do's and don'ts for indesign

[leannemalcolm]

I just read the do's and don'ts for indesign. it is far better when you are getting things printed you use cmyk and not rgb. also when design things look at what and where it will be used as this also determines.

i could go on as i see so many mistakes used by graphic designers or users that really dont know how to get the best from the products adobe puts out.

[Willi Adelberger]

Sorry, you are wrong. If you want to print, place/import images in RGB with the correct profile. Do not convert before PDF-Export. 

With the same settings in Photoshop and InDesign you will get the very same result, but placing RGB in InDesign allows more flexibility. Of course, in Photoshop you should turn on the CMYK Proof Preview.

If you place CMYK images and you need to export to a different

CMYK you will get a CMYK > LAB > CMYK convertion,

In the policies it is good to set KEEP VALUES. So is such conversion hindered.

[Willi Adelberger]

The don'ts are:

• Use of EPS in InDesign.
• Don't place PDF/X-1a or X-3, use X-4 or AI
• Don't place CMYK images
• Don't work without styles, avoid manual styling (Character, Paragraph, Object, Table, Cells)
• Don't name styles after their appearences.

[Laubender]

Willi said: "If you want to print, place/import images in RGB with the correct profile. "

Willi also said: "Don't place RGB images"

The last one is a typo, I think.

It should read: do not place CMYK pixel images.

CMYK is always determined for a specific printing process. And you often do not know the printing conditions when you start a project. Or your customer determines at last minute that the project will go to a different printing company with different printing conditions with e.g. a different printing paper. So generally it does not make sense to store CMYK pixel images in your archive.

In case of pure vector graphics:

Best use CMYK in vector graphics if there is black that should be output to a certain value of the ink Black without any CMY components. That also goes for vector graphic elements one created in InDesign.

FWIW: One could not underestimate the rule that every pixel image needs a source color profile.

For vector graphics in CMYK I speak against this. You could avoid unfortunate handling of blacks in the conversion process of a specific printing condition  when you export to PDF or if the printing company is doing this.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Willi Adelberger]

Thanks, I have corrected it. Don't place CMYK images.

[Derek Cross]

Hi leannemalcolm

Where did you get these "do's and dont's" from; can you post a link or something?

Derek

[Jeffrey_Smith]

When it comes to Dos and Don'ts for preparing a file for commercial printing, the only recommendation you should listen to is from the print vendor themselves, and preferably communicated from the production staff.

While the suggestions made in places like this forum, are good in a general sense, it should never be taken as best practice standard that applies to all situations. Every printer's requirements are different.

[Derek Cross]

It's true what Jeffrey suggests, but if your printer suggests some antiquated practices you might want to reconsider using them!

[Willi Adelberger]

It is only important to honor what PDF a printer requires, not how to get this file. Most printer are good in printing, but terrible bad in working with open files. 

Never bring a printer an open file. It couid ruin the whole project. I have experienced that they open AI files, even if they are not aware that linked images and used fonts are not available (and need not to be available if the AI file is linked to ID).

If a printer want to have open files, he needs to have the same version of InDesign, all used fonts, work correct with user dictionaries, etc. Therefore I never submit open files. The printer has to work with the PDF according to the Joboptions he require. He will never know, if the images in InDesign are linked as RGB or CMYK.