Meeting Notes Archive

July 17, 2007

The Orlando IDUG convened on Tuesday, July 17, with 70 people prepared to hear an expert panel answer questions that had been sent in advance from members of the user group community. Noha Edell moderated the “Very FAQ” session, and we were all honored with a surprise guest, Mike Richman of Adobe, who happened to be in town as well.

The expert panel for the Q&A session included Mark Poulalian, Mark Mattson, Randy Rowles and Robyn Watson, all InDesign experts and previous presenters for the group.

The questions included:

What’s the best way to clean up a problematic file?
Save the file in Exchange, which takes it back to an .inx file, which is xml.

What’s the best way to covert Quark documents?
Use Exchange to get an .inx file.

Where is the autosave file folder stored?
In the library folder - /lib/pref/InDesign/InDesign Recovery/InDesign Saved Data. It was noted that the files can be redirect to another location by changing InDesign/Preferences/File Handing, if that is desired, and it was also suggested that a shortcut to that folder could be placed on the desktop.

Follow-up discussion to the autosave question included best practices about file recovery:

Use “save as” immediately after recovering a file.

You can delete a recovery file, if a new file continues to crash.

If you get an error message “unrecognizable temp file,” then clean out the recovery folder.

Additional follow-up from this question also included discussion the use of Version Cue®: the install, benefits, and customization.

How do I deal with baseboard enlarging to 4x the size?
This was identified as a glitch and it was suggested to take this into a new file.

I missed the interactive PDF seminar; can I review that information?
Go to the Acrobat User Group at http://www.acrobatusers.com/chapters/orlando/.

Extended discussion on this question included the field recognition capability from InDesign to Acrobat. 

What is the best way to handle multiple documents for a job that has 10 chapters and each one is a separate document?
Explanation of the book feature in InDesign ensued. Create a separate standalone book file, and you can add individual files to it to compile your book. This allows for the entire book to be repaginated, as well as the ability to globally change styles throughout.

The panel suggested reviewing a videocast series written by Michael Murphy on long documents, which can be accessed via indesignsecrets.com/category/videocasts/

I’m looking for a plug-in that could scale multiple documented to a specific percentage for ad work? (I have been using a Quark plug-in.)

Adobe was going to check back on various plug-ins available, but specific functionality for that area was from a company that was purchased by Quark.

Discussion about whether using object styles, perhaps SmartStyles by Woodwing? Access to that site was referenced: woodwing.com/en/Smart_Styles.

I’m using InDesign CS2, and MS Word bullets are not wrapping around an image in InDesign.
CS3 has improved bullet handing for this.

How do I bring in hyperlinks from MS Word to InDesign?
Set up a style in InDesign for hyperlink – you have to have destination first. If hyperlinks are all same type of style, can script InDesign to handle this automatically.

How do I deal with encrypted Quark files?
Use third-party Markzware application www.markzware.com/q2id/store.php.

How do I handle multiple versions of CS2 and CS3 on the same computer?
There is no technical problem running both versions. Know that the system will default to the latest version, so you’d need to select “Open” from menu to get something to open in the older version. Also, all files will show the CS3 icon.

Be aware: Using two versions requires confirmation of licensing arrangement, as upgrading CS2 to CS3 means that the previous version should not be present anymore.

Discussion also followed about the number of computers allowed to have the application, as the Adobe Home Use allows for a work and home computer install, which means that the application would not be used at the same time.

How do I best combine multiple PDFs into one InDesign document?
Use Bridge to make an InDesign contact sheet. You can set a template for Bridge, and our best-practice recommendation is to make sure margins are set correctly.

Is InDesign CS3 “taking over” Applescript set for CS2?
Adobe did not have any tech support answer for this issue, but was going to look into this further.

Noha asked the audience: Have you ever taken the time to navigate the entire InDesign User Group site?
Many people indicated they had not taken advantage of the materials posted on the site, so she provided a demo of the site overall and focus detail on the Learning Center.

She reminded everyone that as a User Group member, we are entitled to special discounts and that information is also provided on the site as well.

Noha encouraged everyone to email if we found specific areas that are either helpful, or if there is something that we would like to see added.

As a result of feedback and various audience questions, Noha reviewed building hyperlinks in InDesign and table styles, and also provided a demo of GREP.

A powerful reference on the Adobe.com website includes extensions written and posted via Adobe Exchange, accessed via: www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/

Comments from the meeting included:

”Great Meeting. I love this type of practical help & tips.”

“The panel was very professional, at the same time explaining things in a simplified manner. The topics were informative and had a wide enough variety. The overall venue has been great.”

“Noha was great at addressing those of us who didn’t know where to find ‘that’ (whatever ‘that’ was).”

“Very interactive. Fun to attend. Good use of time. Excellent panel, moderator and organizer. Great team. I will be back!”

“Great discussion. Enjoyed Q&A. Noha is great! Bring her back.”

“This was really good! I got some great solutions.! Thank You!”

“Good tips & tricks (find & replace, GREP and interactive PDFs)” 

—The Orlando InDesign User Group meeting notes have been prepared by Kathlean Shannon

Edward Feldman
Chapter Representative
Orlando Adobe InDesign User Group

Photos From This Meeting
Photos are available from this user group meeting.
• See the photos

Meeting Notes Archive
View notes from past meetings of the InDesign user group.
• Read notes from other meetings!

Meeting Topics Archive
With user group chapters across the United States, Europe, and Australia, we have gathered quite a bit of information from presenters, Adobe representatives, attendees, and industry experts during the past four years.
• Read all of the notes