How do you handle multiple page sizes in indesign?

[David_Hardman@adobeforums.com]

I am a convert from Freehand and Quark to Illustrator and Indesign and the most annoying thing about the change has been the lack of multiple page size support in either.

How do you do a document with multiple page sizes?

Do you do a different file for each page or one genric oversized page an dcreate your own crop marks?

Is there a standard practice to handling multiple page sizes?

Regards

David Hardman

[Nini Tjäder]

You do multiple documents, one for each pagesize, and combine them with the Book feature. There is no other way. As far as I know only FrameMaker and MS Word allow for different pagesizes and pageorientations in the same document.

[Jens Schulze]

> Is there a standard practice to handling multiple page sizes?

Use several documents for each page size and link them together with the
book feature.

Jens

[reidjazz@adobeforums.com]

"… As far as I know only FrameMaker and MS Word allow for different pagesizes and pageorientations in the same document."

QuarkXPress began offering this back in version 6

[DavidT]

"… As far as I know only FrameMaker and MS Word allow for different pagesizes
and pageorientations in the same document."




and Freehand

QuarkXPress began offering this back in version 6




Is that so? My understanding that it was similar to ID's book function, more like a 'project' than one multi-page document.

[Brutus_Maximus@adobeforums.com]

Quark "projects" can consist of a variety of documents of varying sizes. They can even be a mix of web and print jobs. It's not quite the same as the way FreeHand allows multiple page sizes in a single document. Nor is it really like InDesign's book function. Quite frankly, it's a royal pain, at least in a prepress environment.

I used Quark for years. I don't miss it. InDesign blows Quark away in terms of functionality and usability.

[Martin_Sammtleben@adobeforums.com]

In article <3bc1c77c.3@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI>,
DavidT <graphics@tmprinting.ie> wrote:

> and Freehand

I guess if one has never worked with Freehand one simply can't imagine
the creative flexibility its multi-page handling offers.

Being able to resize individual pages, shuffle them around in *any*
direction all on one large pasteboard is the best workspace metaphor
I've come across so far.

I do get the impression that Adobe haven't quite grasped what they did
acquire with FH, but neither did Macromedia.

[Nini Tjäder]

I don't regard FreeHand as a layout application though I know it can contain pages of various sizes in same document. It is good feature, but more for layout projects of different products in same project than laying out a multipage document. I know FH quite well and prefer it any time over Illustrator actually. Not over ID though which is something entirely different.

[Marco_A_SantaMaria@adobeforums.com]

Main draw back for qxp project and probably for FH too, if this ever happens, is that if one of the projects gets corrupt, you can not access the other files at all.
Different page size mgiht be different proejcts numbers or unit numbers, so in our current process, we build one document per unit number.

[David_Hardman@adobeforums.com]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

I guess I will have to look at the book feature (with caution) or wait for adobe to realise the true creative potential of Freehand and incorporate multiple page sizes in Indesign/Illustrator.

Just in case anyone from Adobe is watching. My company has tried to change to Illustrator from Freehand but we are dumping Illustrator because Freehand is a much more creative tool (even with it's quirks). Illustrator is for techies who like gadgets, it's a great technical drawing tool. Freehand gives you freedom to be creative.

Thanks again

David Hardman

[Martin_Sammtleben@adobeforums.com]

In article <3bc1c77c.8@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI>,
[email]David_Hardman@adobeforums.com[/email] wrote:

> Freehand gives you freedom to be creative.

Amen.

[JohnO@adobeforums.com]

>creative potential of Freehand and incorporate multiple page sizes in

>Indesign/Illustrator.

The issue in InDesign isn't creativity, it's who can print such things? This
is no trivial matter.

-John O

[Richard_Sohanchyk@adobeforums.com]

I agree. What the hell is a printer going to do with a file containing 4 different page sizes? Dumbness personified.

[Brutus_Maximus@adobeforums.com]

>What the hell is a printer going to do with a file containing 4 different

page sizes?




Hence, my earlier comment:

>Quite frankly, it's a royal pain, at least in a prepress environment.

[Martin_Sammtleben@adobeforums.com]

In article <3bc1c77c.11@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI>,
[email]Richard_Sohanchyk@adobeforums.com[/email] wrote:

> I agree. What the hell is a printer going to do with a file containing 4
> different page sizes?

It's a great way to set up for instance business cards, stationery,
envelopes etc. in a single file.

My printer does figure it out every time.

[Brutus_Maximus@adobeforums.com]

It depends in part on how the job is submitted for printing. It's usually pretty clear what's what in the native source files. Multiple page sizes within a single PDF file, however, can be a hassle to sort out. That's when it's vital to get clear, unambiguous instructions on how the job goes together. Unfortunately, I've run into many designers over the years who were incapable of clarity or unambiguity.

[JohnO@adobeforums.com]

> My printer does figure it out every time.

Your printer must like you a lot! :-) Or, if I am to believe the many
prepress people who post here, maybe not so much.

Seriously though, it's likely that your printer separates those elements
into separate docs, then prints them. Either they copy/paste into new native
docs, or make a PDF and crop/edit it into separate PDFs. But if you're happy
and the printer does the job at a good price, then who really cares?

-John O

[Martin_Sammtleben@adobeforums.com]

In article
<773EF994E7D7E9FC7EAC19A0D459FF4D@in.webcrossing.l a2eafNXanI>,
[email]JohnO@adobeforums.com[/email] wrote:

> Seriously though, it's likely that your printer separates those elements
> into separate docs, then prints them.

Sure, that's what they do and other times I do submit FH print jobs
neatly separated by page size.

I can see your points and I'm not trying to argue re the print stage.

However at the design stage having all items on various page sizes
collected in one document offers a lot of advantages, especially if you
can reorder and resize individual pages without affecting the rest.
There's also only a single, unified colour- and styles palette that
controls everything.

--
Cheers Martin

[Richard_Sohanchyk@adobeforums.com]

There's also only a single, unified colour- and styles palette that controls
everything.





I just do a save as for each element once the initial one is dead on.

I worked in prepress for several printers and I can assure you it's unappreciated busy work to get 4 different jobs in one file. And if that one file is corrupt…

[Martin_Sammtleben@adobeforums.com]

In article <3bc1c77c.17@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI>,
[email]Richard_Sohanchyk@adobeforums.com[/email] wrote:

> I worked in prepress for several printers and I can assure you it's
> unappreciated busy work to get 4 different jobs in one file.

I agree, but I was referring to the design stage.

--
Cheers Martin