Can you copy an entire master page from one document into another?

[Combs, Richard]

Avraham Makeler wrote: 
 
> Can you copy an entire master page from one document into another?

You can import _all_ master pages using File > Import > Formats and
selecting only Page Layouts. But you can't delete the default Left and
Right (for 2-sided docs) master pages, so if you're trying to retrieve
only a custom master page, that won't work. Here's something that should
work: 

1) On the master page you want to copy, click outside all frames (so
there's no insertion point) and then press Ctrl+A to select all on the
page. 

2) Press Ctrl+C to copy it all to the clipboard. 

3) Go to the destination doc and select Special > Add Master Page. In
the dialog, enter the name, select Empty, and click Add. The new master
page appears. It's empty.

4) Press Ctrl+V to paste everything you copied onto the empty master
page. In the dialog, the Text Frame Type and Columns settings should be
correct, so just click Add. 

5) Select View > Body Pages, go to a page you want to apply the new
master page to, and select Format > Page Layout > Master Page Usage.
Select the new custom master page and click Apply. 

6) Verify that everything looks OK and the background frames (header,
footer) are really uneditable background. 

Here's another approach (in rough outline form), assuming you need to
preserve the default master pages in the destination doc: In a copy of
the destination doc, delete all master pages other than the defaults. In
a copy of the source doc for the custom page you want, delete any custom
pages you _don't_ want. Then import page layouts from the destination
doc copy to the source doc copy. 

You've now replaced the default master pages in the source doc copy with
the ones from the destination doc (the ones you want), but without
affecting the custom master page. So now you can import page layouts
from the source doc copy to your destination doc(s). You'll be replacing
the default master pages with copies of themselves and adding the custom
master page you want. 

HTH! 


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------