Podcast Summary: Hands-On Apple 215 – Custom Pages Templates

Host: Micah Sargent
Date: January 22, 2026
Episode Theme: Creating Custom Templates in Apple Pages (macOS)
Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio), “Hands-On Apple”

Overview

In this episode, Micah Sargent takes listeners through a comprehensive, hands-on tutorial on how to create, customize, and manage document templates in Apple Pages for macOS. He demonstrates both how to modify existing templates and how to build new templates from scratch, empowering users to streamline their document creation process—whether for newsletters, recipe cards, business cards, or more.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Launching Pages and Exploring Templates

[00:31]

• Opening the Pages App: Micah uses Spotlight (Cmd + Space) for quick access, then navigates to the template chooser upon launch.
• Template Chooser: Displays a variety of built-in templates as starting points.

"When you get to Pages, you may see this welcome page, and we can start by creating a document. Now, when you do this, up pop the templates and you can see your basic standard templates that are built in."
—Micah Sargent [00:43]

2. Customizing Existing Templates

[01:10]

• Modifying a Preset Template:
  • Micah chooses the “Simple Newsletter” template.
  • Describes placeholders for images and formatted text sections.
• Editing Text Styles:
  • Example: Changing the “Today’s News” headline from Helvetica to Futura.
• Saving as a Custom Template:
  • Instantly adds the new version to the template chooser for future use.
• Comparison:
  • Distinction between the modified template and returns to the original with Cmd + N.

"All we would need to do is if we decided that this was the new way of doing things. We'd go up to file and we would choose Save as template."
—Micah Sargent [02:36]

3. Creating a Template from Scratch

[09:55]

• Starting with a Blank Document:
  • Shows how to set up the initial layout (orientation, margins, headers, footers, document body).
  • Advocates enabling “Show Layout” and “Show Invisibles” for easier formatting.
• Setting Document Structure:
  • Adjusts page orientation, header/footer sizes, margins (“0.5 for all sides”), and body presence.
  • Explains usage of section breaks for varying design on different document sections.
• Adding Styles and Formatting:
  • Demonstrates formatting (fonts, spacing, adding shadow, outline).
  • Shows how to set up titles (e.g., font to Futura Bold, size 50) and body text.
• Placeholders:
  • How to define text as “Placeholder Text” for user-friendly template re-use.
  • How to set images as “Media Placeholder” for easy replacement.

“When I'm creating a template, I like to go up to 'View' and choose 'Show Layout' and 'Show Invisibles.' Now, when you do this, the first thing that you're going to want to do is go to the toolbar at the top and go to Document. We want to set up the document first.”
—Micah Sargent [10:10]

"If you were to select this [placeholder text], it would all highlight and you'd be able to change it."
—Micah Sargent [13:46]

4. Saving, Sharing, and Managing Custom Templates

[15:02]

• Saving the Template:
  • File → Save as Template → add to Template Chooser with a custom name ("Micah's Default Template").
• Using the Template:
  • Demonstrates using Cmd + N and selecting the new custom template.
• Renaming, Sharing, Deleting Templates:
  • Right-click in the template chooser to rename, share, or delete templates.
  • Sharing allows others to import and use the template in their own Pages app.

“If we go to our template chooser, we can simply right click and choose to rename it. If we want to, we can actually share this template with other people or we can delete it. All of that is possible from right there.”
—Micah Sargent [15:32]

5. Use Cases & Final Thoughts

[16:10]

• Micah's Recommendations:
  • Recipe cards
  • Newsletters
  • Business cards
• Cost Savings:
  • Custom templates as an alternative to paid templates or subscriptions (e.g., Apple Creator Studio).

“That is a way to set up your own special templates and not have to pay for that Apple Creator Studio subscription that has those templates that you can get there.”
—Micah Sargent [16:10]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Practical Approach:
  “Maybe you just want a slight adjustment on something that already exists.” —Micah Sargent [00:56]

• Encouragement to Experiment:
  “If you want custom templates for your recipe cards, that's what I like to use it for… newsletters… business cards that you regularly print out.” —Micah Sargent [16:10]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Opening & Purpose | 00:00–00:50| | Launching Pages & Template Chooser | 00:31–01:05| | Customizing Existing Templates | 01:10–03:15| | Saving as Custom Template | 02:36–03:05| | Creating a Template from Scratch | 09:55–15:02| | Setting Placeholders (Text & Image) | 13:46–14:45| | Managing Templates: Rename, Share, Delete | 15:32–15:54| | Use Cases & Cost Savings | 16:10–16:25|

Conclusion

Micah Sargent delivers a clear and practical guide for users at any skill level to take control of document creation in Apple Pages. By focusing both on customizing existing templates and building from scratch, he empowers listeners to tailor their workflow. With instructions for managing, sharing, and reusing templates, users can create professional and personal documents efficiently and avoid unnecessary subscription costs.

For anyone wanting to personalize their Pages workflow, this episode is a concise and thorough resource.