Step & repeat, paste multiples etc.

[Phill]

I am in the course of evaluating Xara, and it has a lot of good things going for it compared to Adobe, particularly in combining many of the features of ID and AI. The graduated color screening on objects is way better than AI.

However, I cannot find how to copy an object or text block and paste multiples at specific intervals. Both Pagemaker and InDesign have this feature, so I can't believe Xara overlooked it, as it is particularly useful when laying out say business cards 12 up on a sheet for printing. Yes, I have done a search on this forum and also studied Xara help files. Please tell me how it can be done.

[zaphodeist]

... then ctrl+alt+D [or EDIT>>DUPLICATE]

[mwenz]

Hi Phill,

I have attached a sample biz card PDF. It was created using a sample card from the gallery and using the print option of Multiple Fit. However, the space between them causes a second cut, which isn't ideal.

However, whenever I do business cards or other multiple-up PDFs for print, most of the printers I have worked with like to impose the n-up version themselves.

If this is for your own printing to card stock, like I have done for my own purposes (I'm frugal with dollars sometimes), then I make my page for the card design the size of the card. I place a rectangle the size of the page with no line nor fill. Group the whole and copy/paste to a page of the size I will be printing to and line up the edges of the "invisible" rectangle to each other.

You can alter the dup distance on the General tab of the Options dialog, but I find this means faster.

Take care, Mike

[Phill]

Thanks, To me it was not an obvious or intuitive feature, unlike most of the others. I have tried it and it only gives me 1 duplicate which is above the original. I tried changing the Y coordinate in options to downwards but iot made no difference. For example, how does one instruct it to paste 3 copies at 2" intervals in a downward direction?

[mwenz]

Nope. Not intuitive.

The attached page of biz cards took about 2 minutes to generate. First I set the X dup setting to 3.5" and Y 0". Made the one copy, changed to the appropriate Y dim, set X to 0". Grouped the two and duplicated down the page. Made the crop marks.

Step and repeat in the CD sense would be nice. But isn't a necessity. Feel free to add it to the Dear Xara section.

Take care, Mike

[zaphodeist]

Hold ctrl+alt and press D 3 times

[Phill]

I have tried what has been suggested, and the problem is that the y coordinate pastes
in an up direction (the x co ord pastes correctly to the right). I have tried changing the direction of the y in "options/grid and ruler" but regardless of whether the up or down box is selected it always pastes up, which in my case is off the page as I have been used to starting at the top & repeating down.
The tip about ctr/alt and the d key makes things quicker, but is there something else I should be doing to go down?

[Phill]

EUREKA! I tried putting a minus sign in front of the Y coordinate in "options/grid and ruler", i.e. -2.0 inches and now it will paste downward!
Thanks all for your help and advice. This is a very helpful forum.

[gwpriester]

Yep, a minus Y duplicates downwards. And I suspect a minus X duplicates to the left.

I have been asking for a Ctrl R as in CorelDRAW's repeat last operation for as long as I can remember. I guess if it were an easy thing to implement, it would have been done long ago.

[zaphodeist]

EUREKA! I tried putting a minus sign in front of the Y coordinate in "options/grid and ruler"...

I did that in my screenshot above