9 Replies Latest reply: Sep 29, 2009 4:25 AM by dtpartner_Suzz RSS

    End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book

    Darcy Magratten

      Hi,

      When I add documents (chapters) to my book document, the last page of each document (which is a left page) does not seem to combine with the next page (right page, chapter opening) when I export the book as a pdf. I'm concerned that the same thing will happen when I send this to print.

      How do I configure the book file so that it will end up being a continuous series of spreads, not intermittant individual pages where chapters begin and end.

       

      With thanks,

      DM

        • 1. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
          RodneyA Community Member

          Generally when you send a flle to print you don't want spreads, you want pages. The printers will impose the pages depending on how they're printing the job, which depends on things like press sheet sizes and signatures that you probably shouldn't worry about, since the printers should control that. When you say you'll "send this to print," do you mean sending it to a commercial printer? or are you printing on an over-size computer printer that can do an entire spread at a time?

           

          If you HAVE to have this in spreads, there's are probably work-arounds, but I'd need to know more about the project to know what's worth trying. Cross-gutter bleeds? How many pages? etc.

          • 2. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
            Darcy Magratten Community Member

            Hmm.... interesting. I have always supplied my book projects in spreads and the printer does the imposition -- and yes, this is going to a commercial printer. I guess I meant to hand it off to the printer all in one form or the other. Since there are many crossover photos, if I change the documents to single pages now, I assume I will need to duplicate the images where needed. The book is 224 pgs.


            Thank you,

            DM

            • 3. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
              P Spier CommunityMVP

              I think you are misunderstanding. You should design your book in consecutive facing page "Reader's Spreads" so you can see what the reader sees. You deliver to the printer as an ordinary consecutive page PDF, no spreads involved at all.

               

              That's what you should get when you export to PDF. I suspect you are checking the "spreads" box in the mistaken idea that the printer needs two pages together to work. If you do that, you'll make it impossible to impose.

              • 4. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                Darcy Magratten Community Member

                Thank you. That makes perfect sense now.

                DM

                • 5. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                  Darcy Magratten Community Member

                  One other question.... about the crossovers. What happens to those? Does InDesign automatically duplicate the image for both pages or should I be doing that manually?

                  • 6. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                    RodneyA Community Member

                    If an image spans two pages, Indesign will put the image on both pages for you in the resulting PDF. Try it out.

                     

                    When you're working to the edge of the page like this, you'll also need to set a "bleed" (talk to your printers, but usually somewhere from 9 to 18 points).

                    • 7. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                      P Spier CommunityMVP

                      As long as they aren't on the master page (there's currently a bug) they should be fine, but how is this being bound? If it's anything but saddle-stitch you might want to consider splitting those spreads before you export so you can add some bleed in the gutter.

                       

                      Copy the image that crosses the spine, then paste in place. Crop the top one onto one page, the bottom onto the other -- no need to be real fancy at this point, just be sure you don't shift the positions.

                       

                      In the pages panel, select the spread, then from the panel menu UNCHECK allow selected spread to shuffle. Click away from that spread so it isn't selected any more, then click and hold on one or the other of the pages (only one should be selected at this point) and drag it away from the spine until you see a vertical black line. Release the mouse.

                       

                      Your spread should no be split, and you can select the images and adjust the cropping at the gutter for the bleed. Don't forget to include the bleed in the PDF.

                       

                      Peter

                       

                      Edit: You know, I'm not sure where my head is today. Just exporting with the bleed, as Rodney suggested, is going to work just fine.

                      • 8. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                        RodneyA Community Member

                        Well, I guess I'd first try exporting as pages (with appropriate bleed 

                        settings) and look at the resulting PDF file. I doubt you need to 

                        duplicate images (Indesign should do that for you when something 

                        appears on both pages), but I'm not experienced in that since my pages 

                        don't bleed across the gutter. If the pages look good, talk to the 

                        printers and see what they think. I always supply PDF files as pages, 

                        since they need to be divided apart to make signatures anyway.

                         

                        A work-around (one which I don't particularly like, but it might work) 

                        could be to add a "dummy" left-hand page to each chapter opening to 

                        create a well-behaved spread. You'd need to manually override the page 

                        numbering to keep the numbers accurate. Place the last page of the 

                        previous chapter on that new first left-hand page to get your spread. 

                        Then when you create a PDF file from the book, you'll get that last 

                        page twice, and you'll need to delete the first instance. I know, it's 

                        ugly, but it could work if nothing else does.

                        • 9. Re: End of chapter/beginning of new chapter combining as spreads in a book
                          dtpartner_Suzz Community Member

                          Darcy, it is a bug in CS4

                          Check this thread Print/Export book as spreads

                           

                          Please report it as a bug! The more users send a bug report, the bigger chance that it will be taken serious.