Print requirements

[ali_4619]

Hi my printer sent me instructions on how to provide my InDesign book files for print. I've done 90% of what they asked for but just got stuck on a few things below. As always, I have tried to self-resolve via research. It's the weekend now in my location so I can't ask these questions of the printer so hoping you may be able to help so I can get them the files first thing Monday. Many thanks!

	Questions	Answers:
Question 1.	When I send the Package to the printer (via Indesign File> Package), do I need to first save the linked photos in a OneDrive folder or similar which I give them access to before sending the package? Or will they have all the jpgs inside the Package folder as standalone files?	Answer
Question 2	When exporting PDF – in the ‘marks and bleeds’ dialogue box, under ‘all printer’s marks, do I tick only the ‘bleed marks’ check box, or do I also tick  ‘use document bleed settings’.	Answer
Question 3	When exporting PDF, in the output dialogue box, what do I select in the dropdowns for ‘Color conversion’ and ‘profile inclusion policy)? It is commercial printing CMYK.
Question 4	My photos are all RGB. Will exporting the PDF from Indesign, selecting my printer's request of Coated Fogra39 (iso 12647-2:2004), convert all the photos automatically to CMYK. Even if it does, in your expert opinion, do you recommend I convert them all individually in Photoshop for better results?	Answer

[Willi Adelberger]

1. NEVER send any open INDD file to the printer, send a final PDF.
2. Export with the bleed requirement of the printer. The document's bleed setting must be equal or higher than the final bleed. Modern printers don't need markers.
3. The printer has to inform you on the requires output profile, normally convert RGB to CMYK and keep CMYK valuea,
4. Leave all images in RGB. Modern workflows convert not before PDF export.

[ali_4619]

Thank you. Why don't you send an InDesign package? 

[Willi Adelberger]

When a printer gets open files you run into many toils and sbares:

1. In most cases you are not allowed to send the used font due to license restriction. The printer might use a different font with the same name. This will cause a different layout.
2. The printer has not the same user dictionary as you have. His user dictionary will cause a different hyphenation.
3. The printer might have a different version of InDesign which causes changes.
4. If a printer is using open files he must know all these programs on a high user level. This I doubt. I have often seen, printer opening linked files to check them. E,g. a linked AI file is destroyed if opened and saved when used assets (fonts, linked files) are missing.
5. Flattenning linked files will cause changes.
6. …
7. …
8. …

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Thank you. Why don't you send an InDesign package? 

By @ali_4619

For at least two reasons: 

1) you'll give all the source material - which might break your agreement with your customer - copyrights, etc. 

2) only you know what is where and how it should look like - they won't know when something will shift for some reason - if that new location is the correct one - or if text reflowed / shifted.

[Eugene Tyson]

Question 1:
When you package your InDesign file (File > Package), the linked photos will be included in a folder along with your InDesign file. There's no need to manually save the images in OneDrive or a similar cloud service for the printer unless you want to share them separately for some reason. The Package feature automatically collects all necessary linked files, including the images, and places them in the folder it creates. Just make sure to send the entire packaged folder (with the InDesign file and all linked images) to the printer.

Question 2:
In the 'Marks and Bleeds' dialogue box when exporting your PDF

Tick 'Use Document Bleed Settings'. This will ensure that the bleed settings you've defined in your document are applied to the exported PDF.

As long as you have Bleed setting setup correctly in your document. 

In my experience including Bleed Marks is not necessary. 

Question 3:
In the 'Output' dialogue box:

Set Color Conversion to 'Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers)'. This ensures that InDesign will convert all colours to your chosen CMYK colour space.

In my experience this is not necessary but check with your print provider.

For Profile Inclusion Policy, set it to 'Include Destination Profile', as you’ll want the printer to know the exact colour profile (Coated Fogra39) you're using for the print job.

Question 4:
When you export the PDF and select Coated Fogra39 (which is a CMYK profile), InDesign will convert RGB images to CMYK during the export process, assuming you’ve chosen the appropriate PDF settings. However, this conversion is done on the fly during export, so the quality might not be as controlled as if you manually convert your images to CMYK in Photoshop first.

Do I recommend converting them in Photoshop?

Yes, if you want better control over the conversion process. Converting in Photoshop allows you to adjust any colours, saturation, or sharpness before they go to print. The printer’s CMYK profile (Coated Fogra39) will give you a good starting point, but by manually converting in Photoshop, you can adjust the images for optimal output.

If it's not colour critical and you don't need to adjust the colours then having InDesign do it on the fly is ok - the conversion happens the same as Photoshops.