If you’re printing over 1000 copies of a job, the printing company often require all the files used in creating the document. For this we use a process called Package which includes some Preflight steps to ensure that we have all the necessary files. We show you how in our Indesign training courses.
Go to File > Package. If you have potential problems in the Links & Images section you’ll see a small yellow triangle appear. This happens, for example, if your images are in the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour space. However this is only a problem if the job is being split into the four (CMYK) colour plates. If it’s being printed digitally (RGB) then it’s not a problem.
It’s always a good idea to check a few things with your printer before setting up a job: which Colour Mode should the images be in (RGB or CMYK), the resolution of the images (150 or 300 ppi), the file formats of the images (some ask for TIFF & EPS), whether they are happy with a PDF (if so do they have specific options) or do they require the original (raw) files, in which case you need to Package. These specifications are often listed in the printer’s Specs or FAQ sheet. If this is a problem we can either go into Photoshop and change the Colour Mode, then relink. Or just let the printer do it for us. They may charge us for this though.
Hit Package, then fill in some contact details and possibly notes on paper stock, etc. Then save the packaged folder to a location of your choice. This will contain copies of the fonts used, copies of the images you used, instructions to the printer and a copy of your Indesign document. In addition packaging also serves as a backup version for yourself; copy it to DropBox, an external hard drive, or zip the folder to email: right-click > Send to > Compressed (Zipped) Folder.
More tips and techniques can be found at Adobe user groups which meet regularly in most capital cities, and are free forums for designers to discuss topics and the latest Indesign features. See also many examples of our own clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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• Indesign add hyperlink