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Indesign help *urgent*

II Architect II's picture

Hi everyone,

Ive been using InDesign for only a few short days and basically im doing a project that is helping users in 3ds max.
To do proper walkthroughs, im taking print screens of the max interface and then putting it through photoshop to make it 300dpi (as its going to a printers when its finished).

My problem lies in the smaller sections (say screen capping an icon).
After I make it 300 dpi, the image size is obviously tiny, and using the white arrow in InDesign, im scaling the images up slightly ( usually about 20-50%).
Is this still a 300 dpi image and will it look ok? Also, my images never look amazingly sharp when in InDesign, I have some renders that are quite jaggy (even when on the high quality preview) - is this just my screen tricking me or will it really come out as jaggy when printing? I was also wondering, when I "place" (ctrl+d I think) images onto my pages (they appear at 100% size) is that really my limit for the size, even for big renders there fairly small images, I just dont know wether I can enlarge them in InDesign slightly :S

Back to the screen cap problem - Im just unsure how tutorial books manage to get large crisp images of there interfaces.

Absolute beginner in InDesign and im really pressed for time, so any help would be most valuable and appreciated.
Apologies for the many questions

Thanks

natobasso's picture

Some quick ID tips

Try to avoid resizing images in InDesign. For one you are requiring more resolution than the original image really has, and two you are increasing the memory requirements of your document. Two things you don't need.

When you take screen shots, make sure when you open them in Photoshop that you specify a nice large size, 5x7 or 8x10 300dpi tif if you can swing it, then resize to the size you need in your document. This means you should design your doc and then do your photos; a little planning ahead works wonders down the road.

Images you place are shown with an 8bit preview so most of your images (unless you set to High Quality which I don't recommend as your pages will take forever to load and redraw) your images will all have various states of jagginess.

Though I'm getting the feeling you're placing jpgs in your doc in which case stop that immediately and go to flattened tifs only, 300dpi and CMYK.

If you're worried about resolution as you're designing, export a pdf/x-1a and print to one of your printers and view the image, or just look closely at the pdf. Usually you can tell pretty quickly if your images are too low res.

If you have images that are less than 1meg and they are 5x7, you know there's a problem.

Hope this helps!

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II Architect II's picture

Thanks for both your quick

Thanks for both your quick replies.

In response to Natobasso:

After searching the internet for compatibility (images) for InDesign, I settled on using PSD's for my images. I read many posts/article that that was an acceptable file format?

A few questions if I may:

1) with reference to your 8x10 300dpi response, basically im taking a 2960 x 1050 screen cap (on dual screens hence massive width). Pasting that into a 300 dpi 2960x1050 file, then copying the section I want and pasting that into its own 300dpi file and saving as a PSD.
This is whats causing the problem as the downsizing due to 300 dpi is making them very small and its this part im unsure how to get round.

Luckily im only just into the pictures part (I've done a fair few actual renders however there no problem what so ever as I rendered them as big files)

2) I've seen CMYK banded about quite a bit but I dont really know the ins and outs of it and how crucial it is to me.

3) Would the pdf/x-1a be the preferred export for the professional printers, I see a few different options for exporting them

and finally

4) I know you say -try- to avoid enlarging in InDesign, but if worst came to the worst and I cant get these screen caps sorted -could- it work (taking on the fact that I will lose some image quality).

Its very tough trying to make a 250 page book in 32 days in a programme you've never used before (and I've never used any other form of Pagemaker, Quark etc application before either - im a complete beginner on the subject and it really is just these interface screens that are holding me back.

Thanks again.

natobasso's picture

Take heed

Sure you CAN use psd files, but you will experience file bloat as well as more potential for error. If you like, just save your images as tifs at 8x10 and then you can shrink them down without any resolution loss. No upsizing! This is what causes image degradation.

CMYK, sir, is how printers print color (commercial printers) so you better use this format exclusively. It is VITAL to you if you are going to have a printer print your file without laughing at you. :)

PDF/X-1a is a format preferred by every printer I've ever dealt with in the past 4 years. It's a great format, with just the right compression and image quality for great prints every time.

Contrary to the poster who posted after me, DO NOT PLACE IMAGES IN ILLUSTRATOR AND THEN PLACE THOSE IN INDESIGN. You're asking four trouble there; I call that 'double placing' and it can cause image errors/rip errors.

Shoot, you have 32 DAYS to do a 250 page book?! Try doing that in a week and then I'll care. :)

If you take my advice you will thank me in the long run. If you don't, you'll spend a frantic couple of all nighters undoing the mess you got yourself into because you didn't listen to my advice. I've been doing this for 13 years now and no printer has ever sent a file back to me because it wouldn't print.

My two cents. :)

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II Architect II's picture

In that case, i'll redo all

In that case, i'll redo all my images as TIF that i've done and make sure i've got this CMYK down.
Haha yeh, 32 days may sound like a long space of time, but that only forms 1/5th of my workload (uni finals) ;)

Thanks for all your valuable input, this is all new to me.

Hopefully I shall reap the rewards of your knowledge...

I want to make it clear, I wasnt going against your recommendations about TIF, I was purely saying that from the research I had done (prior to posting here), it seemed like a good compatible file to use. :)

natobasso's picture

He he, yeah if 250 page book

He he, yeah if 250 page book is only part of your job then you get much more respect indeed! :)

Didn't mean to be too energetic in my post, psds are convenient to use, but they invite a margin of error that you certainly can't afford since your project is so large. With tifs, you don't have to worry about having layers activated, etc.

Good luck on the project!

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II Architect II's picture

Thanks, its been a very

Thanks,

its been a very bumpy ride, but hopefully I can get there now :D

Good luck

JimD's picture

I couldn't disagree more

.PSD is the best file format you could possibly use. If you think it's .tif, then you don't understand the benefits of the .psd format and how it works with Illustrator, InDesign and PDFs. These benefits are why every expert in the field recommends using native .psd and Illustrator .ai files when placing into InDesign.

While I can understand that flattened .tifs may work for your and the company you work for (it's a very simplified/common format, afterall), that doesn't mean there aren't other solutions.

In my experience (over over 20+ years ;-p ), .psd files are only slightly larger than .tifs, but offer so many more benefits it's not even worth comparing. I fail to see how simply saving a file as a .psd makes a "margin of error." If anything, it gets rid of margins for error.

Regarding the image sizing:
While you're correct about not upsizing an image if at all possible in InDesign, saving an image as 8x10 and then reducing in InDesign is a bad idea as well. You don't experience resolution loss, but you get blurring, contrast loss and other anomalies and image quality degradation as well.

PDF/X:
Have you found any printers using the new PDF/X-4 format yet? I haven't, but I'm really liking what I see with it.

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natobasso's picture

PSD's leave it to chance

While I appreciate your opinion, a lot is left to chance when you place psd files instead of tifs. If something goes wrong on RIP, at least you can eliminate having psd files as the issue.

It's a personal preference, but it served me well for the past 3 years in a high pressure DVD packaging production environment where we were sending dozens of files per week for printing; I managed to have error free printing so I must have been doing something right. :)

And, as any 'professional' knows, there's more than one way to skin a cat so I'm not buying your argument that all pros use .psd files only. I'm a pro. I've worked with many other pros. NONE of them recommended placing psd files as a matter of regular workflow. I prefer to avoid issues rather than use a file for convenience that might introduce error down the road.

Haven't tried PDF/X-4. Sounds interesting! Links to share?
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Roadmaster's picture

Ive been using InDesign for only a few short days...

I don't know how much time you have but, I would suggest opening your screen shots in Illustrator then re-create them at the size you need them to be.
I need to do this all the time for the manuals I create.
For example, I'm working on a bi-lingual manual for an in-dash DVD player. I can't take screen shots of the different menus, the best I can do is take photos of the 3.5" screen, or with the unit next to me just recreate the menus by eye.
You'll probably find after re-creating one of the menus it'll go alot faster since you can re-use many of the elements such as buttons, frames, lists and so on.

Roadmaster's picture

I should have been more specific

When you open the screen shot in Illustrator, then re-create the interface/menu you will save it as a .ai file. Just make sure you delete the screen shot before you save the final file. Make sure you choose CYMK for the color mode.

natobasso's picture

Um

I don't think this person has the time to redraw every screenshot. :)

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II Architect II's picture

Sorry one last thing, LZW

Sorry one last thing, LZW for compression I presume?

Thanks

natobasso's picture

No compression

Don't use compresson. Causes degradation.

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gwells's picture

while compression isn't so important anymore...

LZW compression is non-lossy, so it doesn't cause image degradation. it also compresses less than lossy compression (such as JPG).

ireid's picture

Ah yes but does it RIP?

"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda

caoimghgin's picture

Sure

No worries.

natobasso's picture

Why compress if you don't

Why compress if you don't have to? Most tifs aren't very large, even for print and the LZW is for the preview only, I thought.

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gwells's picture

most tifs aren't very large?

not sure what you mean by that. tif files can be huge, depending on the output size and resolution. even an 8x10 at 300dpi is ~20MB. if you have 30 of those in a document, that's 600MB. if you work for a company that has thousands of photos at that resolution (like i do), you store them as JPG with the least amount of compression because file space is at a premium when you're talking those kinds of numbers (not to mention bandwidth as you move them across servers between offices around the country).

as i said, compression isn't much of a big deal any more, but (a) yes it will RIP, never had a problem with it when I used TIF compression, if your printer does, they're not very technically savvy or up-to-date, (b) no, it's not just the preview, it's the entire image. the more solid colors you have, the more compression you'll get. and if it was just the preview, it wouldn't cause degradation in the image... ;)

i chimed in mostly to correct the misinformation. i'm not advocating the need to compress your TIF files. but it doesn't hurt anything to do so.

natobasso's picture

Sure, if you have tifs that

Sure, if you have tifs that size they aren't very small, yes. I was talking about the average placed image in a document which is much smaller than 8x10. I wasn't talking about your particular case.

LZW is lossless, but how effective is it, really, at compression? I am not aware of how well it compresses and I've never used it.

[edit: I thought I'd answer my own question here, http://www.catenary.com/appnotes/lzwcomp.html. Looks like Gifs use LZW compression. Cool!]

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gwells's picture

yup, same as gif

works the exact same way. it's not nearly as effective as jpg, but depending on the photo it could be very effective.

i regularly work with documents that have plenty of images, not just this job but throughout my career in different studios and companies. lots of designers work with large images regularly, not necessarily just small ones. in the case noted here, how many screen shots might he need? 60? we all have different requirements for different types of work. it's not good to presume that there's an "average" out there.

natobasso's picture

I don't see any harm in it

I don't see any harm in it for the sake of argument.

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gwells's picture

"Most tifs aren't very

"Most tifs aren't very large" just isn't accurate. most of *YOUR* TIFs may not be, but to some of the other people reading here (such as myself), that just isn't accurate. it all depends on the kinds of work you do. working on books (as the poster here is doing) could lead to very large TIFs. most of the books/marketing materials i work with have numerous full-page images.

regardless, my original point was just to correct the fallacy that LZW compression degrades the image. i wanted to make sure the original poster had the facts straight. you don't necessarily need to compress (that comes down to individual circumstances), but it doesn't damage the image to do so and there's nothing wrong with doing it.

natobasso's picture

gwells, for most regular

gwells, for most regular design work I've ever done (13 years and counting), you don't need a ton of 8x10 images. I'd say what you do is not the average. Just my opinion; and it doesn't have any real bearing on this thread to belabor the point any further.

Point taken about LZW. I learned something!

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3dogmama's picture

Is this one of these getting

Is this one of these getting smaller games again?

ttfn!
3dogmama

gwells's picture

smaller still

nate, i'm not calling my experience (15+ yrs, if you must know) average. i'm not calling yours average, either. our individual experiences are anecdotal. giving advice to someone who's obviously inexperienced shouldn't presume their work is (or will be) similar to either yours or mine. it could be similar to either or neither.

as i've repeatedly said, this wasn't my point anyway, so i'll leave it at that. no sense beating a dead horse any more, even if it does create smaller boxes.

natobasso's picture

I am calling my experience

I am calling my experience average. And as I have said, that's only my opinion and I don't think it's going to run any new designers lives...

End thread please? :)

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natobasso's picture

I am calling my experience

I am calling my experience average. And as I have said, that's only my opinion and I don't think it's going to ruin any new designers lives...

End thread please? :)

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Roadmaster's picture

What's News?

Architect how are you doing with your project?

II Architect II's picture

I see a lot's been said in

I see a lot's been said in my absence :P

Well it goes to the printers on monday morning, I have to say I've enjoyed it and im hoping it prints ok - I'll be so glad to actually have a proper nights sleep soon!

I have all my TIF's as uncompressed. The Indesign file isn't -that- huge seeing as my book is approximately 130-140 pages long and made up of relatively small images (there are only about 5 pages that have images covering that whole page).

FirstIy,
I asked my printers (to no responce) about what to export the Indesign document as regards to Presets.
The main setting on the exporter are:

Adobe PDF Preset:
Standard
Compatability

So im not entirely sure what is the most compatible options within those titles for me to set them too.

Secondly,
Theres also a compression page on about downsampling (bicubic) if image is over 450 dpi, then to downsample to 300dpi) - all my images are 300 dpi anyway so I presume I dont -have- to change any settings on that seeing as my images arent affected.

Thirdly,
The printers have asked that my PDF settings should be as high as the original files? and also they should have no down sampling (a la my 2nd question?) and imbed fonts should be turned on - Location?

Lastly,
Im making my book's (a5) cover in 3 seperate files (as I've been instructed to do). Im using a 24pt text - presumably best to use InDesign font for that and -not- font from Photoshop?
Also I have to make the spine 8mm - do I just alter the width of the Indesign page to do this? - ie there isnt some hidden uber function for spines?

Oh one more thing, im using a newer version of Indesign than the printers and I planned to give them in InDesign file (just incase something goes horribly wrong with my PDF) - I presume there Is a file type I can save as for backwards compat?

As per usual, so many questions! - I dont envy you print guys one bit!

Can't wait to get back to making computer games :P

Thanks for all the help and input, its really gone far to creating something Im immensly proud of.

II Architect II

Gloria Chen's picture

Yes, there are a lot of

Yes, there are a lot of things to consider when designing for print if you want your piece to sail through painlessly. Those are the files I dream about. Most of the times, pieces come in with issues and in PDF where I have no recourse to fix the files but to give customers a crash course in designing and saving PDF for print.

To answer your questions:
1)
Adobe Preset: High Quality Print
Standard: None
Compatibility: Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4)
Actually if you are working with a printer who is on the up and up with technology, they would provide you with a Adobe Acrobat Module to use, all pre-configured to meet their requirements. Sometimes they might provide you with a Printer Driver and simply ask you to Print to File to Postscript instead. Short of asking for all Native files, this is my preferred file to work with. This way I could RIP the job however I need.

2)
Yes, you don't have to worry about downsampling since your images are not over 450DPI

3)
Embedding fonts are turn on as default if you are using High Quality Print Preset. If yo need to know where this is, it is under Advanced tab of the Export PDF window. But be careful here, only fonts that have embedding permission will be included. It depends on what type of font you use. Most legit fonts allow embedding. Some Microsoft fonts are problematic.

4)
Yes, fonts will be better in InDesign as oppose to Photoshop. InDesign is a vector program, it draws images with straight lines by connecting point to point. Photoshop is a pixel program, it draws images by filling in squares of colors. So a non-straight line draws as stairs. I am not aware of a "Create Spine" feature in InDesign.

5)
It is always good to provide all final files to printer unless you are an expert and know what you are doing. All final files include InDesign document and any placed images in InDesign. For example your Photoshop files. Most printer should have an extensive font library so I wouldn't worry too much about providing used fonts, unless you custom modified pairs kerning. To down version InDesign (backward compatible), use Export under File menu, and choose for format "InDesign Interchange"

6) One thing that designers time and time forget to do is when making PDF to include bleeds.

I hope this help and the information is in time for your project.

Once you figure this all out, it's pretty systematic for future projects.

gwells's picture

only thing i'll disagree with is...

always always always provide fonts w/native files. never trust that the printer's version of a font is the same as yours. any difference can cause reflows, so it's best to be safe and provide them.

II Architect II's picture

ps

Forgot - where is the Acrobat preset that lets me view something along the lines of "all colours to CMYK" or "all colours to RGB" -

Not sure where that

Gloria Chen's picture

Output Preview

Do you mean Output Preview under Advanced Menu? This will simply "display" your document as CMYK or RGB, but it does not mean your PDF is as such. You still will need to create PDF correctly according to Printer request.

II Architect II's picture

Thanks

Thanks for the swift reply Gloria,

Thats helped me out a great deal!

In response to your question about CMYK/RGB, I was told by my printer that In the Acrobat presets, have a look to make sure wether thee setting is set to "all colours to CMYK" or if its left untouched RGB.

Unfortunately thats all I have to go on. :S

Also, I have set up a 3mm bleed for my main book (per printers request) do I have to do bleeds for the front, back and spine too?

Im a bit of a perfectionist so apologies for the many questions, I would like the printer to have as little problems (for what my knowledge in InDesign allows) and much prefer to learn all the right things to do rather than let the printers pick up the pieces.

mara06's picture

You'll want to go back to

You'll want to go back to your Photoshop TIFF images and convert them to CMYK (under Image/Mode), do a "Save As" the same filename/location, and be sure they're updated in InDesign. I could very easily be wrong, since I'm kinda new at InDesign myself, but I don't believe InDesign can do anything with imported images when converting RGB elements to CMYK for your PDF. If you have EPS files created in Illustrator, those are probably CMYK by default, but it wouldn't hurt to double-check.

Wasn't Gloria's advice great? I learned something, too -- thanks, Gloria! :-)

Mara

natobasso's picture

Exporting to pdf from ID can

Exporting to pdf from ID can update images to CMYK but I wouldn't trust it as the color shift is a huge variable. I agree with Mara's advice.

I definitely recommend not placing any images in illustrator and then placing those illustrator files to ID, as this can cause ripping issues.

Apply bleed to all your files. Your printer can then choose to use them or not at their discretion.

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II Architect II's picture

Finished!

Hi everyone,

Just like to thank everyone for all the help - really saved my backside!

I have some perfect bound books ready in time for a little exhibition Im presenting at and my section sown books with matte laminate covers will be ready in time for my finals hand-in, so thanks everyone!

II Architect II

II Architect II's picture

Im Back

Yep that's right im at it again.

So, im back from finishing my book (the exhibition went -very- well and I received a ton of business cards, job offers etc..

Anyways.

Im making a short manual that would be used in a computer game.
I really am not sure the best way to go about this. As I thought my way of doing it was simple - my printer however disagrees.

So let me outline my plans. Im having 1 seperate Indesign file for a singular sheet of paper - this represents my front, back, inside front and inside back cover. This sheet is slightly thicker than the rest.

I will also have 4 sheets to make up the inside, this makes 16 leaf's within the book.

Lets forget the "cover" for now and concentrate on the 4 pages for the inside.

My way of doing it would be to in Indesign (like I did with my book) Make 4 pages within the one file. I've made the booklet as a mock out of some a4 paper and by my logic I get this (paper booklet and you have to imagine ive split the page into 2 leafs):

Sheet 1 (the centre of the book) Pages 8 & 9 - opposite side 10 & 7
Sheet 2 6 & 11 - opposite 12 & 5
Sheet 3 4 & 13 - opposite 14 & 3
Sheet 4 2 & 15 - opposite 16 & 1

That to me is very straight forward however my printer thinks im doing it the hard way? To be honest, if anyone can understand that and tell me if it works then that would be great.

So question - will this be like my book? ie, lets take my book pages 1 2 and 3.

1 was on the right hand side, 2 was on the left (on the back of 1 and 3 made up a new page on the right). So Will I actually have 8 indesign "pages" in my file ?

As I assumed my layout would be like this (folding the left hand side in a clockwise direction to make the manual:

16, 1 Sheet 1
2, 15 "

14, 3 Sheet 2
4, 13 "

12, 5 Sheet 3
6, 11 "

10, 7 Sheet 4
8, 9 "

So thats 4 real world sheets of pager which would be 8 pages within in design and since I have 2 games manual pages on one side of paper thats 16 games manual pages in total.

In my mind that works perfect but my printer keeps going on about imposing off, tbh I dont understand imposing fully but with imposing on I think this method works fine?
I say that works fine unless im missing something?
If anyone understands what im on about you may have a cookie..

Gloria Chen's picture

Reader spread versus printer spread

Your question is mainly a difference of reader spread versus printer spread and what is the preference. What you are describing is what we printers call printer spread. Pages are imposed so that when folded and stapled, the page sequencing will be correct. Page 16 facing page 1 and page 2 facing page 15 and so on. Now, a reader spread is layout based on how a book is read, Page 1 on right hand side, then page 2 facing page 3 and so on.

Generally, printers that are using the latest and greatest technology will prefer reader spread files. The reason being that we all have programs that will impose these pages so it will print correctly. To deal with files that are already in printer spread actually forces us to unimpose these pages. Secondly, these imposition programs allow us to adjust for creeping. Due to the thickness of the paper, the most inner spread gets pushed outward, and creep compensate for this. Since your book is only 16-pages plus cover, you don't have to worry about that.

So the question being, why take that extra step on your end to layout pages in printer spread when your printer will just rearrange that back to reader spread? Besides, isn't it better to visualize your project as how it will be read rather than how it will be printed?

One more tip, I would set page size to a4 with facing pages checked in InDesign rather than set it to double the size of a4. In another word, keep each page on individual page rather than a 2-page spread.

II Architect II's picture

Thanks Gloria (again!)

Thanks Gloria,

I have the layout like that because my concern is getting the right "game manual pages" (which will be numbered) on the correct side of each other.

As I dont see how they magically get on the correct sides if I havent got them layed out to print that way.

basically im taking the experience from my book and using it for this, ie, the pages are in order so that the each back facing page is printed on the correct front facing page.

I only get one shot at this so I can't afford to miss it up. I get really really meticulous about detail and finish which is why I even made the mock booklet.

-------------------

I guess I have set it out on printers spread because I dont understand how the printer will put it all together in order. I think that because on one side of paper I have it split down the middle and it represents two pages - granted somehow a printer can rearrange actual sheets, but what happens when those sheets have the equivelelent of 4 "manual" pages (2 on each side) ?

It's that part I dont understand how they will rearrange.

eg 1 a4 sheet makes 4 manual pages 8,9 on the frontfacing and 10 7 on the back facing.

The concern is making 8 and 9 on one page of indesign, then I need to make 10 and 7 on another page on indesign, but if I dont have 10 , 7 following 8 & 9 in the page order, how on each will the printer know that that -must- be printer on the back of 8 & 9?

I guess that is the simplest breakdown of my problem.

And here was me thinking I was making the printers life easier..... :|

gwells's picture

they have software that does

they have software that does it for them. and does it well. as a matter of fact, you have software that will do it, too. indesign has imposition capabilities.

trust me, your printer has done far more books/booklets than you will ever do in your entire career. imposition is part of their job, and they'll do it better, easier, and quicker than you will. spend some time talking with your printer and get them to make you comfortable that they know what they're doing. it really makes no sense at all for you to do the imposition before you even do the design. you're severely overthinking this.

II Architect II's picture

cherrs gwells - I I can just

cheers gwells - So I can just make 8 pages in Indesign (which will make 16 manual pages?) and I just let the printer do the rest?

Hmm. They said to turn imposition off (I odnt even know where to do that :| )

JimD's picture

16 pages = 16 pages

If your book will be 16 pages when finished, then you need to have 16 pages in InDesign. You can set your document in the page setup box to be facing spreads (2 pages next to each other), but make no mistake, you still have to actually have 16 pages.

The only exception is if you are drawing two pages on a single page in InDesign - in which case your printer will curse your name and take extra long to get proofs to you!

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Gloria Chen's picture

No, no, no

I concur with Jim and I also reiterate, set your InDesign file pages for exactly how many pages you will have, NOT how many SPREADS! Your InDesign page size should be the final size of the book folded, not flat size.

As long as your total number of pages are divisible by 4, the printer will know how to impose the job using dedicated software to rip, plot and print. From your comments, it does sound like your printer knows what they are doing.

gwells said it best, you are severely over thinking this. Focus your attention on designing your book that will read and flow nicely, which by designing this piece in reader configuration will aid in that process. Let the printer worry about imposing pages into printer spreads. That IS what they do.

gwells's picture

what they all just

what they all just said.

don't think about imposition or spreads at all. think about your "page" size. if each page is 8.5x11, then that's the size you set up your document for. 16 pages at page size. the printer will create the spreads (11x17) and perform imposition for you.

i think there are just some communication issues as far as "turning imposition off." it's not a switch. i think they just want you to stop trying to set up imposition and spreads and just work with actual page sizes.

as everyone keeps saying, you're thinking too hard about this and making it far more difficult than it actually is.

II Architect II's picture

Ok gwells, Yes I guess I'm

Ok gwells,

Yes I guess I'm over complicating things but im confused by your last message.

So im not even to put 2 "manual" pages on one Indesign page?

As the book will just have two staples holding it together, theres no spine as such.

What your saying is to just do the pages in order and do all "manual" pages completely seperate to each other even though some will be going on the same sheet of paper?

JimD's picture

Exactly

If the final size of the magazine is 8x10 for instance and will have 16 pages. Your InDesign document should consist of 16 individual 8x10 pages.

You can set them up as readers spreads, or just keep them as individual pages - it really doesn't matter because the printer's imposition software will do all the work.

Don't try to manually put two pages on a 16x10 InDesign page. This will create more work for the printer, and bring the strong possibility for errors.

Make sure you set up any bleeds.

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Visit The Graphic Mac for graphics and Mac OS tips, reviews, tutorials and discussion.

gwells's picture

jim answered already, but

jim answered already, but yes. each individual page should be treated as an individual page in indesign. the printer's software will do the work for you.

don't feel too bad about it. sometimes things seem much more difficult than they actually are.

natobasso's picture

I am always thankful I don't

I am always thankful I don't have to do printer spreads. Ugh! :)

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Powerpoint is not a design application

II Architect II's picture

Thanks everyone

Sorry If it sounds like im dumb, sometimes from an outsider looking in it can be hard to get to grips with terminology and so forth.

All you comments and help have been greatly appreciated.

I'll return the favour if you ever think about making a computer game :P

Gloria Chen's picture

Not at all, far from that

Please do not feel bad. Printers actually appreciate customers calling up to double check processes to avoid issues and problems down the road. Put it another way, I commend you for asking such questions rather than blindly setting up your files as flat printer spreads.

Learning is a progress and much about life is all about where in the process we are at.

II Architect II's picture

Thanks Gloria

Cheers for that :)

I do have one last question actually thats got me scratching my head.

Im also making a poster (a2). I know that I should avoid Photoshop since the text doesn't come out very well and that I should use Indesigns instead, but what if Im doing a specific type of effect to a text (such as a gradient or a outer glow) seeing as Indesign doesn't have these capabilities?

natobasso's picture

Do that special effect text

Do that special effect text in photoshop (though Illustrator has some good gradient and shading tools too) and do the rest of your text in InDesign which is where your main layout should be.

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Powerpoint is not a design application

II Architect II's picture

HI Natobasso, Well it's

HI Natobasso,

Well it's literally Just two words, although its the title of a game so it will be displayed quite large. The only way I could think of doing it was to do the text, apply the affects to it and have a transparent background (saving as a PNG file) although I've texted it and well it's not brilliant it has to be said.

*shrugs*

JimD's picture

Don't use PNG

Just save it as a .psd file with the background transparent.

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Visit The Graphic Mac for graphics and Mac OS tips, reviews, tutorials and discussion.

natobasso's picture

But that text is going to be

But that text is going to be on a background. Can't do transparent unless you want two files placed. Not my favorite option when one will do...

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Powerpoint is not a design application

II Architect II's picture

Sorry - Quick Q' For the

Sorry - Quick Q'

For the little manual, do I still keep "facing pages" turned on?

thanks

gwells's picture

facing pages is fine

it let's you see the document as it would be viewed in "reader spreads," but it doesn't affect the printing of the document. i would actually recommend using "facing pages," because it helps you see the document as it would print.

II Architect II's picture

Thanks!

Thanks gwells :)

jimbinho's picture

My 2 Cents!

Hi,

My problem was to produce a good quality document to send out to prospective clients with high quality screen shots when viewed in a PDF at 100% or higher.

I used a few techniques written about here and just wanted to let you all know what worked best for me.

Taking the screen shot, pasting into a new doc in Photoshop (cs3) with the following settings 8 * 10 inches, 300 DPI, CMYK. Once pasted i resized and saved as PSD. I did try tiff initially but found PSD to work better when resizing the document in a PDF.

I then placed the image in InDesign, exported as a high quality PDF and this produced the best results. Thanks for the help guys.

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