Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hi all,
So I'm currently making multiple versions of the same advert for a product all at varying sizes and layouts.
Because I often need the same elements over and over and I don't want to have to have a folder with up to 10 INDD files when one will suffice... I am making each advert as a new page in my InDesign file and using Liquid layouts and master pages to modify them.
However the problem arises (particularly with slug areas) that visually speaking I don't need the same amount of slug/bleed for each layout...
I.e. an A5 advert doesn't need the same amount of Slug area as an A4...
Whilst for this particular project the bleed isn't such an issue because its all for magazine artwork (max size of a single page A4). I have another project coming up where it would be more of an issue.
So I want to know if its possible to have different slug and bleeds for all the liquid layouts and If not:
Many thanks,
Eternal Warrior
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hi Eternal Warrior​,
I think it cannot be done since bleed is a document level setting. I would be interested to know if it is otherwise
One close workaround can be to set the bleed at max value. Then you can specify the bleed as appropriate rather then "use document bleed settings" when exporting. You can export the .indd as .pdf and then explore the Crop PDF pages in Adobe Acrobat DC options? (Bleed box)
-Aman
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hi Eternal Warrior,
bleed and info area are document properties and not page properties.
That's still true with InDesign CC 2017.1 .
I do not think that this will change in the foreseeable future…
What's also missing with Liquid Layout is that with resizing the values for the page margins are also resized.
It would also be wonderful if the baseline grid could be defined by page and would be resized as well.
So go ahead and submit a feature request.
For now export to PDF, open the PDF with Acrobat Pro/DC and change the values for bleed there.
Regards,
Uwe
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Ok thanks Laubender (Uwe) and amaarora (Aman). I will go ahead and submit this as a feature request along with your suggestion about the baseline grid.
In the meantime I will leave this thread open and see if anyone else has any other ideas or knows more just in case.
Do you have any solutions for the immediate slug box issue?
Best wishes,
EW
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
My $0.02 worth.
Liquid layout and alternate layout are half baked features that were originally intended for DPS layouts. It never worked properly and for my money, they are more trouble than they are worth.
When I need multiple layouts, I’ll duplicate a page and use the page tool to resize it or just save it as different documents.
Of course with all things, YMMV.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Was trying to avoid having "unnecessary" extra InDesign Documents - Particularly for archiving purposes. But thanks for your input.
Haven't heard YMMV for a while! I'm assuming this still stands for Your Mileage May Vary?
Best,
EW
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I.e. an A5 advert doesn't need the same amount of Slug area as an A4...
I assume you are exporting individual pages, so the slug dimension would be scriptable.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Generally speaking It would be individual pages for final versions but there are exceptions.
Also in the interest of improving communication in the pre-approval stages this would often be packaged into (or back into) a single PDF where applicable.
Best,
EW
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
When I make advertisements I create an INDD with the maximum of bleed and slug which would be required. Upon export I reduce the bleed to the requirements of the publisher. So I don't change the bleed in the INDD, only in the export settings.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I can understand how this might work with bleed settings but surely not for the Slug if that is required?
The Difference between slug on an A5 and A4 surely looks dramatic?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
What is the purpose you need the slug for? I need it normally only for information for the printer which is important for production.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Well typically - aside from information for the printer - I like to include some information about when that document was made and last modified and by who and any exact CMYK values if required etc... because the files can get passed around a lot and sometimes get sent internationally to other companies/manufacturers we work with.
It's also good for archiving purposes this way because even if someone edits the file and therefore changes the metadata etc normally they leave the slug alone.
Best,
EW
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
A script could also temporally change the slug size during the export—it could set the slug, export the page, and reset the slug to it's original dimensions. If you are using OSX I can post an example AppleScript.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
The script sounds like a good idea. I think it's pretty unlikely that a request to create a custom slug size would be make it to the top of feature requests with the product managers.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Here's the AppleScript with annotations:
---------------------------------
tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
-------------------Display a Dialog ----------------------
set lw to 250
set myDialog to make dialog with properties {name:"PDF Settings"}
tell myDialog
tell (make dialog column)
tell (make border panel)
tell (make dialog column)
tell (make dialog row)
set PresertList to name of every PDF export preset of application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
make static text with properties {static label:"PDF Preset:"}
set myPDFPresetDropdown to make dropdown with properties {string list:PresertList, selected index:3, min width:lw}
end tell
tell (make dialog row)
make static text with properties {static label:"Slug Size"}
set slugEdit to make measurement editbox with properties ¬
{edit units:points, edit value:0, maximum value:1000, minimum value:0, small nudge:1, large nudge:10, min width:90}
end tell
tell (make dialog row)
make static text with properties {static label:"Page"}
set pageNum to make integer editbox with properties ¬
{edit value:1, maximum value:1000, minimum value:0, small nudge:1, large nudge:10, min width:50}
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
-------------------Display Results ----------------------
set myResult to show myDialog
if myResult = true then
set PDFPreset to item ((selected index of myPDFPresetDropdown) + 1) of PresertList as item
set slugSize to edit value of slugEdit as string
set pn to edit value of pageNum as string
else
return
end if
destroy myDialog
-------------------PDF Save folder-----------------------
set doc to active document
--set pn to document offset of active page of active window
set myFolder to (choose folder with prompt "Please select an Export Destination") as string
set myFileName to name of active document
set thePath to (myFolder & myFileName & ".pdf")
-------------------Save preferences for reset-----------------------
set docviewprefs to properties of view preferences of doc
set docprefs to properties of document preferences of doc
-------------------Set the slug and Export-----------------------
set properties of view preferences of doc to {horizontal measurement units:points, vertical measurement units:points}
--include slug & bleeds, and set the page number
set properties of PDF export preferences to properties of PDF export preset PDFPreset
set properties of PDF export preferences to {page range:pn, use document bleed with PDF:true, include slug with PDF:true}
set properties of document preferences of doc to {document slug uniform size:true, slug top offset:slugSize}
export document 1 format PDF type to thePath
-------------------------------Reset Slug----------------------------------
set properties of view preferences of doc to docviewprefs
set properties of document preferences of doc to docprefs
end tell
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Rob,
Not tested but seems very cool! [Time to go to sleep!]
Thanks!
(^/)
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hi,
Rob is right! Slug is scriptable!
In this video, I've 4 docs without slug! The script creates them!
So, we could imagine a script that will create a slug [1] depending of the page dimensions and export the page 1 to pdf, then modify this slug [2] and export the page 2, …
(^/)