Expert: Glen Demers - 1/17/2011

Question
I need to print 11x17 documents of various complexities from InDesign on a daily basis and lately this has not been possible. I know the easy answer is to create a PDF and print that, but the graphics lose quality when printing a PDF, so that is not a great option.
I have created an 11x17 print preset, checked that my page and print setup are correct, checked that the actual printer is ready to go and still, nothing comes out. I receive an error message saying that the job was printed with errors, but it did not print. When I try printing without using the preset, it doesn't work, either. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the printer driver as well as the InDesign software.
Everyone else in my office is able to print 11x17's (I am the only one using InDesign) and I am able to print them from other programs (Word, PDF, etc.).
Because this is a recent problem, I'm concerned that I may have changed something by accident in my InDesign print settings or preferences. Is that a possibility? What am I missing?
I value your feedback; hopefully this issue is one you're familiar with! Thank you so much!

Answer
Hi Martha,

If you File>Export your document as an Adobe PDF and select High Quality, Press High quality or one of the PDF/X standards from the Adobe PDF preset menu, you should have as good quality as your original.

When you print out of InDesign in the print dialog box go to the setup tab and make sure you can choose Tabloid size there. Then click on (depending on system) Page Set up, Set up or Printer Set up and make sure that the 11 x 17 or Tabloid option is available there. You may have to delete the printer from your computer and recreate it.

If you are on a Mac, you may want to try changing the printer's PPD. Sometimes the Apple supplied PPD files don't work as well as the ones you can download from the printer manufacturer's website.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more InDesign tips please visit our help pages here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/indesign.htm