In this InDesign how-to video, Mike Rankin shows how to create a flatplan—or book map—to keep track of pages in a long document, like a magazine. He demos how to print the organized spreads to PostScript, then turn that file into a PDF that can be easily shared and viewed. Lastly, Mike explains how to combine multiple documents into one flatplan using InDesign’s Book feature.
Subscribe to the CreativePro YouTube channel for more helpful design tips!
This article was last modified on May 29, 2025
This article was first published on February 7, 2025
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
Leave a Reply
I open the PDF and then print as mulitples – and fiddle with the # of pages per page to tradeoff with legibility. It was so easy with Quark! (Last century reference there.)
Thanks, Elizabeth. That’s a great method because anyone with the PDF can do it. No need for working files, fonts, etc. Wish I mentioned it in the video.
Thank you for this article
I must be missing something…why do you have to make a .ps file first? I can print spreads/thumbnails directly to PDF. We do that when designing our (24-page) Annual Report, so we can circulate for general layout approval before the real design starts (i.e. we make a storyboard).
I’m curious how you to do that. There is no Thumbnails setting in PDF Export.
Not via PDF Export, but in the Print dialog box. Set the printer to PDF. Under General check the box for spreads. Under Setup click the box for Thumbnails, then pick a preset from the dropdown box.
ID has been able to do this for many years, and it’s been a godsend. Before that, we used to have to Print to Postscript, then convert that .ps file to PDF — basically the same way you describe in the video, but through the Print dialog box.
Interesting. There is no option to set the printer to PDF (I can only choose an actual printer or PostScript) and if I try to use the Printer settings to choose PDF I get an error: “The Save as PDF option in the Printer dialog is not supported.” Maybe it’s a Mac vs. Windows thing, or I’m not looking in the right place.
That’s really strange. It’s been an option as long as I can remember (Print dialog box, second field “Printer”, hit the dropdown arrow and Postscript is the first option, Microsoft Print to PDF and Adobe PDF are the last two options. Either works.) Maybe you’re right and it’s a Windows vs. Mac thing? IDK, but I’d be really curious if another commentor could add more color around this…