Section 66. Placing Multipage PDF Files in InDesign

#66. Placing Multipage PDF Files in InDesign

In #64, I explained how Illustrator saves a multipage PDF from your tiled document. Now let's say you're feeling somewhat embarrassed about using Illustrator for your page layout needs and decide you want to bring the multipage PDF into InDesignor any multipage PDF for that matter (it doesn't have to be from Illustrator). Fortunately, Adobe has made it possible to place multiple-page PDF files into InDesign CS2.

Choose File > Place. To let InDesign know you want to place more than just the first page of your multipage PDF file, you must select Show Import Options in the Place dialog (Figure 66a). With this option selected, you'll be presented with the Place PDF dialog (Figure 66b). Within the Pages section of the dialog, you can choose to place the page you're currently previewing in the Preview section, all pages, or a range of pages. To import multiple pages from your multipage PDF, choose the All or Range option. The Range text field supports specifying pages to import as a range using a hyphen (1-3), separate pages using commas and spaces (1, 3, 8), or a combination of both (1-3, 7). Click OK to place your PDF pages.

Figure 66a. When placing your multipage PDF, be sure to check Show Import Options in the Place dialog to display the Place PDF dialog.

Figure 66b. The Place PDF dialog lets you specify which pages of a multipage PDF you would like to place.

After you click OK in the Place PDF dialog, your cursor changes to the loaded multipage PDF icon . Click anywhere in your document to place the first page you've specified to import. Notice that after you place the PDF page, your cursor remains a loaded icon. InDesign reloads the cursor with the next page ready for you to place. Place the second page on the current page or navigate to another page to place it. You can even create new pages via the Pages palette: Your PDF pages stay loaded in the cursor while you navigate and create your pages. Continue this process until all the pages you've specified in the PDF are placed. If at anytime you want to cancel the placement of the remaining pages in your cursor, click the Selection tool.

Place Multiple Pages at Once

When placing a multipage PDF, it usually makes sense to place pages one at a time so you can jump to other pages in the document or add new pages as needed. But if you want to just place all the pages at once, hold down the Option/Alt key once your cursor is loaded. The cursor will then change to a loaded multipage PDF stacked icon . Click anywhere in your document, and all of the remaining pages in your PDF will be placed at once, stacked on top of one another.