Laying a magazine out in Pages

I have not had the Mag printed yet and I dread the results.

To print on an offset lithographic press or a digital press, the procedure in Apple Pages is precisely the same as in QuarkXPress and InDesign.

Ask the print service what printing condition that is being sold, including what ISO 15930 PDF/X-3 OutputIntent that is used for the separation and at what resolution.

Launch the Apple ColorSync Utility, set up an Apple Quartz filter for the custom printing condition, and apply the filter when saving out from Apple Pages to disk.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2738092&tstart=0

saved pdfs (via postscript is better)

PostScript neither supports the TrueType / OpenType font file format, nor the ICC profile file format, nor transparency. The Adobe PDF Reference Manual version 1.3 to version 1.7 all recommend that applications save their design space directly through a PDF library, and not through a PostScript library after which the PostScript is converted into PDF.

the editor wanted to make text edits after it was layed out

InDesign and QuarkXPress each have a syntax for editing tags in plain text, although the syntax for the one is not the same as for the other. Editing tags (<tag>) have been around since before page description languages and digital graphic displays. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, editing tags were used when markup up plain text on IBM System 80 or Xerox 860 for submission to a typesetting service. ISO 8879:1986-Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) standardised device independent markup.

The problem with this has always been that it does not work well with page description languages, because the editors who tag the copy cannot themselves see the consequences in the frames for area composition. The line layout may reflow and the frames themselves may overflow.

Adobe InCopy was criticised at the time it was introduced because it could not show the same line layout as Adobe InDesign. So exactly what was the point? I have a journalist copy of Quark CopyDesk, but haven't tried it. I would assume that the situation is the same.

if I reduce file the resulting images are poor

The right resolution required by the RIP should be set when the image is saved from the colour correction software (Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Apple's digital camera software, whatever).

It is possible to include downsampling in a Quartz filter, but downsampling should not be done when the PDF printing master is saved to disk, but rather before the image is placed in Pages / QuarkXPress / InDesign. Similarly with correct tagging of the source ICC colour space to the image in the colour correction software. These conditions are the same regardless of the pagination software.

Colour is frustrating – same colour used as background and line show and print differently.

The numbers in the Apple ColorPicker specify the SAME COLOUR if and only if they reference the SAME COLOURIMETRY. The colourimetry is specified by the ICC profile that sets the source colour space, selected in the drop-down profile picker on the left in the Apple Colour Palette. This condition is also precisely the same in QuarkXPress and InDesign, or indeed in any other application that is used to submit a PDF printing master.

There are real differences, including the difference that in Pages one cannot control the rendering intent per object. The only way around this in Apple Pages is to convert photographs using the Perceptual rendering intent in the Apple ColorSync Utility before placing the photographs into Apple Pages. Remember to use the same ICC profile as will be used as OutputIntent when saving PDF/X-3 as if the source and destination profile is not the same, the separations will be reseparated which is not what one wants.

Henrik

doichuck wrote:
Hi
I layout a 28 page magazine for a club. I usually use indesign but as the editor wanted to make text edits after it was layed out I thought I would try Pages so that I could upload it and she could then access the file in Pages to make her edits. This has so far failed as she seems to be stuck on this concept. I have wasted a lot of time trying the program but I think I will return to indesign.

You have not explained why the Editor has not been able to cope.

The things that annoy me and disappoint with Pages are:
• File size is enormous including saved pdfs (via postscript is better) – file 300MB – if I reduce file the resulting images are poor

Yes this is true. Pages does not use placed images, it actually adds them into the file, multiple times.

• Colour is frustrating – same colour used as background and line show and print differently. If you use the shade slider the resulting colour does not translate into pdf. If I move computers the colour pallet does not move with file

Also true, although you can fish out the color picker file from Application Support in your System Library folder. The colors are not matching because you have one as cmyk and the other as rgb and/or have used different color models.

• Shadows and some picture frames which create great visuals cause great grey areas around images when printed – very disappointing

Pages/OSX stuffs up transparency (shadows, reflections and transparency) rendering at 72dpi by default and unpredictable color settings.

• Text and styles a bit clunky and some fonts are not usable.

Styles are clumsy compared with Pro apps. Fonts should be OK, but you may have a font issue from bad System Updates. Need to always use the downloadable Combo updater.

• Image placement and updating is real time waster. I may have missed something here.

Yes again, Although once you have images as placeholders it gets easier, with still some quirks.

There is a lot to like about Pages but the negatives (especially file size and colour limitations) is the killer. There are probably ways to overcome them I have yet to discover. I have not had the Mag printed yet and I dread the results.

Luckily you have not gone that far. I would not put +my money+ at risk by going to commercial press with a Pages document. This is a classic example of trying to save money on the software and losing it in the end job.

Peter

I will proceed via postcsript as the resulting pdf looks best and the file size is reasonable for uploading to the digital printer

Be aware that if you pick an export path that downsamples your photographs, then the photographs will be without detail. The colour may be correct, the colour contrasts may be conserved, but the clarity or sharpness may be poor.

The purpose of the OutputIntent in ISO 15930 PDF/X-3 is to define the amount of ink laid down for the particular make of paper. If the OutputIntent in your PDF does not match the way the printing system is set up, the colour will be incorrect.

But, as you say, if you aren't aiming for professional photographic production there may be no problem.

Henrik