Exporting Final PDFs from InCopy: Yes, With Gotchas
Many users want to know if editors — the InCopy users — can use the program to create “final” PDFs of the InDesign layouts they’re editing. I don’t mean press-ready PDFs for a commercial printer (they’ll leave that up to the InDesign users); but the “straight to DVD” ones that are going to be distributed electronically, such as a PDF version of a newsletter or white paper that people can download or attach to an email.
The answer is yes, BUT. There are two gotchas that I know of, built-in trade-offs: High resolutions photos get dumbed down to medium-res JPEGs, and all interactivity is stripped out. It makes no difference if the images or stories with hyperlinked text are editable to the InCopy user or not. Why does Adobe hobble InCopy output? I really don’t know, it was a decision their engineers made long ago. I wonder if anyone over there remembers, actually.
Images in InCopy PDFs
Vector graphics (Illustrator or Corel Draw-like) are fine, as is type, since that’s also vector. InCopy exports those elements as paths with fills, which are by nature resolution independent. That is, they’ll print at the highest resolution your device can manage; and if you’re looking at them on a monitor, the preview will appear as sharp as the type, even as you zoom in to 4,000 percent.
It’s only the raster images (scans, photographs, Photoshop art) that InCopy modifies on output. And not just outputting to PDFs, but also when you print to the office printer.
You can see the what InCopy does to your images quite easily, if you have Acrobat Pro. Open up the PDF in Acrobat and find the Output Preview tool/dialog box, part of the Print Production tool set. Select the Object Inspector preview in the dialog box and click anywhere on the page. The dialog box tells you all sorts of information about the page objects where you clicked, including resolutions.
Take this simple one-page layout for example. The large image of the shop’s storefront was a Photoshop file that had an effective resolution (after scaling in InDesign) of 532 ppi. That’s what the Links panel showed in both InDesign and InCopy. But after InCopy had its way with it during output, the picture is now 150 ppi. (click these two images to enlarge, then click the Back button to return).
In contrast, if I click on the large drop cap “H” (which is not art, it’s a character from a font) or on the vector drawing of the fall leaves, the readout just gives me path and fill information, resolution does not apply.
Now, 150 ppi is not bad, I mean, it’s twice the resolution of most web site images … it’s medium resolution. Your PDFs might look just fine with medium-res photos. But you know, it would be nice if Adobe mentioned this in the Help file somewhere.
Goodbye, Hyperlinks
The other gotcha is that InCopy strips out any interactivity that might be there, like buttons or links or page transitions that the InDesign user may have included. I don’t know why it can’t even support simple text hyperlinks, like the one in this caption that says “hot chocolate” (and links to the chocolate company’s web site).
I added the hyperlink to the text in InCopy, as you can see in the first screen shot, but when it’s opened in Reader or Acrobat (second screen shot), the formatting remains but it’s not longer a hyperlink. I’d have to re-do it in Acrobat.
If InDesign can include hyperlinks when it exports a PDF for print (which makes no sense, but it does save making a trip to a different dialog box, as David ranted about recently), why can’t InCopy? Another question for the ages.
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My own future husband so i are usually fairly within pictures, the pup above myself, however , pictures for the marriage is really a the main agenda. The two of us concluded that people preferred a kid who can be great at becoming frank shots, for myself, I desired a person who includes a superior perspective (for instance imaginative with the manner of filming). My own future husband Ricky, found themselves choosing IQphoto so i ended up being genuinely content with the operate on their site.
In the future as we decided to encounter Frederick along at the school, i was proved practice albums in a wedding that Alex (what individuals i was sent to about the deal i was interested in) hit in your community and place a wedding, so i was only amazed. I actually realized I desired he so that you can fire the marriage around May. Certain they might be for the greater lead to relation to its the prices, nonetheless very good for which you will get. I suppose it’s absolutely worth their expense understanding you’re getting amazing photos to your wedding.
To your most time time, Ricky contested about whether or not to just take traditional wedding photos. With some prodding in my small element, people thought they would join to have Alex fire the wedding photos in addition, and tossed that within the undoubtedly ordered marriage deal (wedding fire is undoubtedly reduced should you choose each marriage and wedding with each other) . We actually just have the 1st visit yesterday evening so i have a great deal of exciting. Don’t people were built with a possibility for interact with Alex as we happen to be along at the school since he was chaotic, well, i has been a smaller bothered it would be upsetting, however , child ended up being I actually wrong. Alex is definitely experienced, easy really going, were built with a commonsense and also funny, and great at having debate to make usa really feel not as much upsetting prior to the cameras. Certain it was a bit irritating to begin with intended for my personal future husband so i, nevertheless it really was only mainly because people have not been for sure where to start. Though as being the morning left on, basically received natural, plus more exciting during the trip.
Alex was able to make usa have a discussion, giggle and appreciate our-self a lot, a skill level to get a superior photo snapper. Just what exactly left them with an idea to do ended up being information on how innovative it was in the pup to offer to separate up 6hr picture visit within A couple of (3hrs every one) following discovering the moment there were allowed to remain. Our own intentions were to have part of typically the visit around East Sea, also, the better half from the town, all completed in a single daily time. Though once the 1st 3 periods in filming around East Sea, Alex offered for my family to look at better half about at a later date and we need not put things off around site visitors (in which should/does be counted within the time everyone course). Opinion, who was incredibly innovative, mainly because we have now more of their time to try photos at many different venues around SF free of misusing at least an hour of it just escaping furthermore there. Walking out to going out of typically the wedding fire emotion just like Spa were built with a exciting, and enjoyable morning with the help of my personal future husband and then a friend. That is definitely information on how relaxed Alex helped me really feel.
After a fire, people expected to have a few photos once again straight away and we will start having the save-the-date charge cards now, as well as to the amazement, Masha e-mailed Them all back up in usa in one week! I was incredibly delighted by merchandise belonging to the wedding fire, rather than a single article these are incredibly open by using e-mail so that you can my personal future husband, moreover yet another in addition! Ricky so i scarcely have superior photos collectively mainly because one among usa can often be at the rear of the digital camera, well, i was fired up to discover a lot of amazing photos people collectively. Any photos that Alex got happen to be incredibly genuine, imaginative and of course have nearly all pools candid’s, what I was searching for.
After a 1st wedding fire and seeing the last solutions, Now i am eager for your second wedding visit with the help of Alex, and in the morning fired up to own the pup fire the marriage around May. Let me come up with any change post once the marriage!
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Hi, this may be a stupid question, but will incopy cs4 work with indesign cs5? Or will it works only with the same versions?