Indesign Book file...Exporting PDF Help..

[mwc]

Ok,
So I have a 276 page PB catalog to do. (don't normally do projects with that many pages here...)
Supplied in 25-30 documents...
Thought I'd use the Indesign BOOK feature to add all these docs together in the list and export a PDF.
Problem is that when it comes to corrections, I don't want/need to output the entire catalog again to PDF. (the BOOK feature doesn't give you an option....ALL or Nothing AFAIK..)
My thought is that when corrections are made, I'll export that page from the individual document...then replace that page in my 276 PDF with acrobat...then register the PDF again just choosing the page or range I need (just to keep the name correct for FPOs and Impo stuff.)

Any tips for a large page count job in indesign (CS5) and exporting for Rampage? Just beginning this project...so OPEN to any ideas?

Thanks,

[DigiCorn]

I might be mistaken, but I don't think you have a choice here - it's book file to pdf for Rampage or nothing.

(the BOOK feature doesn't give you an option....ALL or Nothing AFAIK..)
My thought is that when corrections are made, I'll export that page from the individual document...then replace that page in my 276 PDF with acrobat...then register the PDF again just choosing the page or range I need (just to keep the name correct for FPOs and Impo stuff.)

Sounds like the only way to do it...

[gnubler]

I've never used the Book feature. Did I even know it existed?

[Farabomb]

Heard about the Book feature but don't really know what it is about. If it was me I would probably end up outputting PDF's from each document and maybe merging them all into one. Depends on how big the PDFs end up being.

[Chilbear]

I agree with the merging in Acrobat option. It is possible that document settings like hyphenation will be missing/disrupted possibly by merging into the same INDD file. Had that happen once, bastid turned off the hyphenation in one document but it was OK cuz he wuz a desiner.

[Farabomb]

I didn't even consider that issue. Like the desiner that gave me natives for a 6 color job and had one of the spots set to 4c in the swatches. Took me a little to notice that one.

[frailer]

Yeah, was wrestling with this myself on a similar sort of job. The sages here pretty much gave the whole merge-in-Indy thing a negative review, though tpatterson does like it and use it. I could see how it would work with a competent dezinger, but the one who supplies this particular job is a moe-ron. Too many document variables, or Unknown Unknowns.  :laugh:
It was about the same stuffaround co-efficient as merging the PDFs later, so I'm looking at doing that now.

Link here, if you want to peruse.            https://www.b4print.com/index.php?topic=5613.0

[mwc]

OK. Update.
After trying to export a 276 HighRes PDF from Indy CS5 (book file)...and getting MANY AirOars...(memory low or just stopped exporting about 3/4 through)...I just gave up and opened each of 30 docs, and exporting ranges of EPS and did a batch file rename so my page #'s were correct in my workflow.
I try make stuff work with this technology....but more often than not I seem to revert to 'older' methods that just work....
PDF is great for smaller jobs, but I'd pick my export EPS with OPI....276 pages exported to thin EPS quickly - (PDF was taking 10-15 minutes before failing) 

[t-pat]

you can export ranges or individual pages thru the book feature. Select the spreads in the book palette.

FWIW indb does not fix bad design, it is merely a fancy container that can in some situations help keep things organized. As I said, I use it for a high school magazine put together by a class of high school students so they do just about every no-no you can imagine. I still have to fix it all. Only difference is that in the end I get a single pdf that gives me nice consecutively numbered sub-pages out of Prinergy. Previously I'd have to go rename all the indesign files and export them individually.

Which leads me strangely enough to another post I made, can't remember where it was, for the PEU5 script, which will export pdfs based on versioned layers and base layers from indy - I used it recently to batch export all my open indy files, which was very cool - I had 20 files open, ran the PEU5 script with the correct settings, and got 20 pdfs - I had to hit "enter" once every time it came to a new document, but other than that it was automated and used my pdf export preset.

With that said, I can see how easy it would be for something to explode using book... I just don't do ANYTHING other than arrange the pages and export to a PDF. You could really screw yourself with the many unexplored features of book, I'd love to be a master of it but just don't have a call for it that often.

It is something that deziners should use more, especially for catalogs and any work where there are multiple people working on different sections... but there's a billion ways for that to go south too. All comes down to how bad does the dezinger want to do it right, rather than get it off their desk and on to staring at shiny things.