InDesign

Package files

You can gather the files you’ve used, including fonts and linked graphics, for easy handoff to a service provider. When you package a file, you create a folder that contains the InDesign document (or documents in a book file), any necessary fonts, linked graphics, text files, and a customized report. This report, which is saved as a text file, includes the information in the Printing Instructions dialog box; a list of all used fonts, links, and inks required to print the document; and print settings.

You don’t need to perform a final preflight check before packaging. InDesign performs an up-to-date preflight check. If problem areas are detected, a dialog box appears.

You can also give your service provider a composite PDF file made from your document or a PostScript file.

  1. Do one of the following to open the Package dialog box:

    • Choose File > Package.

    • In the Preflight dialog box, click Package.

    • In the Book panel menu, choose Package Book or Package Selected Documents, depending on whether all, some, or none of the documents are selected in the Book panel.

  2. If a dialog box appears alerting you to possible problems, do one of the following:

    • Click View Info to open the Preflight dialog box where you can correct problems or get further information. When you’re satisfied with the document, begin the packaging process again.

    • Click Continue to begin packaging.

  3. Fill in the printing instructions. The filename you type is the name of the report that accompanies all other packaging files.
  4. Click Continue, and then specify a location in which to save all packaging files.
  5. Select the following, as needed:
    Copy Fonts (Except CJK)
    Copies all necessary font files, not the entire typeface. Selecting this option does not copy CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) fonts.

    Copy Linked Graphics
    Copies linked graphics files to package folder location.

    Update Graphic Links In Package
    Changes graphic links to the package folder location.

    Include Fonts And Links From Hidden And Non-Printing Layers
    Packages the objects located on hidden layers and layers for which the Print Layer option is turned off.

    View Report
    Opens the printing instructions report in a text editor immediately after packaging. To edit the printing instructions before completing the packaging process, click the Instructions button.

  6. Do one of the following to specify how to handle hyphenation:

    • To prevent the document from composing with the external user dictionary, and to prevent the document’s hyphenation exceptions list from merging with the external user dictionary, select Use Document Hyphenation Exceptions Only. You may want to select this option when packaging a document to be printed by someone outside your workgroup, such as when you take the document to a service provider.

    • To allow the external user dictionary (on the computer on which the file is opened) to merge with the document’s hyphenation exceptions list, and to allow the document to compose using the exceptions lists stored in both the external user dictionary and inside the current document, leave Use Document Hyphenation Exceptions Only unselected.

  7. Click Package to continue packaging.