Is there a way to export booklets straight as PDF, bypassing distiller?

[Ray5CCB]

I am unsure if I am doing something wrong, but why is exporting a booklet to a printable PDF the hardest thing to figure out? The only way I am aware of is saving the file as post script for distiller and then going from there. 90% of the times, it doesnt get exported to distiller correctly, and its just a constant battle of getting the file exported correctly. Why is this not just a standard export at this point? We have the capability to print as a booklet, so why cant I just save it as a PDF with bleed and crop marks, and not go through distiller?

If I am missing something please, let me know. Thanks!

[Zealous_work5E55]

Adobe hasn't included that option as you are aware. 

Why? Well, five out of ten print shops are going to want it layed out differently than whatever InDesign might offer. You can disagree but that's a fact. Few "booklets" are commercially produced on exactly two up, half fold signatures.

Your print provider doesn't want to receive what you want InDesign to do; I can say this as I've been printing for a long time.

That being said, it is a simple process to export to pdf and print in simple booklet spreads from Acrobat.

[Ray5CCB]

Thank you for chiming in here, especially being a printer yourself. I think the issue for me, and like you said, is every printer is different. I am in the unfortunate spot of being a solo desinger in a small company that works with as many clients as we have employees. Our clients are all mainly american but some international, and the means we run into printers of all kinds. And truthfully, I genuinely dont know how to send files universally to make printers lives easier, so I try to get everything exported as print ready as possible.

As a printer yourself, how do you prefer receiving files for bigger print pieces? The work I do ranges from brochures to guiedbooks with up 50+ pages and while sending over small things like brochures are easy, I feel like I lose a lot of time trying to get books set up.

[leo.r]

If you're on Mac, you can try virtual PDF printers such as PDF Printer, VipRiser and some others (look them up, you'll find right away). I don't know though if they can produce the desirable print-ready PDFs.

[Eugene Tyson]

File>Export and choose PDF. 

Then in Acrobat use the Print Booklet feature.

[rob day]

Hi @Ray5CCB , Print Booklet is intended for inhouse proofing not commercial printing. If you want to distill a PDF you will need to install Adobe PDF 9.0 in ⁨Adobe InDesign 202X⁩ ▸ ⁨Presets⁩ ▸ ⁨PPDs⁩, which you can download here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/fhnvventjc7vxpzzmft5f/AKwgMb_SlYYf5JUfSfpr2nk?rlkey=e7ruj0dh52vvwku98...

[BobLevine]

That's only for Mac. For Windows, if you have Acrobat installed you can print directly to PDF.

Only pointing this out since the OP hasn't specified their operating system.

[Ray5CCB]

I am on a Mac. My knowledge of printing is not what it could be and I am just printing the way I was tought in the one printing class I took in school 5 years ago. My company works with clients across the country and that means I run into a ton of different printers with different capabilites and requests when sending files over. I just try to help the printers out but more often than not, clients are asking for print peices last second and I dont have time to communicate with the printer directly to see how they need the files sent over.

So if there are better ways then distilling them, I am all ears.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Technically, anything done though the print menu (Adobe PDF print driver for Windows, PostScript or PDF printer app) is going to use Distiller (or Distiller-like) process. You will always get a flattened PDF if that is your concern. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

What are you trying to impose: page count, printing method, signature size, etc.?

Complex jobs should be left to the printer. InDesign's Print Booklet feature, while functionable, is fairly basic.

Since you deal with many different printers, you should keep a simple database on how each printer likes to received their files: imposed or not, PDF/X-1a or -4, resolution of images, etc. If you build it as you go, it won't be too toublesome. 

[Ray5CCB]

I guess since the clients come to us with the type of books, or whatever they need, I was trying to just set up the page order correctly after designing them for print. I usually design the pages in spreads for the clients to easily understand how it will look, but i know that books cant be printed like that. So I like to export the printer pdf in the correct page order. But i only learned one way to export, and never had any complaints yet so I am unware of different ways to do this.

[rob day]

@Ray5CCB , I would not use this for commercial  printing (your printer should be handling imposition)—for printing in-house this script imitates Print Booklet but exports the imposition to a PDF:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2wjwe13fsrw9iszebo15e/h?rlkey=nwt5o3uex31fgra7oj15qvs7z&dl=0

[Ray5CCB]

So is the best option to just send over individual pdfs of the pages and have printers rearrange? Or just send over working/InDesign files? As I mentioned in the other replies, I just try to make the printers life better but I cant keep up and directly talk to every printer due to timing/staff limitations. I want to save time on my end, while also saving the printers time too.

[BobLevine]

If you send an imposed PDF you will make their life harder and probably get billed for it.

Just export a normal PDF from InDesign (PDF X/4 is the best choice in a modern workflow) and send that. 

[rob day]

As I mentioned in the other replies, I just try to make the printers life better but I cant keep up and directly talk to every printer

You are actually making their job harder. You have no idea how they setup their press sheet. You are assuming a 2-up impostion, but what if it is 8-up?

[Ray5CCB]

You are correct , I dont know how they setup anything, which is part of the reason im here. One would think making the printer rearrange the file themselves is harder, but I 've never had a printer complain. We also have never gotten billed extra for the way I have sent files over, so I just assumed what I was doing worked/was right. But im glad I had this issue because i see now that I shouldnt be doing this now. 

[rob day]

One would think making the printer rearrange the file themselves is harder,

No, any descent printer is going to have dedicated imposition software to impose the sheet for there press conditions.

[BobLevine]

Making them rearrange them is making it harder.

Arranging them properly using imposition software is a lot easier.

[Ray5CCB]

I'm not familiar with the PDF X styles and that may be ultimately where my issue lies, so I will look into that more. Thanks!

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

PDF/X setting were set up by printers (the companies, not hardware). The X stands for eXchange. That "guarantees" a file that the printer can process. However, it doesn't mean it will look good--for example, there are no resolution requirements, so images could be low res.

Here is a very short breakdown of the types:

PDF/X-1a: Only CMYK and spot colors; Transparency is flattened. Both conversions happen on your end.

PDF/X-3: Most color modes, including CMYK, RGB, LAB, spot; Transparency is flattened. Not used much.

PDF/X-4: Most color modes; Transparency is NOT flattened. The printer does this on their end.

There are other requirements that are common to all X formats.

[rob day]

I'm not familiar with the PDF X styles

PDF/X standards are not related to imposition—you can not export imposed PDFs

[Gord@APL]

In my 25-odd years working in magazines, I've only once produced pre-imposed PDFs for a printer, and that was for a very specific job. Mostly I used it internally, and then only for proofing 16-page booklets.

The preferred means of providing final artwork varies from printer to printer, and depends largely on the software they're using ahead of the platemaking stage. If they're using an online portal, there's likely a preference for single-page-per-file or everything-in-one-PDF, but most systems these days are pretty flexible and could accept a mixture, if properly uploaded. Depending on the job, I might provide one PDF for each 16-page section of a magazine, for example. Their back-end system will accept the pages sequentially, usually based on filename (eg. 001-Cover.pdf, 002-IFC.pdf, 003-Contents.pdf, etc. or 001-004.pdf, 005-016.pdf, etc., or 001-016_Section1.pdf, 017-032_Section2.pdf, etc.), or it'll collect everything that's been uploaded into a pasteboard and you'll place the pages/batches manually.

If they're not using an online portal - some ask clients to upload to Dropbox, or to send via a service like WeTransfer, for example - just ask their preference. There's a good chance they're just using the portal locally rather than opening it up to customers.

[Ray5CCB]

Yeah, I unfortunately don't know enough about printing and I have never looked into learning more because we are usually just doing brochures or smaller tasks. We occasionally print out bigger books and I've never had problems with using distiller until now. And now I'm seeing its not even the ideal way to do it, so even this is useful feedback.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

With 45-odd years in magazine and book design and production, along with a gazzilion ancillary products (I'mnot some youngster like Gord@APL 😁), I've only sent imposed jobs to my own 11x17 printer. 

My advice:

1) Send PDF/X-4 files. If the printer can't handle that, send PDF/X-1a but be sure of your conversion settings.

2) EXPORT the PDF; do not print to PostScript and distill.