Indesign Book

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hello.

Upon opening the most recent version of my InDesign book,
I get the Book Panel window. Choosing a chapter, I try and open
that Chapter. An InDesign window pops up telling me it is opening with
one button to cancel. However, it never opens and if I click
"cancel", cancel never occurs or finishes. It shows a progress wheel that
never ends, completes or stops.

If I "Force Quit" InDesign, then close down Mac OS or restart, that
window is gone. I cannot close InDesign when that window is open. When I try and open a chapter from the Book Panel window, I get the same result.
I do not know what the problem is. Any suggestions from anyone
about this sort of thing?
Each book version has its own dated folder.
The version before this most recent one has all my images and fonts in it but I have already embedded my images, so if I understand this, once embedded, a new version, in a new folder, should not have a problem if images are embedded and remain in the last folder.

But that may not be why I get this "opening" window that never completes.

Thanks

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @M.E.310814321c2q,

Thanks for sharing the details. Could you let me know which version of InDesign and macOS you're working with? It would also help to know if this happens with all book files or only this specific one. In the meantime, please try resetting InDesign preferences after creating a backup: https://adobe.ly/4747uKY. It would also be useful to test once in a new user profile and again in safe mode to rule out anything specific to your account or a third-party conflict.

New user profile on Mac: https://adobe.ly/4747niw

Safe mode on Mac: https://adobe.ly/4pMEv5J
Please give this a try and let me know your update.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Abhishek

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Sorry about the late response.

I am using Mac OS Sequoia, 15.6.1 and Indesign 2025

And, it just happened again (today 10/30/25)

Was getting doc ready for upload for print to a publisher. Changes were made and a new, newer or newest version created or perhaps saved. Indesign asked where?, and I created a new folder, dated for today. All images embedded as the priinter desires, getting ready to embed my fonts. That was a little confusing as I did not see a clear choice for embedding fonts but but think I got it but am still not sure. Then, changed subset fonts to 0%. Again as the printer suggested. This time I did a pre-flight check, found a problem and was able to fix it and Indesign says 'no errors". But, in the Book Panel window, the first 1/2 of my chapters all have a round green button next to them and the last 10 chapters have nothing. This came about when or during doing the pre-flight. Not sure what the green button means. I included all documents in the pre-flight check.

Anyway, I had done one export, created a PDF, then closed out, opened the PDF and checked it for any errors. Found one, trashed it and went to open my Indesign Book (INDB), and it wouldn't open. Said it could not. So I tried previous versions and none of them will open with the same message "Cannot open it" I believe, "as an Indesign Book "

One last thing that is still confusing to me from mixed messages I get: 1. Do I export as a PDF and 2. Do I package as a PDF and upload either one of those?  Thanks for any help, direction, suggestions. My learing curve is steep but still a wonerful program.

tanX

[leo.r]

One last thing that is still confusing to me from mixed messages I get: 1. Do I export as a PDF and 2. Do I package as a PDF and upload either one of those?

By @M.E.310814321c2q

You export as a PDF. PDF is a single file that you send to the printer.

When you package the book (or an InDesign file), you basically copy it along with all its assets (links and fonts) to a folder. Your printer doesn't need the packaged job (just like most printers.)

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hello.
So, do I create the PDF as a spread or pages?
It's 266 pages with 22 chapters.

tanX again

[Peter Spier]

Hello.So, do I create the PDF as a spread or pages?It's 266 pages with 22 chapters.tanX again
By @M.E.310814321c2q

Single pages. DO NOT EXPORT SPREADS.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hi.
Thank you.
Guess I have to do this all over again because my PDF looks like
a spread instead of individual pages.

Is this correct? I'm assuming it is.

Thanks

[Peter Spier]

When books are printed the pages are arranged on larger sheets of paper by the printer, those sheets are then folded and cut, and assembled into the finished book. Depending on the equipment and the size of the book the number of pages on each sheet can be anything, and only the printer is is a position to know.

Any easy way to understand this is to sepaprate the sheets in a newspaper. The only place where the two pages printed next to each other are in numerical order, or reader's spreads, the the very center.

If your file that you send to the printer has pages grouped togehter, the printer cannotmove them as required. Yoou don't need to "start over," just make sure you do not check the box for spreads in the export dialog. Your file that you submit should contain all the pages as individual pages. In most cases the cover and body of the book will be two different files.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Yes. I now understand this.
The first time I checked 'as spreads".
The second time as "pages" and it is now as the printer wants it.
Thanks

[leo.r]

went to open my Indesign Book (INDB), and it wouldn't open. Said it could not. So I tried previous versions and none of them will open with the same message "Cannot open it" I believe, "as an Indesign Book "

By @M.E.310814321c2q

Can you post a screenshot of this exact message?

[leo.r]

All images embedded as the priinter desires, getting ready to embed my fonts. That was a little confusing as I did not see a clear choice for embedding fonts but but think I got it but am still not sure. Then, changed subset fonts to 0%. Again as the printer suggested.

By @M.E.310814321c2q

I think you have a miscommunication with your printer. Your printer, as far as I understand, needs a PDF file. There's no need to "embed images". Images can only be embedded in InDesign files, which your printer doesn't need. The images will be automatically included in the PDF file, when you export to PDF. The option to embed fonts is only applicable to PDF files, you'll only find it when exporting to PDF.

At least that's my understanding of where your confusion comes from.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hello.
When I communicate to the publisher, and they are the ones who will print
my book, I am told to embed all my images and my fonts before I export and
then upload to them.
I am also told that 'export' is for ePUB and 'packaging' is for pPUB.
I'm also told that RGB color is for ePUB and CMYK is for pPUB.
Then I'm told not to worry about it.
Then, each publisher I communicate with uses different terminology for
their paper, what kind, what #, etc.
This makes it difficult to accurately create a cover with the spine,
because it will vary depending upon the paper choice I make. Why the
industry isn't standard in this regard is, to say the least, irritating. At
least, that is how it's been going for me. Oh, pity, pity, pot. And no, I
don't smoke. 🙂

This becomes confusing because everyone I have to correspond with seems to
tell me conflicting things along with not answering my questions, either
concisely and clearly or not answering all the questions I ask.

I think there is a certain blind spot for those I have to correspond with
in that they assume everyone is familiar with their terminology, their
acronyms, abbreviations, their verbiage and so on. But not everyone is. T

Thus, there is my learning curve. Having to repeatedly stop, find a
tutorial, look something up, find answers and even then, from the Adobe
Community there are answers that are so technical and beyond what I know,
that it goes over my head.

If this happens again, I will try and get a screenshot of the window that
pops up telling me Indesign cannot open my files any longer.

tanX

[Peter Spier]

This sounds to me a lot like there is a modal dialog open somewhere off-screen that is waiting for a response, but you also say you've embedded the images, which is really NOT a good practice if you mean they are now embedded in the file rather than linked using the File > Place... command as it swells the file size immensely leading to processing slowdowns as well as potential file corruption. Can you clarify what you mean? How large are these files on disk?

[Mike Witherell]

When a customer gives over InDesign files and their related Linked graphics and fonts, that reflects an old practice.

Maybe that is what they mean when they say to embed the graphics. But it sounds like someone at your printery is new and does not know how to advise you.

Most customers export from InDesign a PDF/X4 which already has everything inside the one file. They give this one PDF to the commercial printer to be printed.

Did someone coin the term pPUB meaning a prepress printing PDF? I have never heard that before. Again, it sounds like someone who is making stuff up while in a technical prepress job.

This is a wide-ranging industry and a deep art. There is so much to know, and most people who work in this craft of making InDesign documents for prepress have absorbed extensive training.

What patch version of InDesign 2025 are you operating?

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hi.
Looks like Indesign is 20.5 if that's what you mean by "patch". Not sure
what the word patch means anyway.
I'm assuming that when I get the drop down/window after clicking "Export",
that the choice you mention (PDFX4) should be at the top where High Quality
Print is located. ??
Let's see:
The printer at Booklocker, Lulu, DiggyPod to name a few.

Booklocker uses the terms ePUB for Electronic Publication and
the term pPUB for Print Publication. That is where I got those terms from.
Coming from them, they did not mean "preprint" as best I can tell,
but hey, maybe that is what they meant.

If they are not understood when those names in the field do not understand
them,
then how in hell is one supposed to communicate effectively with others in
the field?
Just asking.

I don't know what to say. Those I named are in this printing publishing
business and those
are the terms they have used with me and are in the FAQ docs they supply.

Last, are you saying that "most customers export a PDFX4" is all I need to
choose to convert into a PDF that has embedded graphics and embedded fonts
and I have to do nothing more send them the PDF?

Thanks

[Peter Spier]

Most up-to-date printers can handle PDF/X-4, but not all online printers will accept that standard.

X/4 files leave transparency live and colors unchanged, but tagged with their color profiles, leaving it up to the printer to convert the colors for their press conditons and to flatten the transparency, as ideally it should be. When using PDF/X-4 it is generally considered best practice to leave your images in the original RGB color and convert at the printer to the correct device-specific CMYK profile.

I'm prepping a file now for a client that is using a vendor who is specifying that the file be submitted as CMYK. When I check with the vendor, they are unable or unwilling to provice any guidance as to the corect CMYK profile, which is not uncommon with online printers who want to put the blame for any problems on you instead of themselves. In cases like this I tell the client that we casnnot guarantee perfect color matching for their identity colors, nor for photos, though that's generally less of an issue. This is a very common situation with magazine ads and such, but is very annoying for one-off kinds of projects like this one.

Your printers that you've mentioned should all have SOME sort of file prep info page and you need to look at it for the format specifications. In my experience, calling the help line connects you to someone in sales who knows absolutlely nothing about printing, and who will refuse to connect you with anyone who does.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

I have read that it is best to leave transparency as much as possible.
However, the publisher I am working with says I need to flatten my
transparencies in order to move forward.
All my images are at least 300 dpi except for three.
Those three are much less dpi because they were photographed in 1891.
This is long before the high quality we have today.
They don't seem to understand that but I am guessing most of my
communication with them is really with a bot and not a real person.
Good thing I didn't accidentally say, "a real" bot.

Also, I have been directed that RGB is for electronic pub and CMYK for
print pub,
I have all my images as CMYK and was told and continue to be told that
today it
does not matter. Whatever conversion that needs to be taken will be taken
by the printer
with no problem. I don't know what, who or which to believe at this point.

One thing I am searching for right now is "WHEN". When do I flatten images
or transparencies?
Before I place then in my book. Afterward? Before or during export?

that's it for now.

[leo.r]

However, the publisher I am working with says I need to flatten mytransparencies in order to move forward.
By @M.E.310814321c2q

As far as I understand, it simply means that you should export to PDF using the PDF/X-1a standard:

[Peter Spier]

As @leo.r said, PDF/X-1A will give you the format they want, as far as flattened transparency, but it cannot help your low resolution images (and in all probability there is no way to increase the resolution to make them look any better other than re-scanning an original print).

CMYK color spaces are smaller than RGB which is why it is generally best to leave images as RGB up until the time of printing (PDF/X-1A does that conversion along with the flattening), but once you have made the conversion there is now way to go back to the original RGB -- any colors lost are lost. Further conversion from one CMYK profile to another can result in more losses and color shifts, and conversion to an incorrect profile for the output device, or the removal of profile tagging in the PDF (again a feature of PDF/X-1A) also can cause color shifts. I like to explain CMYK profiles as being like regional language dialects. depending on where you are, the same words identically spelled can be pronounced very differently, and to get the same pronunciation you need to alter the spelling.

Unfortunately you are far down the road of no return here and using a printer who will make no attempt to do color matching, and your best bet probably really is the PDF/X-1A standard. As for which CMYK space is best, you can only guess and my suggestion is to use one of the most commonly used standards in the country where the printing will be done. In the US that would be SWOP, in Europe I believe one of the FOGRA profiles is preferred, but I don't know which one.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Wow. That's a lot.
I created my images in both RGB and CMYK.
i have two separate folders with each.
I also did them all in B&W.

They are all at least 300dpi, except for the 1891 ones.
Those still must be in my book, so I will accept how they turn out.

However, at other times after creating in one color, i changed some over.
Example: 1st in RGB and converted to CMYK.
I did this because it was the only way I could save in Photoshop as PNGs.
Which I needed. The back and forth would give me the save option of PNG
which is not and was not, available in Photoshop. I know no other way to
get that choice.

Perhaps, that is now what a .tiff is or once using the Photoshop command to
remove background essentially makes it a PNG.

As far as SWOP goes, where is that found in Indesign?
Is it when packaging, exporting, pre-flight?

Thanks

[Peter Spier]

Wow. That's a lot.I created my images in both RGB and CMYK.i have two separate folders with each.
By @M.E.310814321c2q

Did they all start out as RGB rather than CMYK? That would be excellent.

In general, you don't need two versions to get two results. You do the InDesign file in RGB and just change the output during export to PDF. 

PNG complicated things a bit -- it's not a print format, so you might need one version with the .png images and one with the original RGB images in .jpg, .tif or .psd (whichever was the original capture format).

However, at other times after creating in one color, i changed some over.Example: 1st in RGB and converted to CMYK.I did this because it was the only way I could save in Photoshop as PNGs.Which I needed. The back and forth would give me the save option of PNGwhich is not and was not, available in Photoshop. 

PNG supports only RGB color, so must be made from your original RGB image in Photoshop and that option should be available for you when you choose Save As. If you don't see it, choose to save as a copy and it should appear (you need to flatten layers in a .png so layered files will need to be saved as a copy).

As far as SWOP goes, where is that found in Indesign?Is it when packaging, exporting, pre-flight?Thanks

SWOP profile is the default CMYK color space in both the North America General Purpose Color settings file (which I believe is the default settings file used when Adone apps are installed in the US region) and in the North America Prepress settings file. The differnce between the two settings files is how they handle images that are in a different CMYK profile when opened -- Prepress warns you and asks what to do,  General Purpose simply uses the color values and presumes they are in the assigned sapce, in this case SWOP.

When you export the PDF you have the opportunity to specify the conversion profile in the output section of the export dialog.

[M.E.310814321c2q]

Hi.
Some of this makes sense. Lotd of good, clear information. Thank you for
that.

I did notice that creating my images, even using Photoshop Image Generator,
all seemed to be RGB. I did not know, nor think, that RGB was a or thee,
default setting. Although I did notice I could choose CMYK when setting up
the document.
Now I know.

As far as PNG goes, I'm now using .tiff or removing the background with PHS
and that seems to work. If I use .jpg it still retains a background which I
don't want. (but not in all cases). That way I can put it in front of or
behind text but still might have to change font colors so that it is easily
readable to the viewer. Something I have noticed many don't do and their
text sometimes becomes unreadable because it is the same color as the
background or isn't bold enough to be seen and read. I try to pay attention
to every little detail. And now I am certifiably insane.

Now I have to see what in hell Lulu is telling or asking me.
Never know if it's only and always a bot or not. Are you a not or a bot?

Okay. Later. maybe.

Thanks again

[Peter Spier]

Let me asure you that everyone who has responded to you here is a real live human being with real world experience for many years using InDesign. You cannot find a better source of advice than this forum.

Photoshop and Illustrator have a single color mode per file, but InDesign, and PDF can contain objects in multiple color spaces at the same time.

RGB color spaces liuke sRGB, Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB are all standards for color, rather than descriptions of device output, and they are all capable of containing a wider gamut (range of colors) than can be reproduced in CMYK inks. CMYK profiles describe specific PRINT output conditions -- type of press, type of paper or other medium, and even the inks being used. CMYK numbers describe the amount of each color in that will be laid down at any particular spot, and if you change the printing conditions from those being specified in the profile, your colors will print differently, sometimes only slightly, but sometimes quite a bit.

Because RGB is a description of the color in a theoretical space, rather than an output condition, it is desirable to wait until the the output conditions are known to do any conversions, and leaving content in RGB allows youi to make conversions to multiple output conditions with the best possible result from a single file.

Adobe programs are far from intuitive. Have you had any previous training in any of them or any prior experience in publishing?

[M.E.310814321c2q]

None. No, Nitnoy. Nada. Nyet. Mai. Nein, 不, and いいえ.

You are all geniuses as far as I am concerned.
But, I appreciate that you are real and are really trying to help.

[Peter Spier]

I reralize you're very near the end of your project, but it would really be beneficial to you if you could get some basic hands-on training.  I think actual classroom sessions are best, if you can find them near you, since you have the opportunity to interact directly with the instructor. If you can't do that, LinkedIn Learning has some of the best online classes available. A number of the responders here are trainers.