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InDesign Backwards Compatibility in CS5 an MAJOR issue

Forum|Forum|15 years ago
May 18, 2010
23 replies
160818 views

I am a print designer who works in InDesign. I bought CS3 Design Premium in late summer of 2008. Shortly thereafter CS4 came out, but after just having forked out a big chunk of change, I decided against upgrading to CS4 right away. Recently I considered upgrading but then heard CS5 was coming out so I decided to postpone the upgrade and wait for the new software. I've just checked out the trial version of CS5 InDesign and after speaking with Adobe Support have come to the conclusion that I can't upgrade to CS5. Why? BACKWARDS compatibility to CS3. The previously offered export features that supplied a path for backwards compatibility via an .inx file are gone.

I design freelance for a lot of different customers and once the design is complete, I have to deliver the InDesign file along with all associated fonts ad images to my clients. Most of my clients are still on CS3. If I upgrade to CS5 I will instantly not be able to work for 2/3 of my clients, as I will have no means by which to save a file backwards to CS3. I was informed by Adobe support that I would need to buy CS4 and CS5, as I could save my CS5 file in the IDML format and open it in CS4 and then I could save the file from CS4 as an INX file and open that is CS3. ARE THEY INSANE??? First off that requires keeping 3 version of InDesign up and running on my machine all of the time and secondly, why should I have to buy CS4 when I'm paying an additional fee to upgrade to CS5 because I didn't upgrade from CS4? This is so screwed up that it has to be an oversight---please tell me there is a patch in the works!!!

PS- I've never posted to a forum before, so if I have broken any rules of forum etiquette or offended in any way, I offer my apologies now and if I (and the Adobe Support staff I spoke to) have overlooked something, please enlighten me!

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer BobLevine

I know it will get better as things progress--It's just been difficult getting started and I unfortunately timed my initial software purchase badly. Maybe I can fix it this time if I can get both CS4 & CS5. But is the commercial, rather than retail, product even available on Amazon?

Just semantics, Cynthia.

Retail, commercial. Same thing.

Upgrades are exactly the same as their full commercial/retail counterparts except for the price.

Adobe also has student and academic pricing.

The link I supplied you with is for the Mac CS3 to CS4 Design Premium upgrade and assumes that you have one of the CS3 suites.

Bob

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Peter Spier

Community Expert

There si no reason you can't continue to use your CS3 installation and also install CS5. Choose the version to suit the client.

Back-saving is at best a crapshoot as far as text reflowing, and you risk a lot of file damage if you inadvertently use a new feature. It just isn't a good workflow.

BobLevine

Community Expert

InDesign has NEVER allowed more than one version backsave via INX. Beginning with CS5 you can save back to CS4 using IDML but this is horrible workflow anyway.

Saving back means lost or badly mangled features and reflowing text and going back two versions makes even worse. If you absolutely have to work with people in CS3 then you'll need to work with that version whether or not you decide to upgrade.

I currently have CS3, CS4 and CS5 installed just in case. And I'll repeat what I've said over and over again. I support Adobe 100% in the way this is handled. Major new feature make it nearly impossible to keep compatibility from one version to another.

Finally, if you buy CS4 now (Amazon still has some stock) you may be eligible for a free upgrade to CS5. But using that when you know the end result must be a CS3 file is not a very efficient way to work.

Bob

C

Cynthia Ryan GraphicAuthor

Participating Frequently

I am all for working with better workflow practices and I understand that saving files backwards is less than ideal but Adobe needs to look at the real world uses of their software as well. I have to work with firms that aren't upgrading now--especially with the economy we are now in--and most of the items I design for them are ads-- one page- nothing too complex--really nothing fancy. I obviously wouldn't save a book or a very complex document backwards in this way, but simple things have translated just fine in the past. In the real world we hit situations like this.

I bought my software 21 months ago and in this time Adobe has expected me to upgrade twice--I haven't even finished expensing the initial cost of the software on my books yet. Upgrading that often just can't happen in a small firm--it's prohibitively expensive for a one man shop.

So now from what I understand, to do this properly, I am supposed to buy the upgrade and keep both versions running on my machine and track with every client which version of the software I need to be working in. What happens when I have to add an employee? I will have to buy the CS3 version of the software in addition to the CS5 Suite because otherwise we can't work on the same files. I'm finding this frustrating.

Your suggestion of buying CS4 from Amazon is a good one. I will look into that further.

peterpica

Inspiring

The basic point of this thread is that the lack of ability to save an InDesign file back to an older version is a problem that Adobe should address. Yes, in a perfect world everyone would have the latest version of the whole Creative Suite the moment it comes out, but that's not realistic, so as a favor to people who have spent the money to upgrade, there should be a way to save back to older versions. I think most people would see this as sensible. This has nothing to do with being an expert or seeing the value in upgrading.

Ok, good point. But if you've ever done any software programming, you'd appreciate why doing as you wish would result in even higher R&D costs with Adobe which in the end would come out of our collective pockets.

Pay me now or pay me later...

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

You've echoed the sentiments of many. It's really bad support from Adobe regarding backward compatibility in InDesign.

But even if you did have CS4 and wanted to go back to CS2, you'd have to open your INX file in InDesign CS3 and export again to INX (there was a double downsave trick of editing the INX file)

But regardless, Adobe has only ever allowed one version back compatibility for InDesign.

Frustrating.

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