Which software is better for print (PDF files)? Illustrator or InDesign

[Filip5D6E]

Hey guys, recently we have been arguing with colleague about which of these is more suitable for print version. We both do know what these are used for, the question lies " When and why would you use them if the output is the same (print ready PDF)

My point is that I would use Illustrator for print files as leaflet or even one side letter, whereas it contains very little text and raster images alike, to none of these, purely consisting of vector grpahics. Otherwise I would go for InDesign in case of files with multiple pages. Colleague says he would go for InDesign in both cases, as it provides most reliable results for print and better compresion than Illustrator itself. Now we argue about this a bit,  so maybe if you guys could say a few words when you use which in terms of creating in fact same PDF file for print, advantages and disadvantages of both. I do not know if this is proper thread for this, but I haven't found anything near close as this one.

[Eric Dumas]

I like using Acrobat to simulate the printing process. It is usefull to spot some overprinting issues and similar unexpected results. Processing a file from Ai or Indd to pdf with the correct setting will highlight issues.

It really depends on the printing device you use. In an office, for internal printing, small top medium quantity and sizes, I would be happy to test print to PDF and process from source file, especially if I installed the correct drivers (computer monitor and printer). But for commercial printing, PDF would be a must as the postscript processes will prefer PDF. 

Stick to what works most consistently for you. 

[JR Boulay]

"Colleague says he would go for InDesign in both cases, as it provides most reliable results for print "

Your colleague has good advice, Illustrator does not handle trapping, black overprinting, etc.

[Filip5D6E]

As far as I am aware, Illustrator can handle these... Maybe not by default but it does have options for this

[JR Boulay]

Yes, but "not by default" often means "not".

🙂

[Document Geek · Accepted solution]

For me, it depends on what I am creating. If the layout is more text-heavy (like books and documents), I'll use ID. But if the layout is more art-heavy, like logos, illustrations, etc., I'll use AI. Each program is built for different uses and has different capabilities. ID can do cross references, hyperlinks, has master pages, and a host of other things that AI does not. But AI has 3D tools, the ability to draw in persepctive, make patterns, rotate individual cahracters, use symbols, and a host of other things that ID does not.

So it really depends upon your job function. In my experience, users sometimes look at things exlcusively through their own lens (what they use to perform their own job function). 

I recall having a similar experience early in my career with a coworker who like to argue. He was a prepress guy who shoehorned the the entire produciton department into using a particular program for a particular task because it was faster (for him). Saving him a few seconds of processing time on his machine outweighed the fact that it added a ton of manual labor for the production department. 

The skill of the user also plays a determining factor. If someone is 4x faster in AI than in ID, then the cost of their time must be taken into consideration when determining which program to use. I know InDesign users who struggle to do the most basic tasks in Illustrator, and vice versa.

Beware of people who like to argue about which Adobe program is best. They are different. 

And plus, some people get a power trip from arguing with others. That might not be the case in your situation, but I've seen it happen.

[gary_sc]

Completely agree with every point the Geek just said. I was coming in here to state pretty much the same points.

[Filip5D6E]

Thank you for posting. Its not my case that my colleague would love to argue, but we come from different areas of printing. He used to do everything in InDesign for years, on contrary, I did barely touch it in print company and did labels etc in illustrator. He things that it is ideal to create end result via InDesign, whilst I think it varies. Hopefully this brings in more clarity.