Saturday, March 17, 2012

How to export PDFs with facing pages on Issuu

A step-by-step guide on how to convert your PDF pages so that they can be seen on Issuu as one spread, instead of individual pages that don't match up.

Here is one example of a document that I uploaded on Issuu which was split into 2 separate pages, even though the pages should be displayed in a single spread:

Issuu facing pages PDF problem - Page 1
Issuu facing pages PDF problem - Page 2

As you can see from the images above, even if it looks OK on Acrobat and you can see the spread, the document's facing pages settings may not work after the PDF is converted on Issuu.

The problem:  PDF with facing pages are published as individual or single pages on Issuu. 




















The Solution:  Use Acrobat and InDesign so that your PDFs on Issuu are seen as a spread.

Instructions
1.  Use Acrobat to export your PDF as TIFF images.
You can do this by going to File > Export > Image > then click TIFF.
 See the image below for more info:



















2.  Save the TIFF images and open InDesign.
Create a new document, then make sure you tick Facing Pages and also type in the number of pages in your spread.



















3.  Place the TIFF images into InDesign  
You can do this by dragging and dropping the TIFF files onto the spread in InDesign, or by pressing CTRL+D (or Apple D on a mac) and choosing the files you want to place into the spread.



















4.  Export the PDF
Choose File > Export > then click Save.
In the dialog box that pops up, make sure you choose Layout: Two-Up Continuous (Facing) from the drop down menu and click OK



















5.  Upload the new PDF generated from InDesign to Issuu.
Your PDF should now display as a single spread with facing pages on Issuu.
Here are two examples of PDFs with facing pages on Issuu that were created using these same steps:  NSW nurses switch union payment options and Super holds up.
If you come across any issues or would like to send me a message, please leave a comment below or find me on Facebook to get in touch.

9 comments:

  1. Is there a way to do this in Photoshop CS5? I don't have InDesign or Acrobat and I'm having trouble making facing PDFs on Issuu. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kelsey,

      You can also do the same thing in Photoshop. Here's how:

      1. Open the PDF (as page or image) in Photoshop and choose Select All > then Copy
      2. Create a new file by going to File > New
      3. Choose the A3 preset in the dropdown menu by clicking International Paper > Then select the A3 option from the Size dropdown menu
      4. Click OK
      5. Go to Image > Image rotation > Click 90° CW
      6. Paste the copied PDF pages into the new A3 document and align them
      7. When you're done go to File > Save As > and choose Photoshop PDF as your file format

      Hope that helps,

      Maria

      Delete
    2. Maria, you're a lifesaver!
      I googled it and thank goodness your advice came up! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

      Delete
  2. Excellent topic! Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anytime, I'm glad you liked it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Maria,
    I'm so glad I found your site. I have created a large pdf for lookbook conversion in issuu and have since learned that my facing pages won't work. I understand that I must have single pages however over 1/2 of my lookbook images are landscape photography that must be spread across 2 vertical pages. I have reviewed your comments on how to convert these images to a "spread" by reworking them in photoshop however my challenge is how do I recreate a multiple page document once I adjust these landscape pictures.
    I greatly appreciate any help you can offer.
    Best Regards,
    Jill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jill,

      I'm not sure how this could be done over multiple pages in Photoshop, do you have InDesign by any chance?

      You could just place the images in InDesign (see Step 2) over multiple facing pages and export it as a PDF.

      Or you can separate the lookbook pages and place the PDF files into InDesign. I did that for my latest article in The Lamp magazine where the image was over a 2 page spread:

      Health service honoured at London Olympics

      Cheers,
      Maria

      Delete
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    ReplyDelete