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Wildyorkshire
Wildyorkshire
Inspiring
November 21, 2016
Answered

Booklet printing problems InDesign

  • November 21, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 6599 views

I've created a 28 page A5 booklet in InDesign which prints out fine using InDesign's 'Print Booklet' but so slowly (it takes more than 20 minutes) that it's impractical.

If I export the booklet as a PDF and print it using the Booklet option in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro each page and spread is resized: each page shrinks by a centimetre or so (I guess that the PDF is making sure every margin is included, even though all the margins are blank, and then also adding a margin of its own). There is no 'Print Actual Size' override in the booklet printing dialogue in Reader or Acrobat Pro.

If I use 'Print Booklet' to export to PostScript with the aim of creating a PDF from the PostScript file I find that I'm unable to open the PostScript file in Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat or InDesign.*

I'm sure that I'm missing something but there are so many settings in the various dialogues involved in exporting that I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.

*I'm now trying Adobe Distiller. This does open up PostScript files, so it looks as if that will be the most effective way to generate a PDF which can be printed actual size and correctly paginated.

Later: I've been able to create a paginated document in Adobe Distiller and the quality is great and it's printing actual size from a PDF (as I don't have to use the booklet setting in Adobe Reader) but, just like printing the booklet directly from InDesign, it's too slow for everyday printing.

My understanding is that this is a Mac problem and that InDesign prints speedily to a network printer when it is running on a PC.

Is there a way around this using InDesign on a Mac? I wonder if I could specify a smaller page size and work right up to the edge then export a normal PDF and let Adobe Reader add the margins in the booklet printer option? But I rather that I could print the exact document that I created in InDesign; an A5 booklet complete with margins.

Message was edited by: Richard Bell

Message was edited by: Richard Bell

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Wildyorkshire

Problem Solved:

I've found a way around the slow printing from my iMac: instead of printing the PDF file of the paginated booklet using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro, I've used Preview, the PDF reader that comes bundled with the iMac. In the Layout section of my printer (an HP Laserjet P2055dn) in the option for 'Two-sided' I selected 'Short-edge binding', otherwise the reverse side of each page is printed upside down.

The 28 page illustrated booklet, a 4.9 Mb PDF, takes about 3 minutes to print using Preview but for some reason it was taking 30 minutes to print using Reader or Acrobat Pro.

I've used the 'Print Booklet' to PostScript file option from InDesign then created the paginated PDF in Adobe Distiller. This is because I have several of double-page spread maps throughout the publication and going through the simpler PDF Presets gives me a thin white border down the middle of each spread.

2 replies

Wildyorkshire
WildyorkshireAuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
November 25, 2016

Problem Solved:

I've found a way around the slow printing from my iMac: instead of printing the PDF file of the paginated booklet using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro, I've used Preview, the PDF reader that comes bundled with the iMac. In the Layout section of my printer (an HP Laserjet P2055dn) in the option for 'Two-sided' I selected 'Short-edge binding', otherwise the reverse side of each page is printed upside down.

The 28 page illustrated booklet, a 4.9 Mb PDF, takes about 3 minutes to print using Preview but for some reason it was taking 30 minutes to print using Reader or Acrobat Pro.

I've used the 'Print Booklet' to PostScript file option from InDesign then created the paginated PDF in Adobe Distiller. This is because I have several of double-page spread maps throughout the publication and going through the simpler PDF Presets gives me a thin white border down the middle of each spread.

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 25, 2016

Sorry, this is not a solution, it is another problem you are creating now.

Apple Preview is NOT a reliable PDF viewer as it supports only a subset of Adobe PDFs functionality. A lot of files will print wrong, terrible wrong. Don't use Appel Preview for opening PDFs. NEVER.

    Wildyorkshire
    WildyorkshireAuthor
    Inspiring
    November 25, 2016

    Thank you Willi, I didn't really want to use Preview for something that it wasn't designed for but, for now, Reader and Acrobat are impossibly slow and it occurred to me to give it a try. I'll keep monitoring the Adobe PDF viewers and hope that the slow printing bug gets fixed. Adobe invented the PDF so if they can't get it to work smoothly nobody can.

    My preference would be to print the booklet direct from InDesign but on an iMac running Sierra or El Capitan that's way too slow.

    I'd be interested to hear from any Adobe engineers who might be monitoring this forum. Why am I having the problem? Surely there shouldn't be an issue in something as basic as printing direct from InDesign?

    W
    Wihelm_Georg_Adelberger
    Participating Frequently
    November 21, 2016

    Nromally imosing is done from the Printer. Print booklet is a very bad functionality as it Needs PostScript shich is to avoid.

      Wildyorkshire
      WildyorkshireAuthor
      Inspiring
      November 21, 2016

      My ideal desktop publishing setup, as I work from home, would be to design then print from the same program. The workflow of InDesign/PostScript/Adobe Distiller/Adobe Reader then the printer gives me too many options to slip up on!

      Derek Cross
      Community Expert
      Derek CrossCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      November 21, 2016

      Don't use that workflow, it's obsolete, use the Adobe PDF Presets that come with InDesign. For a desk-top printer you would normally select High Quality Print.

      Didn't you ask the same question a day or so ago?

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