<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>On Mar 27, 2012, at 10:01 PM, Peter Nermander wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; ">Could you give some examples on how you use layers? Because I think<br>you are using layers for things you don't have to use layers for<br>(because if you combine layers, if was probably never necessary to<br>create them from the beginning).</span></blockquote></div><br><div>Those who were involved in graphic design or print production years ago will remember a time, painfully, when there was no such thing as layers.</div><div><br></div><div>The primary purpose of layers is to give more and easier control over one's document. In the pre-layers days, there were loads of workarounds and tricks to achieve the same results. Layers makes it easier by allowing you to separate items from others in a way that prevents accidental selection of one and easy selection of the other.</div><div><br></div><div>So, to answer your question: one uses layers when one wants or has to. That's the obvious answer.</div><div><br></div><div>If you get to a point where you want to combine layers, it doesn't mean that you created layers you didn't need to. But it does mean that you no longer require the separation which separate layers provides. This is a subtle but key difference.</div><div><br></div><div>Design involves experimenting. Using layers can help that experimentation. There is no such think as creating a design in one keystroke. Well, there are pre-packed "designs" you can buy, but that's not to your question.</div><div><br></div><div>Why use layers? See the effect of this or that color or image by simply toggling a layer. Some documents must print with a certain layer, but at other times they must not print with the items on that layer.</div><div><br></div><div>I could go on, but you get the idea.</div><div><br></div><div>dcat</div></body></html>