03.26.12
Posted in Meeting Wrap-Up
Our last meeting on February 7th was about output and printing, transparency and color, and sources of design inspiration and training.
Chapter Business:
Our 2012 goal is to grow the group! Please bring a friend and feel free to share the meeting announcement emails.
A few job openings and project leads were shared.
Highlights from Output and Printing:
- Use live preflight to see if your file is meeting the required standards as you work. If you have an older computer, it can be turned off and on to free up memory. One of the most basic/helpful settings is image resolution (300 dpi for photos and 1200 dpi for line drawings).
- PDFs do not have an overall resolution, but the images within it do retain their resolution.
- If you don’t know (or can’t obtain) PDF standards, use PDF/X-1a:2001. (It is ideal to get the .job option file from the printing company that you will be using though.) PDF/X-1a:2001 is a flattened file that removes all transparency, converts RGB to CMYK, and is compatible with Acrobat 4 (works with old software that some printing companies are still using).
- You have control over how much of the font character set is exported with the PDF. Under the advanced tab on the export menu, “0%” sends the whole font, but “100%” sends only the characters used in the document.
Highlights from Transparency and Color:
- Use the effects panel to put different effects on the stroke vs. the fill. They can have different effects.
- Overprint preview shows what colored paper looks like if you change the color of “paper” in the swatch panel. One group member recommended using Color Munki (or a similar screen calibration device) to “read” the CMYK color value of the paper you are using.
- Need to know where a color is used? Go to window, output, separations view.
- When working with color separations, keep in mind the 300% ink limit rule of thumb (100% of 4 color to too much!)
- Flattner settings control image rasterizatione, allowing the RIP to create the illusion of overlapping colors or transparency. The overlapping areas are called “atomic regions.”
The links that Erica shared are provided below:
Design sites/communities:
Twitter accounts and hashtags:
@adobecsdesign
@Creativesuite
#ePrdctn
@CreativeProse
Training and learning:
InDesign Secrets podcast
Creative Cloud:
Fun:
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10.28.11
Posted in Meeting Wrap-Up, October 2011
Our last meeting on October 4th was about working smarter with preferences, presets, libraries and templates, along with some tips and tricks.
Chapter Business:
- The December meeting will be a holiday party with food and a gameshow. Erica will post a poll on this website to help with planning.
- A meeting comment form will be posted on this website in the future to help gather feedback and ideas about meetings.
- Erica found a nifty script for converting buttons in InDesign to fillable PDF fields: TOMAXXI Forms.
- The idea of having an informal networking get-together on the month between IDUG meetings was discussed, but not finalized.
- The possibility of having a job opportunities and Q&A page on this website was discussed again. That will require getting Buddy Press up and running first.
Highlights from “Don’t Re-invent the Wheel” – presenter, Erica Gamet
- Preferences: Set them with no document open to make them “stick” for all new documents (units, fonts, frame fitting, eyedropper, etc.).
- Keyboard shortcuts: Make your own if there isn’t one, or change an existing one.
- Presets: For document set-up, PDF output, printing, etc.
- Libraries: Use this for symbols, logos, crop marks, and other things that you use a lot that are created in InDesign.
- Layers: Did you know that there is a setting for “paste remembers layers” on the layers panel menu?
- Templates: Once you finish a document that you will update in the future, but with new content, save it as a template (.indt) and remove the text and photos, but leave the frames.
- Graphic Standards Files: Create them for each client, so you can always start with (import) the right colors, fonts and styles.
- Swatch exchange files: Make them to reuse your favorite color palettes across the Creative Suite.
Tips & Tricks – presenter, Erica Gamet
Erica showed us lots of little productivity tricks and fun tips for working smarter. She showed us how to close and save all windows at once, quick switching between color panel modes, CS5′s rounded corners and CS5.5′s new anchored objects…among many others.
While we can’t list them all here, you should try using the grid mode (Gridify feature) as well as making different size pages in one document and exporting them all to one spread in a PDF (nice for presentations).
Our next meeting (party!) will be on December 6, 2011. Stay tuned here for a poll and more info.
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08.05.11
Posted in August 2011, Meeting Wrap-Up
Our last meeting on August 2nd was about GREP and Apple’s new OS X Lion.
Erica showed us the magic of GREP, aka Unicorns and Rainbows or UAR. GREP actually stands for global regular expression printing and isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. It looks for patterns in text with find/change or styles and allows you to easily format those similar patterns in the same way.
Here are some sources to learn more about GREP and find helpful code:
ericagamet.com/tips-and-tricks/
kahrel.plus.com/indesignscripts.html
indesignsecrets.com/grep (especially the Cheat Sheet towards the bottom of the web page)
The digital version of GREP in InDesign CS3/CS4, 1Ed is only $5 through oreilly.com, with your IDUG membership discount code (found in your “Member Benefits.”). Refresh your memory about your member benefits at indesignusergroup.com. Just login and find “Member Benefits” under your name.
Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor of The Mac Observer, explained the pros and cons of updating to OS X Lion. It is only available via download from Apple.com (no more physical media!). One download is good for all of your computers. To install on other computers, don’t click on the “install button,” but first copy the install application (option-drag) to your desktop or flash drive first (for later use), then go ahead and click on install.
Advantages of upgrading: better performance, better security, track pad gesture recognition, and stability.
Cons are primarily incompatibility with software and backup systems. Check roaringapps.com to see what’s working and what’s not. Any software for Macs pre-Intel processor, needs Rosetta to run. Lion doesn’t support Rosetta. To see what needs Rosetta on your computer, go to About this Mac, More Info, Software, Applications, wait for the list to appear, expand the window to show the Kind column, and look for PowerPC. Those that have PowerPC need Rosetta to run. Check software websites for updates that allow the software to run on Lion. Software with Universal or Intel in the kind column, may have issues, but are less likely to.
Other news:
We have a new group of volunteers busy working on the auction site, photographing and videotaping meetings, writing meeting wrap-up notes, handling the welcome desk and beverages, and possibly putting together a member directory. If you would like to manage these volunteers in the role of “volunteer coordinator,” please contact Erica at admin@idugdenver.net.
A couple of auction items were sold, including a new item: 1Password software. Be sure to check the auction site to bid on items that weren’t taken during the meeting soon…and check back there just before the next meeting to check out newly-listed items. If you are interested in buying 1Password for Windows or Mac at a 25% IDUG discount, click on this link: agilebits.com. Thanks Agile Bits!
Next Meeting:
Our next meeting will be on October 4, 2011. Join us!
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