InDesign 2027 & EasyCatalog 2027: the 6 new features that take automated layout from trick to architecture
Adobe and 65bit are making the same move in the same year: a layout that is described (Flex styles, JSON composition plans) rather than drawn. We screened 34 new features and kept the 6 that really matter for producing catalogs, price lists and product sheets from a PIM. Each feature is scored out of 5 for three uses.
- Print becomes responsive
Flex Layout, now driven by object styles and nestable, recomposes a product sheet without retouching when the data changes.
- Layout becomes versionable
EasyCatalog 2027's Composition Plans describe an entire catalog in JSON: testable, diffable, reusable from one edition to the next.
- AI designs, the engine executes
AI assistants speed up design; production remains deterministic, driven by structured data and rules.
The 6 new features that matter, scored and reviewed
Three for InDesign 2027 (v22.0, in public beta since 30 September 2026), three for EasyCatalog 2027 (announced by 65bit on 4 November 2026, Composition Plans in beta).
InDesign 2027Adaptive layout
Flex Layout: blocks that recompose themselves, driven by object styles
Introduced with InDesign 2026, Flex Layout brings the web's Flexbox model to the page: direction, wrapping, spacing, automatic width and height. With versions 21.5 and then 22.0, it becomes driven by object styles, nestable (page › row › sheet › image + text) and accepts interactive elements. It is exposed in the scripting DOM as FlexObject.
Our take. The defining new feature of this cycle. A “Vertical sheet” object style applies to 500 blocks at once; a longer title or a missing image no longer breaks the grid. A limit to be aware of: Flex repositions objects, it does not resize them. Combined with EasyCatalog Containers, it is the foundation of true “responsive print”.
Scores out of 5
- Automation5 / 5
- Layout5 / 5
- Creativity3 / 5
Average 4.3 / 5 · Available (21.0 → 22.0)
EasyCatalog 2027Pagination · Beta
Composition Plans: an entire catalog described in a JSON file
An easycatalog-composition-plan/1 plan describes the data selection (filters, sorts, limits), the tree of sections and flows, the formatting rules to place, repeated headers and footers, the alternatives when content does not fit, and grid placement strategies. You create it from an InDesign selection (Create Composition Plan from Selection), validate it with a cancelled trial run that produces an HTML report, and run it from the Pagination dialog or by script. 65bit publishes more than 40 examples and an authoring guide designed for an AI: a manifest exported from the document lists the resources, the assistant produces the plan, and the native engine runs it without depending on an online service.
Our take. The most important architectural change since Containers (2023). Layout becomes a text artefact: versionable in Git, comparable between two editions, reusable across catalogs. Pagination is transactional (all or nothing), with named cursors to resume in batches. Caveats: the feature is in beta, the Pagination and Scripting modules are required, and a successful trial run does not guarantee that all 300 pages will fit.
Scores out of 5
- Automation5 / 5
- Layout5 / 5
- Creativity3 / 5
Average 4.3 / 5 · Documented beta, 2027 release to be confirmed
InDesign 2027AI · Public beta
AI Assistant: multi-step tasks described in French
Since version 21.4 (beta), and in French with 22.0, the conversational assistant plans and carries out operations from an instruction: setting up a grid, adjusting margins, applying styles in bulk, adding page numbers. Every action can be inspected and reversed through InDesign's history. It relies on partner models (GPT 5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.6).
Our take. Very useful for preparing a template or correcting 200 blocks in a single sentence. But it is non-deterministic and has no access to a product database: you do not entrust it with a price list of 10,000 items. The right use: AI prepares and checks, structured data and rules produce.
Scores out of 5
- Automation4 / 5
- Layout3 / 5
- Creativity3 / 5
Average 3.3 / 5 · Beta, best kept for preparation
EasyCatalog 2027Scripts & API
Post-population scripts and the DataView.paginate() API: the chain without manual intervention
Every text field can trigger an ExtendScript after insertion or update (image blocks have been able to since 2026). The API grows: DataView.paginate() on prepared data, ecDataNode to inspect the data, Text.ecApplyProperties(), the ecFormattingRuleInstances collection, Datasource.lastSyncTime. On the Lua side: multi-field reading and writing, XPath, and automatic detection of custom field dependencies.
Our take. Less visible than Composition Plans, but this is what enables a script-driven PIM › synchronisation › pagination › check › PDF chain, on a workstation or on InDesign Server. Every field becomes a hook for a business rule.
Scores out of 5
- Automation5 / 5
- Layout3 / 5
- Creativity2 / 5
Average 3.3 / 5 · Announced for 2027
EasyCatalog 2027Tables
Table CSS: a single syntax to style InDesign tables, HTML and tabular fields
Table options accept CSS declarations that are translated into InDesign table properties. They join the enriched HTML parser (CSS attributes on characters, paragraphs and cells, since 2026) and colours defined in CSS.
Our take. A concrete gain for teams that maintain a web style guide: the style rules of price grids and specification tables carry over to print without re-transcription. Easy to adopt, with an immediate effect on consistency.
Scores out of 5
- Automation4 / 5
- Layout4 / 5
- Creativity2 / 5
Average 3.3 / 5 · Announced for 2027
InDesign 2027Quality control · Accessibility
Check Document: proofreading and accessibility applied in one click
New in 22.0: InDesign offers writing and accessibility suggestions that can be applied in one click. It adds to what the 2026 cycle brought: alt text generated in bulk and updated when an image is replaced, ARIA roles and labels through object styles, accessible tables on PDF and EPUB export.
Our take. A built-in pre-check before export, useful in view of European accessibility requirements. It replaces neither a production preflight nor checking the source data: for a catalog, alt text coming from the PIM via EasyCatalog remains more reliable than generated text.
Scores out of 5
- Automation4 / 5
- Layout2 / 5
- Creativity1 / 5
Average 2.3 / 5 · Available (22.0)
Score summary
| Feature | Product | Status | A | L | C | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flex Layout driven by object styles | InDesign 2027 | Available | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4.3 |
| Composition Plans (JSON) | EasyCatalog 2027 | Beta | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4.3 |
| AI Assistant | InDesign 2027 | Public beta | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Post-population scripts & pagination API | EasyCatalog 2027 | Announced | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Table CSS | EasyCatalog 2027 | Announced | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Check Document & accessibility | InDesign 2027 | Available | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.3 |
A = Automation, L = Layout, C = Creativity. Scores assigned by the Naolis team according to their impact on catalog production from a PIM.
Do you produce catalogs, price lists or datasheets from a PIM?
Naolis configures EasyCatalog, connects Akeneo, Quable or Daiteo, and prepares your data with Pim2catalog. Let's test Flex Layout and Composition Plans on one product family.
Frequently asked questions
Which new InDesign 2027 feature is the most useful for automation?
Flex Layout, now driven by object styles, nested and scriptable. A Flex block recomposes itself when the content changes, which removes most manual retouching on product sheets generated from a PIM.
What is a Composition Plan in EasyCatalog 2027?
A JSON file that describes a complete catalog: data selection, section flows, repeated headers, layout alternatives and placement strategies. It is validated by a cancelled trial run with an HTML report, runs from the interface or by script, and can be written with the help of an AI. The feature is in beta; the Pagination and Scripting modules are required.
Can you produce a catalog with InDesign's AI Assistant?
Not in production. The AI Assistant is in public beta, non-deterministic and has no access to a product database. It speeds up template preparation and bulk changes; production remains driven by structured data and rules, for example with EasyCatalog.
Is EasyCatalog 2027 available?
65bit published the list of 2027 new features and the beta documentation for Composition Plans on 4 November 2026, with no official release date. EasyCatalog 2026 remains the current version. Naolis offers pilots on one product family as soon as it is available.
Sources
- https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/whats-new/whats-new.html
- https://community.adobe.com/announcements-670/indesign-22-0-beta-is-now-available-1644384
- https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/using/object-styles-flex-layout.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/indesign/desktop/generative-ai-features/ai-assistant-capabilities.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/desktop/generative-ai-features/partner-models.html
- https://www.65bit.com/docs/whats-coming-in-2027/
- https://www.65bit.com/documentation/beta/composition-plans/index.html
- https://www.65bit.com/docs/whats-new-in-2026/
- https://indiscripts.com/post/2025/11/flexobject-in-indesign-2026
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