Faster and error-free correction rounds? Save costs?
Designers and customers know the design process: after the initial briefing, a designer gets to work. The customer’s wishes are flawlessly converted into an appropriate design that closely matches the corporate identity of the company, or the visual identity of the magazine, catalog and/or book series. After approval of the design, the entire publication is further developed by the designer at breakneck speed. Whether or not using smart solutions such as EasyCatalog. After a final check, a first proof in the form of a pdf file is sent by the designer to the customer for checking.
After receiving the pdf file, the customer goes through the digital document minutely to make any comments. Often, the document is still sent to several other colleagues who each in turn make appropriate comments. As a final step, the document is sent again to the designer so they can review the comments and possibly implement them.
Unfortunately, what the designer receives is not always clear. Comments in the pdf file may have been made in different ways and deciphering them takes a lot of time. Many times a phone call must be made again to ask for more information about the desired changes. Then the designer starts meticulously implementing each adjustment, always with a fearful heart that what he or she is adjusting conforms to the client’s wishes.
But it can be done differently, especially with less risk of error, and much faster. Since the latest version of Adobe InDesign, the designer has the ability to import comments present in a PDF file, directly into the Adobe InDesign document. The ‘PDF comments’ window allows to automatically output all comments individually or simultaneously. An insanely nice feature that we could not live without for a long time.
However, there is one important caveat. The above powerful feature only works if the customer/reviewer has uniformly inserted his or her comments into the PDF file by using the appropriate tools in Adobe Acrobat (Reader/DC).
Therefore, we like to list some of these tools again:
It is extremely important that persons indicating adjustments use the correct tools. Incorrect use or indicating the same modification multiple times will cause confusion, or incorrect implementation.
Adobe Document Cloud
With the advent of Internet threats such as viruses, malware, trojans, scams, ransomware, many IT departments have shifted up a gear, leaving users unable to install software such as Acrobat Reader or Acrobat DC on their own. Sometimes, however, the procedures to obtain software are more like stepping backwards instead of making progress.
Adobe Document Cloud can provide a solution here. These online services, included in an Adobe CC subscription, allow PDF files to be submitted online for revision or approval. This allows even people without access to Acrobat Reader or Acrobat DC, to make corrections themselves. To be fair, the options are more limited than in the desktop version. But even these changes can be imported into the design files, which saves an enormous amount of time. In this case, the customer only needs an Internet connection and a browser.
Track changes
Adobe Document Cloud can provide a solution to this. These online services, which are included in an Adobe CC subscription, make it possible to submit pdf files online for revision or approval. This allows even people without access to Acrobat Reader or Acrobat DC, to properly submit changes themselves. To be fair, the options are more limited than in the desktop version. But even these changes can be imported into the design files, which saves an enormous amount of time. In this case, the client only needs an Internet connection and a browser.
Sometimes you want to keep a history in your Adobe InDesign document of all the text corrections that were made. The Track Changes feature can help with this. After enabling this feature, a complete log is kept with an overview of all adjustments made by each user. Through the story editor, these changes can be accessed. In an environment where multiple designers are working and complementing each other’s documents, it is important that the user information in Adobe InDesign is entered correctly. Only then will the colleague’s name be displayed right.
Making corrections is a regular part of any creative process. But it does not always have to be a hellish task that is unpleasant for both parties. Provided you use the right tools, everything runs like clockwork. With significant time and cost savings for both parties.
