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defaultjxz1ysy5er6s
Participant
November 30, 2023
Question

Do I delete the original file after packaging?

  • November 30, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 1022 views

Question about packaging files: once I have successfully packaged my InDesign file, should I then delete the original file? If I don't, then I'll have two copies, so how do you manage that?

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1 reply

leo.r
Community Expert
leo.rCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 30, 2023

It strictly depends on your workflow and other needs, as well as the purpose of your packaging the file. If you package it in order to send the package to your service provider then obviously don't delete the original file. If you package it for archiving purposes and don't need the original anymore then delete the original. But don't delete the original if you still need it in any case. Other than that, you need to give us more details regarding your workflow.

    D
    defaultjxz1ysy5er6sAuthor
    Participant
    November 30, 2023

    Well, I'm packaging it to share it with collaborators. The project is not 100% finished, so I may need to make more edits. But if I now have a version in the packaged folder, shouldn't future edits happen there? Ergo, why do I still need the old (original) file?

     

    Joel Cherney
    Community Expert
    Joel CherneyCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 30, 2023

    I'd reiterate what @leo.r says; it depends on your workflow, and your needs. I have learned that having two identical versions of the same file is a bad idea, so in your shoes I would toss the original file and keep the package. But I don't know how your personal archive works, so I can't tell you if you should or not. The resources included in your package - the fonts and images - are they likely to change? Are you going to edit your own linked images in any way? Are they stored with your InDesign file, or are they elsewhere in your file storage? Might they need editing? Would your collaborators edit those images included in your package? 

     

    Lots of questions here, and only you know the answer to them. I suggest keeping the package with a unique filename. I zip them up, so the folder for a project in process would, when sorted by date, have a package folder at the top, followed by a series of zipfiles:

    ApplicationForm2023.10.23.v11 Folder
ApplicationForm2023.10.23.v10.zip
ApplicationForm2023.10.23.v9.zip
ApplicationForm2023.10.23.v8.zip

    and so on. Note that I never throw away an old version with this system; drive space is cheap, but rebuilding a document to match a PDF proof from six weeks ago, because you're on v12 and Mistakes Were Made in v6, can be expensive. 

     

     

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