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Working with other designers' files

C

CortexRock

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 3, 2006
413
0
Canterbury, England
This is one of those subject areas that could be contentious, because I know everyone has their own way of doing things, but there are certain things I *can't stand* when having to open and work with other designers' files.
  • Not using master pages
  • Not using style sheets
  • Not using baseline grid for typography
  • Using white filled boxes to blank out bits of the pasteboard instead of sizing objects correctly in the first place
  • Importing RGB images at 72dpi
  • Importing images from CD/DVD instead of collecting for output
  • Rubbish filenames - final version, final final version, final final version 2
Anyone else got any? :D
 
Agreed to all of the above, except some jobs can't go on a baseline...

I must admit to not using style sheets on quick small jobs that I know will never be touched again... but I'm a complete stickler for using guides for bleed in Quark rather than just floating items off the page; it's handy if you ever have to move complex groups to the same spot on another page.

I also hate my files to have colours in there that aren't being used, particularly all the RGB crud that comes in when you import a Word document.

I'm sure I'll think of more later too... :D
 
CortexRock said:
This is one of those subject areas that could be contentious, because I know everyone has their own way of doing things, but there are certain things I *can't stand* when having to open and work with other designers' files.
  • Not using master pages
  • Not using style sheets
  • Not using baseline grid for typography
  • Using white filled boxes to blank out bits of the pasteboard instead of sizing objects correctly in the first place
  • Importing RGB images at 72dpi
  • Importing images from CD/DVD instead of collecting for output
  • Rubbish filenames - final version, final final version, final final version 2
Anyone else got any? :D
Click to expand...

Those things sound like people who aren't designers (no offense to anyone). I guess it also sounds like things done by novices who don't know the program they are using very well.

I'm working on an InDesign file right now that has hundreds of guides, only they are on the Master Page. I don't want to delete them since I'm the new guy and it isn't my document...
 
Sending PDFs to the printshop without preflighting (which picks up all the 72dpi RGB images, Pantone spot colours and lack of bleed/crops).

Then, we spend another hour fixing all the problems...
 
Ohhh man

Here is a good one, printer wants me to send them PDF without bleeds just crop marks, only to take a week to make the bleeds because the owner didn't know about bleeds. That what happens when my boss doesn't involved in the talks when getting stuff to print. I got in trouble for still sending a correct version, but of course no one apologize because I was right, sometimes i think its my age that makes me have theses issues.

But I do have noob questions:

My Old Indesign CS2 book that I self taught with doesn't mention style sheets but is it the same as Character Style and paragraph style?

Thank you, better ask now than send a file on the no nos
 
Occasionally, I have to fix some old files from the previous person in my position. My biggest pet peeve on his files would be not using leading correctly, choosing to insert 6pt hard returns where there should just be a "space after" or increased leading.

It is extra characters like this that get under my skin.


Edit: OOH! Or using 10 text boxes for things that could be accomplished in one. Hate that.
 
tobefirst said:
Edit: OOH! Or using 10 text boxes for things that could be accomplished in one. Hate that.
Click to expand...

I have to admit to hating this as well as doing it too. I use multiple text boxes in my 'sketch' files cause it is so easy to just try things out and get an idea of how the final will look. I then start over in a single text box to match my 'sketches'.
 
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