Re: Fix CS3's Print Booklet !!

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

Hmmm, I thought I was able to workaround this Print Booklet problem a year ago when I last posted to this thread. Since then I've updated to the latest InDesign, and either it's my imagination, or it's worse than before (currently, 5.0.4 for Mac). Now it seems to ignore the fact that I'm trying to print spreads to postscript files. I saved a preset with Spreads checked in the Print dialog, I select it in Print Booklet, and supply the range of spreads to use in the signature (PS file), starting with 1-2, but instead, Print Booklet ignores the spread option and inserts blank pages. I guess I'll need to use Dave's script and create the booklet with appropriate spreads before using Print Booklet. Seems like I didn't have to do that before. You'd think Adobe could have fixed this broken workflow of Indesign after 3 or 4 CS3 dot releases.

[lark...@adobeforums.com]

the print booklet option in CS3 is much worse than how it was in CS2, especially when it comes to printing particular spreads. With CS2, you just had to tell what number spread to print and it did it. with CS3, you have to enter the page numbers for the front and back of each spread. I believe you also have to enter the page numbers in a certain order also or it will arrange them wrong. but if you just enter the two page numbers for the spread you want, it will insert blanks. Its really a mess but you get use to it, though it STILL sux.

I find it easier to just tell it to print the whole thing to a PS or PDF and just delete the pages you dont want in Acrobat Pro, especially if you have more than just a single spread you are trying to make

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks lark1000! I've tried printing a signature since it's ignoring the Spreads checkbox, by entering the range to print for the first signature as 1,2,87,88 (this is an 88 page magazine), and it appears correctly in the Preview pane of the Print Booklet dialog. When I print to a postscript file, then distill it to PDF and open that, it's only actually ading the left page of each spread, so I only get pages 88 and 2, not 87 and 1. I used to get all 4 pages this way, so it seems that the spreads option is ignored. The difference now is that I'm trying to use the Device Independent option instead of specifying a PPD, which seems to disallow setting up the paper size (should be Tabloid) and orientation..., so I guess it's trying to use 8.5x11, and can only fit one page of the two I've specified for each spread.

[Peter...@adobeforums.com]

try entering 2,1,88,87 instead and see if the page order, as Lark suggests, is the culprit.

Peter

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Peter, but that doesn't work either! It seems related to the fact that when you choose the Device Independent PPD, there is no way to choose the Print Settings... paper size and orientation, since all those options are dimmed. So, I guess Print Booklet assumes the paper size is the same as the setting in the InDesign document, which doesn't work for 2-up spreads (when you have to do the layout on 8.5x11 and then print on 11x17...). Maybe there's something I'm missing.

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

It's a shame one cannot choose a paper orientation and media size using the device independent PPD, but I guess then it wouldn't be truly device independent...

Found this workflow here:

<http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/5.0/help.html?content=WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-7053.html>

Create a device-independent PostScript file

Select PostScript File in the Printer menu, and select Device Independent in the PPD menu. A device-independent PostScript file has the following characteristics:

It is 100% DSC-compliant, making it ideal for such post-processing tasks as trapping and imposition.
All device and driver dependencies are removed, so that the file will print to almost any output device. However, special printer features found in PPD files, such as image exposure, available media sizes, and optimized screen frequencies, aren’t available in device-independent output.
The color output is always composite CMYK, but it also includes spot colors. As a result, it has to be separated in post-processing software, or at the RIP using in-RIP separations.
It cannot be trapped by InDesign; trapping must occur at the RIP, or in post-processing software.
It can only be printed to file (not directly to a device or application) from InDesign.
A device-independent PostScript file is ideal for composite prepress workflows, where the file will be trapped and separated later in the production process, such as during imposition, trapping, or at the RIP (if the output device supports in-RIP separations).
Choose File > Print.
In the Print dialog box, for Printer, choose PostScript File.
For PPD, choose Device Independent.
View or change existing print settings. InDesign uses the current page range when creating the PostScript file.
Click Save.
Specify a name and location, and click Save.

[Peter...@adobeforums.com]

Are you really gaining anything by printing to Postscript and distilling instead of printing direct to Adobe PDF where you have access to controls?

Peter

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

It seems the same to me, but it's requested by the printer, who is beyond my control. That's life, as they say...

[Peter...@adobeforums.com]

Call the printer and ask. Often this is a request they make because they are used to dealing with files from Quark which was notoriously bad at exporting PDF. 9 times out of ten you can even send an exported PDF using the PDF/X-1a preset and they'll never even know it wasn't distilled.

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

That's good to know, thanks Peter! Unfortunately, I don't have direct access to the printer, he's helping through a third party...and the third party is very busy and not very responsive, but I can't complain since it's all volunteer help! Anyway, it turns out it was the Device Independent PPD that was causing me grief. I got a workaround using a PPD for a compatible printer, so I hope it works for them.

[lark...@adobeforums.com]

I was thinking the same thing. Quark is a pain to get to export to a PDF properly, heck its a pain to get it to print on paper the way you want! Pagemaker with me, i can never trust fonts to come through properly on other computers from the one it was made from with PDF's it makes. With Office programs, it never wants to embed fonts unless you do a PS though I believe Publisher is a little better about it.

I never realized PS files were meant to be sent to other people to distill. I figured they had to be distilled from the computer that created them

I dont remember the steps i go through when dealing with the device independent setting but I thought there was some option for Print to Size or something like that, making the PS to print in whatever size the file is thats sent to them

[plume...@adobeforums.com]

That'd be cool if I could use the Device Independent PPD, but this project is finished, so maybe in a few months (it's a quarterly magazine).

[Stephen...@adobeforums.com]

If Print Booklet isn't doing exactly what you want:

Booklet CE (a script) creates a new, 2-up, imposed InDesign document. From there you can export directly to PDF, or print to either device-dependent or Device Independent PS, or print directly to any printer. Handles page-spanning objects properly, and can optionally add printer marks. Mac and Windows, CS1 through CS4.

Contact me (see website) if you have any questions or problems.

Technically shareware, but you can use it free of charge indefinitely if you don't mind a bit of occasional nagging.

<http://products.carlsenenterprises.com>

- Stephen

[Hanna...@adobeforums.com]

dave - i am not a trained designer but self taught. i have a file that print booklet cannot handle for some reason, so wanted to try your script. i run vista and i dont understand how to get the script to work - i'm stuck at "to access the script use view/automation" - where? and what happens next? sorry!

[Peter...@adobeforums.com]

Hanna,

You must copy the script into one of the script locations that InDesign uses to store them. Typically users install scripts for their own use in their user profile under ..[user name]\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\Version 6.0\en_US\Scripts\Scripts Panel, but you can put them in the application scripts folder instead and they become available to any user with access to ID.

The fastest way to find the scripts folder is probably just to open the scripts panel, then right-click on a script and select "reveal in Explorer."

Peter