Upgrade Plug-ins? InD CS4

[ozmacadamia]

I have been sent a file that shows as an InDesign CS4 file however when I try to open it I get the message - cannot open, upgrade plug-ins or upgrade to the latest version.

I've had a bit of a look at the different threads and it seems that it may be that it was saved from CS5 perhaps?

Could anyone please advise me in the most simple terms what I should ask the originator to do to send the file in a readable format?

This is an urgent job and if I can't get it open then I will need to advise them asap so that they can find someone else to finalise it for them.

Thanks in anticipation

Michelle

[Peter Spier]

It is indeed a CS5 file. They can send you a .idml file that you can open, but there is now guarantee that hit will look the same in CS4 as it did in the original, and finishing it up may not be a good idea, especially if it needs to go back to them and be reopened in CS5. At the very least, ask for a PDF as well so you know waht they expect it to look like.

[ozmacadamia]

Thanks very much Peter.

Looks like I will have to forego this one because one of the things they are asking for is that a PDF be created for display on a web page.

Thanks again.

[BobLevine]

And why can't you do that?

Bob

[ozmacadamia]

Why can't I produce the PDF?  There's no reason I couldn't if I could open the file.   I am doing this through a third party and am checking, but it's possible the original client has been provided with the .indd file but doesn't have the program to do anything with it - else they could surely do the small things they want themselves.   Without InD they couldn't send me an .idml or a PDF to show the layout unless it was also provided - but a PDF without the .idml wouldn't really help.  But you would think that whoever supplied them with the .indd would supply a PDF, wouldn't you, so they may be able to provide an .idml - but then why wouldn't they just ask them to do what they want? 

Anyway, what they want is fairly straight forward and for the messing around they may be better off just finding someone with CS5 to do it.

And I apologise if the above doesn't read well, just trying to explain my thinking clearly.

Michelle

[Peter Spier]

Makes sense to me...

[BobLevine]

Not to me. Buy the upgrade and apply the cost of this job to the cost.

If you have to turn down a job due to a lack of the proper software once, it could easily happen again.

Bob

[Peter Spier]

well, yeah, there is that point, too. I just meant I was following the logical argument for why she couldn't do it in CS4.

[ozmacadamia]

Thanks Bob, I understand that and it's something I will look at in the near future, however it's not possible just now, so will forego this job and start getting prepared so it doesn't have to happen again.

And thanks Peter for understanding my logic.

[Guest]

Bob,

I may have the same problem as Michelle: I received a file that appears to be an InDesign CS4 document (when I click on command-info), but I'm unable to open it, and the screen message says either upgrade plug-ins, or upgrade to recent version of InDesign.

What I CAN'T understand is how can I (or anyone else) "upgrade my plug-ins" when Adobe doesn't make any plug-ins available on their web site?

Regarding the second option, even if CS5 would solve the problem (which I don't know at this stage), how can I justify paying Adobe another $599 for an upgrade on a job that will only net me about $200 ?  Hell, I just paid Adobe $899 last year to get CS4.  With software upgrades being released almost annually that are not "backwards compatible", how can us freelancers make any profit if we continually have to buy major upgrades?  It's easy to say "just pass the cost on to your clients", but you can't do that in a single job, but must amortize it throughout the year(s).

Paul

[Jongware]

Pauli,

What I CAN'T understand is how can I (or anyone else) "upgrade my plug-ins" when Adobe doesn't make any plug-ins available on their web site?

There are two major reasons for that. First off, Adobe isn't the one writing custom plug-ins (I think they don't even do that at all). This warning applies to documents containing stuff that has been created with thrid-party plug-ins, and to be able to open it you need the correct version of that plug-in. It's the plug-in writer's responsibility to stay up-to-date. (Note that many of them have no, or a very small fee, for upgrading across versions.)

The second reason is more mundane: the Adobe programmers argue that if InDesign cannot open a document, then logically it must be because of someone other's plug-in. Apparently, they expected everyone to upgrade immediately to any new version of ID as soon as it came out ...

how can I justify paying Adobe another $599 for an upgrade on a job that will only net me about $200 ?  Hell, I just paid Adobe $899 last year to get CS4.

That's a good point, if this one client is the sole reason to upgrade to CS5.

[Jongware]

(Tiny addition:)

With software upgrades being released almost annually that are not "backwards compatible"  ...

InDesign is backwards compatible -- up to a point, at least. (The Paragraph Composer, for example, was rewritten for CS3, so editing a pre-CS4 file into a newer version *will* make text re-flow.)

What you meant is "forwards compatible", and that's more than just a minor technical problem. How could the programmers of CS work with footnotes (CS2 and up), or have foreseen GREP styles in CS4, or column spans in CS5? If it was possible to open a CS4 document into CS3, what should happen with the features that Are Not Available in the older version?

I also forgot to point out a feasible (but not really recommended) way of working with newer documents. If your client insists that you work on his file, he could send you an IDML export. It means that at least you get something (as opposed to "nothing at all"), but of course you don't have any guarantees at all you get to see the same file that the client sees in his version. Any of the new features will get Lost in Translation, and you should even carefully check if "the same" things actually work the same -- as per my note on the Paragraph Composer above.

[Guest]

Thank you for the detail reply.

Actually, I did mean "backwards compatible" – that is, the ability to save a CS5 document in CS4 format.

If my client could do that, then I could work on it without having to get a "trial version" of CS5.

BTW, all the shown plug-ins in my CS4 (v 6.0.5) InDesign are Adobe plug-ins.

Paul

[Peter Spier]

Ask the client to export the CS5 file to .idml. You can open that with a fully patched version of CS4.

However, any new features will be lost and some text reflow may occur, especially with justified type. This should also be considered a one-way street. If your file is reopened in CS5 it is likely to change again.

[BobLevine]

And have them send a PDF, too. That way you can check the layout.

Bob

[BobLevine]

I've said it over and over again. Technology moves forward and for the most part, it's fairly predictable. Adobe suite upgrades come out every 18 months pretty much as a rule. $599 spread out over 18 months comes out to less than the cost of a cup of coffee every day.

And just because this is the first file you receive, doesn't mean it will be the last. Software and hardware investments are a part of this business.

It's your business and your call, but don't lay this on Adobe (or Apple, Microsoft, Dell, HP, etc). They, like you, are in business to make money. They do this by selling products that you use to make money.

Just my $0.02 worth,

Bob

[Guest]

Bob,

I bit the bullet and purchased an upgrade copy of CS5 premium. So problem solved.

However, that raises a similar question: Since InDesign is my preferred layout program these days but I still rework a few older files in QuarkXpress, is it prudent (or cost effective, or whatever you wish to call it) to spend another $800 (or more) to keep my copy of Quark 7.5 current with Snow Leopard? What would YOU do – rebuild older files in InDesign and just abandon Quark?

Paul

[BobLevine]

Do your clients want/require Quark files?

On the occassions I've had to open a Quark file, I've used Q2ID to convert it to InDesign. But, if I had clients that required Quark files, I would either have to consider it or pass on the job. Since I've been out on my own (9 years) I've yet to receive one request for a Quark file.

If your only issue is simply opening some older Quark files, you have three choices.

1. Convert them to InDesign and use that going forward.

2. Maintain your old version.

3. Upgrade Quark to version 8

FWIW, I'd go with number 1 unless they're complicated layouts that only need a few tweaks now and again, in which case, choice 2 is probably the best way. Number 3? Only if you need to supply Quark files to a client.

Bob

[BobLevine]

And by the way...$599 is list. While you won't find any dramatic discounts on that Amazon can save you $20 and give you free shipping not to mention how much easier it is to use over Adobe's on line store: http://amzn.to/dBEku1

There are other reputable dealers with similar discounts.

Bob

[Guest]

Thanks, Bob. You're right (even though I don't drink coffee).

cheers,

PH

[kellie_graphics]

I'm still trying to resolve this same issue with a client, a large university. I finally broke down and forked out several thousand $ to upgrade both computer and software (because you can't run CS5 on anything that isn't an intel processor), and I'm still scrambling to get it all up and running properly. I went from CS3 to CS5. Since most of my clients are smaller businesses, applying costs to a client is out of the question.

Anyway, hopefully I'll resolve this partcular issue, going from a Mac 5.0 (goodness knows I didn't put my 5.5 update on yet) to a Windows client running CS4.

And from the looks of the forums and the help knowledgebase, there are many people encountering this.

[BobLevine]

Forget the Win/Mac thing...it's meaningless.

The only thing for you to consider is version number. If you're on CS5 just export to IDML. If the client is getting errors you need to confirm that they are indeed using CS4 and version 4 (which is CS2)

Bob

[kellie_graphics]

I'm glad to hear the Win/Mac thing is finally meaningless.

I've got an email in to my client asking for their specific version.

Hopefully I can get them updated and all will be well. Will let you know.

Thanks!

—K

[BobLevine]

It’s been meaningless for many, many years.

Bob

[HMRN]

I have the same problem, but I created a document on CS4 (V6.06) and now I can't open it because of missing plugins.  It has not been sent to me and has only ever been on my computer so how could it have acquired plugins that are "currently not available on your system", and what can I do about it?