Publishing and Exporting Documents
Publishing and Exporting Documents
Export questions test whether you can choose the right format and settings for a destination. Know the main export paths: PDF (print and interactive), IDML for cross-version exchange, EPUB for reflowable ebooks, HTML, and image formats like JPEG and PNG. A frequent trap is expecting a print PDF preset to preserve hyperlinks or interactivity - use an interactive PDF or appropriate settings instead.
Understand PDF export presets: High Quality Print, Press Quality, Smallest File Size, and PDF/X standards. Know that PDF/X presets are for print exchange and constrain color and transparency handling. Understand marks and bleeds, compression and downsampling, and whether to export spreads or single pages.
Candidates should know preflight and the Package feature: packaging collects linked graphics and fonts so a printer receives everything needed. A common trap is forgetting that missing links or fonts will break a package or output.
For EPUB, understand reflowable versus fixed layout, article order, and that text must be styled with styles for clean export. Know that overrides and local formatting can produce messy HTML. For print, understand that flattening transparency can affect spot colors and appearance.
Rule of thumb: before exporting or packaging, run a preflight profile to catch missing links, missing fonts, and overset text - fixing them after output is far more costly.
Worked example
Sending a job to a printer: run preflight, resolve missing links and fonts, then use File > Package to collect the document, links, and fonts, and export a Press Quality or PDF/X PDF with marks and bleed.