Maintaining InDesign’s Output Adaptability

As many print designers know, one of the most challenging aspects of multi-page books can be the final file set-up. With variable binding options, multiple InDesign master-pages, and interactive elements for possible online rendering, it is a process that must be adaptable and carefully accounted for.

One of Triad’s clients recently approached us to design their new corporate Code of Conduct book. This was a 100-page book that required flexibility in its layout and export options as it would be rendered in four languages, and output for paper and digital use.

Nearing the conclusion of the project timeline, we learned that the book would be changing from a perfect-bound to a spiral bound book. The current document was set-up as full bleed ‘Facing Pages’ with four master-page templates for chapter coloring and page numbering. Now that the output format had changed, we needed to split the document into single pages from facing to accommodate the inner gutter bleed (left side of right-hand pages and the right side of left-hand pages).

Normally this is as simple as selecting Document Setup > uncheck ‘Facing Pages’. While this would automatically separate all of the pages into singles for us, we needed to maintain our current master page templates. Instead, I used a different technique by manipulating the ‘Pages’ panel that saved a significant amount of rework, and executed perfectly.

Here is how I accomplished this:

1. Open your InDesign file that has been created as a ‘Facing Pages’ document.
   
   
2. In the ‘Pages’ panel, choose Allow Document Pages to Shuffle (CS3+).
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4. Grab the right-hand page of each spread, and pull the page to the right of the spread until you see a vertical black bar appear and then release the mouse. This will separate the page from the spread, but the page will remain a right-hand page.
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6. Adjust your document bleed settings to your new individual page size (if required) and adjust your inner bleeds.
   
   
7. Repeat this technique in chronological order on each spread and you’ll be all set to package your single page book.