Nadya ([info]nadya_lev) wrote,
@ 2008-05-07 02:51:00
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Adobe InDesign Questions, Mac vs. PC


Graphic designers! Can you help me with some burning Adobe InDesign questions? And please speak up, even if other designers have already done so - I've heard both answers to some of these and I guess I just want to hear as much input as possible.

1. You have an InDesign project that was done on a Mac. You want to open it on a PC. Assuming that you have all the correct fonts installed on a PC, would you still run into font issues? I know that if you open a Flash file that was made on a Mac on a PC, you run into baseline shift issues with the fonts. Does this happen with InDesign as well?

2. Assuming there are some problems like the above... if you open an Mac-originated InDesign project on a PC strictly to make alterations to the text, and then transport it back to a Mac, will it export properly (into a PDF) on a Mac? In other words - if I want to use PC InDesign strictly for spelling/grammar corrections of a Mac-originated document, will it come back to the Mac all warped?

3. Let's say you have large images and you want to resize them to make them smaller for a layout in InDesign. Is it OK to use InDesign to resize the image, or must it be resized inside Photoshop and then imported into InDesign?

Whoever takes the time to answer these questions: thank you so, so much. I am a complete InDesign newbie. Someone made an InDesign file on a Mac, and I need to edit the text copy on my PC. If anyone has any insight into this process... please help!

For everyone who was completely disinterested in the above, I have also posted a picture. :)

Concept/Art Direction: Mil Von / Mother of London
Makeup: Melanie Manson
Prosthetics: Jenn Rose
Hair: Holly Jones
Model: Pia Kaamos

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[info]lucylle
2008-05-07 10:06 am UTC (link)
1) Justo to be sure, I'll try to use fonts that are ttf. Some fonts can cause issues between Mac and Pc mainly because there is a file type for Mac and another for Pc.
I'd also save the document as an INTERCHANGE file rather than a simple indesign document...

3) You shouldn't have any issues, as it's routinely done.
However, if the scale is more than 150% or less than 20% I'd use photoshop and reimport.

Hope this helps!

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[info]nadya_lev
2008-05-07 10:10 am UTC (link)
Thank you so much! I am not sure what fonts are bing used on the Mac. TTF definitely, maybe OpenType and PostScript. (I think those are both Mac formats as well as PC?) I know that there are some formats that only exist on one platform or the other, but I always forget what they are.

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[info]fb
2008-05-07 03:32 pm UTC (link)
I know Mac can use ttf and OpenType and I'd be shocked if it can't handle PostScript, Mac OS has made a lot of advances in native PostScript compatibility over the last couple versions. /Library/Fonts is where Mac OS keeps all of the systemwide fonts, you can either look at file extensions (in the Finder, Finder menu->Preferences->Advanced to show file extensions) or Get Info for individual file fonts to show the type. Data Fork TrueType Font (.dfont) or Font Suitcase (no extension) are the Mac-only font types you want to look out for.

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[info]nadya_lev
2008-05-07 10:12 am UTC (link)
If a file was not originally saved as INTERCHANGE, can that be done?

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[info]lucylle
2008-05-07 12:40 pm UTC (link)
Yes, it just saves differently as a second file (kind of like when you save a PSD as a TIF file: you get two different files). Also, if you have different Indesign versions, Interchange will help...
I had CS2-CS3 file issues solved by the interchange format: basically, I run CS2 at work and have CS3 at home so I could bring files home to complete but couldn't open them at work since you can't apparently save as Indesign version CS2 from a CS3. Exporting the file as Interchange enabled me to go back and forth from the two versions without hassles.

If I were you, I'd try two different routes, just to double check... I'd save the indesign as INDD and INTERCHANGE, then compare the two versions on the pc with the original one on mac.
;-)

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[info]pixie_fae
2008-05-07 10:09 am UTC (link)
1. I have run into some issues with handing over a indesign file to a pc however...its easily remedied, one of the first thing it does is the "missing font" box which you can choose your font substitue in there...unfortantly centuary Gothic on mac and pc are seen as different fonts and as such whenever we handed the file over from one designer to another we had to run through this but it only takes a second. We had no issue with the baseline shift however...

2.as i stated above we had no issues with baseline shift on mac and pc....don't know if it was by fluke...but it was the first time i had to use indesign over quark and i fell in love with the natty piece of software.

3.I resized in indesign and had no issue...

hope this helps, i have used indesign to do work catalogs, but i am no means a expert...

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[info]nadya_lev
2008-05-07 10:15 am UTC (link)
I like InDesign as well. It's just such a difficult program to master. And as far as Adobe Flash goes, Mac-PC issues have been the bane of my existence. They are troublesome enough with a program I know by heart, so I am terrified of it with a program that I've only begun learning.

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[info]mr_gone
2008-05-07 11:14 am UTC (link)
ive not used indesign much, but as a general rule, resizing within a program can cause output issues in terms of resolution, more so if you are enlarging the image as it still remains the 300dpi at the size it is intended ... the larger the images is resized the lower the resolution is when printing, hence possible risk of pixelisation ... eg if you enlarge it 200% a 300dpi image outputs the same as a 150dpi image would at the size you enlarged it to ...

or i think thats how it goes lol
ive been working for the last 12 hours, my mind is fried

good luck
b

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[info]stygiandeath
2008-05-10 01:32 am UTC (link)
Hey Brent!
Just out of curiosity, what do you use instead of InDesign? Do you not do jobs that require it or use another app?

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[info]mr_gone
2008-05-10 02:33 am UTC (link)
hey mr

i tend to live in freehand most of the time, which i really should stop doing for large publications, however as all of the templates ive created are freehand based, it seems a bit too time needy to change over ... my printers keep telling me to go to indesign lol

b

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[info]stygiandeath
2008-05-11 02:29 pm UTC (link)
Freehand! I miss freehand, I can understand the illustrator preference in a way, but seriously, freehand rocked (past tense) my world! Admittedly only used it for vector based work but InDesign is damn cool - and "Quick" once you are used to it, But, you have to spend the time getting used to it first! ;) Being an ex pre-press guy I can see their point, but if you're exporting it right then it's basically no hassle!

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[info]mr_gone
2008-05-11 11:48 pm UTC (link)
ahh yep yep, ive pretty much used all of them, started with freehand and quark, then went to pagemaker and freehand, have used indesign a bit, but havent looked into the font to path/outline issue properly, really should do so soon lol

b

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[info]piscis_lj
2008-05-07 12:14 pm UTC (link)
I have run into a problem going between mac and pc if the versions of indesign are different. It involved any eps files shifting in their frames for no good reason. We always worked around the font issue by asking the designers to convert text to outlines before sending over the indesign file, though I don't think that will help you out here. I think you will be fine as long as you have the fonts installed and use the fine font option.

good luck and great pic! Love the art.

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Answers!
[info]zakueins
2008-05-07 01:48 pm UTC (link)
As somebody that had to fight with Macs at school, and use my home PC to do any "real" work on any InDesign projects, it shouldn't be a problem as long as you're using any of the later CS programs (CS 2).

There shouldn't be any problems, but PC does sometimes rename fonts and/or use fonts that the Mac doesn't use-or vice versa.

And, you can do some rough resizing of images in InDesign.

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[info]violatekate
2008-05-07 02:17 pm UTC (link)
i know nothing about indesign :(

the picture is awesome, though :D

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[info]marauderautarki
2008-05-07 02:22 pm UTC (link)
I'm no graphic designer, but I've had to wrangle with InDesign a fair amount as it's one of the standard newspaper publishing programs these days.

In my experience (writing on a PC and sending it in to a paper that used InDesign on a Mac), there was never any real problem, but the techies there cautioned me to make sure I used basic Word formatting for the text and nothing too esoteric font-wise (they preferred to add fonts, etc. in InDesign itself during the production process). I have no idea how shuttling the InDesign files themselves back and forth would complicate things, but it was something production went out of their way to avoid in how they had the process organized.

Hope that helps.

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[info]vivacious_g
2008-05-07 02:25 pm UTC (link)
I hope you get the answers you are seeking!

Photo is amazing. I so love your work, Nadya.

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[info]kylecassidy
2008-05-07 02:40 pm UTC (link)
i'm running Fusion on my mac book pro, and have windows XP installed on a virtual PC and am running the windows version of adobe so that there's no difference (if there is one) between my desktop PC and my laptop.

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[info]delia_deville
2008-05-07 02:50 pm UTC (link)
I work on both platforms all the time, using CS2 and CS3. I don't usually switch between the two, but when I do, it's to make small changes like you're talking about. It really depends on the font you are using, but with standard fonts you shouldn't have trouble.

You'll probably get a "replace" window to change the font but if you are going back to Mac, I'd hit "continue" and look at the job. Fonts that are missing are highlighted in pink so you can see if they look about right or not. A really standard font should look good enough to make corrections, even if the fit is a little different. I would check layout things like hyphenation on the Mac.

I've never had any problems going back to a Mac after opening on a PC. I just transfer the file (not the fonts/links) and open it, then transfer it back. The .inx conversion is really just for switching between CS2 and CS3, so you shouldn't have to do that if you have the same version on both platforms.

I don't have an answer for you on the last one because I don't usually work on the print side of things. But to make up for it, I will share my favorite discovery: how to do a hanging indent in InDesign. Put the cursor on your first line where you want the paragraph to indent. Hit Control/apple plus "\" and it will align the rest of the paragraph to that point. I work with translations, so I heartily wish all designers would use this handy-dandy little tool.

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[info]mb2u
2008-05-07 06:17 pm UTC (link)
Can't help with your problem, but I <3 the photo.

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Love your work.
[info]animeoni
2008-05-07 07:39 pm UTC (link)
Yeah Pia!

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[info]biotronic
2008-05-07 07:50 pm UTC (link)
По вопросу №3. Все же лучше делать уменьшение/увеличение размеров (более/менее 30% от исходных размеров) изображений в Фотошопе, так как в Индизайне эти операции приведут к "замыливанию" изображения, потере резкости. Поэтому рекомендую изменять размеры в Фотошопе и уже для данного изображения в 100%-м масштабе делать нужную резкость фильтрами Фотошопа. Лучше всего выполнять операции для файлов в тех программах, которые для этого и предназначены: в данном случае доверьте обработку и изменение размеров только Фотошопу.

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[info]the_magdalene
2008-05-07 07:56 pm UTC (link)
I can't help with 1 and 2 because I don't work cross-platform.
With Number 3 what I suggest you do is work in indesign and do whatever you want with the size of the images etc until the layout is right. When you are finished and artwork it to send to print you can see in the indesign links what size the image is (eg 83%, 124% etc) and re-size the links to match in photoshop. That way, at the end of the job, you don't end up with links that are bigger than they need to be (or even worse - too small!)
Hope that helps :)

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[info]josienutter
2008-05-08 12:30 am UTC (link)
Woah, very cool! :D

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[info]tequilazaire
2008-05-08 12:33 am UTC (link)
Ah well the questions are already answered so I'll just marvel at the pretty picture. :D

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[info]ulorin_vex
2008-05-08 11:37 pm UTC (link)
i know nothing about indesign, but i adore these new piercing images :)

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[info]bobsully
2008-05-09 12:32 am UTC (link)
"For everyone who was completely disinterested in the above, I have also posted a picture."

Thanks! :) It is amazing as always. Love your stuff!

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[info]stygiandeath
2008-05-10 01:43 am UTC (link)
Basically, in my experience, the only issues I have really with InDesign is compatibilty (where using INTERCHANGE works) and Fonts!

The rule of thumb I adhere to is to keep all your fonts with you - on a portable hard drive or something, because you will always use them! Also if you are swapping between platforms, limit the uses to .ttf or mailny OpenType - this format was created for the specific purpose of being a cross platform font. Surprisingly, I have had some cases where the fnts have disappeared - and they still export to PDF fine, but in other cases you'll find they are low resolution or just not there if you don't have copies on your machine.

As far as image work goes in InDesign, usually you would be best to always work with high res images - generally you wont have problems, separations preview will give you a good idea whether something is going to look horrid or not, if in doubt, just make sure in photoshop that your image is a little bigger than what you need it and at 300DPI

Good luck with it all! I'm currently working out the datamerge function! :S Love the eye candy too!!!

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