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I'm designing an electronic newsletter in InDesign that will be saved as a PDF. I want to use as many interactive feaures as possible. Which InDesign animation and interactive features will work properly when the InDesign file is saved as an interactive PDF?
The things that will work in iPDF:
- Anything that is a hyperlink (web, but also goto page, TOC, index etc.)
- Hide/Show button actions
The rest will not work in iPDF.
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Most of these features won't work in Interactive PDFs; try InDesign’s Publish Online instead. You can include animations, video, links and more. You can't monetise the content and readers have to be online to access it, but it can be read on any device that has a HTML5 browser - PCs, Macs, Tablets and Smart phones and you can enable it so readers can download a (static) PDF version.
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With publish online do viewers need to install a special reader and learn a new interface or can they use Adobe reader which they are familiar with?
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No speecial reader needed, readers use their browser (you send them a link) – the document is HTML5 not PDF.
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Thanks for that tip, Bob.
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The real-world answer is essentially none. Because you cannot control the app your newsletter subscribers will use to read it, they will probably NOT use Adobe apps. This means all bets are off on interactivity. Some, perhaps more than half, will view on a phone or tablet where this stuff doesn't work even in the Adobe apps. Basic links may be OK, but that's it.
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Good point.
I should have mentioned that almost all will be viewing on a laptop using Adobe reader.
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Using Adobe Reader won't make any difference to the interactively, such as animations, you seek to use. Just simple hyperlinks will work.
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If you're considering trying InDesign Publish Online, have a look at this excellent online video tutorial (you can get 30-days free access):
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Thanks for the suggestion, Derek. I will definitely check out that tutorial.
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The things that will work in iPDF:
- Anything that is a hyperlink (web, but also goto page, TOC, index etc.)
- Hide/Show button actions
The rest will not work in iPDF.
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You can have a word or words or an image in an Interactive PDF (such as a button shape) as a document hyperlink to say another page in the document, or to an external website.
Some devices, for example, iPads, don't have rollover capability – only click – you should avoid multi-action buttons like On Click, On Roll Over, etc. Multi-state object (MSO) don’t work at all in an Interactive PDFs.
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Thanks, Derek.
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Thank you, Frans.