Final answer:
In Adobe InDesign, what are commonly referred to as 'artboards' in other applications are known as 'pages.' Traditional canvases are surfaces for painting, primed with Gesso, but InDesign uses digital 'pages' for layout and design work.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Adobe InDesign, unlike in other Adobe Creative Suite programs like Illustrator, the term artboards is not used. Instead, InDesign operates with a concept called 'pages' within a 'document.' However, for the design of non-print layouts, such as digital and interactive media, these pages can also be referred to as alternate layouts or liquid pages, which adjust to various screen sizes or orientations.
The traditional use of canvases in art refers to a surface that artists paint on, typically made of woven cotton and stretched over wooden bars. This canvas is often primed with a substance known as Gesso, which creates a protective layer that prevents oil paint from seeping into the canvas. Gesso, dating back to the Baroque period, often consisted of a mixture of chalk, animal glue, and white pigment, creating the stable starting surface known as Italian Gesso.
While both artboards and canvases provide a workspace for creators, in the physical and digital realms respectively, 'pages' are the InDesign equivalent of artboards used in other Adobe applications, and they differ from the traditional canvases used in fine arts.