A template is a special type of document that you use to design a “fixed” page layout; you can then create documents based on the template that inherit its page layout. As you design a template, you specify as “editable” which content users can edit in a document based on that template. Templates enable template authors to control which page elements template users—such as writers, graphic artists, or other web developers—can edit. There are several types of template regions the template author can include in a document.

Using templates enables you to update multiple pages at once. A document that is created from a template remains connected to that template (unless you detach the document later). You can modify a template and immediately update the design in all documents based on it.