seriously, this should just work, right?
October 4, 2010 12:03 PM Subscribe
What is the best practice workflow for using Illustrator file in Indesign? Cut & paste catastrophe to follow.
I have the Illustrator file of a logo that I need to use in several Indesign files. How should I do this? Everything is on a Mac using CS4.
Using the place command seems to get the colors from the logo wrong (& they don't look right when I export the Indesign file to a pdf either). Using cut & paste directly from Illustrator gets the colors right (& imports my color swatches to indesign), but it messes up the kerning in the text for the logo. I can't fix the text because Indesign treats it like a vector graphic.
It really seems like I'm overlooking something basic here. Should I just export a tiff of the logo at every possible size to use in my print documents, or will these CS4 programs work together?
I have the Illustrator file of a logo that I need to use in several Indesign files. How should I do this? Everything is on a Mac using CS4.
Using the place command seems to get the colors from the logo wrong (& they don't look right when I export the Indesign file to a pdf either). Using cut & paste directly from Illustrator gets the colors right (& imports my color swatches to indesign), but it messes up the kerning in the text for the logo. I can't fix the text because Indesign treats it like a vector graphic.
It really seems like I'm overlooking something basic here. Should I just export a tiff of the logo at every possible size to use in my print documents, or will these CS4 programs work together?
Have you tried an EPS?
posted by overeducated_alligator at 12:12 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by overeducated_alligator at 12:12 PM on October 4, 2010
Response by poster: desjardins, the colors look off when I export the whole document to a PDF too. If I cut & paste the logo and place the logo into an indeisgn document, then export that as a PDF, then the colors are different in those two logos
posted by Hoenikker at 12:14 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by Hoenikker at 12:14 PM on October 4, 2010
Response by poster: overeducated_alligator, yes. Same problems placing the .eps as the .ai file.
posted by Hoenikker at 12:15 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by Hoenikker at 12:15 PM on October 4, 2010
I'm no Illustrator expert, but I was under the impression that "place" is always the best option in InDesign if you're using another Adobe application.
Right click on the placed logo and select "display performance" and select "high quality" and see if that helps.
posted by JoanArkham at 12:16 PM on October 4, 2010
Right click on the placed logo and select "display performance" and select "high quality" and see if that helps.
posted by JoanArkham at 12:16 PM on October 4, 2010
Also, you might have RGB colors for your InDesign file and CMYK for your Illustrator file (or vice-versa).
posted by JoanArkham at 12:17 PM on October 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by JoanArkham at 12:17 PM on October 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Turn the text to outlines before pasting into Indesign, as a quick fix.
Otherwise, are your color settings the same in Indesign and Illustrator?
posted by nomadicink at 12:20 PM on October 4, 2010
Otherwise, are your color settings the same in Indesign and Illustrator?
posted by nomadicink at 12:20 PM on October 4, 2010
Can you take screenshots of the logo before placing and after? That might help.
QUick thought: Do you have color, in Indesign, named exactly the same as the color from Illustrator? That might do it.
posted by nomadicink at 12:22 PM on October 4, 2010
QUick thought: Do you have color, in Indesign, named exactly the same as the color from Illustrator? That might do it.
posted by nomadicink at 12:22 PM on October 4, 2010
Best answer: You shouldn't have fonts in your Illustrator logo -- in Illustrator, make sure you have the arrow tool selected, then CMD-A (select all) and click TYPE > CREATE OUTLINES.
Also check to make sure your strokes are outlined -- Select all in Illustrator and click OBJECT > PATH > OUTLINE STROKE.
The color issues could be caused by a number of issues, but in my experience it has been because people use transparency in their logos instead of thinking printwise and using solid / spot colors.
posted by PSB at 12:24 PM on October 4, 2010
Also check to make sure your strokes are outlined -- Select all in Illustrator and click OBJECT > PATH > OUTLINE STROKE.
The color issues could be caused by a number of issues, but in my experience it has been because people use transparency in their logos instead of thinking printwise and using solid / spot colors.
posted by PSB at 12:24 PM on October 4, 2010
Response by poster: Turn the text to outlines before pasting into Indesign, as a quick fix.
nomadicink, that seems to fix the kerning issue!
posted by Hoenikker at 12:27 PM on October 4, 2010
nomadicink, that seems to fix the kerning issue!
posted by Hoenikker at 12:27 PM on October 4, 2010
Response by poster: PSB, I checked, there is no transparency in the logo file.
posted by Hoenikker at 12:30 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by Hoenikker at 12:30 PM on October 4, 2010
What exactly do you mean by color shift? Can be explicit? What does Indesign's color dropper say vs Illustrators about the color?
posted by nomadicink at 12:37 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 12:37 PM on October 4, 2010
Response by poster: Well now I can't get it to reproduce to the problem, unless you can consider one percentage point of one CMYK value to be a problem. Maybe I was doing something else wrong, that I've now fixed, or maybe my eyes were drunk from so much screen viewing. Either way, thanks!
posted by Hoenikker at 1:10 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by Hoenikker at 1:10 PM on October 4, 2010
Display Performance > High Quality will solve the problem. Place is the right command to use.
posted by renderthis at 6:04 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by renderthis at 6:04 PM on October 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by desjardins at 12:07 PM on October 4, 2010 [1 favorite]