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How to merge the multiple indesign files as one

New Here ,
Jun 24, 2016 Jun 24, 2016

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As I got 10 InDesign CC files.

I want to merge to 10 files into one.

Kindly advice me.

Thanks in advance!

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correct answers 2 Correct answers

Community Expert , Jun 24, 2016 Jun 24, 2016

Or

  • Open the first two docs
  • Window > Pages
  • Window > Arrange > Tile
  • Drag 1 (or more) page(s) from the Pages panel in one file to the document window of the other.

A dialog box will pop up asking you where you want to insert the new pages.

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Community Expert , Aug 02, 2018 Aug 02, 2018

Hi Sanjeeva,

I did not recommend merging pages to one big document.

Just wanted to tell you where some step stones are.

By all means stay with your 30 documents and manage them with an InDesign book file.

FWIW: Find/Replace is also working between open documents.

So open all documents of the book file and do Find/Replace for the known typos.

Regards,
Uwe

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Community Expert ,
Jun 24, 2016 Jun 24, 2016

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You can either use a book file to synchronize styles, swatches and page numbering while leaving them as separate documents, or use the Move Pages menu item from the Page pallet fly-out menu to transfer all the pages of your documents into one.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 24, 2016 Jun 24, 2016

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Or

  • Open the first two docs
  • Window > Pages
  • Window > Arrange > Tile
  • Drag 1 (or more) page(s) from the Pages panel in one file to the document window of the other.

A dialog box will pop up asking you where you want to insert the new pages.

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New Here ,
Aug 01, 2018 Aug 01, 2018

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Thanks!

But what if I am bundling a book, and its 32 chapter-files need to be combined to create 1-single file.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 01, 2018 Aug 01, 2018

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Hi Sanjeeva,

It's all the same.

Move pages to a different InDesign document.

Regards,
Uwe

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Community Expert ,
Aug 02, 2018 Aug 02, 2018

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A few things you have to consider:

1. Facing pages documents that begin on odd or even pages:

How will they fit to the main document that is ending with an even or odd page?

Avoid adding an odd page after an odd page or an even page after an even page.

2. Applied master pages:
Synchronize masters if possible before moving pages. If that's not possible rename masters before moving pages.

3. Styles: Paragraph Styles, Character Styles, Object Styles, Cell Styles, Table Styles, Graphic Line Styles, TOC Styles etc.pp.

First synchronize styles if possible. Where you cannot do this, rename them before moving pages.

4. Custom Text Variables: Synchronize if possible before moving pages.

5. All things I forgot that should be synchronized 😉

( Especially obscure things like hyperlink destinations or all things interactive. Will they all work after moving pages? Answer: Probably not. )

In the end: Is this worth the effort?
Shouldn't a book file with all chapters as individual documents do the trick?

Regards,
Uwe

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New Here ,
Aug 02, 2018 Aug 02, 2018

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Thanks tons for such a detailed note Laubender-nWcFZk!

But honestly, this is one helluva lot of work. Opening 30 files, each having 25+ pages, and then combining them the way you've explained. The whole book is 830 pages. And dragging those pages onto the target masterfile also guarantees mistakes of the kind you'd hate to do. I tried the trick for three chapters and it is so inconvenient because the pages view so small, you can't visually check them... I'll perhaps need a projector to blow those windows and panels up !

Why I need everything in ONE single file - even at the risk of making it unstable - is because there are a dozen stupid typos across all chapters, and I want to correct them in 12 shots - instead of 12X30 shots at least - including the repeats I'll have to do because of human errors I'll do in selecting pages... These are really menial errors that don't need me to read the whole thing.

I have been really wondering why InDesign isn't as intelligent as the PDF is. You can select any number of pdf files and merge them all into one file - without having to open each of them...

But yeah, your method does work for a thin book, no doubt. Thanks much!

My Best

Sanjeeva

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 02, 2018 Aug 02, 2018

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Perhaps this script:

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Community Expert ,
Aug 02, 2018 Aug 02, 2018

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Hi Sanjeeva,

I did not recommend merging pages to one big document.

Just wanted to tell you where some step stones are.

By all means stay with your 30 documents and manage them with an InDesign book file.

FWIW: Find/Replace is also working between open documents.

So open all documents of the book file and do Find/Replace for the known typos.

Regards,
Uwe

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Community Expert ,
Feb 21, 2020 Feb 21, 2020

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If you ask me, it's by creating an Acrobat PDF file from the assembled book.

 

1) Assemble the existing InDesign documents in the sequence you desire in the Book panel. Save it as [Your Book Title].indb.

2) Go to the flyaway menu (the three lines at the upper-right of the panel), open it and select the Export Book to PDF ... menu command.

 

This gets you the best of both worlds: multiple smaller, discrete PDF files which are faster and easier to work with and safer to save/store/modify; and a single file for your entire book which is portable and easy to move to various users, vendors, viewers and printers.

 

You can learn more about this in the link below:

 

Create Book Files with InDesign

 

Hope this helps,

 

Randy

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Explorer ,
Dec 06, 2018 Dec 06, 2018

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Thanks, @BarbBinder!

Worked here!

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New Here ,
May 09, 2023 May 09, 2023

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LATEST

Thanks bro this helped alot! 🙂

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Explorer ,
Aug 30, 2022 Aug 30, 2022

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Move Pages menu - that's true working for combine document.

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Adobe Employee ,
Aug 30, 2022 Aug 30, 2022

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Glad to hear that! Feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance. 

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New Here ,
Dec 30, 2022 Dec 30, 2022

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I have a 112 page book that is set up as individual indesign files. What is the best way to make this one 112 page indesign file? Do you have to open each indesign and move it to your new master indesign file in order to build the full 112 indesign document?

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Community Expert ,
Dec 30, 2022 Dec 30, 2022

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If that's really what you want to do, yes.

 

But you may not have to.

 

You may want to look into InDesign's Book functions and see if that can get you what you're looking for without turning it all into one 112 page InDesign file. You can learn more about InDesign's Book features by following this link.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Randy

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New Here ,
Dec 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2022

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Thank you. The reason I was looking to keep as one indesign is that I also have to change and 8x10 portrait book to landscape. I was hoping I could have indesign automatically alter the layout but it still makes a mess! 

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Community Expert ,
Jan 01, 2023 Jan 01, 2023

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Liquid layout is an InDesign feature that really requires planning and preparation to pull off easily.

 

While that feature set may appear to be easier to apply to one large document once, I'd suggest that it would be a false economy due to the complications it would create and require fixing from the first problem all the way downstream to the end of the file. Even addressing your concerns, I think you'd be better served addressing problems in smaller individual files than dealing with cascading problems as you work your way through one large InDesign document.

 

Hope this helps, and good luck with your publishing efforts.

 

Randy

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New Here ,
Feb 21, 2020 Feb 21, 2020

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I strongly agree with Laubender. Use the Book file! The other alternatives end up in all sorts of trouble.

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Community Expert ,
Jan 01, 2023 Jan 01, 2023

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A tip for using the Book feature. When you create the book file first don’t add any documents. Once you have a Book file go to Page Numbering Options in the panel’s flyout menu and turn off Automatically Update Page and Section Numbers. Otherwise InDesign will try to renumber pages in each document as other pages are added in earlier documents. You might want that but I usually don’t as it can unexpectedly move a page from a left hand page to a right hand page and potentially mess up the layout on all effected pages.

Screenshot 2023-01-01 at 11.43.44 PM.png 

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