CS4 to CS3... saving down

[micke]

A student of mine just sent me an email asking how to save a file created in InD CS4 so she can open it at school, where we are using CS3. I don't have CS4 yet, but it is probably in export>legacy (or something). Anybody know? Otherwise, I'll just tell her to check Help, which I hear is a nightmare in CS4.
Any help is appreciated.

micke

[Lukas Engqvist]

Save as Indesign interchange format.
File: Export... : Indesign CS3 Interchange (INX)

Those features that are not compatible will be lost (older indesign does not support versions, transitions or any of the new features)

[eugenetyson]

You will need the latest update for CS3, which is 5.04. You can update from the Help menu or if you're behind a firewall or something and that option is grayed out you can download directly from the website.

The 5.04 update also fixes bugs as well as allowing opening CS4 .inx files.

[micke]

Thanks, Gene! It's the same as CS3>CS2, pretty much, I guess.

micke

[Lukas Engqvist]

It may be possible to just use the same inx file down to CS haven't tried yet.
but a CS3 INX could be opened in CS.

[eugenetyson]

I don't know Lukas, I don't have CS4 to test, but I imagine the 5.04 update will be the last one, so having it will probably make the transfer from CS4 to CS3 go smoother.

And I don't have CS to test from CS3 to CS. I'm just going by what the update information file tells me.

http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/indesign_incopy/releasenotes.html

[Lukas Engqvist]

I'll report back, ofcourse testing with files there may be some that make the test and others that don't.

[micke]

Thanks, Lukas and Eugene. It's pretty much what I emailed my student, but now I can speak with a little more authority when I see her in class today. I'm pretty sure we have v. 5.04 in school (I have it at home on both machines).

I'm interested in hearing if you can save to CS1 or CS2, though. Let us know if it tests out. Thanks again.

micke

[Lukas Engqvist]

IF you want to go back versions you will have to go:
CS4, via INX to CS3
CS3 via INX to CS2
CS2 via INX to CS

Earlier InD does not have INX support.

It would be a good Idea to also export a PDF from the highest version of inDesign, then after converting export to a PDF so that you can use AcrobatPro's Compare feature to compare the two PDF files, this way you can detect any differences in appearance.