Positioning work from Illustrator

[Foozball]

SEVEN months of Press Helper - today I had to go back and run PrePress department again ... my f%#$ing head hurts!
Regular PrePress guy is on Holidays, so I couldn't ask him what some of his methods were, and considering it's a 1 man operation ... Computer NEEDED more RAM 6 months ago, Rampage software needed updating 2 years ago - but they both cost money ... UGH!

So we have a job that involves 4 pages/images laid out on ONE file ILLUSTRATOR, put together by some lazy mother f#@$ng  slop merchant.

I need all these files to line up PERFECTLY, with Horizontal and Vertical lines crossing between pages. ANYONE have any ideas on the best method?
Not only am I rusty, but Illustrator is by FAR my weakest app, and this crap needs to be right before I put it into Rampage.
I'll read anything you suggest and see what will work best for me, thanks!  :laugh:

[Joe]

My quick and dirty solution would be to export either EPS or PDF, place into InDesign. Line them up and output a new PDF. Send through the RIP.

[gnubler]

Multiple artboards or layers in Illy? Or what? Is the Illy artboard size correct?

Like Joe said, export 4 EPS or PDF and just lay out in Indy.

[Foozball]

Multiple art boards, all on the same layer.
My plan for tomorrow was to try dropping the AI files straight into InDesign, then line them all up correctly. (need to add bleed first though)

[gnubler]

In Indy when you place a file you can check "import options" (or whatever it's called) and choose the artboard...I think. I know you can do that with layers. If they have it positioned accurately in Illy it will be aligned based on the artboard + bleed size.

[typeman]

If you are going to visually line them up in InDesign, make sure to go under VIEW and change Display Performance to High Quality Display.

[frailer]

 Place guides in place on all 4 pages before you Place...if stuff runs from page to page. Just a thought...

[DCurry]

If you are going to visually line them up in InDesign, make sure to go under VIEW and change Display Performance to High Quality Display.

I would only visually line up the very first one. After that, you should Step and Repeat the frame, and then reposition the content within the second frame using the X coordinates only (to prevent misalignment up-and-down.) Still a good idea to have High Quality Display turned on, though.

[Foozball]

It's no been "put off" until further notice.
It's 4 pieces laid out one art-board atop the other, so they can get solid vertical alignment. Problem is that from the artboard with the cover to the final artboard they cascade back slightly from right to left, it's only a hair of difference, but if that's CLEARLY "off", how the hell am I supposed to get it all square and say it's 100% correct. Anyone encountered that before???


I'm SURE I could do it, but with the other 8 jobs I'm ripping-proofing-fixing-plating-replating ...
New artwork is coming, let's see what happens there ... the breathing space is nice though!
Shake up of management here has been good, having nobody between prepress (me) and the man who signs my check/kicks my ass, feels good, ... in my opinion I need more pressure to work harder! :wink:

[gnubler]

Line them up in Illy. Is it a booklet cover? Change the Illy artboard to the size of the spread, select all elements of each page and group them, turn on Smart Guides, and manually nudge.

[Foozball]

Line them up in Illy. Is it a booklet cover? Change the Illy artboard to the size of the spread, select all elements of each page and group them, turn on Smart Guides, and manually nudge.

THANK YOU!  :grin:
SO many tricks I have forgotten, still st-b-f-umbling my way through the hundred "work-arounds" for the old software and computers we're running ...

[Tracy]

The transform pallet is priceless in illy
it tells you mathematically where your items are
visual is prolly all you need, Ima little OCD

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Select all, show edges, drag your artboard to the outer edge of the artwork, having Smart Guides on helps. With a dieline, do the same thing, except zero your coordinates at the upper left edge of the die. Then draw a box, doesn't matter the size. With the box still selected, type in the X: -.125, the Y: .125, then on the W: type a +.25" at the end of the numerical value and at the Y: type +.25" at the end of the numerical value. This adds 1/4 inch to each value without doing the math. With the box still selected, clip the Artboard using the edge of the box you just drew with the Artboard tool. Since this is all numerical in composition, everything should line up perfectly.

[Foozball]

Using the artboard when exporting made ALL the difference, fixed, over and done!

THANKS to all ... Never know, with additions to Illi like that I MIGHT just be able to use it one day!  :wink:

[beermonster]

i'm liking the new illy indy and photoshop stuff - a few handy tings in there

i did got the new cs5 and it'll take a while to get used to but ya know - i'm liking it. acrobat looks so much better than before too - at flippin last!