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• • November 14, 2014 at 2:39 am #71630
    Andrew Hails

    Member

    I’m sorry for asking such a basic question on here but i’m a major rookie, learning Indesign via Lynda.com which is excellent but i wanted to check a couple of simple principles?

    I have been asked to create an A4 brochure style document in landscape which will ultimately run as a PDF on a lap top screen.

    It will also likely need to be printed off, potentially as a book format?

    My questions are:

    1. Does it make any difference if i were to design it in A4 or A3 in terms of viewing it on screen or to allow for printing off or or should i only ever keep it at the size required, i.e. A4. Or does it really matter as i can get final exported PDF to print from A4 to A3 etc?

    2. If i set it up in ID for on screen viewing with consecutive, non book format pages, how should i go about handling the change to allow for the document to be printed in A4 back to back book format, i.e. to include back to back pages and enough space for wire binding or similar etc

    Thanks for your help?

  • November 14, 2014 at 2:52 am #71631
    Barry Monks

    Participant

    Hi Andrew.

    The PDF can be A4. It can be re-sized as you wish in a displayed in browser or viewer. The important thing is to embed the fonts so they enlarge properly.

    You should set the document as individual ‘facing pages’ for print. When you make the PDF, export it as ‘spreads’ so each pdf ‘oage’ is actually two facing pages.

    When you set the margins, you can specify a wider ‘inside’ value to allow for the binding.

    Hope this helps.

    :o)

  • November 14, 2014 at 2:59 am #71632
    Andrew Hails

    Member

    Thanks Barry for such a quick reply, could i just check, if i create the document in the 1st instance for screen viewing in individual pages, do i just create another version of this in ID file then amend the page set up to change to facing pages with the required margins for binding?

    Will this still retain the integrity of the original layout?

    Thanks

  • November 14, 2014 at 3:26 am #71633
    Barry Monks

    Participant

    I would create the print version [facing pages] first. Presumably you will create a PDF for the print version. This would need crop marks if there is any ‘bleed’ [images extending right to the edge of the page]. You can then create the online PDF either as single pages or spreads. The PDF settings will allow you to dispense with the crop marks.

  • November 14, 2014 at 12:41 pm #71664
    Tom Venetia

    Member

    Andrew, your question was replied already, but there is another issue to consider:
    Whereas you can create a low resolution PDF (72 or 96 dpi) for the pages that will be visualized on the laptop’s screen, the same file will print poorly on, say, a desktop printer. For that you would need a 300 dpi PDF.
    Since I cannot visualize your project this is just a kick in the dark: to overcome such problem, the page(s) on the laptop should carry a link for downloading a 300 dpi PDF.
    Tom
    Further thought: remember that the American standard for printing paper is not the same as that in Europe (A4, A3, etc.) So if your public for printing is American you should choose letter size instead of A4.

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