Is InDesign Server the right thing?

[PrintHouse]

Hello, I hope to learn if and how InDesign Server can solve a specific problem and guesstimate a cost involved.

There's a master template in InDesign we use for our client's presentations. Each presentation is personalised with text, logos and images. Each one can be printed as a brochure and/or used online (low res PDF).

Now, the client wants to make much more of these (impossible for us to handle and too costly in the long run), take it to another level and be able to edit it quickly at his organisation by any of their marketing staff and use it straight away. The client wants to be able to assemble a customised presentation out of the master by picking a number of pages, editing some text, changing logos, a couple of colours and replacing images. This then would be saved as a personalised version in InDesign (for any further corrections) and exported to PDF, EPUB etc.

My question is, would InDesign Server be the right solution? I know a specific piece of software would need to be created to handle GUI and all of the back end. How does IDS handle links (local server, cloud)? Can you create preview of a multipage document on the fly? Is it hard to create a web WYSIWYG editor or something close?

Finally, what are we talking about in terms of money, annually, excluding writing the software? Do I buy the IDS from Adobe and provide it as a service for my client or my client buys it from Adobe or is there another way?

Thanks!

[Eternal Warrior · Accepted solution]

As I only use InDesign and not the IDS - I feel I will be offering a non-conventional answer to your question:

If it were me > and the template had fixed layout sizes > I would have the client edit their presentation master in Adobe Acrobat DC instead > they can still do the "picking a number of pages, editing some text, changing logos, a couple of colours and replacing images. "

But unless you wanted to cease being their client you leave room to still gain business from them - and it's still easy for them to make edits.

From my understanding IDS is essentially a WYSIWYG version of InDesign hosted online with all the limitations/constraints that apply.

DC would better utilise their CPU/RAM etc. and remove some of those dependencies.

[Jeffrey_Smith]

I do not have direct experience with IDS, but I am familiar with similar products. I don't think I am going out on a limb, but for you or your client to create a functioning solution, don't under estimate the programming knowledge needed. If neither possess the necessary programming skills, there are partners who have developed Indesign Server solutions and their offerings may be suitable for your situation.