Combining ID docs

[frailer]

We get a repeat 52pp job. Deziner always has supplied the job as 20 or so ID docs, as she 'updates' single, double, bunches... of pages to create each new one. She's (I presume) running on rails which are familiar to her, but a giant PITA to us. Her files need very careful checking, so I'd not trust an Exported PDF, really (all ID docs have to be set up in Page Properties with bleed, slug). But to have a single ID doc would obviate the need to Export 20 PDFs, Combine them, make sure all pages were flowing correctly...
We are talking someone who has been doing this forever.
Question: Either for my own purposes, or the less likely event of her doing it, what is the correct way to combine a number of ID docs into one? Is it a drag'n'drop? If someone could spell out the steps, I'd appreciate it. I may consider doing this each time, upfront, rather than do the multiple Exports.
(I may have brought this up before but it won't go away). :deadskunkinthemiddleoftheroad:

[Joe]

Watch the movie and WOW yourself. :laugh:

http://layersmagazine.com/secret-to-combining-indesign-documents.html

[frailer]

Movies!? I love movies....   :cheesy:

[Joe]

Grab some popcorn first.

[frailer]

Well, it was  but I've got a full single doc. Like pulling teeth. I am going to try and get our in-house person, who deals with her, to get her to use this one as the template next time.

I've resaved as an ID Template as well. Any advantage in sending that?

[t-pat]

I would have created an Indesign Book (.INDB) and dropped the loose docs on that, and exported the whole shebang to a pdf.  Nobody ever believes me how simple it is.

[frailer]

I would have created an Indesign Book (.INDB) and dropped the loose docs on that, and exported the whole shebang to a pdf.  Nobody ever believes me how simple it is.

Yeah, looked at that; only thing is I had some pesky page shufflin to do, as  Really, logically, (haha), I've done the work, she should be able to use this from here on.... Whether she chooses to or not, another matter.

But you may have some insights on doing it in Booklet that might work for me. I'll tool with it tomorrow.

[Stiv]

I would have created an Indesign Book (.INDB) and dropped the loose docs on that, and exported the whole shebang to a pdf.  Nobody ever believes me how simple it is.

I had my first INDB job last week and it was not as easy as it should have been. When I opened the INDB, the INDD links were reported as modified and I couldn't get it figured out. Every time that I worked on an INDD link the INDB went bonkers. We gave up and ran the job as separate INDD files. Maybe there was a better way but we couldn't figure it out in time.

[t-pat]

you have to open the indd links from the indb window, save, and close them, and save the book file. If they don't update in the indb you need to update them manually. Keeping the pages in sync to the book is a little confusing at first. It's mostly just a container - it also can manage your folios and book sections but i have no idea how that works so I leave it the f alone. I just use it as a container to export pdf to.

If you want to export from it, make sure you have not selected any pages in the book window, then it will allow you to "export book as pdf" - you don't normally want to "export pages as pdf" from the book file... although you could.

If your links and fonts aren't cool in the pages, they won't be cool in the book. It doesn't allow you to actually fix anything in the pages automagically.

[Grimace]

I would imagine that if you sent a INDB file that you would also need to send each of the indd files with their respective links also.
Seems a pretty clunky way to do it.

[t-pat]

I would imagine that if you sent a INDB file that you would also need to send each of the indd files with their respective links also.
Seems a pretty clunky way to do it.

Yes, you need the indd files. It's a container. It is clunky but what's the alternative? It's designed (I think) so that multiple people can work on different segments of a book. In any case, it's easier and usually safer to combine a bunch of loose files this way than the alternatives of merging the pdfs later or trying to rebuild the thing as one indd file.

[Grimace]

Yeah, I see the intent. Just a lot of files.
On design side it is great, they can set up a template for people to follow and then combine them all at the end. Ensure consistency and all that.

Most of the files I have to deal with are fairly small in size. Email is the norm here. I suppose if I were working with pros and actual design/publishing houses, we would FTP files and wouldn't need to constantly tweak garbage napkin drawing scans and jpeg stuff to work.


Dare to dream. :rolleyes:

[frailer]

I think I was in luck a bit with this one. Although she had 20 ID docs, they all shared the same links and fonts folders; so everything pretty much stayed linked.