Erica Gamet
Forum Replies Created
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About the bleed…if you need a bleed it is best to actually set that bleed amount in your new document dialog box (you can adjust it at any time). That way, when you go to print or export, you can simply choose “Use Document Bleed Settings” and it will use that amount. Otherwise, you have to remember what amount of bleed you gave it. Also, you can preview your document with bleed (choosing Bleed Mode from the bottom of your Tool palette), so you can be sure you have enough graphic going to the edge of the needed bleed. If you’ve given your doc a .25″ bleed, but the printer says they only want .125″, then you can always define that in the Print dialog box.
A tip on the measurements…if you don’t know what a fraction’s decimal amount is, let InDesign do it for you…if you need 5/16″ margin, type in 5/16 in the margin value and it will convert it to the decimal. If you want to use a different measurement (milimeters, instead of inches for instance), just type in the amount followed by the proper abbreviation (22mm for instance) and it will convert it to the unit of measure you have set in your preferences. I use this for drop shadows…I often want a one or two milimeter offset…I don’t EVEN know what that is in inches!
Sorry this went on!!
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The preference you’re looking for is under Preferences > Text > Adjust Text Attributes When Scaling. With it selected, text will automatically scale to size and give you the one (accurate) type size in the Control palette. This is when you scale a text frame using the Selection tool, while holding down the Command (Ctl) key to scale content as well as the container. If you don’t have this preference selected, when you scale a text frame, the text scales, but retains the original type size value as well as the the current, effective type size. If the latter is the case and you decide you had wanted to adjust the text scaling for this frame, you can then choose Scale Text Attributes from the Control palette menu (after selecting the text frame with the Selection tool).
I personall leave Adjust Text Attributes When Scaling checked, since that’s usually my point in resizing the text frame, anyway. But, that’s just me. Don’t forget, any preferences you set with no document open becomes the preference from that point out…setting a preference with a document open sets the preference for that document only…hope that helps!
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I don’t know if they have newspaper templates, but you might checkout stocklayouts.com. They have some nice stuff. Make sure you choose the high-end printing ones…not the ones for desktop/inkjet output.
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Can you post a screenshot to determine what kind of line and where it is? Thanks…or email me at erica@digi-wizard.com if you can’t post it.
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As far as pagination goes, you will need a plug-in. If you are using pre-CS2, then you could use the ALAP InBooklet SE. That comes with either: InDesign PageMaker Edition or the PageMaker plugin pack. If you are using CS2, then InBooklet is built right in. You’ll find the plug-in under the File menu. I prefer to have it create a new document, that way I still have my original in single-page reader spreads.
You will, as Thumbslinger mentioned, need to have a printer capable of printing duplexed to get the print on both sides. Using your example, create the paginated 11 x 17 spreads using InBooklet, then print duplexed to a printer capable of doing so.
Let me know if I need to clarify…it’s been a long holiday weekend…ha ha!
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Best practice is to use native files (.ai, .psd, etc.) whenever possible. You want the “flattening” to occur as late as possible in the print stream. Place your unflattened, layered Photoshop documents directly in InDesign.
Trapping is built into InDesign and does a WONDERFUL job. Some printers may also want to use their in-RIP trapping. These options (for trapping on output) can be found in the output pane of the print dialog box (you can choose trapping when the color pull-down menu shows separations).
As far as exporting to PDF for print, if you choose Acrobat 5 or above, you won’t need to choose a Flattener setting because Acrobat 5 and above understands transparency (what the flattener is flattening). The printer will choose the flattener settings when he outputs the file (again, leaving this task as late as possible in the print stream). Unless the printer has instructed you to adhere to a standard (PDFx/1a for example), I would choose Acrobat 5 (in case he hasn’t upgraded beyond that). You can have separate flattener settings on a spread-by-spread basis and the “Ignore Spread Overrides” is where you can strip any settings you’ve set for individual spreads. You do want some compression to take place to keep your files from ballooning. For most offset work I do and any digital printing, I choose “Bicubic Downsampling” to 300 (your printer may want more) for all images above 300 for Color and Greyscale images. For Monochrome images (line art, etc.) you want to downsample to 1200 for all above 1200 (images at Maximum quality). You can choose to compress text and line art, too which is recommended as that performs a lossless compression. Crop Image Data to Frames “throws out” any information for cropped out portions of images (parts of the image that are outside the frame). Don’t forget to subset fonts when less than 0% of the font is used (Fonts pane > Advanced) because you don’t want to subset the fonts (send only characters used, not the whole font) in case any changes need to be made to your PDF. If you’d rather no one but you makes changes your PDF, go ahead and subset the font (set to 100%).
Hope this helps and doesn’t actually make your head spin!
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In regards to converting, InDesign CS can convert up to Quark 4.11…and I believe CS2 can convert through 5. If you have newer versions of files in Quark 6, you’ll have to save to 5, open in 5 and save to 4. Kind of a pain, but if you’ve invested lots of time in those files (or found really cool templates) it might be worth it. Sometimes, it’s easier to start with the elements of the templates (artwork, etc.) and recreate in InDesign. Hope that helps.
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The great thing is, you can choose “nonprinting” in the Attributes palette for either the frame or the frame’s content. If you wish to make the frame non printing, use the Selection tool (solid arrow) and for the content, choose the Direct Selection tool (hollow arrow). If you decide you want to print these items (maybe you’re doing business card imprints and need to print the portion that is already printed on shells), you can choose Print Non-Printing Objects under Options in the General pane of the Print dialog box. That will print it for that output only, but you don’t have to constantly turn the printing on and off in the Attributes palette.
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When you say “align to page” are you wanting to center the item on the page? If so, what I always do is select the object you want to center on the page, choose the center square in the reference point (in the upper left hand corner of the Control palette)…that way you’re choosing to work in reference to the center of your object. Next, in the X and/or Y coordinates, enter 1/2 of the page size. For instance, to center on an 8.5 x 11 page, enter 4.25 in the X and 5.5 in the Y. If you don’t know half, let InDesign do the math for you: in the X, type in 8.5/2 (and 11/2 in the Y)…when you tab to the next field or hit return, it will figure the formula for you. If you need more help, you can email me (I just joined, not sure if I can post my email…I’ll check and we’ll go from there). Hope that helps!
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Actually, the PageMaker Plugin pack from Adobe ($49US) contains the SE version of ALAP’s InBooklet. This feature is built into InDesignCS2. The InBooklet SE does saddle stitching and a few other setups. It also gives you the choice of changing the current document or creating a new, imposed document, while leaving your original (with reader spreads) untouched. Sorry if this comes too late…I just found this board…it’s great!