Our Mission
The InDesign community deserves better.
GREP is one of the most powerful features in InDesign. It can automate hours of manual work in seconds. But learning it takes years. The syntax is cryptic, resources are scattered, and most designers never unlock its full potential.
Meanwhile, professionals spend countless hours every day on repetitive text cleanup that could be automated with the right pattern.
Our goal: Build the largest free collection of InDesign GREP patterns and make them accessible to everyone, from beginners to experts. No login. No paywall. Just solutions that work.
We want to help designers who don't even know what GREP is to speed up their daily work. Everyone deserves tools that save hours, not just those who spent years learning regex.
This means fewer errors, faster turnaround, and more time for creative work.
The Problem We Solve
If you've worked with InDesign, you know the pain of repetitive text cleanup. Every manuscript, every import, every client project brings the same challenges:
- Double spaces that snuck in during editing
- Straight quotes that should be curly
- Hyphens used where en-dashes or em-dashes belong
- Inconsistent spacing around punctuation
- OCR artifacts from scanned documents
- Import garbage from Word, PDF, or web copy
- Phone numbers, dates, ISBNs in wrong formats
Manual cleanup takes hours. GREP can do it in seconds. But writing GREP patterns is hard, and most designers don't have time to learn.
Our solution: Instead of everyone reinventing the wheel, we collect battle-tested patterns in one place. Find what you need, copy it, use it. No GREP expertise required.
You don't need to be a regex expert to look like one.
Who Is This For?
Book Designers
Format manuscripts faster. Clean up author submissions. Apply consistent typography across chapters.
Publishing Houses
Standardize workflows across teams. Ensure consistent quality. Train new staff with proven patterns.
Beginners
Learn GREP by example. See how patterns work. Build your skills without starting from scratch.
Freelancers
Work faster, bill smarter. Handle diverse projects with confidence. Deliver professional quality.
Magazine Designers
Process articles quickly. Handle content from multiple sources. Maintain style consistency.
Prepress Technicians
Catch text issues before print. Automate quality checks. Reduce production errors.
Whether you're formatting your first book or your hundredth — these patterns have you covered.
How It Works
Navigating the Library
The interface has two main areas:
- Sidebar (left): Search, filter by group, filter by status, browse patterns
- Detail Panel (right): Full pattern info, examples, copy buttons, rating
6 Main Groups
Every pattern belongs to exactly one group:
| Group | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Dashes & Hyphens | En-dash, em-dash, hyphen cleanup, number ranges |
| Typography & Quotes | Curly quotes, apostrophes, prime marks, special characters |
| Dialogue & Fiction | Speech marks, dialogue formatting, fiction conventions |
| Numbers & ISBN | Phone numbers, dates, ISBN, prices, formatting |
| Cleanup & Normalization | Spaces, line breaks, import fixes, general cleanup |
| Footnotes & References | Superscripts, citations, bibliography formatting |
Tags for Precision
Tags let you filter within groups. Click any tag to filter, click again to remove. Patterns can have multiple tags.
Pattern Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | Tested and approved by our team. Safe to use. |
| Community | Approved by user ratings. Widely trusted. |
| Pending | New submission awaiting review. Help by rating! |
Using a Pattern
- Find - Browse groups, use search, or filter by tags
- Copy - Click the Copy button (or press Enter for Find, Shift+Enter for Change)
- Paste - In InDesign: Ctrl/Cmd+F → GREP tab → Paste
- Run - Click Find All or Change All
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ↑ ↓ | Navigate patterns |
| Enter | Copy Find pattern |
| Shift+Enter | Copy Change pattern |
| / | Focus search |
| Esc | Clear search / Close panel |
Rating Patterns
Your ratings help the community find quality patterns.
- Click stars to rate (no login needed)
- Patterns with 20+ ratings show average score in header
- Top-rated patterns get featured in GREP Batch Processor script
Copy, paste, done. Professional typography in seconds, not hours.
How much time can you save?
Contributing
No login needed. Just submit and get credited.
Your patterns help thousands of designers work faster. The submission process is simple:
- Click Submit a GREP
- Fill in the pattern details (name, find, change, example, description)
- Add your name for credit (optional but recommended)
- Submit - your pattern enters the review queue
What You Get
📛 Your name appears on every pattern you submit.
Get recognized for helping the community.
- Credit - Visible attribution on every pattern
- Featured patterns - Top-rated patterns get included in the GREP Batch Processor script
- Coming soon: Profile pages for top contributors to showcase their work
- Monthly features: Top contributors get highlighted in our updates
🚀 Be among the first contributors — early adopters shape the library's direction.
What Makes a Good Submission?
- Descriptive name - "Remove double spaces" is better than "Cleanup 1"
- Working pattern - Test it before submitting
- Clear example - Show what changes (before → after)
- Appropriate group - Help others find it
- Original work - Or credit the source if you learned it elsewhere
Looking for moderators! Want to help review submissions and improve the library? Get in touch.
Transparency
This is a volunteer project.
I built this in my free time, alongside my regular work as a book designer. There's no company behind it, no investors, no business model. Just a designer who got tired of seeing the same questions in forums and wanted to help.
My personal information is on this site for legitimacy, not self-promotion. When this community grows, I will be equal with everyone else. How much I contribute determines what recognition I get. Same rules for all.
Open Source Plans
The full source code will be published on GitHub once the technical foundation is stable. This isn't "my" platform - I just organized scattered knowledge into one place. The patterns belong to the community.
🔮 This is just the beginning — we're opening source, expanding categories, and adding new features regularly. Stay tuned.
The InDesign community has always been generous with knowledge. From forums to Facebook groups, from YouTube tutorials to conference talks. GREP Library continues this tradition.
Quality & Feedback
We review every submission. But mistakes happen.
If a pattern doesn't work as described, please use the Feedback button on that pattern. We'll investigate and fix or remove it as soon as possible.
Search & Performance
Search is optimized for speed and clarity. We're continuously improving filters, categorization, and user experience. If you encounter bugs or have suggestions, let us know.
Please be patient. This is volunteer work done in spare time. We read every message, but responses may not be immediate. Thank you for understanding.
FAQ
Do I need to know GREP to use these patterns?
No! That's the whole point. Copy and paste patterns without understanding the syntax. Of course, if you want to learn, seeing working examples is a great way to start.
Are these patterns safe to use?
GREP patterns only do Find/Change operations - they can't harm your computer. However, they CAN change text in your document, so always work on a copy or have backups when testing new patterns.
Can I use these patterns commercially?
Absolutely. No restrictions. Use them for client work, internal projects, anything. Just don't resell the patterns themselves.
A pattern doesn't work. What should I do?
Use the Feedback button on that pattern. It might be a bug, or a locale/version difference. We'll investigate.
How do I save patterns in InDesign?
In Find/Change dialog (GREP tab), after entering patterns, go to Query → Save Query. Give it a name, and it appears in your queries list.
Can I run multiple patterns at once?
Not directly in InDesign's UI. Check out GREP Batch Processor - a free script that runs multiple saved queries in one operation.
Disclaimers
Beta Phase
This platform is in active development. Features may change, bugs may occur. We'll announce the official v1.0 release when ready.
Trademarks
"InDesign" and "Adobe" are registered trademarks of Adobe Inc. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Adobe.
Usage Rights
All patterns in this library are free to use for any purpose, commercial or personal. Website design and code are protected - cloning or copying the platform itself is prohibited.
About the Author
Ready to Get Started?
Browse the library, find patterns that help you, and if you have something to share, we'd love to have you as a contributor.