Is it possible to package a project in Publisher?

[ch1ptune 9]

Coming from InDesign, I was particularly looking forward to seeing how Publisher handles links and packages. So far I've gathered that it embeds resources by default, but that you can release the embed and change the setting to linked in the resource manager. But is it possible to package and collect all files as it is in InDesign?

Say you have a very large document with 20-30 GB worth of links and you want to send it over to someone else to finish the project. How would you go about that in Publisher? Will the document file size be 20-30 GB in that case? Sometimes I send the InDesign file without links to other people, so they can see the layout. In that case it would be quite cumbersome to include all resources. And what if you only wanted to send a couple of the linked files - how would you easily access those files from within Publisher? I don't see a "Reveal in finder" option for linked files.

[Chris_K 1,056]

Hi ch1ptune

We do not support packages for this initial release. It may be something we look at doing in a future update. Current if you want to send the file you just need to send the afpub file, or export it to something like PDF if it's just for review.

Our reveal in finder is currently only for the main document itself rather than a resource. If you were sending files they can use the resource manager to replace the files but they would still need to search in finder for where they placed them

These two things are not bad feature requests so I;m going to move this post to that section

Cheers 

[purveyor27 15]

Packaging the document to include all assets and fonts etc ( like InDesign)  is a feature that would be 100% mandatory for me to be able to switch from InDesign to Affinity Publisher.  and oh boy do I ever want to switch to affinity Publisher!!!

[ricoho 0]

You could embed all linked files very easy in the document. There is a tutorial about this feature

[stmartin 18]

That would be very useful.

[Rylek 14]

On 8/30/2018 at 10:30 PM, ricoho said:

You could embed all linked files very easy in the document. There is a tutorial about this feature

that will work for a small publication, now i have 300+ images.... lots of clickin

also on my catalog resource i have to many images that i wont use in final version, and packege (like indesign) helps me to create/save final draft with all files that i use. rest is for backup/delete

[Eugene Tyson 83]

Packaging files is a must! 

[nicko_74 4]

I third that packaging files is important for a page layout app! 

[Old Bruce 645]

I will second that third for packaging files. Oh, and Fonts.

[eluengo 13]

packaging proyects is very interesting.....

BUT.... like ID, a package needs that the receiver (self or other) uses a compatible version of the generating app (ID or whatever).

for a propietary/personal use..... a good archiving policy is better than packaging

for another/printer/typesetter  ’s use....... better an interchange format: PDF can be a better solution, or EPS, or SVG, or the like

[segts 92]

Packaging is essential! But this is a great start! I really enjoyed my first go at the program.

[Fixx 552]

16 hours ago, segts said:

Packaging is essential!

It is just a handy helper. Maybe there are workflows where it is important but for most of us it is not.

[Tom Schülke 122]

The Big advantage of Packaging is, that you

1. can find all used Content, wherever it is on your Network, and
2. the Packagingprocess sorts out all unessesair Content that you have put to your Contentfolder but didn´t use in your final layout.. 

When you Package a Dokument and send it to a partner ore collegue using also afinnity publisher,  either way, you need to send many data to him..  from filesize there wouldn´t be a big differenze if you put the used content to a folder or if you embed the content to your afpublisher Document.

So i would suggest to embedd all the used contend to your document and send it this way..  But i would suggest a further Feature here !!!

 

using the embedded objects in the Ressource Manager..  give us the option to Export the embedded Content to a Folder we point to !

 

This of course wouldnt work when exporting to idml format which also is essential for many companys that work together with external partners..  My Architecural Company does this all the time ..  sharing indesign documents or idml formats with for example the greenplaners..    So i assure you we need this workflow..

I dont know how afpubisher would handle the export of idml files and the packaging of content when it will support idml..  i hope they find a good solution for this.. 

[yinYangMountain 6]

Chris_K wrote:

Quote

“It may be something we look at doing in a future update. … These two things are not bad feature requests so I;m going to move this post to that section”

Future? Not bad? That’s outrageous and absolutely unacceptable! Here’s why:

I’ve been working with QuarkXPress since the 90s and InDesign since the 2000s. I was completely surprised when I noticed a Package / Collect for Output feature was missing. So I made a call to a project manager working with various commercial publishers and with contracts at CocaCola, HP, Cannon, Honda, Hallmark, etc.

The basic response was:, “What! There is no way that output process will work or be taken seriously by anyone in ‘The Industry.’”

So Chris, I’d respectfully suggest that instead of moving this to a feature request and thinking about it as something for a future update, Serif get on this immediately and have it working prior to the first release.

And while I understand there is little chance Serif will take my advice, I’ll predict this is one of the biggest blunders ever. Whoever vetoed the Package / Collect for Output feature has little understanding of the final output process of professionals and commercial print houses.

yYM

- - - - - - - - - -

AFFINITY PUBLISHER (BETA) 1.7.0.133

- macOS: 10.13.6
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
- Processor 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7
- Memory 16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
- Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB
 

[Tom Schülke 122]

By the way !

i just tried it...  it works..    bind all footage into your document...  bring it to another pc..   and say   "make linked"   now publisher asks you for the folder of the linked footage for your document...   and          tadaaaaa.....     saves it to those location..

 

only wird thing is..    filesice doesent change after saving the document that now is linked...   at my case it stayed at about 970 MB..  and didnt change filesice even when the footage was saved to another folder... 

any ideas about this ?  is that a bug ?

 

 

[jwdezign 0]

Packaging the document assets (images and fonts) is almost a necessity for printing services, especially the fonts. Though it is possible to do this manually, coming from InDesign, a mouse click is really nice. Not to say this would make or break Affinity Publisher because I will use it out of beta regardless. As it appears, Affinity Publisher will soon become an industry standard as viable as InDesign. As a graphic designer and pre-press manager for 30+ years, I have dumped PS and AI for Affinity Photo and Designer because of the direction and pricing Adobe has decided to go. Despite the slight learning curve, I have never regretted it. I know of many designers and photographers jumping on the Affinity bandwagon and waiting for Affinity Publisher to come to fruition and become free of Adobe. Whereas a "Packaging/Collect for Output" feature may not be a deal breaker (for me), it will go a long way for the future of the software considering that hopefully Affinity Publisher will be as long lived and productive as anything Adobe has produced (provided it stays in the right hands).

[MEB 7,393]

Hi jwdezign,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
This is planned for later.

[Michael117 51]

On 9/23/2018 at 5:02 AM, yinYangMountain said:

Chris_K wrote:

Future? Not bad? That’s outrageous and absolutely unacceptable! Here’s why:

I’ve been working with QuarkXPress since the 90s and InDesign since the 2000s. I was completely surprised when I noticed a Package / Collect for Output feature was missing. So I made a call to a project manager working with various commercial publishers and with contracts at CocaCola, HP, Cannon, Honda, Hallmark, etc.

A couple of thoughts---

1. When did Quark and ID add this functionality to their applications?  Was it available in the first release?
2. MEB has said that this is on the roadmap; it's just not in the first release of the application.
3. It's not possible to deliver a first release product that has all the bells and whistles of competitive products that have been developed for years.  
4. Just about everyone on this board has a feature or function they perceive as critical and want it in the product now.  That's just not possible with the limited resources that Affinity has.

Let's give the team time to finish off what's in the pipeline for this first release and then they can start looking at the roadmap for future enhancements. Oh, and they have two other excellent products that are going to be updated so that they are all on the same base engine as Publisher.

[Bilbo Bowman 1]

I am very pleased with Affinity Publisher, it is an awesome first release! 

With that said, I also want the packaging feature. I package all projects before moving them to my Drobo "cold storage" folder for long-term archiving. While I am generally very organized and careful in my workflow, it is wonderful peace of mind to I know without a doubt, that absolutely everything needed for the project has been archived.

I'd prefer not to embed files, it's just not a workflow that I like.

[DonWattz 0]

This is something I am looking for as well! This is what I need!

[Lupaie 1]

I agree. I have a very chaotic workflow and my projects (animation, print, interface design) use footage from all kinds of places. Usually whenever the project is done, or whenever I have to share it with colleagues I use the Package or Consolidate functions so I'm freed from any worries that opening projects could result in missing footage. I highly recommend this feature as soon as possible. 

[idyguy 1]

On 8/30/2018 at 5:45 AM, Chris_K said:

Hi ch1ptune

We do not support packages for this initial release. It may be something we look at doing in a future update. Current if you want to send the file you just need to send the afpub file, or export it to something like PDF if it's just for review.

Our reveal in finder is currently only for the main document itself rather than a resource. If you were sending files they can use the resource manager to replace the files but they would still need to search in finder for where they placed them

These two things are not bad feature requests so I;m going to move this post to that section

Cheers 

WOW! Here we are almost a year after this post and there is still no method for packaging a project. I simply cannot understand why this feature has not been implemented. As much as I dislike continuing to use InDesign, I guess I have no other choice until Publisher becomes a "real" application. Too bad.

[Fixx 552]

On 7/8/2019 at 8:11 PM, idyguy said:

I simply cannot understand why this feature has not been implemented.

Packaging is not mission critical feature. It is just "nice to have".

[Piet De Ridder 0]

For some of us, it's a lot more essential than just 'nice to have', Fixx. Me, for example, I do artwork for various record companies. It used to be, several years ago, that you could simply send the high-res PDF's of the finished artwork to your contact at the record company who, in turn, would forward it to the printer — a very fast and carefree workflow (though not without risk) — but in recent times, most major record companies have implemented rather complex and strenuous uploading software, synced and linked to their databases, that insists on several things to be part of the upload, one of them being the open files (for archiving purposes). Without those packaged open files (incl. images and fonts), an upload will simply be refused.

Only to say: for certain types of jobs that some of us are paid to do, packaging *is* very much a mission-critical feature.

There are work-arounds of course, but if you have to upload asap (and 'asap' is the most often used acronym in the music business) artwork that includes, say, a 36-page fully illustrated booklet, you don't really want to spend your precious time carefully rounding up any number of images and fonts from various folders on your HD's, all the time knowing that if you overlook just one single item, your upload will be mercilessly refused and you've wasted time of which you have none to spare.

I obviously speak from a personal and perhaps uncommon situation, but nothing would please me more than to see a 'Package-' or similarly named command added to the File-menu of Publisher, and have this command initiate a 100% accurate and reliable process.

(Sensationally brilliant software, by the way.)

_

Edited July 15 by Piet De Ridder

[idyguy 1]

7 hours ago, Piet De Ridder said:

For some of us, it's a lot more essential than just 'nice to have', Fixx. Me, for example, I do artwork for various record companies. It used to be, several years ago, that you could simply send the high-res PDF's of the finished artwork to your contact at the record company who, in turn, would forward it to the printer — a very fast and carefree workflow (though not without risk) — but in recent times, most major record companies have implemented rather complex and strenuous uploading software, synced and linked to their databases, that insists on several things to be part of the upload, one of them being the open files (for archiving purposes). Without those packaged open files (incl. images and fonts), an upload will simply be refused.

Only to say: for certain types of jobs that some of us are paid to do, packaging *is* very much a mission-critical feature.

There are work-arounds of course, but if you have to upload asap (and 'asap' is the most often used acronym in the music business) artwork that includes, say, a 36-page fully illustrated booklet, you don't really want to spend your precious time carefully rounding up any number of images and fonts from various folders on your HD's, all the time knowing that if you overlook just one single item, your upload will be mercilessly refused and you've wasted time of which you have none to spare.

I obviously speak from a personal and perhaps uncommon situation, but nothing would please me more than to see a 'Package-' or similarly named command added to the File-menu of Publisher, and have this command initiate a 100% accurate and reliable process.

(Sensationally brilliant software, by the way.)

_

I'm a freelance graphic designer (35+ years) and ALL my clients want the finished product and all related files for archive as well. Also, if you work in a collaborative environment, it's sometimes necessary to pass along projects to another designer. Being able to easily package any project is a great advantage and time-saver. And as you stated, it's not impossible to hand-collect all the files in a particular project—it's just time-consuming. It seems to me that not being able to package a design is a glaring omission on the part of the developers. I have to wonder if the software developers have ever worked as graphic designers in the real world. Just my humble opinion...