Help combining InDesign files 1

[davidkx]

I have a question regarding how to combine Indesign files

I have 3 files, one numbered I-XV, one numbered 1-100, and a third numbered 101-200 (auto numbered)

all files have various text boxes and photo boxes. Can somebody tell me how to combine the 3 files into one complete file?.

 

[jmgalvin]

The have to be combined in a book: File menu/New/Book.

When you get the book window you add documents. Clicking on the triangle at the upper right give you your option. There are too many to discuss here.
One doc cnas be made the prime one and others can inherit styles from that doc - sort of like a master page. Renumbering and repaginating are also supported..

This take a little learning so consult ID help for instructions on creating books.

Once your book is assembled, it does not become one ID doc, the docs in the book remain separate but numbering, etc is changed.

A book can be preflighted and packaged like an ID doc or it can be exported to pdf or can be printed.

 

[jimoblak]

If the documents are the same physical page size, you can also combine them into one INDD file with copy/paste. The different numbering schemes can be handled in the pages palette.

...but the 'Book' method is probably easiest for these existing documents.

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

 

[davidkx]

I am trying to combine all the document into one. When I select all, I get the text and graphic boxes of only one page. How can I cut/paste all of them together at one time?

 

[jmgalvin]

You can't. You have to put in one page at a time or make a book.

If you want to give all documents in a book the same general appearance, disignate which doc you want the others to inherit from and use that - see Help for more info on books.

If you have master pages in the ID, you can determine which of the 3 dos's style you would like to use. then open that doc, select a page that contains all elements from the master, select all and copy. Paste that page into each og the other docs and designate it a master. Then have all pages in each of those 2 docs to inherit from the master. Now all 3 docs will be the same and you can put them in a new book.

 

[davidkx]

THANKS TO ALL.. What I ended up doing is pasting all of the text into continuing text boxes then pasting in the graphics one spead at a time.
Time consuming but it did what I needed

 

[jimoblak]

You can't. You have to put in one page at a time or make a book.

There is no need to subscribe to jmgalvin's can't do attitude.

To copy multiple pages from one document to another:

1) tile your windows.
2) select the pages that you want to copy from the source document in the pages palette.
3) drag the selection from the page palette over anywhere the target document.



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

 

[jmgalvin]

To JimOblak:

I've been trying to figure that out forever. I tried your suggestion and it worked. Did you just fure that out? Your earlier post did not mention it. I could never find it in any Help or "how tos".

After trying this, I think I'd suggest that someone start with a new, 1 page doc as target. and copying the stuff from the pages pallette of each doc that they want to combine into the new one. The only reason for that is to save from having to delete pages if you mess up. Trying your method I did foul up at first.

 

[jimoblak]

You will find that many of my posts here are me just pulling things from my bum. It is only a miracle that the fluff that I mention actually works.

The only problem with this drag technique is that I have never been able to get the pages to insert in any particular place. They always need to be shuffled later.





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