Technology ConsiderationsA Primer

Let's turn our attention to another critical component of your planning decisions: What technology are you going to use in the planning and production of your content?

Technology considerations include color management, vector versus raster graphics, and the appropriate use of graphic file formats. These considerations all play a vital role in compositing your message using InDesign CS2.

Software

Technical tools are an important consideration in this process. We all know what it's like to be assigned an important project but not have access to the tools necessary to get the job done. Even if you have no other tool than InDesign CS2, you will still be able to accomplish most of your publishing goals. This book is structured in such a way that InDesign is the only tool you will need, but I would be remiss in not recommending additional tools I have found useful over the years.

I recommend Adobe's Creative Suite 2, which offers the full complement of page layout, illustration, photo editing, revision control, and web development all in one box. You can add to this a good font library (Adobe OpenType) and font management utility (Extensis's Suitcase). Beyond these tools and to enhance your arsenal, consider some plugins that will extend the functionality of this tool set. I've recommended a few in Appendix B, "Resources," and you can also visit Adobe's website for a more complete listing of plug-in developers.

I could add more recommendations at this point, but I'm going to stop and advocate not for more tools, but for a better understanding and utilization of the tools you already have. How many of us possess software applications but have not had the time to truly learn them or don't have the resources to educate ourselves? How frustrating is it to know we could be doing more with what we already have but for the lack of education?

Companies must do more with less. You might have taken on some of the marketing functions as a result of downsizing. You might have been in charge of the company newsletter, and now management expects you to take on additional assignments. I encourage you to acquire the proper tools and find good trainingthe kind that understands the nature of your work and the skills you need to accomplish your publishing tasks.

Now that the question of tools is out of the way, let's turn our attention to file standards. They might already be set in place, but it's worthwhile to review them. If you follow the recommendations regarding tools, we can break down your file standards into two categories: raster and vector.

File Standards

Raster files are digital files that describe graphic content using pixels of color, in a specific amount (resolution). The resolution of a raster image is measured in the number of pixels per inch. An image for a website, for example, typically has a resolution of 72ppi. Why? Because computer monitors are very low-resolution devices, so why include more pixels than your monitor can display? An image intended for print should have a higher resolutiontypically twice its line screen (usually this is 300ppi). Raster images are both resolution and device dependent, meaning they have a fixed size and that size is determined by what destination it is bound for. If you try to change the size of the image after you've determined its resolution, you run into a problem. If you enlarge the image, detail degrades, and if you shrink the image, detail degrades.

Vector files are digital files that describe graphic content using lines (paths) and fills in the form of mathematical descriptions. These lines and fills can have attributes of color, pattern, and weight attached to them.

They are both resolution and device independent and can therefore be scaled and repurposed for different distribution outlets with no effect on quality.

Your raster work, largely produced in Photoshop, or from a digital camera, or provided from a scanning provider, will vary depending on distribution. If you are preparing to publish via print, your raster considerations (including dimensions, resolution, and color mode) will be guided by the following:

• The size at which you will produce an image relative to the original size

• The line screen at which you will print, based on ink, stock, and press (consult your vendor)

• The number of colors you will produce

If you're using print, you'll likely produce an image that will be scanned to size, at a resolution of at least twice your line screen and probably in either grayscale or CMYK color mode. These are all appropriate choices for print. After these are determined, you can move on to decisions about the file format. If you already have a standard in place, stick with it. You'll probably use one of the following: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), and Photoshop Layered (PSD).

All these file formats have pros and cons. TIFF is an all-raster format that is easy to produce and generally error free. It is an open file format that can be tinkered with in other programs. You can apply color to it (see our brochure project) or apply a filter to create an unusual effect.

On the other hand, EPS is a metafile. A metafile is a digital file that can be made up of raster and vector elements. This file standard has a history if your rasters contain clipping paths because it was the first file format to allow for the recording of these paths. This format contains PostScript information in addition to the image. It is self-contained, and other programs cannot tinker with its contents. EPSs can be opened by any application that can create an EPS, and they almost always can be safely edited by the originating application, such as Illustrator, FreeHand, or CorelDraw.

If you are working in "RIP and run" publishing (fast turnaround, lower-quality work), you might have adopted a JPEG standard. It is a common file format that most digital cameras work with, and it generally compresses the information within the file. It is a lossy compression scheme, however, meaning it achieves compression by eliminating data during each file save. This can lead to problems processing these jobs using older RIPS and runs counter to the quality issue many strive for with printed pieces, but it might be ideal for other distribution methods. Should you encounter a JPEG, I recommend opening it in Photoshop and resaving the file as a TIFF.

Finally, if you are using an all-Adobe workflow, you might leave your raster images in a PSD file format. InDesign imports a PSD file without having to flatten it or convert it to some other file format. The PSD format offers the most flexibility and editability of all the raster file formats because it allows you to keep your layers intact.

Your vector work will be largely composed of graphic elements, logos, creative work with type, patterns, borders, charts, and illustrations. It is characterized by crisp outlines and interesting fill colors and patterns. Illustrator is the power of PostScript in the hands of the average user, you and me. You can do much with this file format to enhance your content. Illustrator primarily produces vector art, but it allows for the import and export of the raster file format. Placing raster images in Illustrator renders the Illustrator file subject to the stricutes on raster art, as previously discussed, meaning it can no longer be scaled without losing detail. Because Illustrator creates files containing PostScript, your RIP is responsible for converting this mathematical language into basic shapes and fills, which your output device then maps out into spots applied to your stock.

Your file standard options for your vector work are Adobe Illustrator (AI), EPS, and PDF. One of the advantages to using an all-Adobe workflow is the fact that these products accept each other's native file formats. InDesign takes an AI file without having to convert it to some other independent graphic file format.

If you are handing off your files to other departments or entities outside your company, or if you do not have an all-Adobe workflow, you must incorporate file format standards that are accepted by a variety of graphic arts productsand file formats such as PSD and AI do not fall into that category.

Now we've just been talking about print, and part of planning for production involves the distribution of content via PDF or web. Can you use the same file formats for these distribution methods? You can for PDF files because PDFs can contain a variety of graphic file formats within them. As long as they are properly linked to the original application file, the graphic files will be embedded and rendered correctly within the resulting exported PDF. But web is a different animal altogether.

Elements for web pages can be created with Photoshop and Illustrator, but they must be saved in file formats that are compatible with the production goals of web development. It doesn't make any sense to place a highresolution file within a web page when your monitor is only 72dpi, and it doesn't make sense to display a graphic in CMYK when your monitor is RGB. The production requirements for web are the opposite of those for print.

First, always work in RGB color mode. Second, use web-safe colors. Creating small graphic file sizes is important when you are distributing images on the Web.

In general, web graphics, like print graphics, fall into the two categories of raster and vector. The raster file formats are typically the Graphical Interchange Format (GIF) and JPEG. JPEG is recommended for continuous tone images, such as photographs. As mentioned earlier, it is a compressed file format (extremely useful for creating small files) but doesn't support transparency. GIF is used for animations, solid-color images, and images with repetitive color (such as line art and logos). Also, GIF does support transparency. These raster files describe an image with colored pixels (pixels, not dots or spots, are small, touching squares of color you can see when you zoom in on a raster image).

Note

You can find more on the topic of transparency throughout the book because this is a key feature of InDesign CS2.

The vector file formats are typically Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Shockwave Flash (SWF).

SVG graphics, which are XML based, are typically used for scalable, compact vector web graphics. Because they are scalable, they can be viewed onscreen without sacrificing quality and are ideal for text and colors. SWF is a Macromedia Flash file format, and it creates scalable compact web graphics and is well suited for interactive, animated web graphics.

Organizing and Protecting Versions and Assets

As you can see, depending on your distribution choices, your resources, your digital assets, and their file formats are important. You probably have the same image in different formats and resolutions depending on whether you distribute for print and/or redistribute for web. Many of my clients, in an effort to control their exploding libraries of images, store only one version of an imagea large, high-resolution, RGB filefrom which all other files and formats can be generated but not archived.

This strategy makes sense because, by storing a high-resolution file, you ensure that you will always have enough pixels to support whatever distribution method you choose. By storing the largest physical dimensions possible, you account for something as large as signage and as small as web. By storing RGB, you store the largest color gamut availableapproximately 16 million colors (more on this in the next section).

As you continue to publish your content, explore and grow your skills, and deliver your message in a variety of ways, you will experience continued pressure on your growing number of digital assets. Thinking through your file format requirements, storage requirements, and the organization of these assets is something you will have to grapple with sooner rather than later.

Securing your work, production, and assets is critical to your workflow. Be sure you understand the difference between backing up and archiving. Backing up your data is an exercise you should perform daily to protect yourself and your work from catastrophic damage. Many utilities are available and, if you work in a networked server environment, you should store all your data on a server and back up the server daily. Consider what would it mean to you and your company if you lost all your digital content and you'll see the importance of daily backups.

Archiving involves storing your digital assets in an organized manner for future reference. Being able to historically reference your work in a timely manner will pay dividends in efficiencies over time. How many times have you received a request for an image or text that was created a couple of years ago to be reused or repurposed for an upcoming event? Could you get your hands on it quickly and easily? If not, why not? Many applications and hardware options are available on the market today that perform a librarian function for your important assets.

In addition to these organization issues, consider the number of versions of a project that might be circulating at any given time. When you purchase Adobe's Creative Suite 2, you will have a new feature called Version Cue that enables you to organize your projects and easily share them between people and applications. It enables you to track and maintain continuity within your workflow of current versions and manage who is working on what by using a checkout system.

Finally, when you are in the middle of creating content, you must have at least one additional pair of eyes review, comment, and approve your work. One of the best products available is Acrobat 7 Professional, which contains amazing commenting, review cycle, and approval tools based on the superior file format of PDF. With this new version of Acrobat, you can share PDFs with others even if they don't own a full version of Acrobat; Reader 7 is all they need to participate in the review circle. This is truly an essential content publishing tool.