IAs you work with Adobe InDesign, you will want to share your files with others, especially for high-quality printing. Packaging and zipping allow you to get all the elements that you used in the InDesign file in one place. When the file is shared, all the linked elements will be available. Your packaged file may be large because of all the elements, so you can zip the folder. Learning how to package and zip your InDesign files will help with sharing your file.
How to Package and Zip InDesign files
You can share your file by packaging and zipping them. If you want to easily share your files in a high-quality, you can export them as PDFs. This article will show you how to package and zip your document in InDesign.
- Open or create your InDesign document
- Ensure the file is the way you want it
- Go to File then Package
- Click Package on the Package window
- Click Ok on the Printing instructions window
- Choose save location
- Click Package
- Locate the Packaged file
- Right-click and choose
- Export PDF
1] Open or create your InDesign document
To begin the package process you need to open your file in InDesign or create it. you can go straight from creating the file, then save it then package.
2] Ensure the file is the way you want it
The next step is to go through the InDesign file and ensure that it is just the way it should be. You should do spell-checking to ensure that your texts are correct. Ensure that images and lines are properly aligned. When you are satisfied with the file, save it.
3] Go to File then Package
In this step, you will go to the top menu then press File then Package, or press Alt + Shift +Ctrl + P.
4] Click Package on the Package window
When you have clicked File then Package the Package options window will appear.
Here you will see a summary of the document that you want to package. You can click on each of the headings under Summary to get more details on the elements in the document. when you are satisfied with everything click Package.
5] Click Continue on the Printing instructions window
When you click Package on the Package options window, you will be taken to the Printing instructions window. You can add information if you want or you can just click Continue to move on.
6] Choose Save location
Here you will choose where you want the package folder to be saved. You should also ensure that these options are checked Copy Font (Except CJK), Copy linked graphics, and Update graphics linked in package. You will then give the folder a name and choose the save location. You should choose a location that you can easily find when you are ready to share the folder.
7] Click Package
When all your options are checked and the location is chosen, click Package. You will see the progress bar run as your document is packaged. Depending on the speed of your device the progress bar can simply flash or take a few seconds to complete.
8] Locate the Packaged file
You will now need to locate the packaged file so that you can zip then share it. You can open the folder and you will see a folder called Links which contains images and other linked files. You will see the InDesign document file that you can edit. You will see a notepad file named Instructions. This file contains instructions about the InDesign file.
9] Zip the packaged file folder
In this article, the packaged folder is called Pkgd for easy reference. If you want to share the folder easily and also make it smaller, it is best to zip the file. Zipping the file will compress the content thus making it smaller, zipping also helps in cases where you need to send the file through an email.
To zip the folder, right-click on it, and from the menu choose Compress to Zip file. The Zip file will be created and you can give it a different name. If you have other compression/zip software available on your computer, they will show up on the menu and you can choose to use any of them.
Read: How to add an Image to Text in InDesign
How do I zip a packaged InDesign file?
In cases where you want to share the file for print or devices, you can export it as PDF. The PDF file will be of fairly high quality, however, you will not be able to make edits to the PDF. To export as PDF go to the top menu bar and press File then Export.
The Export window will appear for you to choose the file save location, name, and Save as type. In the Save as type, choose Adobe PDF (Print) or Adobe PDF (Interactive). When you have finished with the options that you want for your PDF, press Save.
Why should I package my InDesign document?
You should package your InDesign document if you want to share the document with others or with a printing store without having to flatten the files. Packaging the InDesign document will ensure that all the linked files are sent with the document. Packaging the document places the InDesign file and the linked files in a folder in the same location. This will make all the elements of the document easier to share and zip.
