Batch-convert/export documents (CS3/4)

(New version, May 2009.) The script (batch) converts and exports files/documents. It can be used to export InDesign documents to PDF or other formats, but also to update large numbers of InDesign documents to a newer version, e.g. from ID4 to ID5. Essentially it works the same as the CS2 version, but, obviously, to convert large numbers of CS2 documents to CS3 or CS3 documents to CS4, this one (the CS3/4 version) is needed.

Use

With no documents open, the script displays the dialog shown in the screen shot. At Input folder you enter the folder where the files are that you want to convert or export; to browse to a folder, press Pick folder on the right. To type a folder name, use the platform-neutral format (/d/books/) or any of the platform-specific forms (d:\books\ on Windows).

After picking the input folder, its name is entered at Output folder but you can change that either by picking a folder or by typing its name. To place the converted files in the same folder as the source files, leave the Output-folder field empty. You would probably want to leave "Output folder" empty when you include subfolders: when you do specify an output folder and include subfolders, all files are placed in that output folder.

Tick Include subfolders to include all subfolders of the selected folder; tick Ignore errors to ignore errors such as missing fonts and missing links; pick source and destination formats at From and To; if converting to PDF, a preset can be selected at PDF presets. The option to Convert text to outlines is available when you export to EPS. (When converting InDesign to InDesign, make copies or convert to a different folder to be on the safe side.)

batch convert InDesign PDF INX EPS IDML

Instead of choosing a folder to select files to convert, you can also convert the currently open documents. If any documents are open, "Input folder", "Include subfolders", and the source formats can't be selected.

Whatever you set in the dialog is remembered and used as default next time you use the script.


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