Table Formats are the quickest way you can create and format tables in Affinity Publisher. We’ll be designing a reusable table format to style a chessboard, and by the end of this tutorial, you’ll have mastered table formatting and global colour management.
Let’s dive in!
Step 1: Set Up Global Colours
The first step is to create Global Colours for the chessboard. Global colours make it easy to apply consistent colours across your design and update them all at once if needed.
- Open the Swatches Panel and click on the burger menu.
- Select Add Global Colour.
- Create two Global Colours:
- White: Set the hex code to #FFFFFF and name it “White Squares”.
- Black: The default black is already set (#000000), so simply name it "Black Squares."
These Global Colours will be applied to the chessboard squares, making them easily adjustable later on.
Step 2: Create the Chessboard Table
Now let’s move on to creating the chessboard.
- Select the Table Tool and draw a table on your blank page.
- Set the rows and columns to 8 x 8 to match the classic chessboard layout.
- In the Table Panel (accessible via Window > Table), adjust the cell size to 20mm by 20mm to create perfect squares.
Your table should now look like a chessboard grid.
Step 3: Apply Colours to the Chessboard
With the table in place, let’s add the iconic black and white squares.
- Select all the cells and apply the White Squares global colour as the fill.
- To apply the black squares, you’ll need to make a non-contiguous selection. Here’s how:
- Click on the first black square (B1), then hold down Command (or Control on Windows) and select every alternate square that should be black.
- Once all the black squares are selected, apply the Black Squares global colour.
Step 4: Add Borders to the Table
To make the chessboard stand out, we’ll add a border around the table.
- Select the entire table.
- In the Table Panel, set the cell stroke to the Black Squares global colour and increase the stroke size to 3pt for better visibility.
Step 5: Adjust Cell Alignment
By default, text within the table cells is aligned to the top-left corner. Let’s centre-align it both vertically and horizontally.
- In the Table Panel, set the vertical alignment to Centre.
- Ensure that the text within the cells is also centre-aligned.
Step 6: Create a Reusable Table Format
Now that your table is fully formatted, let’s save this design as a reusable Table Format.
- Select the table and go to the Table Formats panel (accessible via Window > Table > Table Formats).
- Click the burger menu and select Add Format from Selection.
- Name the format "Chessboard."
This format will now be available for use across other pages and documents, saving you time when you need to recreate the chessboard style.
Step 7: Apply the Chessboard Format to Other Tables
To test your newly created format, let’s apply it to another table.
- Go to another page or create a new table.
- Select the new table and click on the Chessboard format in the Table Formats panel.
- Instantly, the chessboard format will be applied to the new table.
Step 8: Advanced Table Format Customization (Optional)
If you want to dive deeper into customizing your table format:
- In the Table Formats panel, click the burger menu and select Edit.
- Here you can adjust the structure, frame, and cell formats to customize further aspects of your table design.
- You can also adjust text styles within the table format by editing the Table Body text style from the Text Styles panel.
Step 9: Importing Table Formats to Other Documents
Table formats are file-specific, but you can import them into other files. Here’s how:
- Save your current file with the table format.
- In a new or existing document, open the Table Formats panel and click the burger menu.
- Select Import Formats, choose your saved file, and select the chessboard format from the list.
This feature allows you to reuse your table formats across different projects.
Step 10: Best Practice for Chess Pieces
Now, let’s address adding chess pieces to your board. You can use Affinity Designer to create or import chess pieces, but it’s important to place them properly within the cells:
- Copy and paste your chess pieces from Affinity Designer into the cells of your chessboard in Publisher.
- To ensure the pieces are locked within the cells, cut the piece, click into the target cell, and paste it there. This makes sure the piece is embedded within the cell and moves with the board.
If the piece appears misaligned, ensure the text alignment is set to centre, as we adjusted earlier.
Step 11: Managing Global Colours and Table Formats
One of the biggest advantages of using Global Colours and table formats is the ability to make global changes.
- To change the colour of your chessboard, simply edit the global colour (e.g., change black squares to red). All instances of the table using that global colour will automatically update.
- Similarly, you can make changes to the table format itself. For example, if you decide to add a border or change the stroke colour, it will update all tables using that format across your document.
Important Note: Deleting Table Formats
Be careful when managing table formats. If you delete a table format that is in use, all tables formatted with it will revert to their unformatted state. Make sure you no longer need the format before removing it.
Wrap Up
And there you have it! Tables formatted faster than ever in Affinity Publisher.
If you enjoyed this tutorial and want more tips and tricks, be sure to check out my free training at ElaineGiles.com/VIP. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss a new tutorial.
If you have any specific tutorial requests, feel free to reach out - I’d love to hear from you! Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you next time.
Thanks for reading and watching, and see you next time!
