋮ menu on a tile offers View Original (the original SVG in a new tab) and Delete.

Deleting a pattern does not change documents that already use it.

Related questions

• Where can I see my saved patterns?
• How do I delete a pattern swatch?
• Why can't I upload a pattern on the Patterns tab?

Document settings

On the Documents tab, click the gear icon (Document Settings) in the tab row to open the Document Settings page. The tabs on the left are:

• Units — the unit the editor shows lengths in (Millimeters (mm), Points (pt), Inches (in)). It is stored in this browser, not in your account, and applies to every document you open afterwards in this browser.
• Language — the default language of new documents
• Color Profiles — the RGB Working Space and CMYK Output profiles for new documents. Use Upload ICC Profile to upload an .icc or .icm file from your print shop (Pro plan).
• Spot Color Books — the spot color book copied into new documents. Use Upload Spot Color Book to upload an .ase file (an Illustrator swatch export) or a .csv (name,C,M,Y,K) (Pro plan).
• Kinsoku — the kinsoku set copied into new documents. Built-in sets are read-only; copy one with New Set, edit it and click Save (custom sets need the Starter plan or higher).
• Mojikumi — the mojikumi sets copied into new documents. You edit the same table as the editor's Mojikumi Settings… (Minimum, Desired and Maximum for each before × after pair, plus the trim at line end). Built-in sets are read-only; copy one with New set, edit it and click Save (custom sets need the Starter plan or higher).
• Paragraph Styles and Character Styles — styles you Registered from the editor's style lists. Checked styles are added to the style lists of new documents. The trash button removes a style from the library (styles already in documents stay).
• Version — the editor version used to open documents and create new ones (see "Editor version" below)

If you leave a kinsoku or mojikumi set unsaved and switch tabs or leave the page, you are asked whether to discard the changes.

Apart from the unit and the version, these are defaults that new documents inherit: they apply to documents created afterwards, and existing documents are not changed. Per-document values are changed in the editor's Document Setup. The version also applies when you open existing documents.

Related questions

• How do I switch the units to mm?
• Where do I upload an ICC profile?
• How do I upload a spot color book?
• I changed a setting but my existing documents didn't change

Editor version

Each editor release adds a new version, and earlier versions stay available for a while. Work where layout must not change — a book close to its deadline, for example — can stay on an earlier version. The version you are using is shown at the top left of the editor, before the document title, and in the usage line above the dashboard's Documents tab as "Editor vX.Y.Z" (click it to open the tab described in "Choosing a version" below).

Choosing a version

1. Open Document Settings › Version.
2. Pick a version from the list. It is saved right away. Choose Default version ({{version}}) to always use the default version (usually the newest).
3. Use the Release notes button next to each version to see what changed in it. Each version shows its kind (major, minor, patch) and release date, and a version about to be withdrawn is marked Retiring soon.

The version you pick applies to documents you open or create from then on. When you are signed in, Support › User guide and the help assistant (chatbot) also describe the editor as it is in the version you picked — click View the latest guide above the guide to read it for the newest version. The version at the top left of the editor is for display only; you change versions on this tab. If the version you picked is removed from the list, documents open in the default version. If the version list cannot be loaded, the tab says so and documents open in the default version.

Version numbers and the document format

Versions are numbered X.Y.Z.

• A version that raises the last number (Z) contains only bug fixes and UI fixes. The document format is the same, so you can move between versions that differ only in the last number without losing anything.
• A version that raises the middle number (Y) makes a small change to the document format. A version that raises the first number (X) is a broad change to the program.
• If you open a document saved in a version with a newer document format (a larger first or middle number) in an earlier version, the dashboard warns you before opening it (or the editor does, if you open the editor address directly): "Document saved in a newer version" — in the earlier version, some properties or objects added in the newer version may not appear or may be lost. Close is the default; to open it anyway, click Open in {{mine}}. To open it in the newer version, change the version on the Version tab first. If you continue editing, those properties and objects are removed when it is saved and the document becomes a document of the earlier version. While you edit, this state is shown next to the title.
• On the dashboard, document cards show the version number when a document was last edited in a version with a newer document format than the one you picked.

Related questions

• How do I go back to the previous editor version?
• Can I roll back to the old editor?
• Will switching versions break my document?
• I get a warning that the document was saved in a newer version
• Where are the release notes?