Adobe InDesign — How to set up an envelope file for a commercial printing company

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This page is designed to assist you in setting up an envelope file when using Adobe InDesign. It also has some advice on how to outline text and how to convert the files to greyscale.

Whilst the images are from an Apple-Mac, the principle is almost the same on a PC.

 

Before you send your completed file to TheOnlinePrinter, please be aware that TheOnlinePrinter does not print colour envelopes. TheOnlinePrinter prints greyscale envelopes — envelopes that are black and white (and every shade af grey in between).
This means that you will need to convert your file to greyscale before it is sent — and there are tips on how to convert your envelope file to a greyscale PDF below.

 

How to set up an envelope file in Adobe InDesign

Choose: File > New > Document (see image on right).

You will then be presented with a New Document dialogue box that is similar to the one below. Fill in the details.

  1. Enter the number "1" in the Number of Pages box.
  2. Enter the size of the envelope. The best way to do this is to ignore the drop-down menu and manually enter the Width and the Height.
    • DL envelopes are 220mm wide x 110mm high.
    • C5 envelopes are 229mm wide x 162mm high.
    • C4 envelopes are 324mm wide x 229mm high.
  3. Enter the number "1" in the Columns box.
  4. Make sure each of the Margins is set at 10mm.
  5. Make sure each of the Bleed and Slug boxes are set at Zero.

Once the details are correctly entered, click the top-right OK button.

 

 
Your screen will change, and you will be presented with a blank document similar to the one immediately on the right.
  • The black box is the size of the envelope.
  • The magenta box (the dark pink box for the blokes reading this) is the Safety Margin line.
  • All text and images must be kept inside the Safety Margin line.
If you look closely at the image immediately on the right, you will notice that the logo and the text either touch the Safety Margin lines, or are inside the Safety Margin line. This is correct.

Once your envelope has been designed, you should save the file.

  1. Name the file. Commercial printing companies use the name of the file.
    • To identify the customer. In our example, we are designing an envelope for Printing-Online.com.au Pty Ltd, so the first part of the name of the file is Printing-Online.
    • To identify the type of product. In our example, we are designing a DL-sized envelope, so the second part of the name of the file is DL Envelope.
  2. Ensure the file format is an InDesign file. If you save the file in another format, then you might not be able to adjust the file at a later time.
  3. Once the information is correcty entered, click on the blue Save button.

 

How to outline text on your envelope file when using InDesign

Your commercial printing company might not have
the fonts that you have used, or might not be licensed
to use thsee fonts, so it is almost always best if you
outline the text — outlining text completely solves this
problem.

Choose: Edit > Select All.
The text and the images will become highlighted.
You will be able to see that the highlights, as each
side of each object, and each corner of each
object has a tiny white box.
Now choose Type > Create Outlines.
All the text should now be surrounded by a light
blue line, and the highlight box should turn into
a dotted line.

You should now save your file.

 

InDesign cannot convert files from colour to greyscale. The method of converting a colour file into a greyscale file is done in two parts:

  1. Convert the InDesign envelope file into a PDF.
  2. Convert the PDF into a greyscale PDF.

 

How to convert an InDesign envelope file into a PDF.

Choose File > Export.

You will be presented with the Export dialogue box.

  1. Make sure the file is named correctly (i.e.: the customer is named, and the type of product being orderd.
  2. Ensure that Adobe PDF is selected in the Format drop-down menu.
  3. If the information is entered correctly, click the blue Save button.

You will then go to the General area of  Export Adobe PDF dialogue box.

  1. Make sure the Adobe PDF Preset is set at Press Quality.
  2. Select the All button in the Pages section.
  3. Click once on the Compression tab.

Attend to the following:

  1. The Color Images is set at 300 and 450 pixels per inch.
  2. The Greyscale Images is set at 300 and 450 pixels per inch.
  3. The Monochrome Images is set at 300 and 450 pixels per inch.
  4. If the information is correctly entered, then click the blue Export button.
You might then be presented with the image on the right. This image means your file is being converted into a PDF. If it takes a long time, then do not worry, as it can take a very long time on some computers.

 

How to convert a full colour PDF into a greyscale PDF

Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.

Choose Advanced > Print Production > Preflight

You will then be presented with the Preflight dialogue box.

Click once on the small triangle just next to PDF fixups (bounded in red on the image to the right).

The PDF fixups menu will drop down with more options.

Choose Convert to grayscale (bounded in red on the image to the right).

Then click the Execute button.

Your file with then be converted to Greyscale, and all you need do is Save it.