Open your pdf in Illustrator. If it opens fine, outline the fonts. Ask them what version of illustrator they use and save a copy to that version. ... View more

As well as a screen shot of what you would want to accomplish, a screen shot in Word of what you are given with the spaces, tabs and returns showing. That said, I don't know why GREP couldn't be used to apply paragraph and character styles automatically, or Bob's next style suggestion, etc...but without screen shots that is hard to be sure of. ... View more

Oh, one more one more thing... Are you using a vehicle template? On some side graphics, just the accurate dimensions of the space to be designed to can be used. But I almost always have used a template. They can be spendy to purchase. And I have had to buy my own a few times. The other times the print establishment will provide them. ... View more

As for scaling images versus having a higher PPI dimension shot to work with, there are plug-ins for Photoshop and other image editors that do a better job in upsampling, such as PhotoZoom Pro (7 is the current version). These applications use technology that do a better job. But do note that they basically interpret where the extra pixels go and what extent in what areas. But we've likely all been there and have needed to do this. OnOne makes such software, as does PerfectResize, in addition to the mentioned PhotoZoom Pro. I have used them before and oen will do a better job than the others on any given image. There are also free software, but I only have used ones for Windows and of those, SmillaEnlarger does an OK job as long as the upscaling isn't too much to achieve the desired pixel dimensions. Oh, and one more thing. Likely the print establishment will desire the document color space and the images used to be in RGB format. The print devices will do a far better job with that as the color space. Color will pop better. Best of luck. Mike ... View more

You can do this with a bit of manual labor and using the InlineMerge script and using threaded frames...but I have no idea what your data is like, any design elements, the size of these postcards, etc. I also assume you are doing the printing yourself? Because if not, I would be wanting just a single page the size of the cards in reader order. I would then impose those on the max size sheet I wanted/needed to use. Waste from max-fitting issues is just part of the job. But I would arrange them as tight as I could. So here's a couple screen shots from doing the above suggestion: ... View more

If one is going to use a copy of the spreadsheet and add the image column, then do use two sheets. On one of the sheets, it would be the data as given. Add the column for the image path/name. Use a formula to read the appropriate field for the Feature column and add the name of the image appropriate for the requisite image. Data merge cannot use the value in the formula if I recall. But if you copy that sheet and use the paste button in the second sheet, one can choose to paste only the Values, which means that the formula is them just plain text. That in turn can be copied to a text editor and saved as a tab-delimited file that ID will make use of. One more thing, if you desire to avoid the whole individual frame for each record thing. There is a script for in-line merging. That will place the entire merge into a single frame that, depending on whether one is using a primary frame or not, will flow automatically, creating the pages on the fly. If you are not using Primary frames, then you would just auto-flow as per normal. Mike ... View more

This may be possible via scripting, so depending upon the answers here, you may wish to post in the scripting forum too. GREP can help with formatting depending upon the exclusive features, but it cannot add or remove data (I don't believe). So I don't know if that is a viable route or not. This is entirely possible using a merging plug-in such as InData from Em Software. A touch of a learning curve, but it is reasonably easy to write the conditional merge. I really never use ID's built-in merging except for forum help. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Mike ... View more

I use Windows, Cari. I only know what I read at the link. ... View more

From what I fathom, the variable technology behind this font was abandoned macOS Sierra should be able to download them via fontbook. There are 10 styles. Personally, I would just pick a different font. Fonts included with macOS Sierra - Apple Support click on the download link in the opening paragraph and it will take you to: Fonts available for download in macOS Sierra To download and enable any of these fonts: Open Font Book from your Applications folder. Select the font to download. Fonts available for download appear dimmed in the list of fonts. Click the Download button in the upper-right corner of the window, or choose Edit > Download. ... View more

I would think that if the master document had both style names, if you updated to add the one throughout the "book" and then deleted the other and synchronized a second time it would be removed from all of them. But then, I haven't tried to do this either. ... View more

Replace the spaces in the provided grep with the grep tab command. Copy and paste the grep into the grep find box, delete a space and use the flout to insert the tab string. Do it to the other spaces. Why isn't the excel file cleaned up so thus is even needed? If because it is now laid out, I would recommend doing it for the future. ... View more

Cool, re Acrobat DC. I'll have to upgrade. I'm using XI still, having been a bit put off by the new look. But that feature, presuming I don't need a calculator to figure out the scale, may well be worth it. Well, the pork butt I have been smoking today is ready to come off and rest. Food trumps a good online conversation anyday. I thank you for your indulging me. I've enjoyed it. I'd buy a life but I've done gone broke fixing this pig in a poke. Mike ... View more

Yep, CD has a limit on the size of Text. Dumb, ain't it. But then, once converted to curves, the sky's the limit in CD. What about AI? And then there's the fact that AI & ID can create a page size that they cannot really output and it's own cousin cannot display. What's the use of that? the PDF I produced was out of CD, a screen shot of which is below. And in one part of the process, Adobe products were used (but no harm came of them). Just like John H's mucking about with the OT Spec to "clarify" a couple important OT features (that AI/ID and others ignore by the way), me thinks the spec is long in the tooth and ought to updated to reflect reality. Then maybe, just maybe, Adobe et al could also work on updating their applications. Peace, love, dove and all that (just felt like I had to throw that in). Mike ... View more

Hmm. Don't know where to start. Sorry, just thick headed (especially as the day wears on). CorelDraw will gladly create a PDF that does not use UU. It can be opened in Foxit (and others) and it will display properly (dims and all). And if one knows the secret handshake, one can get Acrobat (here using XI) to simply display it properly...but that is still using UUs. The cap letters are 60" tall. As for complaints, I think we all know and most everyone accepts the 200" limitation. So we all simply use scaled drawings. In AI, that means one must draw at scale, calculate and deal with any bitmaps at scale, etc. It is a right pita. So much so that once upon a time I wrote a spreadsheet to do the calculations for the office. So for the above 432" H "drawing," in AI I would do it at 25% scale, then size bitmaps accordingly, etc., etc. The spreadsheet I would hand to whomever would be like... But in CD, if I needed to comply, I would design at 100% size, then grab everything and scale it down to the 25% and make everyone happy. It is by far the easiest approach that doesn't require hand-holding. But if AI, CD et al would just add the UU for over-sized work, it would be a good solution--though I still believe if Foxit can display it, Acrobat could. Mike ... View more

Hello Dov, Without changing the UUs, a larger than 200" pdf can be viewed in other viewers, such as FoxIt and others. Which is why I use the term arbitrary. Now, viewing isn't even half the battle and so by your statement of it not being a valid PDF, would it still image from a viewer capable of displaying it? I know Mac has received a 64-bit version of Acrobat. When will Windows see one? Thanks. Mike ... View more

Hi Dov, And how does one, inside the application interface, turn-on/set the UserUnits (of which I am fully aware)? And why does this even need to be done? Surely this seemingly arbitrary 200" limitation could be lifted. It largely affects Adobe PDF viewing technology, but other viewers can read/display a PDF without setting the UU to grater than 1. Not that it can be seen in Reader or Acrobat, though. I suppose that the AI team could manipulate that UserUnit value without the need to distill or have a UI switch. But why should either (app setting of UUs or distilling) be what is necessary? ... View more

Doz, I wrote: I have been producing, first, PostScript files for ripping and once PDFs became a thing, PDFs made from "Non-Standard" software since 1989 Sorry if the statement confused you. But do read the first sentence again...the 1989 thing was just when I started this madness and at first I was producing .ps files, and once PDF became "a thing," I have used PDFs. Clear as mud? And yes, having worked as a contractor at a couple pre-press houses in the early 1990s, it has always been true that garbage in = garbage out. There were other ways to have moved forward re the rapid changing in OSs. And those two companies (Apple & Microsoft) are still trying to break things every other week. Adobe could have opted to, like some other companies, chosen to fix current and one major revision back under perpetual licensing. CC was as much about accounting methods as it was seeking a viable method of moving forward with the changes in OSs. But it made the choice we all have before us and from a business person's perspective I am perfectly fine with that. We all make choices that affect ourselves and our clients. Tis business. I do use Windows so OS changes that the affect older software I use happen slower due to Microsoft's dang backward compatibility bent. It's a blessing and a curse. And I am aware that one day CS6, QXP 9 et al will not run or run like PM6 does on a modern computer. And that's OK to me in some ways, not so much in other ways. But it is what it is. Which is also why I keep upgrading everything else--just like I would have with ID & AI. And as I did write above, if and when I get an ID job that requires CC or even my OS requires it for a job, I'll gladly rent for that month or two. To be honest, though I have done work for large publishers and the pharma industries since CC, I have had only 3 or 4 jobs that required it. Else CS6 products (and even back to CS5 for those companies that have never upgraded themselves) have been what is asked for in return at job's end. Best regards, Mike ... View more

Re Ventura. Nah, it's not OTF aware. These are pre 2002 files being ported to QXP and ID. But along that vein, VP did/does things that neither Q or ID can do. One step forward, two steps back. It really was the best application for long documents. It's been kinda a joy using it again. In a one dinosaur to another kinda way. Re large format. Since the early 1990s, of all the large format print jobs I've done, I've only seen AI listed as a preferred native file format once. They've all been sent PDFs from my side of things anyway. It's interesting to me the inquiry that the AI team has been running for a month or so. It's about changing AI's 1990s approach to art board size to accommodate large format work. But someone needs to get the Acrobat team on board too. ... View more

@Bob, thanks. And yeppers, if I needed to use ID CC for a job that paid even OK, I would do so. While I don't like the lack of a perpetual license, it wasn't my business decision to make. I also believe that Adobe handled the situation, the change, very poorly. But again, how it happened wasn't my decision. @Randy. Nah, there are not more options per se, there are fewer. Stop paying and no access. Whereas before, as long as the OS will run a perpetual license, one has unfettered access. Heck, I have a couple dozen Ventura files to finish converting and am running CVP10 on a Windows 10 computer. So unless Microsoft changes something  my perpetual license CVP ... and my CS6 ... allows me to work on these projects without further payment. I would have gladly continued the 18-24 month upgrades as well. For either application, that is obviously not gonna happen. As for "universally accepted across the commercial industry," well, I don't know if you have worked in the large format industry, but 9/10 shops I have dealt with curse AI files universally. Same goes for its PDFs, but especially ID PDFs. Same goes in some other industries. "Non-Standard" is a joke. I have been producing, first, PostScript files for ripping and once PDFs became a thing, PDFs made from "Non-Standard" software since 1989. In the early 1990s I was producing 2-color Pantone gradients using a paper-white monitor that ripped just fine. Er, not made with Adobe software. It all can work just fine--the exception being what the client dictates. And if that is a CC version of ID, so be it. We've come full-circle to Bob's point: I'll just happily rent at that point. Otherwise I'll just keep using my "Non-Standard"software along with CS6 products. It's less outlay for me, and, unfortunately, less for Adobe as well. Mike ... View more

That's a bold blanket statement, Bob. I had 2 open heart surgeries in 3 years. There were some tough financial times during the years prior and through those 3 years. (Which is one reason I stopped participating as an MVP a few years ago.) Heck, for that matter, I'll never recover financially. Because I was so unstable, I found other layout people to take over my larger clientele and many of the smaller regulars. But I also needed to contribute to the household finances. And I did so using QXP and other Adobe alternatives for the simple reason I owned a license for them. I could not have done so using CC for both financial reasons and continued access of former work. My situation wasn't unique. And there are a myriad of other circumstances wherein one could not afford to rent and continue being productive in a lowered capacity. But that doesn't mean one could not, nor should not, continue in a business avenue one knows. The fact is, there are viable alternatives to subscription-based software. It's easier when one is a contractor with dictates as to what to use & whether the work needs returned in a specific format. But even so I have found that most clients were happy with me using perpetual licensed CS6 products for the insistent ones and/or QXP, etc <--and most of the newer clients I picked up didn't care. They just wanted the work done. One of the points made in this thread was about that a subscription is akin to the cost of a cup of (Starbucks, etc.) coffee. And that's true. But then again, some of us don't piss away money at such places, choosing instead to make our own coffee (or whatever beverage). It is a choice. The choice is whether to expend money without control every month/year or to have some semblance of control over the expenditures. In any case, there is life post-CC. And these days, I'm (mostly) happy just for life itself... ... View more

You can always do a competitive upgrade to QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress 2017 Competitive Upgrade Promo then there is Scribus, which is an OpenSource application. Though I wouldn't recommend it but if cost is a concern, it is a viable product once one gets their head around the use of the thing. Every time I use it for the single client that specs it, I dread the work. Mike ... View more

I haven't used InCatalog. But are you sure it doesn't have the capability of formatting the prices sans currency marker? I thought it did when I last looked at it. If it were me, I would shoot Chris or their technical support an email and inquire. Mike ... View more

Yes, I should have included a screen shot of my import options...thanks, Loic. I do all XML work in an XML editor prior to import, so I never use that option (I leave it unchecked). Mike ... View more

The linked ZIP contains an ID CS6 file and an XML file. Take a look at what I did. If/when you have questions, just feel free to reply to this thread. I come around a couple times a day--usually. Mike Dropbox - forumPost.zip ... View more