How to export two A3 spreads as four A4 pages, Indesign CC

[HayleighSmith]

Sorry if this is a basic question, i can't for the life of me work this out.

I've got two A3 spreads and i want to export then as a pdf of four A4 pages.

I'm using InDesign CC, i also have access to Acrobat DC and Illustrator

Thanks,

Camilla

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Are the pages A4 or A3?

If they are A4 set it to »Pages« instead of »Spread« in the General pdf settings on exporting.

If you set them up as A4 then add one page to each existing one and change the format.

[HayleighSmith]

My pages are A3 - 2 pages in 2 spreads, is there a way to un-spread them?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I already posted screenshots demonstrating one way to do that, though there may be other, more convenient ones.

Hopefully someone else can offer further advice.

[HayleighSmith]

The only way i've figured out so far is to export the document as a 2 page A3 pdf, then create an A4 artboard in Illustator, open the 2 page A3 pdf in Illustrator, fit it to the A4 artboard, export it as a pdf, do this for each page, and finally compile all the pdfs together in acrobat (and compress them, as each page has a gigantic file size)... surely there must be a simpler way?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Have you even read post one and looked at the screenshot?

[HayleighSmith · Accepted solution]

Yes i have and i think your meathod only works if your pages are already A4

Could you clarify your screenshot?

Window > Pages > allow document pages to shuffle, then select one page (screenshot 3) File > Document Setup > Page size A4 > Ok

This results in my document layout staying in it's A3 layout (all the text boxes images etc over-set) and the page showing as A4.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Yes i have and i think your meathod only works if your pages are already A4

No, obviously not.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I did not use Edit > Document Setup to change the pages but the Page Tool (Shift-P) to set the new dimensions and position of the pages in the Options Bar.

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi Camilla,

alternatively you could do a new InDesign document with:

1. Facing pages

2. A4 portrait mode

3. Start page number should be a even page like e.g. 2

4. Number of pages: 4

Copy and paste in place the contents of your A3 landscape spreads.

Export PDF from the new document.

Regards,
Uwe

[HayleighSmith]

Thanks for your help everyone.

[Colin Flashman]

Another way would be do what Laubender suggests in post 9 but instead of copying from one document and pasting in place, perhaps import the A3 indesign document into the NEW indesign document suggested by Laubender. From here, the pages can be exported as 4 A4 PDFs.

Or, export a PDF of the A3 file and use a scripted solution offered by Mars Premedia - PDF place and export: https://www.marspremedia.com/software/#pdf-export-single-pages

However, this is over-engineering the problem. IMHO Laubender has provided the most practical solution. Pfaffenbichler's solution works too, but Laubender's method is much easier.