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Rob Ehle
Known Participant
October 9, 2017
Answered

InDesign packaging default keeps changing

  • October 9, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 2181 views

After years having no problems at all packaging files for printers and for archives, I'm suddenly getting PDFs kicked back because they are missing the crop marks I'd set as the default. I'm wasting lots of time re-doing PDFs for our printers now.

Trying to figure out how the problem is happening, I come up with these variables:

  • Some documents I make from scratch, and others I get from freelancers. But no matter what, before sending files to the printer, I personally do the packaging, which means the packaging settings should not change, correct?
  • There are two kinds of documents I make: comps for book covers—which don't have crop marks—and full cover "mechanicals"for the printer, which always have them. I never package files for comps, because these are never printed.

If anyone has any information that will help figure out why my packaging settings are unpredictably changing, I'm all ears. I'm going to have to add the step of double-checking the settings every time I prepare files now, and this starts to feel too similar to just manually gathering materials.

Thanks in advance.

Rob

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer SJRiegel

As near as I can tell, while the packaging dialog will hold onto the preference to make a PDF or not during packaging, it does not hold onto which PDF preset to use. It will always use whatever preset was last used on your machine. Every time you package a file, you will need to check that the correct preset is displayed in the Package dialog.

3 replies

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Rob EhleAuthor
Known Participant
October 9, 2017

I've just isolated the problem, and I think it is a bug, actually.

The PDF created in packaging now defaults to whatever the settings were when a PDF was last exported, whether the PDF was exported in packaging or not. If I have just created a PDF of a front cover to circulate to marketing, and the next thing I do is package some other complete cover for the printer (that, for instance, needs crop marks and targets on it), the PDF will have the settings of the cover (without crop marks and targets) that went around to marketing.

Because this has only recently started happening, I suspect this wasn't the behavior in earlier versions. It's either a bug, or there was some reason Adobe thought it was better this way. It isn't better this way, for me, anyway, but at least now I know how to work around it.

Basically, check the output PDF every time.

S
SJRiegel
Legend
October 9, 2017

As I said above, I believe this has always been the case. The same is true if you are creating a pdf through Export. The last settings that you used to create a PDF will come up as the default for the next one (inside or outside of packaging)

The PDF created in packaging now defaults to whatever the settings were when a PDF was last exported, whether the PDF was exported in packaging or not.

I suspect this wasn't the behavior in earlier versions.

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Rob EhleAuthor
Known Participant
October 9, 2017

I guess you did say that, SJRiegel. And thanks. Just marked your answer correct.

The only thing that made me think it was new was that I've only started having the problems recently. And if this was dumb luck for three years or however long, so be it.

S
SJRiegelCorrect answer
Legend
October 9, 2017

As near as I can tell, while the packaging dialog will hold onto the preference to make a PDF or not during packaging, it does not hold onto which PDF preset to use. It will always use whatever preset was last used on your machine. Every time you package a file, you will need to check that the correct preset is displayed in the Package dialog.

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Rob EhleAuthor
Known Participant
October 9, 2017

This would mean I've been incredibly lucky over the last two or three years, which doesn't make sense to me. But I'll review my workflow. Maybe there's something I've changed recently in how I'm collecting files.

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 9, 2017

Are you not checking these things before sending them?

When you package you have to choose a PDF export preset. You can't modify it with a package. I would never work this way, personally. I'd package it without the PDF and then export a PDF afterward.

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Rob EhleAuthor
Known Participant
October 9, 2017

Aside from just being careful, though, why would there be an option to save a PDF with the package? Just for visual reference for someone who doesn't have ID?

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 9, 2017

You can cross a street without looking both ways just so many times before you get hit by a bus.

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