KCdesigner
03-02-2007, 10:28 PM
I hate using InDesign to design my work in. I'm wanting to design in Illustrator and then be able to take my file nicely into InDesign. How do I do that without it rasterizing my file?:confused:
Save as a .pdf, then Place the PDF into InDesign (CMD-D).
You can also place the .AI file directly into InDesign, but only do this if you are exporting the final PDF yourself to send to the printer, not if you are sending the INDD file to the printer, as older RIPs will mess up linked AI files.
KCdesigner
03-02-2007, 11:59 PM
Ned, the image still comes out rasterized even when I convert the AI to a pdf. How do I correct this?
This is in your Transparency Flattener Settings. First, create a preset by going into Edit => Transparency Flattener Presets. You can use one of the existing presets as a template by selecting one, then click on the NEW button. Set your Raster/Vector balance to 100% or a high percentage value (>75%), depending on whether you want extremely complex vectors to be rasterized or not. To maintain the best vector integrity, check "Convert Strokes to Outlines', as well as "Convert Text to Outlines", and uncheck "Clip complex regions".
Lastly, apply that preset to a PDF Preset, and to your document, by going File => Save As... PDF, then in the PDF export dialogue box, in the General Settings, choose PDF compatibility of Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.5), which will allow you to access your Transparency Flattener Presets. In the Advanced tab, under Transparency (near the middle of the page), click on the drop-down menu, and choose the Flattener Preset that you had just created. Make your other settings as you like them (Under Marks and Bleeds, you should have NO printer marks, if you're going to place into InDesign), then click on Save Preset to save the PDF preset you just created (so next time you don't have to go through all these steps), then click on Save PDF.
The next document you export like this, all you'll have to do is choose Save As... PDF, and then click on the Preset dropdown, and choose the PDF preset you just created. Easy as pie - this setup only needs to be done once for the life of your software, for each type of PDF exporting features you need.
You should also go through these same steps in InDesign, so that your final PDF export will come out the same.
Please keep in mind that when you Place this file into InDesign, you will NOT be able to edit it in InDesign, plus you will be getting a 72dpi preview by default, NOT the full-quality image (to change this, just right click on the artboard in InDesign, and choose Display Performance => High Quality). This does not mean that the file has been rasterized, it just means that you need to edit the file in Illustrator, then resave it. You can also drag objects from Illustrator to Indesign, but this is not suggested, as InDesign doesn't handle complex graphics the way Illustrator does.