10 Replies Latest reply: Jul 30, 2010 6:30 PM by Scott Falkner RSS

    Need guides to remain when exporting to eps

    Userbak610 Community Member

      I have to set up a book template in ID (CS3) with page numbers, etc. and export to pdf in order to be used in AI (CS3) for a template. I need the guidelines from the ID file to export and remain as guidelines when opened in AI. I can get the lines for the guides to export, but when opened in AI they are regular lines with no fill and a stroke, I need them to open in AI as guides...how can I do this?

       

       

       

       

       

      Yes I know this is a crazy method and no I'm not going to change the workflow, I don't have time to go in to why.

        • 1. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
          BobLevine CommunityMVP

          You're right about one thing...the whole thing is crazy.

           

          But you can select the lines in Illustrator and right click and choose make guides.

           

          Bob

          • 2. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
            Userbak610 Community Member

            Yeah I know that.

             

            But that requires opening 70 pages individual (which is what I am afraid I will have to do). It's too bad ID doesn't have an option to export the guides as guides.

             

            I should add that I would have exported each page as an eps, but when I do so and open my file in AI then the page orientation changes...grrr!

            • 3. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
              BobLevine CommunityMVP

              Well you also know that if you need to create Illustrator templates you should be doing it in Illustrator, but yeah...I know, you don't have time to go into that.

               

              Bob

              • 4. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                Userbak610 Community Member

                Fine, I'll go into it...the short version...

                 

                 

                I setup books for my boss and his (other) company. I have the creative suite at work and he only has AI at home. So I setup book pages in a template for him usually in ID so it's easy to create one document will all the page numbers in stead of 70 separate pages in AI. Usually I am the one taking his client's files, adding page numbers in ID, setting them up into one file and exporting as a pdf and sending that to the printer. But since it's the weekend my boss wants 70 pages already setup as a template in AI, and he is very particular on how they are setup. So that he can take it home and set it up himself this weekend. (why my boss won't take his copy of CS3 home and add it on his computer there I do not know).

                 

                So essentially I need 70 AI files numbered sequentially with a specific font style for the page number.

                 

                I know I can do this in Acrobat but it doesn't add the information I need exactly right (I can't remember why, but it didn't work out right...I think it had something to do with setting it up as a footer and the gutter would not allow me to move it into the right place).

                 

                I should add that these books I do are usually a night mare. The customers are churches so they do not have art people to create good artwork. Most of the stuff I get from them are word or power point docs that are usually printed low res. So asking to change some work flow for something like this is not easy, it is what it is and I am trying to make it get done the easiest hassle-free way that I can.

                • 5. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                  BobLevine CommunityMVP

                  So, you're telling me they do books one page at a time and in CS3 to boot?

                   

                  You have my deepest sympathy having to work this way.

                   

                  Bob

                  • 6. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                    Userbak610 Community Member

                    They do each page separately in word or powerpoint and give me pdfs then I bring those to ID. I get the lovely task of making backgrounds transparent, changes to text/font, putting them in book format, etc. It's one of these jobs that I can't refuse. It's a side job I do while at my work (so I get paid for both) and being for churches they use the resources they have instead of hiring someone to do it right or buying the software.

                     

                    Anyway, I just did the pages one at a time. My boss tells me to set them up the same way we did the last book. I let him know I am done and he says he wants the font size 11 pt instead of 12 pt like last time.

                     

                    Anyway, it's all done. But if anyone can find a solution to this I would greatly appreciate it for the future!

                     

                     

                    If you think this is bad...I'm waiting for jpg artwork for a Playbill that I have to setup!

                    • 7. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                      Scott Falkner Community Member

                      These people are idiots. What a tremendous waste of time and money, just to save a few buck buying InDesign or full Design Suite. You should follow Christopher Lloyd’s advice (skip to 2:45).

                      • 8. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                        Userbak610 Community Member

                        LOL Scott, I couldn't agree more!

                         

                        Honestly, if I could convince them to setup each page in AI then wait and let me add the page numbers in ID it would save a hours worth of time. But they want each AI file to have everything on it. And I always end up making change after change to little things on these books. Bad thing is that I don't really do any of the design portion of these jobs, it's just all little setup things here and there. But the pay for it is decent for it and it doesn't usually take me long to do, just tedious.

                        • 9. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                          Joel Cherney Community Member

                          I don't know anything at all about scripting in Illustrator, but would it be possible to write a lines-to-guides script? That way, whenever the final file spec was changed on you at the last second, you'd only have to regenerate the EPS files and then run a script that would process an entire folder at one go.

                          • 10. Re: Need guides to remain when exporting to eps
                            Userbak610 Community Member

                            I dunno scripting either. But it would have to be a script to convert guides in ID to guides in pdf or lines in pdf to guides in AI.

                             

                            For some reason when I setup a blank document with nothing but a page number sequence in ID as portrait, when I export it to eps it changes to landscape when I open it in AI (must be a CS3 thing).