Re: Overprint colour swatch script

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 08, 2023

William Campbell from Mars Premedia may have a script to suit you: https://www.marspremedia.com/software/indesign/change-overprint-indesign Note that this will only work on objects made within InDesign (e.g. any overprints within placed graphics will remain)

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 07, 2023

Can it still be accessed via Quickapply? (e.g. command+return [mac] or ctrl+return [win]) to call up the quick apply panel and then type the phrase "generate qr code". This might solve your issue in the short term at least. Similarly, if you draw a rectangle with your black arrow tool, can you then right click to call up the contextual menu to get to Generate QR code? Another workaround in case it's needed.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 06, 2023

I think it would help if you could include some screenshots to assist your description. So you have a black object in the background, and a PANTONE 871 object in the foreground (i.e. above the black object) and you have been asked to make the PANTONE 871 object overprint the black object, correct? This is how it should look without overprint; and this is how it should look with overprint That is actually correct. InDesign treats all inks on-screen as if they were transparent, but PANTONE 871 is opaque, meaning it won't blend into the colours below it. It doesn't look right on screen, but so far as colour separation is concerned then the behaviour is correct. However, setting colours to overprint isn't something I generally ask people to do during the design stage - this will be something that I do as a prepress operator in order to get the job to print appropriately.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 06, 2023

In addition to the styling information, there is one "behaviour" to look out for. If selecting a frame with a table in it to update or replace the table, I found from time to time an unwanted character style pollutes my table. To avoid this, make sure that - when nothing is selected - the character styles panel is set to [None], and then select the frame containing the table to update.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 05, 2023

Could it be that the style override highlighter has been toggled accidentally?

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 04, 2023

GREP styles won't add or remove characters - they will only apply formatting to selections. I agree that GREP searches would be appropriate. But you would need more than one. I'd suggest a few GREP tools that will help: first is this script that allows you to chain many GREP searches: https://creativepro.com/chaingrep-grep-script/ then there is this script from Peter Kahrel that expands GREP capabilities, such as highlighting matches throughout the document to see if the GREP is finding too little or too much: https://creativepro.com/files/kahrel/indesign/grep_editor.html

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 04, 2023

I believe Marc Autret may have a script that assists: https://indiscripts.com/category/projects/PhysicalSize

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 03, 2023

I don't have a PDF or list of things I look for to submit to this post because any time I receive artwork, it is usually subjective of what will and won't work on a job by job basis. I can recommend using InDesign's own preflight panel, but make sure to make your own custom preflights as the ones that ship with InDesign don't check for much. VIGC used to have some very vigorous preflight preferences available via their website (it is in dutch): https://www.vigc.be/vigc-live-preflight-profielen/ There is an InDesign plugin called Greenlight from circular flow that I think is along the lines of what you're after. Link is here: https://www.circularsoftware.com/apps/greenlight.html but a video explaining how it works is here: https://youtu.be/lhNBsxdPrdY?si=gFRgPTc-TPNaS1J2 I did write my own "preflight enforcer" scripts so that users couldn't print or export a PDF unless their artwork passed the preflight checklists, but the script never gained much interest so I've shelved the project for now - DM me if you want to try them out. A link to the scripts in action is here: https://youtu.be/hffI_rHR9g8?si=zARke4vMWZw5hiSl&t=12 and apologies in advance for the attempts at humour in the video.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 03, 2023

There is an older article from creativepro that shows step by step how Hunspell dictionaries can be added. The link is here: https://creativepro.com/adding-hunspell-dictionaries-indesign/ It's a lot of steps though. It'd be great in future editions if the developers could make this easier.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 02, 2023

In your preferences, the checkbox asking about typographers quote will make a difference here. I've just replicated your situation. When checked on, the line comes through with a single left quote. If i turn the checkbox off and then toggle preview on and off, it goes to a straight quote. That said, if you want typographers quotes elsewhere BUT in this instance you need a single right quote, you will need to actually copy that glyph into Excel. This can be done from your contextual menus when you have a blinking text cursor in a textframe. From here with the new single right quotation mark inserted, copy the character and paste it into the appropriate place in Excel. When a csv is now exported, selected as a data merge source (with the typographers quotes on in preferences) this is what I end up with: The other way to do this is have two fields - one with the person's name, the next with the year. In your data merge file in indesign, you would have a line of text that looks like this: <<name>> ’<<year>> This way InDesign can control the formatting of the quote from here without relying on Excel parsing the data to a text only format which is then parsed again via InDesign's data merge tool.

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 02, 2023

I never made the claim that "this plugin will do the things in right way what i want". I've mentioned that there is another converter that I use which is Omnimarkz. The link to it is in my opening post. Be aware though that any converter (whether it is a PDF to InDesign converter, or online OCR converter such as onlineocr.com) isn't just going to "magic things into being" - the converters are limited to their programming. Given that you have thousands of these to do, perhaps can you expand on the brief you have to fulfil, just in case the community may have alternative solutions?

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 02, 2023

Data Merge doesn't have a "next record" feature like word's mail merge does with labels. To get the multiple record to work, you would need to enter one text field with the question, one with the answer, and then use the multiple record option, where you will be given rows and columns options. Multiple Record feature of data merge needs work by the developers. A longer writeup can be found here: https://colecandoo.com/2013/12/28/data-merge-multiple-record-madness/

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 02, 2023

Can't say I've used this plug-in. I do use Omnimarkz at work for various PDF to InDesign conversion: https://markzware.com/products/omnimarkz/

Colin Flashman · ‎Nov 01, 2023

If this isn't something that has to be done in InDesign, I'd do this in Adobe Acrobat if they are ever making their way to a PDF. Kasyan Servetsky has a step by step of how to do this here: http://kasyan.ho.ua/tips/acrobat/create_outlines_from_all_fonts_in_acrobat.html I'd leave it alone in InDesign as there may be a reason that the text may need to be adjusted, and InDesign doesn't have Illustrator's "Retype (Beta)" to convert outlines back to text.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 31, 2023

Did the frame have an object style? If so, the size and position of the object style could be changed. If not, are the PDF pages imported from one document or many? If it is one 800pp PDF placed into ID, you could use the multipageimporter script to import all pages at once on its own layer and to an appropriate scale. The script is here: https://github.com/mike-edel/ID-MultiPageImporter/releases

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 30, 2023

Does the same thing happen if - instead of using a csv, you were to use a tab delimited text file? Sounds to me that if you were to open the data file (not an original excel file but the csv file) in excel or google sheets that perhaps a comma has been confused with a field delimiter. I like to use tab delimited files because it is clear where one field starts and finishes.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 28, 2023

On a mac, this program has been a gamechanger - it's called default folder X - lets me go back to last known location (or others) really quickly: https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/index.html

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 27, 2023

A similar question was asked earlier today too. I'll still recommend the combo mambo script that can be found on the CreativePro site: https://creativepro.com/combomambo-script-updated-indesign-cc-2014/

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 27, 2023

Definitely not one of the new features of InDesign 2024. Kasyan Servetsky has a script that can do this in a way, worth checking out: http://kasyan.ho.ua/indesign/all/compare_two_documents.html Otherwise I use an application called Global Vision at work: https://globalvision.co/ - load the PDF original, and then PDF of the change, and it does a side-by-side comparison. Not cheap though, but definitely required for work I do.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 27, 2023

There is a script that will do this that is available from CreativePro.com - it is called combomambo. Description on how it works/where to download it is here: https://creativepro.com/combomambo-script-updated-indesign-cc-2014/

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 26, 2023

I've DM'd the original poster an answer which the moderators keep removing, and that is that I make a script that does exactly this. It's Data Merge to Single Records Pro from colecandoo.com.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 26, 2023

Bob Levine also suggests "reader is fine for commenting/marking up a PDF". I 100% agree and this is the method of round-tripping I suggest to my clients. This lets them mark up their comments using Adobe Acrobat Reader and then I can take the comments into InDesign using InDesign's "Import PDF Comments" feature (although I'm still using a plugin from DTP tools that does this a bit better) but this workflow seems appropriate. InDesign does have the ability to "share for review" since 2020 that posts the proof to an HTML page so that the user doesn't need acrobat and only needs a web browser. Has this been tried? If you want direct editorial workflows, as Bob suggests InCopy is another way to go, but other posters here may recommend Wordsflow or Docsflow by EmSoftware but haven't used these myself.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 26, 2023

Hello there. Scott's calendar wizard is awesome. For me though it did not do wall planners, so I came up with a script of my own. It can be downloaded from colecandoo.com in the scripts page.

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 25, 2023

There is a feature introduced into indesign back in May 2010 where exporting PDF/IDML was now done as a background task. However, I do not like this feature as I no longer have appropriate dialogs telling me that there may be an issue. There is a way to disable the background tasks and have the exports brought to the foreground like "the good old days" and this link describes the procedure: https://creativepro.com/a-new-workaround-for-that-pesky-background-export-issue/

Colin Flashman · ‎Oct 25, 2023

Unfortunately, no. I think there's confusion here with the added feature "File name suffix in JPEG and PNG exports" which is described as: Add suffixes like incremental numbers, page number, and page size while exporting to JPEG or PNG formats. You can distinguish and easily filter the same file saved in different sizes for different platforms or stakeholders based on the suffixes.

Colin Flashman · ‎Dec 31, 2022

I'd make a PDF of it from Powerpoint and then take that PDF and open it with the markzware omnimarkz plug-in, available from Markzware's website. This can convert a PDF to a variety of layout software formats, including IDML. The multipage placer is great if you are treating the PDF as images, but Markzware's converter will allow the text to be selectable etc. Full disclosure - I don't receive any kickbacks from referrals - just a fan of the software.

Colin Flashman · ‎Dec 31, 2022

Hello there. Sorry for the late response. I'm the author of the script. The "missing font" prompt can be a little too touchy in the free version, but it's a failsafe put in so that users don't inadvertently run the script and then have lots of results with font substitution. That said, email me via my colecandoo.com contact page to see about getting a version with the font warning toned down. Colin

Colin Flashman · ‎Dec 31, 2022

@Eugene Tysonthank you for the recommendation, I've been "off air" for a little while, so hoping to get back gradually. Onto the poster's question - data merge is great for anything that is one master, one record such as a business card, lanyard tag, direct mail piece. However, for anything that is one master, many records (such as a catalogue or a menu that you have there) a plug-in would be more appropriate. I've prepared a youtube video that can assist you if you want to attempt to perform an "inline merge" as they can't be done from InDesign without the assistance of a javascript or two; but the video also mentions several plugins which are more appropriate for catalogues. Full disclosure - I don't receive any kickbacks for the scripts/plug-ins mentioned in the video.

Colin Flashman · ‎Feb 23, 2022

I'd personally use a pattern like this one from either Adobe Stock or similar stock site: https://stock.adobe.com/au/images/security-envelope-background/68213720?prev_url=detail The aim of the graphic isn't to be gaussian style noise, but to obfuscate any details that might be in a carbon copy by being similar to what would have been put there by the original's author. I like Brad @ Roaring Mouse's graphic as it illustrates the concept well. That said, this feature may not be required if you ask your printer to "desensitise" the area that doesn't need to be on the duplicate, triplicate etc. This is done for no-carbon-required (NCR) forms that are in duplicate, triplicate or quadruplicate, and applied to all copies except for the original copy that is hand-written. So far as the printer is concerned, it's an extra plate that contains desensitising ink in the shape of the area that is to have the details not appear in subsequent copies of the form.

Colin Flashman · ‎Feb 15, 2022

Creation Date will show the date that the document was created. Modification Date will show the date that the document was last modified (or saved) Output Date will show the date that the document was either printed or exported to a file format. If you're using an InDesign document to prepare your client invoices and want the current day to appear on the invoice, but remain the same date once the document is saved (let's say it is saved as invoice 000153 and referred to later) then I agree with Manan - I'd use modification date; save the document, and then highlight the variable and right click and from the contextual menu, select convert variable to text.

Colin Flashman

Colin Flashman

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