Newbie help

[robnickel]

OK, here is what I’m doing. I am helping a friend put together a magazine. I am using Photoshop, Illustrator and In Design CS2. I understand Photoshop very well. I do not know much about the other programs. Here is what I’d Like to know:

I need to design some standard size ads. Do I use Illustrator or In Design for that?

Is there a standard size for overbleed in full page ads? My pages cut size is 8.5x11

How do I add Registration marks on the ads like I’ve seen in layouts before? Is there an industry standard for this?

How do I convert these to pdf’s and are pdf’s what I want to paste into the final layout.

Other than CMYK and 300 PPI is there anything else I should do to images before importing them into my layout?

I will need to layout “magazine style” does that just mean choosing a number of pages in the saddle stitch mode?

How do I get the pages to automatically number themselves?

How do I get text to flow from one box (say a column on page 3) to another box (Say a whole page on page 23) and is there a way to make it automatically say “continued on page 23”?

How do I put reg marks on the final layout? Do I make the pages on a 12x18 layout for an 11x17 final product that will be folded in half with some full bleed pages?

Do I handle color separation or will that be done by most printers?

I know this is a lot of info to request and I REALLY appreciate your help.

Rob
fam5cents@aol.com

 

[jimoblak]

It may be wise to grab a 'Visual Quickstart Guide' from Peachpit Press or the 'Classroom in a Book' from Adobe.

Your questions would be answered in these books and in the online help of InDesign, the ideal app for this multipage project. You can use Illustrator for individual ad design.

 

[apepp]

>>> I need to design some standard size ads. Do I use Illustrator or In Design for that?

Illustrator would be more that suitable for this, import to indesign as native .ai format

>>> Is there a standard size for overbleed in full page ads? My pages cut size is 8.5x11

Bleed is commonly set to 3mm around all edges of a page.

>>> How do I add Registration marks on the ads like I’ve seen in layouts before? Is there an industry standard for this?

Reg and crop marks are normally created upon printing the file or exporting to pdf, this is set in the print or export dialogues. illustrator has a option under the 'filter > create > crop marks' if you need this function too.

>>> How do I convert these to pdf’s and are pdf’s what I want to paste into the final layout.

From illustrator you choose the 'save as' command and select pdf from the drop down menu. Choose the 'press quality' setting as a starting point. Place pdf's in indesign using the 'file > place' command. In Indesign two tools (the white arrow and the black arrow) are needed to adjust the imported images.

>>> Other than CMYK and 300 PPI is there anything else I should do to images before importing them into my layout?

Native photoshop PSD is a good format to keep in if your images have layers. Alternatively use EPS or TIFF.

>>> I will need to layout “magazine style” does that just mean choosing a number of pages in the saddle stitch mode?

In Indesign choose facing pages and enter the number of pages you think you will need, usually divisible by 4 e.g. 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 etc, etc...

Covers are typically designed in another document of 4 page facing pages. Enter 5 pages with facing pages on, in the pages palette select the 4 pages under page 1, right click and choose 'keep spreads together', then delete page 1.

>>> How do I get the pages to automatically number themselves?

Place a text box on your master pages (pages palette) in Indesign, put the text cursor in the text box, right click got to 'insert special character > auto page number'.

>>> How do I get text to flow from one box (say a column on page 3) to another box (Say a whole page on page 23) and is there a way to make it automatically say “continued on page 23”?

Each text box can be linked using the box at the bottom right of the text frame.

>>> How do I put reg marks on the final layout? Do I make the pages on a 12x18 layout for an 11x17 final product that will be folded in half with some full bleed pages?

Crop marks are placed when printing from indesign in your print setup dialogue, choose custom page size and turn crop marks on under 'marks and bleeds', enter the bleed allowance here too if not already done so in your document set up.

>>> Do I handle color separation or will that be done by most printers?

Your print providers RIP will handle the color seps. Before sending off to the print provider, run a preflight of the document found under the file menu in Indesign.

All the best with it!!!

Andrew

 

[PanelMaker]

If you want the crop marks in the file for some reason, say your laying out multiple ads on a page and don't use / want to use a page layout program, you can always use the rectangle tool around the artwork and go to object > crop area > make and it will add crop marks around you graphic / ad / whatever. this can be done multiple times on a single page.