HELP! Printing Magazine in Order with InDesign

[Kardashian]

Hello! I'm creating a magazine using Adobe InDesign, which I think will be exported and saved as PDF.

My question is, at the moment the magazine is laid out as a front cover, about 40 spreads, and then a rear cover.

When these are exported as a PDF, they open in Preview as a spread (both pages open at the same time).

When it comes to printing this document, it will be printed onto double A4 (I think that would be A3?), compiled together and stapelled down the middle.

However, my spreads are going to be at opposite ends of the magazine, and will not open correctly.

Basically, I need to know how to print the magazine off, so that all spreads are in order after printing.

Thanks!

 

[adrianblaine]

I use InDesign quite a bit and just finished a huge project, however I am a very visual person and I don't quite understand your dilemma yet. Do you mean that the cover is side by side with the next page?

 

[Kardashian]

Basically..

When my InDesign project is printed, from what I can see after exporting it as a PDF, the spreads are saved as pages opposite each other.

The printing method I am using (and the only one available to me) is printing 1 A3 (spread size) page at a time, then ''stacking'' them on top of each other - stapling them down the middle, and folding them - creating a simple magazine.

However, if each spread is being printing onto the same sheet - when they are stacked and stapelled - the left hand page will be at the beginning of the magazine, and the right hand side will be at the back.

Here's a rough diagram from Photoshop.

 

[adrianblaine]

Wow, that is a little complicated! I've never printed anything that way, only one page per sheet. Unless someone who is more experienced in printing this way knows otherwise, you'll have to reorder all the pages. What I would do is print a test copy and number all the pages, starting with 1 for the cover. Then in a different pen color, go through and number what page should be in that spot instead. Of course that you are doing it double sided makes it even more complicated...

The first page you do will have the front cover on the right side, the back cover on the left side, and on the other side of that page is going to have page 2 on the left hand side, and the 2nd to the last page (back cover) on the right.

The second page will have Page 3 on the right, 3rd to the last page on the left, the other side will have page 4 on the left, 4th to the last page on the right, etc...

Make any sense? I hope for your sake someone else knows an easier way.

I don't have photoshop installed on this computer, but I did a rough layout in Keynote...

 

[macstudent]

What you are talking about is creating printer spreads. Normally most people design with reader spreads, whereas page 2 and page 3 are next to each other since that is how you will read the piece. Unfortunetly, they are not printed that way. Take a look at any magazine and you will see that if you took apart the staple and looked at the pages that page two might be printed next to page 27 or something.

In order to print printer spreads you have to do use impostion. Impostion is moving your pages into the correct order for printing. Luckily Indesign as this feature built into it. Have your document open (make sure you have preflighted it to ensure that all of your fonts and images are correct) and go to File > Imbooklet SE. From there just enter the imformation that it asks for, such as number of pages, what type of binding will be used, etc. When it is finished it will make a PDF for you with your printer spreads.

Good luck!

 

[Kardashian]

What you are talking about is creating printer spreads. Normally most people design with reader spreads, whereas page 2 and page 3 are next to each other since that is how you will read the piece. Unfortunetly, they are not printed that way. Take a look at any magazine and you will see that if you took apart the staple and looked at the pages that page two might be printed next to page 27 or something.

In order to print printer spreads you have to do use impostion. Impostion is moving your pages into the correct order for printing. Luckily Indesign as this feature built into it. Have your document open (make sure you have preflighted it to ensure that all of your fonts and images are correct) and go to File > Imbooklet SE. From there just enter the imformation that it asks for, such as number of pages, what type of binding will be used, etc. When it is finished it will make a PDF for you with your printer spreads.

Good luck!

Your BRILLIANT! Thank You!

 

[Kardashian]

Thanks vert much, I followed the steps you said - and I don't have an option to export it as a PDF, only to print the document straight from InDesign.

Anyway to lay out the document properly and export it as a PDF?

Thanks

 

[apfhex]

I don't have an option to export it as a PDF, only to print the document straight from InDesign.

Since you have InDesign... do you have the rest of the Creative Suit? Do you have Acrobat Pro? When you have all that installed, you should have a new printer called "Adobe PDF", which you print to just like you would a post script printer, except the result is a PDF. Not sure if that will work for your needs or not.

Edit: oh, but I think what you could also do is have InBooklet SE create a new document (there's a check box in the left corner) instead, then you can export it as whatever you need.

 

[bigus7674]

depends on version...

in InDesign CS2, just go to File > Export > and select "Adobe PDF" as your file format in the drop down menu.

Within the Mac OS itself, when you go to File > Print > if you select the "Printer" button down in the lower portion of the dialogue box, in your drop menu, there should be an option for "Adobe PDF x" which will print to PDF format.

If you have Distiller, you can print to a Postscript file ( after setting up a "virtual" postscript printer if you don't actually have one connected to your computer - http://www.caddpower.com/cms/osxmakevirtualprinterpscript.htm ) and then drop the .ps file onto Distiller to make a PDF.

 

[shecky]

in InDesign CS2, just go to File > Export > and select "Adobe PDF" as your file format in the drop down menu.

not from InBooklet you can't

Within the Mac OS itself, when you go to File > Print > if you select the "Printer" button down in the lower portion of the dialogue box, in your drop menu, there should be an option for "Adobe PDF x" which will print to PDF format.

this is relevant to the question how?

 

[ivelina]

back cover does not line up with front cover

What you are talking about is creating printer spreads. Normally most people design with reader spreads, whereas page 2 and page 3 are next to each other since that is how you will read the piece. Unfortunetly, they are not printed that way. Take a look at any magazine and you will see that if you took apart the staple and looked at the pages that page two might be printed next to page 27 or something.

In order to print printer spreads you have to do use impostion. Impostion is moving your pages into the correct order for printing. Luckily Indesign as this feature built into it. Have your document open (make sure you have preflighted it to ensure that all of your fonts and images are correct) and go to File > Imbooklet SE. From there just enter the imformation that it asks for, such as number of pages, what type of binding will be used, etc. When it is finished it will make a PDF for you with your printer spreads.

Good luck!

Thanks for that but I have another issue. I did everything you said and it does lay it out nicely except that it takes page one and puts it to the left of the spread and creates a blank back cover to the right of the spread. Then it takes page 6 (the last page) and put that to the right of the last spread and creates a blank to the left.

How can I over come that?

Thanks.


EDIT: I figured it out. I have to start the page numbering at 2 instead of 1 and then it lines them up as i need it.

 

[ziadn27]

I have Indesign CS3 and when i go to click on File > then Inbooklet Se it seems that Inbooklet SE is missing.. I read that i need to install the plugin before i can access this feature.. I have tried looking for the plugin, but sadly i could not find it.. If someone has it please be kind enough to upload it. Or i may be wrong, mabe there is no need for a plugin.. I would appreciate anyones help



Thanks to all

 

[jerryrock]

InBooklet SE was included as part of InDesign CS2, a product of Alphs software which was bought by QuarkXpress. It was replaced by booklet print included with InDesign CS3.

http://indesignsecrets.com/print-booklet-in-indesign-cs3.php

 

[citizenzen]

Printer spreads can be done very easily manually.

Export single page PDF > create new document (horizontal tabloid) > place PDF

You "weave" the pages, starting on the right on page 1, then alternating left-right as you go down.

X - 1
2 - X
X - 3
4 - X
X - 5
6 - X
X - 7
...

When you get to your center spread, you stop going dow the document and place the pages in reader order.
...
20 - X
X - 21
22 - 23 <-- center spread

Then you weave your way up back to the top
...
26 - 19
20 - 25
24 - 21
22 - 23

Automatic booklet functions are great. But anybody in print design should know this technique as well. There are a couple of checkpoints that are helpful to remember ...

• Magazine page count must be divisible by 4, as there are 4 pages in a folded tabloid page.
• Odd pages on the right, even pages on the left. (cover = page 1, inside-front cover = page 2, etc.)
• In the above diagrams please note that when added together, the page numbers always equal the same thing.​

And when you are ready, grasshopper, we will discuss how to layout 4-up booklets on tabloid pages. I will leave you with this one thought ... meditate on it ...

One-quarter + one.