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Adobe incopy vs google docs6/22/2023 ![]() they can only edit the contents of stories that the ID users give them permission to. It's better than giving editors their own copy of ID because IC doesn't let them move or create objects or pages. IC users can see the entire ID layout (if you can't, you're doing it wrong) with the actual typeface and formatting, and so can edit to fit. The main reason to use IC is to save time and money. Even a 2-page sales flyer might have 5 or more. (A typical ID file for say a 24 page magazine has 50+ stories. In InDesign the designers naturally put stories in different frames or threaded frames (called "stories" in the workflow), so when an InCopy user needs to edit a story, other users can't edit it (prevents versionitis) but can edit other stories. Multiple IC users can edit their individual stories in an ID file at the same time if desired. It lets the designers design and the editors/writers edit the copy, instead of the editors marking up printouts or PDFs and the designers having to translate their scribbles into a new proof. I use it in our publishing company for our magazine, and know dozens of other companies that use it too. ![]() Or, if you punch in "InCopy workflow" and similar variations on Youtube, there are all kinds of videos that take you through the process. Think of it as a $20/month subscription to WordPad that happens to allow you to connect to InDesign files.Īdobe has quite a bit of info on managing InDesign InCopy workflows here: ![]() It's designed so that you and the other contributors can write all the copy and fill up a print project at the same time instead of the old-fashioned traditional linear workflow. InCopy is really nothing more than a basic word processor. I end up learning enough to help the rest of the team get started, and then frantically Google things when random surprise questions get tossed my way. I do keep up with new software and know my way around setting up workstations, so I assist with getting new things like this off the ground. (Edit -> InCopy -> Update or something like that)įull disclosure- I'm primarily an animator and work day to day with video and After Effects, so Indesign isn't my strong suit. I thought it was possible to edit the copy within InDesign, but the designer needs to update the file first. If you have someone on your team working remotely, it gets a little more challenging unless you allow remote desktop access or something along those lines. If your office has a local server you can all connect to, that's great. Also, as I understand it, the main InDesign project file must be in a place where all contributors and the designer have access to it. So, if you're writing a proposal with an introduction, some biographies, a budget, and 2 case studies, the designer working in InDesign needs to break that project into 5 separate segments if they need to have one person contributing to each section. only one user can be "checked in" to a specific section at a time. Something to remember though- InCopy allows multiple users to contribute to a single InDesign project, BUT. ![]() Long story made short, InCopy will save us a bunch of time and headaches compared to the old way we did some projects. This is LOADS better than multiple people printing out multiple copies of some huge proposal, marking it up with corrections, and then tossing it back to the designer who is then left to slog through a mountain of paper and hope they noticed everything some coordinator scribbled in the margins. The designer can print out or email a comp, and if any corrections are needed, the contributors can simply do it themselves right then and there in InCopy. The designer can then work on graphics and styles and all that stuff while the other contributors can fire up InCopy, connect to their part of the InDesign file, and start getting content into it. The designer can create the main project in InDesign, and then divide the project into sections that can be assigned out to AEs, or copywriters or whoever is going to be providing the written content. We're in the process of more permanently implementing InCopy into our workflow for proposals and larger print/layout projects, and if anything it should be a huge time saver. It might not be the best tool ever, but its pretty handy for our small (20 people) office. For those who just don't know, InCopy is pretty cool.
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