Fix CS3's Print Booklet !!

It's a shame one cannot choose a paper orientation and media size using the device independent PPD, but I guess then it wouldn't be truly device independent...

Found this workflow here:

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/5.0/help.html?content=WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-7053.html

Create a device-independent PostScript file

Select PostScript File in the Printer menu, and select Device Independent in the PPD menu. A device-independent PostScript file has the following characteristics:

It is 100% DSC-compliant, making it ideal for such post-processing tasks as trapping and imposition.
All device and driver dependencies are removed, so that the file will print to almost any output device. However, special printer features found in PPD files, such as image exposure, available media sizes, and optimized screen frequencies, arent available in device-independent output.
The color output is always composite CMYK, but it also includes spot colors. As a result, it has to be separated in post-processing software, or at the RIP using in-RIP separations.
It cannot be trapped by InDesign; trapping must occur at the RIP, or in post-processing software.
It can only be printed to file (not directly to a device or application) from InDesign.
A device-independent PostScript file is ideal for composite prepress workflows, where the file will be trapped and separated later in the production process, such as during imposition, trapping, or at the RIP (if the output device supports in-RIP separations).
Choose File > Print.
In the Print dialog box, for Printer, choose PostScript File.
For PPD, choose Device Independent.
View or change existing print settings. InDesign uses the current page range when creating the PostScript file.
Click Save.
Specify a name and location, and click Save.

Thanks Peter, but that doesn't work either! It seems related to the fact that when you choose the Device Independent PPD, there is no way to choose the Print Settings... paper size and orientation, since all those options are dimmed. So, I guess Print Booklet assumes the paper size is the same as the setting in the InDesign document, which doesn't work for 2-up spreads (when you have to do the layout on 8.5x11 and then print on 11x17...). Maybe there's something I'm missing.

try entering 2,1,88,87 instead and see if the page order, as Lark suggests, is the culprit.

Peter

Thanks lark1000! I've tried printing a signature since it's ignoring the Spreads checkbox, by entering the range to print for the first signature as 1,2,87,88 (this is an 88 page magazine), and it appears correctly in the Preview pane of the Print Booklet dialog. When I print to a postscript file, then distill it to PDF and open that, it's only actually ading the left page of each spread, so I only get pages 88 and 2, not 87 and 1. I used to get all 4 pages this way, so it seems that the spreads option is ignored. The difference now is that I'm trying to use the Device Independent option instead of specifying a PPD, which seems to disallow setting up the paper size (should be Tabloid) and orientation..., so I guess it's trying to use 8.5x11, and can only fit one page of the two I've specified for each spread.

the print booklet option in CS3 is much worse than how it was in CS2, especially when it comes to printing particular spreads. With CS2, you just had to tell what number spread to print and it did it. with CS3, you have to enter the page numbers for the front and back of each spread. I believe you also have to enter the page numbers in a certain order also or it will arrange them wrong. but if you just enter the two page numbers for the spread you want, it will insert blanks. Its really a mess but you get use to it, though it STILL sux.

I find it easier to just tell it to print the whole thing to a PS or PDF and just delete the pages you dont want in Acrobat Pro, especially if you have more than just a single spread you are trying to make

Hmmm, I thought I was able to workaround this Print Booklet problem a year ago when I last posted to this thread. Since then I've updated to the latest InDesign, and either it's my imagination, or it's worse than before (currently, 5.0.4 for Mac). Now it seems to ignore the fact that I'm trying to print spreads to postscript files. I saved a preset with Spreads checked in the Print dialog, I select it in Print Booklet, and supply the range of spreads to use in the signature (PS file), starting with 1-2, but instead, Print Booklet ignores the spread option and inserts blank pages. I guess I'll need to use Dave's script and create the booklet with appropriate spreads before using Print Booklet. Seems like I didn't have to do that before. You'd think Adobe could have fixed this broken workflow of Indesign after 3 or 4 CS3 dot releases.

Peter,

thanks. I spoke with the printer, and he told me I didn't need to do the impositions, they do it when they rip the file. So, it's all good. I just wanted to be able to give it to him that way.

I wound up re-laying the book out manually in the spreads I wanted, so I gave him the file both ways.

But now I know that I don't have to do that for a printer. They're going to set it up the way they want anyway.

Nini, i'm sorry about that. I'm new and not familiar with protocol here. I apologize.

Andrew,

If you are still here, Print Booklet doesn't work with a Book file. You'll need to do something like exporting to PDF and importing the result into a new ID file that can be imposed.

But the real question is why is the printer asking you to supply imposed files? is this getting printed off the glass on a copier? There is no good reason why a printer should ask you to do the imposition for him. Only he knows what the print conditions will be for the job and an improperly imposed file is useless and an expensive waste of time.

Peter

qrgret and Andrew - why are you guys posting questions in the feature request area? Head over to the forum instead and start a new thread.

I need help with impositions of a book in CS3. I may have made a mistake in choosing multiple documents in the book. It's a 28 page book, made of 3 documents in the book panel.

For the life of me, I cannot get it to print or output to PDF the imposition spreads I need for the commercial printer.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Btw, I jumped from Indesign 2.0 to CS3, so, the booklet thing is totally new to me.

thanks.