Pub2ID Images

Embedded Images

The MS Publisher default preference is to embed placed images. In fact, the MS Publisher author must go to considerable lengths to link images to external files and then remove the embedded image. The easiest way to do this is to use the “Take to a commercial printing service” feature of MS Publisher’s “Pack & Go” menu. This will extract all image files (except for certain vector based files) and create links. The result, however is that the embedded images are still retained in the MS Publisher document. Presumably, this is so one can use the MS Publisher “Graphics Manager” to switch between linked and embedded for individual files.

Happily, since the embedded images are retained, the use of this feature has no impact on conversion with Pub2ID. It is possible, albeit difficult, for the MS Publisher author to convert all images to external links and delete the embedded image. To convert such a file with Pub2ID, the image library must be supplied with the MS Publisher document otherwise all you will have upon conversion are low resolution previews. Basically, Pub2ID works best with all images embedded; which is, coincidentally, the default operation of MS Publisher.

Commercial Printing Tools in MS Publisher

Once images are placed into MS Publisher they are treated as RGB color space for output and are converted to RGB when using the “Pack and Go” feature mentioned above. This includes any images that were in CMYK mode when placed in the MS Publisher document. MS Publisher includes a Color “redefinition” tool for converting RGB to CMYK but this only has an effect when using MS Publisher itself to output the document. Setting this feature has no impact on the document or on the conversion process with Pub2ID. Using Pub2ID actually makes color conversion easier. See below.

NOTE: There is no need for the MS Publisher author  to use any of the “Commercial Printing Tools” or the “Pack and Go” feature if you are converting the file with Pub2ID. At best they have no impact on the conversion of the file; at worst, they can hinder a successful result.

Pub2ID Image Extraction

The Pub2ID conversion process automatically extracts the embedded images from the MS Publisher document (including the vector based files that MS Publisher cannot extract) and creates links in the InDesign document. These images are placed in a folder labeled with an arbitrary file name such as “IMGTemp23.jpg” . Unlike MS Publisher, Pub2ID extracts the images in their original color space (with the apparent exception of EPS files). Therefore, if the MS Publisher author went to the trouble of using CMYK images you can recover the benefit of that effort by using Pub2ID. The images are extracted in their native size and resolution; they are not affected by scaling in the MS Publisher document but the InDesign conversion will faithfully reproduce the position, scale, rotation, flip, skew, etc. of the original MS Publisher document.

Limitations:

Certain vector images (next bullet below) are assigned temporary names.

EPS, CorelDRAW and other vector based files will be extracted as WMF files since MS Publisher converts all such files to WMF when placed.

Extraction of different images with the same (original) name is supported.

There may be issues with placed EPS files that contain “live” text and bitmap images.