Re: InDesign -opinions and long document template?

Subject: Re: InDesign -opinions and long document template?
From: Peter Gold <peter -at- knowhowpro -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 13:01:58 -0600


Hi, Victoria:

Yes, I know that sinking feeling, and it's not fun.

If your version of ID doesn't include the PageMaker plugins, you can purchase the kit separately. There's information here

http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/pm_pack.html

It's $50 from Adobe; perhaps your vendor has it for less.

The features that might help you are:

InBooklet Special Edition plug-in
Automatically rearrange a document's pages into printer spreads for professional printing with complete control over margins, gaps, bleeds, creep, and crossover traps — a process known as imposition.

* As you probably have discovered, standard ID has a book tool, but this plug-in offers more sophisticated tools for production.

Bullets and numbering
Automatically create numbered and bulleted lists that update dynamically when changes are made.

* Not as strong as FM's numbering. You can't interrupt a list with an unnumbered paragraph style, then continue numbering automatically - you need to restart at a number you enter manually. No multiple-counter numbers like 1.1.1.1.

Data merge
Create customized publications such as direct mail pieces and catalogs from database information merged into your InDesign layouts.

* I haven't tried to use this for something like importing content similar to insets in FM, rather than mail-merge, but it might be possible.

Template Browser and professional template sets
Jumpstart your projects with more than 80 templates created by leading designers. Use the Template Browser to browse, add, delete, and reorganize template

* You might find some help and suggestions in these templates.

There's also some training material that I think isn't in standard ID.

Regarding conditional text, you might look into using text frames on layers. You can turn layers on and off, like conditions. Text frames can have text runaround, so showing a frame that's longer or shorter can displace preceding and following text without leaving extra white space.

As I mentioned today, in another thread on this list, you could consider staying with Word for authoring, especially if you have good discipline on the documentation team, to be consistent with styles, then import the content into ID for final formatting. Word's numbering, if done right, should hold up. I haven't looked into how cross-references or footnotes are managed, though.

If you purchased a lot of copies of the CS package, then cost would be a major issue. But if only have one right now, while working out the kinks, it's not too late to move to FM. As many on this list (as well as on the Adobe FM user-to-user forum, and the mailing list at FrameUsers.com) have said, even if FM stopped being produced today, it's still going to produce what you need for many years ahead. FM's efficiency will quickly repay itself; compare the time you need to invest in wrangling ID into shape for your needs, and especially if you have to give up essential features like cross-references.

Virginia systems makes some useful-looking plugins for ID:

http://virginiasystems.com/ Click the link for products by application, and scroll to InDesign. (I have no connection to them, and I haven't used the products, yet.) If you've tried any of these, posting your experience might be useful to others thinking of following this path.

Don't think of it as dressing-up a pig (unless your name is Charlotte and you really like pigs), but rather as completing a tool set to meet your needs.

If you have the Creative Suite (Standard or Premium) you'll have Version Cue, a tool that helps manage versions of documents. It's not a complete documentation control system, but may be useful, especially if your team collaborates on authoring.

HTH

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

If you would post some specifics about your reasons for considering a

move from Word to something else, I'm sure you'll get lots of useful
and focused feedback.


We moved from Word because... well, it's Word. :)

Word was beginning to become problematic, and we really needed a
solution that allowed us version controls, the ability to go from a
single file (attempts at master documents proved to be a nightmare), and
frankly, no one was really that fond of Word. Those concerns are
addressed by moving to InDesign.

However, I'm finding that some of the functionality I thought we'd have
(and no, I did not get a chance to go in-depth and play around with a
trial version of the software, I should have and now regret it) like
better indexing, cross-referencing and conditional text, are things only
in Frame and not InDesign. I've used Frame before, and honestly do
think it would have been a better choice, but I fear the considerations
of price, the future of Frame and the attractiveness of the CS package
really made the decision.

For the documents we produce (for some pretty high-level software) I
really can see this tool turning into a "lipstick on a pig" situation,
and it's going to be harder to keep reviewers focused on making sure
information is accurate rather than the tint of blue that we should use
on page 23. As I see it now, InDesign will be great for making things
look pretty, but it's not making the information any easier to manage.
I really hope I prove myself wrong.


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RE: InDesign -opinions and long document template?: From: Victoria Nuttle

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