Adobe InDesign ‘The Next Paragraph Style’
If you find yourself spending ages manually applying paragraph styles in Adobe InDesign then the Next Paragraph Style is going to be really useful.
Next Paragraph Styles have been around forever and is one of those small, brilliant but under-utilised features that can save absolutely hours when working on documents like magazines, brochures, newsletters and e-books.
Working with InDesign's "Next Paragraph Style"
What is "Next Style" in InDesign?
The Next Style lives in the Paragraph Styles box and tells InDesign which style to automatically apply to the next (the following paragraph) paragraph when you press return or when you use the ‘Apply the Next Style” command.
In InDesign, “next paragraph” lets you a different style look for a following paragraph when you press Enter /Return to initiate a paragraph. this lets you create consistent ‘follow on styles’ between following paragraphs.
It’s best used for very tight structured textual content such as:
- Articles with a headline, subhead, and body text
- Recipes with ingredients and steps
- Product listings with title, description, and price
In the screen shot below you can see the basic set up for the text on the left with blue heading following by the black body text.
How to set up a Next Style or 'Chain Styles'
Create the Styles in the Paragraph Styles Box
Open the paragraph box by going to Type Menu > Paragraph Styles
1. Set up the style /styles
Make sure you the set and name it. For example Heading, Subhead, Body
2. Set up the Next Style Rule
- Set up the Style
- Open the Paragraph Styles Panel
- Double-click on the Heading style to edit it
- Under the General Tab find the Next Style and select Subhead
- Repeat this for Subhead by setting the Next Style to Body
3. Reasons to love this feature
- It saves so much time, one click and a whole block of text is formatted in a second.
- Keeps the Paragraph Style consistent throughout the document and makes it harder to apply the wrong style accidentally.
- Brilliant for working with repeating content
Using the 'Next Style' in the InDesign Document
Once you have the ‘Next Style’ chain set up:
- Select the full block of text (Headline + Subhead + Body).
- Right-click the
Headlinestyle in the Paragraph Styles panel. Choose Apply “Headline” then Next Style.
InDesign will cascade your styles across the paragraph blocks like magic
Massive Tip for importing content via Data Merge in InDesign
If you’re working with templates or importing content via Data Merge then the Next Style is your new best friend.
It keeps everything structured and styled automatically as content flows in — no need to touch each line manually.
Few thoughts on InDesign's 'Next Style'
Learning the “Next Style” may not be the most exciting InDesign feature we cover on our InDesign Courses but once you understand it and work with it for a while it will become your new best friend.
Whether you’re working solo or on a production team, building this into your paragraph style setup will save you time, reduce errors, and make your layouts more consistent and professional.
Get in touch with Greta Powell Training
Get in touch with Greta
If you're thinking about training your team to work faster and more efficiently in Adobe InDesign why not see how we can help. We have both onsite and online Adobe InDesign available across the UK.
Why not get in touch with Greta Powell Training to arrange a voice call or organise an online meeting to discuss your team aims.
