Are printing companies familiar with InDesign? 2

[booth21]

Have used PageMaker for several years, along with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce flyers and magazines. I am a volunteer doing this for charitable organizations. I am thinking about upgrading to InDesign but my printing company says that although they own the software, no jobs have come in, in that format and did not encourage me to get it.
I am curious about this because I prefer to be working in Mac's OS X. I wonder if Adobe will upgrade PM to be compatible with Mac OS X?
This is a great web site! I particularly liked Eggles response to the PageMaker query of Dec 25th. That answer was right on. I've been there!!

 

[newbian]

Good question... I was just coming to this forum to ask the same thing. Our printers have told us the same thing... that dont bother with indesign because its not out in the market enough. This boggles my mind... correct me if im wrong... if Indesign is a simalar program quark but deals with vector images why is the industry so hesitant to switch. I use quark alot and I hate it... mainly cause everytime I need to make changes to my vector images I have to go through to many programs.
Is it just because the industry is flooded with old school quark users who are to lazy to switch? or am I not seeing something? Would a program like this solve the problems of multitasking from various programs at once?
Now I would use pagemaker aswell but its not the greatest program and I find it very unstable... not to mention most printers in the area dont like it.
Word on the street is that Quark is not going to be compatible with macs new operating system... can this be true... will the industry be forced to change? or will quark come up with a plugin fast.

any thoughts?

 

[jimoblak]

The issue at hand is stubborness or a printer having equipment that is too old. As a refugee from a printer's digital prepress department, I found the goal was to push documents to the presses as quickly as possible. Expending brain cells to try new things is not an option for most printers.

You are in luck if your printer has at least purchased InDesign. I work with some printers that refuse to shell out the cash for it and I have to supply them press-ready PDFs.

There seem to be only two reasons not to upgrade to InDesign:
1) if your computer does not have the RAM/speed to handle it.
2) if you are entirely comfortable with PageMaker or Quark.

I purchased Quark 5 and ID 2 about one year ago but committed to switching to InDesign for a major project that suited itself to ID's capabilities. It cut the estimated project time in half.

I've used Quark twice in the last year for the sake of nostalgia and for the compatibility with another designer that has just now decided to switch to InDesign.

A commercial printer is shooting itself in the foot if it refuses to handle InDesign.

 

[booth21]

Thanks, jimoblak and newbian. Your comments are really very helpful and give me confidence. I am not sure what I will do.
I really like woring with this printing company and I know they will make an effort to work with me.
I went through such an agonizing process last spring putting together a 36 page magazine and had no idea this kind of suport was available. I will continue to read the comments on this web site.
Thanks to both of you.

 

[johnmacg]

If you think that InDesign is the way to go, but are concerned about your printer's understanding of it, why not buy anyway, but convert your documents to PDF before sending them to the printer. I've just bought InDesign after usiong (and continuing to use) PageMaker since version 1.0, and I certainly intend to go the PDF way. Almost all of my PageMaker documents are already delivered to the printer as PDFs.

It's possible these days that the printer's pre-press house will convert everything to PDF before outputting to film or plate anyway, so why not provide files as PDF in the first place?

 

[tomatej]

Interesting conversation. I just switched to InDesign few week ago and I´m like in haven. I use it just for my school works and the compatibility with Illustrator and Photoshop was what I was missing with quark. I was tired with all the workarounds and limitations in quark. I understand that it takes time to convince our grandfathers in printing houses to learn new piece of soft, but hope when I get out of the school in one year, it will be everywhere......
(nothing against quark, I like old Atari as well)

greets ...........................Mtj

 

[PixelMasher]

The printer I work for uses it and has been for quite a while. If you need any more information on how your files should be set to go to your printer with your Indesign files contact me.

I've work with the files and have no complaints. The problem is that alot of Desktop people at printers just aren't experinced with it yet because probally alot of their client base isn't using yet and the company hasn't gone out and purchased it yet. In the last 3 months alot of out client have been using it and I expect alot more to switch to it.

PrepressSolution@aol.com

 

[tomatej]

Hi Bodes,
are you talking about American or European market? ...don't take it too seriously

 

[PixelMasher]

Tomatej,

American Market - - We've been working with Indesign for a few years now at the Jersey shore! A few of our clients were using it a year ago and now all of sudden alot of our clients are using it. When we have open houses and seminars for new clients, they always ask if we have Indesign. We also have attracted new clients because we are one of the few printers in our area that work with Indesign.

Bodes
PrepressSolution@aol.com

 

[lgrillo]

Booth21,

If you think it might help I can ship your printer a copy of the Service Provider Toolkit for InDesign. We put a comprehensive packet of information together especially to help print shops who are unfamiliar with ID get up to speed quickly and without problems. Over the past few months the number of service providers taking ID files has grown in leap and bounds. It's a ground-swell and it just keeps getting bigger!

Here's my email: lgrillo@adobe.com

Hope this helps,
Lynn Grillo
Application Specialist
Adobe Systems

 

[Rick7425]

I work for a yearbook printer and we are moving to suppport InDesign with a full curriculum and summer workshop tutorials >> the result: high school kids across the country will be learning and using ID to produce school publications.
As a company, we'll be ready to work with all types of publications; as a rep, I'm trying to stay just a step ahead of the kids because I know they will be blowing the doors off the program very quickly. That's why I am checking out this site. . . any tips and tricks for InDesign appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[abagail07]

Your printer is a fool. I work for the largest printing company in the southern hemispher, and we love Indesign. It makes Quark (including 6) look like the peice of crap it is. Here people are running screaming from Quark to InDesign for all manner of reasons.

Also on a related point, why are you sending native files to a printer, all modern printers prefer PDF by a mile, our whole workflow is PDF based, and InDesign makes it so easy to create "clean" PDFs that print with ease, one of the posters above is correct it's all about getting the work through and PDF is not the future, it is NOW.

Viv la revolution.

 

[Jjane45]

Interesting discussion...
East Asian printers are getting headache because the most up-to-date imagesetter is required to output InDesign 2 generated postscript/PDF files using Asian characters for the new core lauguage it uses (something like this...), but here in the States and Europe, it's not even a problem! Can't understand... InDesign is not even too hard if you're already familiar with PageMaker~~

 

[thombathe]

I work for a large printer in the Mac dept Indesign came in very slow maybe 2 jobs a year, now we get it a lot. If you know Pagemaker, Quark and Illustrator then Indesign is a wolk in the park.
As far as what program to use I would go with Indesign your printer will use your files because if he wont there are a lot of us out ther that will.

Thom@thombathe.com

 

[booth21]

This year I used Indesign for a 3 fold flyer and am currently working on a 48 page magazine. I sent the flyer to the Printer as a PDF file. I don't remember whether they used that format or used the Indesign program directly. Any way they are definitely on board with Indesign.
Indesign is the most straightforward, beautiful program I have ever used. I am sure it is great for professionals, but it is also just wonderful for amateurs like me.

 

[thombathe]

Sending PDFs to your printer is fine but remember your printer can not fix files that are wrong, bleed problems, fit problems, low res images. It is best to send everything, Indesign file, images, fonts and art. This way if there is a problem you have the option to fix it or have them fix it. This will help keep your deadline.

Thom

The longest jounney starts with the first step.

http://www.thombathe.com

 

[Kliot]

I do printing both domestically and overseas and find it interesting that printers I use in Hong Kong are familiar with Indesign and have no problem using it. On the other hand many printers in the US seem unfamiliar with it or reluctant to accept it and only want PDF files. This may go back to thombathe's comment, my printers in Hong Kong have no problem making adjustments to documents where as US printers seem to want me to make all changes and re-submit the document.

Perrin

 

[msyasemine]

Hi,

I have a question. I was wondering was there any tips that you could tell me when using pagemaker for a magazine?

Thanks so much

 

[jimoblak]

msyasemine:

1) go to the PageMaker forum.

2) focus your question ->do not ask for the meaning of life

- - picklefish - -

Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[BrwnSugaa]

Hi Booth,

I noticed that you're working on a Magazine, that caught my eye. Not only you, but everyone in this forum has brought up a lot of great points. I love this place!!!

By chance can you help a sista out? I'm just learning ID, pretty glad I didn't even bother with PM or Quark Express. I am currently working on an approx 30 page entertainment magazine and would love to get with someone who has experience in this area. Only if you don't mind.

brwnsugaa