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• • June 2, 2010 at 4:55 am #55883
    DamienGirard

    Participant

    Hello, I am new to InDesignSecrets, I just found the site a week ago, and I was really glad to find it. I have been using InDesign daily for the last 6 years, and am self taught (been using Adobe software since ’93, so it was an easy learning curve.) Before that I used the dreaded Quark Xpress for ten years. I am so much more productive now, I do not miss Xpress at all! Actually, it was me that convinced the rest of my company to switch to InDesign 5 years ago, which I converted everything we had over to it. We are now Quark-free, and will happily stay that way.

    I have a question regarding frames, and although it seems like this option should be a no brainer, I can’t seem to find an answer anywhere. Is there a way to designate a frame as sort of a ‘master’ frame, where anything that is placed within that frame, will be repeated into additional designated frames, even on other pages throughout the publication?

    I work in packaging design, but not designing the physical box – I have templates for that as they are all the same box dimensions. Basically, I work with the same exact packaging size every time, so I use the same templates that I have previously built. I only manipulate the graphics layout and placement, which over a dozen jobs a day are set up this way. The packaging I work on is 3 pieces, a base, a cover and and 2 – 4 internal boxes (all different die sizes) for each job, and each piece will have the same logo or graphics placed on it in designated areas. As it is now, setting up one job will have me placing the graphics on three different sides of the cover, one side on the base, and four sides of the internal boxes, at several different sizes – but always the same exact graphic.

    What I am looking to do is cut down the number of steps I perform when laying out packaging, by having this one ‘master frame’ place all the other graphics for me, in designated linked frames on all 3 packaging pieces instantly. If these frames could also be set so the content automatically adjusts to the frame size that would be perfect.

    Any help/advice anyone can give would be really appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Damien

  • June 2, 2010 at 5:46 am #55884
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    Many people have asked for “symbols” or something like that to accomplish what you want. However, the only good solution at this time is to place that artwork in an InDesign file, then place that InDesign file with the artwork into the InDesign file you're working on. (Yes, you can place one INDD file into another; it acts like a graphic.) You can place the same artwork multiple times.

    Even better, you could just use the LayoutZone script from automatication.com to automate the conversion of your artwork into a layout zone and then duplicate that.

  • June 2, 2010 at 6:25 am #55886
    Anonymous

    Inactive

    Perhaps I'm not following the question very well…

    But you can give the graphic frame an object style and you can have fitting options there.

    Then I'd just use the Links Panel to relink to another folder that holds the graphics for this.

    You could set up your “blank box” as Template file and then use that (as Templates open as Untitled) and then redirect the links to another folder?

    Would that be sort of what you're after?

  • June 3, 2010 at 11:55 pm #55916
    Roland

    Member

    Damien, would it work to set everything up as a data merge? Unless I'm mistaken, you should be able to specify the locations for logos, other images and text in the template file along with object, character and paragraph styles pre-defined on the items' frames and then load up a new data merge source for every job.

    Unless setting up the data source file is as time consuming as it is to place everything manually, that would be the option I'd look into.

  • June 4, 2010 at 7:24 am #55926
    DamienGirard

    Participant

    Thanks for all the replies & suggestions, I am hoping to get a chance to try them out soon (I have been swamped.) Maybe I'll venture into the office tomorrow AM when it is quiet & no one realizes I am here ; )

    Hopefully one of them can help me accomplish what I am setting out to do. I am always tryign to streamline my process & save time. So far, InDesign has been a huge help in this area! I still think that what I am tryign to do should be a simple task in InDesign (Adobe, are you listening?)

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