TruEdit, a Content Management System for InDesign PLUS: What’s New in InDesign 2017

While designers might use InDesign to create the look of a publication, writers and editors use different software, typically Microsoft Word, to create content. Smaller publications typically do a one-way import of Word documents into InDesign, but larger publications require more robust team management and two-way integration throughout the production process. Enter the content management system.

In this presentation, Brett Kizner of MEI will take a look at how writers, editors, designers and other content team members use his company’s TruEdit, a leading content management system for InDesign, to collaborate in creating print and digital content and the ways this is changing in the digital world. Monica Kollmann of Response Magazine, a user of TruEdit, will describe how it is used at her company and provide a peek inside a real-world publication environment.

The evening’s presentation will also provide an overview of MEI’s Twixl Publisher platform for creating content apps.

PLUS: An overview of what's new in the recently released InDesign 2017.

Twixl and TruEdit Raffle Prizes

Three lucky winners will walk away with one-year subscriptions to fully functioning versions of the demonstrated programs. If you own or work for a publication, you need this!

Twixl Media will provide two raffle items: one Twixl Publisher Classic app ($850 value) and one Twixl Publisher Multi-Issue app (value $2190). These will be for a one-year subscription term. The winner can renew the free one-year Twixl subscription at the then Twixl list price. Also, any plug-ins (Entitlement pack, Automated Content Sources, Integration API) will be purchased separately at the $1400 list price.

MEI will offer a TruEdit Complete (Adobe InDesign/InCopy Plug-ins and TruAuthor HTML article content authoring) (value $3450) for three named users for a one-year subscription term. MEI will include four hours of training. The winner will sign an MEI service order and the subscription can renew the subscription at the named user list price unless terminated by the winner.

Location and Parking

General Assembly is a pioneer in education and career transformation, specializing in today’s most in-demand skills. A leading source for training, staffing, and career transitions, it fosters a flourishing community of professionals pursuing careers they love. What began as a co-working space in 2011 has since grown into a global learning experience with campuses in 15 cities and over 25,000 graduates worldwide.

General Assembly does not have a parking lot. The closest recommended lots are the Santa Monica City lots at 1571 2nd St., Santa Monica, California 90401, and 1433 2nd St., Santa Monica, California 90401. Parking is free for the first 90 minutes, $1.25 for the next hour, and $1.85 for each additional 30 minutes with a $17.50 maximum. The meeting runs 3 hours. If you park 15 minutes before the meeting and leave 15 minutes after, the rate would be $4.95 (90 minutes $0 + 60 minutes $1.25 + 30 minutes $1.85 + 30 minutes $1.85). A map and complete Santa Monica parking information is here.

Meeting Notes

By Alvin Takamori

On a cool, wet Thursday night, the Los Angeles InDesign User Group held their first meeting of 2017 at General Assembly in Santa Monica. General Assembly is an education and career transformation facility. The turnout for this meeting was admittedly rather sparse, but that just meant more Panera sandwiches for the rest of us.

At this meeting, there were two presenters, Brett Kizner, Senior Director of Business Development for Managing Editor Inc. (MEI), and Monica Kollman, Graphics Director of Response Group.

Brett introduced us to Content Management Systems (CMS). In the world of publishing, designers use software like InDesign to create the look of a publication. While writers and editors use software like InCopy to generate content. Integrating the two in the production process can be a challenge for larger publications with multiple team members.

There are four parts of the process: collaboration, organization, automation, and publication. There are also four major systems that are used to provide this. ATEX is a CMS that is used by large newspapers. Another system used by magazines in the 90's was some software, whose name begins with the letter "Q." Since then, magazines have switched to Vjoon K4 and Woodwing Enterprise, which integrate InDesign and InCopy.

However, content is currently being generated in new ways. There are apps and social media, and staff working from home. There are freelancers and copy on Dropbox.

Brett explained that to address all of this, MEI introduced a new CMS called TruEdit, which uses a cloud-based platform to integrate web, mobile, and print.

Monica Kollman showed us how her company uses TruEdit. TruEdit works as a plug-in within InDesign and InCopy. The system also includes Web Client, HTML authoring, and bi-directional support. Using a typical multi-page article with ads, Monica demonstrated how you could drag and drop articles into TruEdit. There you could check if links are missing. Items like ads could be stored in another file and you could add and place them. You could click on an item in the "All Jobs Table" and a pop-up window tells you where it's placed.

You could do these things in InDesign alone, but with Truedit the file is in the Cloud where multiple users can access it. The file can be accessed by an editor, who is notified with a message. The status of whether he sees it is automatically updated. Any edits to the file do not overwrite the original file. So multiple versions of the file are stored in the Cloud. For organization, you can add a description, metadata, to the file. When you are ready to print, the file can be assigned to a production manager and checked in. It can be prepared for PDF with checks for font, colors, photo credits and image bleeds.

Kizner explained that translating files to HTML is difficult in InDesign. Since the software was designed for printing, the HTML generated by InDesign tends to be oversimplified. To help translation, using paragraph styles is helpful, because XML can generate tags from those styles. Using TruEdit, you could export a file as XML and convert it to HTML, to get a better HTML file.

Next there was a demonstration of a typical workflow. Beginning with a Word file from TruEdit and linked to InDesign, a writer in TruEdit could update a header. They could download it and alter it. A designer could check for updates and see a notice that the writer changed the header. The designer might see that an image is missing and go to TruEdit to create a job for it. The job directions to get a photo could be placed directly on the InDesign page and assigned to the appropriate person. Meanwhile, a writer could log into InCopy and edit text without access to the overall layout.

To generate output for mobile devices another platform by MEI called Twixl is good for creating apps. The Twixl platform creates sections of HTML content; the header, the text, and the photos. These sections are automatically rearranged to fit the dimensions of the output screen. The apps created can be used on android or iOS devices.

Obviously, TruEdit and Twixl are specialized tools for the niche market of large publications. But, if you're in that market, it looks like an excellent system to use.

Farthest Attendee

The bona fide LAIDUG member who travels the farthest specifically to attend the meeting will receive her or his choice of any one deal at MightyDeals up to $50.00. Mighty Deals offers fonts, templates, apps, e-books, etc. You need to prove to us that you traveled farthest to attend this meeting. Having recently moved to the area from somewhere else won't cut it. Be prepared to show us indication of your current residence—perhaps a driver's license or a utility bill. Decision of the administrators of the Los Angeles InDesign User Group is final. Winner — William Gunn

Raffles

LAIDUG is supported by raffles of donated prizes. No one is required to participate in the raffles. Raffle tickets are: 1 for $3, 2 for $5, 5 for $10, 11 for $20, 24 for $40, 32 for $50 and 65 for $100. All major credit cards are accepted.

Raffle Prizes and Winners

TruEdit Complete. Value $3450.00 Winner — Rick Torres

Twixl Publisher Multi-Issue app. Value $2190.00 Winner — DeShawn Burton

Twixl Publisher Classic app. Value $850.00 Winner — Robin Schiff

eDocker CREATE! 6 month subscription. Value $774.00 Winner — Robin Schiff

Stock Layouts. Full access to Stock Layout template library. 3 month subscription. Value $299.00 Winner — Rick Torres

Markzware. FlightCheck. 12 month subscription. Value $199.00 Winner — Rick Torres

Expo Creative Asset Manager for Mac from Insider Software. Value $149.00 Winner — Connie Schurr

Font Agent Pro 7 from Insider Software. Value $99.95 Winner — William Gunn

InMotion Hosting. Web hosting and free domain. Value $90.00 Winner — Robin Schiff

DTP Tools Cloud for InDesign. 6 month subscription. $77.40 Winner — Robin Schiff

Adobe Stock. 15 image licenses. $44.00 Winner — Angela DeLeon

InDesign Magazine. 6 month subscription. Value $30.00 Winner — Angela DeLeon

Pluralsight. 1 month subscription. Value $29.00 Winner — Monica Kollman, Rick Torres

LA Web Professionals Group meeting tickets. Value $7.99 Winner — Florence Merl, Rick Torres

About the Presenters

Brett Kizner

Brett Kizner is MEI Senior Director of Business Development and has held roles at MEI including training and system integrator, developer and business development manager. In addition to helping customers realize the potential of MEI's TruEdit Content Platform and Twixl Media's Twixl Publisher mobile app platform, Kizner leads the MEI Product Management and Customer Success teams in defining and delivering MEI solutions to our customers. Prior to joining MEI, he led the publishing systems group for McGraw-Hill’s Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Glencoe brands implementing Adobe InDesign, InCopy and the K4 Publishing System at the K-12 textbook publisher.

Monica Kollmann

Monica Kollmann is Graphics Director of the Response Group where her scope of work includes art direction, design and photography for the Questex properties: Response Magazine, the DRMA and Response Expo. The monthly magazine, alliance of networking events and annual trade show serve the performance-based marketing industry, which she has seen evolve over the past 25 years that she's worked in the space. Her creative experience encompasses: design and production of the magazine's editorial; print and digital marketing for the group's brands; expo/event design; event photographer. She holds a B.A. in Graphic Design/Anthropology from California State University Fullerton.