Working with spreads that will be split into pages for perfect binding

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    • #93895
      Jon Coyle
      Member

      I am creating a magazine that will be perfect bound, which means exporting to a pdf as individual pages with bleeds on all sides. However, when I am creating the document, I need to work in spreads. So, while working in spreads, I don’t have bleeds along the spine because one of the pages bleeds would bleed over to the other page.

      My current workflow is to create spreads but only have the bleeds set up on three sides (not the inside) and then when everything is finalized, split the spreads into pages and adjust all images and graphics along the spine to have bleeds on all four sides of the page. This is time-consuming. Is there a way to work in spreads and have bleeds set up on all four sides of each page, but not have those inside bleeds display while the pages are set up in spreads so that it is an accurate representation of what the final printed magazine will look like?

    • #93906

      Short answer: You don’t need to do this. Just set up a document as spreads (with bleed on all four sides), design your stuff, and export as individual pages for print. Done.

    • #93915
      Jon Coyle
      Member

      My issue is that if I export to pages from spreads that had bleeds on all four sides, then the exported pages will not have graphics that extend to the bleed marks on the inside edge. For perfect binding they cut each page individually and it needs to have bleeds on all four sides.

    • #93916
      Jon Coyle
      Member

      The reason I’m splitting the document into individual pages in InDesign is not because I didn’t know you can export to pages from spreads. It’s so I can extend the graphics to bleed off of all four sides of the individual pages before I export.

    • #93924

      No, they don’t cut the pages individually. The printer will impose the pages and print them as spreads (just in a different order), fold them and bind them. So they don’t need a bleed on the spine wich they will remove anyway so this is really nothing you have to concern yourself with.

      Really the ONLY binding technique I can think about where this could become an issue is wire binding. But in that case designing across the “spine” is probably a bad idea anyway.

      If for some reason you have to this anyway, don’t use a spread document, use single pages and arrange your spreads manually with some gap between them.

    • #93937
      Jon Coyle
      Member

      Thanks for your response, Wolfgang. I just spoke to my printer and he confirmed that in perfect binding, the sheets are cut individually, the same way they are in wire binding. This is the method our previous printer used as well. He said he has heard of large runs of books that are hundreds of pages and being printed in quantities of thousands, in which the signatures are set up using spreads and then the edge is cut.

      You could make the argument that the inside edge of each page will be hidden in the spine and so it’s not a huge concern, but the printer said that it’s best to be safe and set up the bleed.

      Setting up a gap manually is an interesting suggestion, but isn’t really an option because I often use images that cross the spine. If I left the bleeds, I wouldn’t be getting an accurate visual as far as whether they are lining up.

      Again, I appreciate your response.

    • #93950

      OK, this is quite a surprise. Seriously, in my 15+ years as a professional print media designer I’ve never come across a printer who would work that way. But if your printer does it that way, well who am I to judge. Still seems odd to me because it would mean a lot more work and a weaker binding. Thanks for the update.

    • #99610

      Hi Jon, I ran into a similar problem and found a great solution here:
      https://creativepro.com/breaking-up-pages-with-the-page-tool.php

      Long story short – the “Page Tool” can allow you to move over a page in a spread so that you can maintain bleed on all four sides of the pages.
      This has been a life saver for me. Hope this can help you as well.

    • #99799
      Jon Coyle
      Member

      That’s perfect, Shannon. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

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