Chicago InDesign User Group

Meeting Notes Archive

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Using Vector Graphics and Illustrator® 10.0 With InDesign® 2.0

Subzero (minus thirty) conditions didn’t prevent enthusiastic user group members from converging on downtown Chicago to attend the year’s first meeting of the city’s InDesign user group. The meeting was held at Capps Digital University, and featured a presentation by Charlie Townes, who teaches at the facility.

Illustrator 10 & InDesign 2: “Dynamic Duo”
Download a copy of Charlie Townes’ presentation

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You can also download the supporting files to try the examples yourself. Files are supplied in ZIP (.zip) format. They can be extracted on both Windows and Macintosh platforms using most popular archive extraction utilities.

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This meeting concentrated on how to deal with vector graphics using InDesign and other applications, such as Adobe Illustrator and FreeHand. Some examples of other vector graphic file formats include PostScript (PS), Encapsulated PostScript® (EPS), Portable Document Format (PDF), AutoCAD (DWG and DXF), CorelDRAW (CDR), Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), and Windows Metafile (WMF).

The main presentation given by Charlie Townes (and frequently interrupted by Andrew Strauss) dealt with many of the issues involved in using vector graphics in InDesign; icluding when to use InDesign’s built-in vector tools, placing different file formats, and using the copy-and-paste method. It was an open-forum style meeting, which allowed everyone to get involved with the conversation. The following questions and topics were brought up:

What’s the difference between pasting and placing a vector graphic into an InDesign document?
When copying objects between Illustrator and InDesign, what is the difference between using the AICB and PDF clipboards?
Which vector file format should I use: AI, EPS, or PDF?
What is vector transparency and how is it supported in Illustrator and InDesign?
What do PostScript 3015, PDF 1.4, Acrobat® 5.0, Illustrator 9.0, InDesign 2.0, and Photoshop® 3.0 all have in common?
What’s so special about the PDF file format, and how does it relate to Illustrator?
What’s the difference between TrueType, PostScript Type 1, and OpenType fonts? How should that affect my work in Illustrator and InDesign?
Under which circumstances should I embed typefaces into a vector graphic file? And what does subsetting mean?
How should I save files in Illustrator for best compatibility with InDesign?
As a graphic designer, how can I best set up my files for my prepress provider and/or service bureau? And how can I make sure my designs will print properly?
As a prepress provider and/or service bureau, what type of instructions or requirements can I give graphic designers to ensure quality output without sacrificing their creativity?

The meeting was dominated by lively discussion covering many topics, including the differences in opinion between graphic designers and prepress providers. It was eventually agreed that these differences would probably continue to exist for the foreseeable future.

Our session ended with a raffle of goods, including texts and training materials on Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and typography, as well as the usual desperate plea for unsuspecting volunteers to help with the running of the user group.

Many thanks to Charlie Townes for his contributions, Capps Digital for providing the venue, and Tom Petrillo, from Adobe Systems, for his invaluable support. As always, we welcome any suggestions on the location and subject matter of future meetings.

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