Yup, calling something the Holy Grail is pretty bold–and overused. In this case, however, it really does apply.
Yesterday I released Page Control, a plug-in for InDesign CS and InDesign CS2, developed in cooperation with DTP Tools. Page Control answers a need left open for 22 years: The ability to create a single document with multiple page sizes in a top-end desktop publishing and page layout application.
Adobe’s InDesign is that top-end application, and InDesign is used in hundreds of different types of layout and publishing workflows in hundreds of thousands of agencies around the world. A fair percentage of InDesign users need to put a fold-out or oversized sheet into a multi-page publication with page numbers somewhere, at some time. To date, they’ve had to do that by creating at least three InDesign documents–one for the normal pages leading up to the oversized page, the oversized page itself, and the third to handle normal pages following the oversized. Every over– or odd-sized page in the publication required two more InDesign files. I’ve seen more than 50 InDesign files being created, edited, and juggled soley because it was the only way to work around InDesign’s one document:one page size limitation.
I devised and partnered with DTP Tools to create Page Control specifically to prevent the waste of time, money, and brain power imposed by that limitation within InDesign. Now the one-document, one-page-size paradigm has been broken. It’s time to work smarter.
We announced Page Control 24 hours ago. The response has already been phenominal from those publications limbre enough to report about it in such a short time. And more keeps coming.
Page Control is in a public beta phase–you have the chance to try it out free and shape the final result. We’ll release the finished product in 3 weeks.
This development rates a “stunningly wonderful” in my book! …and I rarely give those out .
I teach in a tech school Graphics program, so most of my day-to-day life involves instructing beginning professionals in layout and design. Being able to keep all parts of the same job in the same file is not only a highly efficient/practical solution but would also eliminate those many lost files orphaned from their cohort buddies.
For too long, I’ve been telling my students, “the only way I know of to ultimately join documents of mixed sizes in the same file is to go the PDF-route.” (Most beginners just are not yet ready to face making booked publications.)
Alas…
now, if ONLY I could have the _other_ thing I’ve always wanted: better control over the document grids. For example (1) to be able to view (hide/show) the page layout grid on the pasteboard only and NOT on the document pages. This would be _such_ a help in making sure images were appropriately sized/cropped early on in the layout process (do it on the pasteboard, then move them to specific pages). And for copyfitting…
And while I’m dreaming… (2) to have page layout grids associated to the master pages to more easily determine which grid would be the best for a given publication/layout. That is, I want the grid (“graph paper”) prefs to be NOT document-level, but specific to masters I’m using, both on the page and off it, on the pasteboard. Ruler guides on multiple masters will do this _on_ the page, but not _off_, where I find the concept more useful.