Best Practices for Working with InDesign in Vicosight

Overview

In Vicosight, a report is set up as a project divided into chapters. Each chapter contains one InDesign document, usually one or multiple sections of the report, such as the financial statements. As an InDesign user, you create the layout, split the report into separate InDesign documents and add each one to its own chapter. Editors then work on the text in InCopy while you keep control of the design. This article walks through the full designer workflow, from setting up the first document to producing the final merged report.

Who this is for: designers and agencies who create and maintain the InDesign layout for a Vicosight project.

How the roles divide:

Contents

1. Before you start the project
2. Split the report into chapters
3. Set up the InDesign document and add it to Vicosight
4. The day-to-day work process
5. Things to keep in mind as a designer
6. XBRL and Indesign
7. Vicosight Preflight
8. When the work is done: merging chapters
9. Troubleshooting and FAQ

Before You Start The Project

Check these five things before you add your first document; most upload problems trace back to one of them.

1. Correct InDesign version. Every Vicosight document is tied to the InDesign/InCopy version it was created in, and everyone who edits it needs that same version. Agree on the version with the client before the project starts. The version is shown under Project Details, on the project page and on the chapter page. See Which Version of InCopy/InDesign Do I Need?
2. Transfer Manager and plug-ins up to date. The plug-ins add the Vicosight menu to InDesign. See Vicosight Plug-ins and Updating Transfer Manager for Windows or Mac.
3. Permissions. You must be added to the project and have InDesign permission on the chapters you will upload to. See Set User Document Permissions.
4. Chapters created. An administrator creates the empty chapters on the project page first. See Add Chapters to a Project.
5. Fonts ready to share. Decide which font files the editors will use and how they will get them. See Understanding Fonts in Vicosight.
   1. XBRL or not? Ask early whether the report will be tagged for ESEF/XBRL. It can impact the way you divide chapters and configure your styles. See Agency Guide – XBRL

Important: Documents saved in a newer InDesign version cannot be opened in an earlier one. Make sure the whole team has the agreed version installed before you upgrade a project.

Split the Report into Chapters

Upload the report as several chapters, one InDesign document each, rather than as one large file. How you divide the report is individual for each project: it depends on who needs to work in parallel, which permissions each contributor needs, and how the content is organised (see below). As an example, an annual report could be split into Year in Brief, Directors' Report, Financial Statements, Notes and Sustainability.

Why Split the Document

• Parallel work. Only one person can edit a chapter at a time; opening it locks it for everyone else. Separate chapters let the CFO's team, the sustainability team and the designer work at the same time.
• Targeted permissions. Administrators set permissions per chapter (None, PDF, InCopy, InDesign), so each contributor only sees and edits their own part.
• Faster transfers. Smaller file size download, upload and generate PDFs faster.
• Contained problems. A corrupt story or a font issue affects one chapter, not the whole report.
• Clearer review. Review, comments and version history are tracked per chapter.

How to Split an Existing Document

1. Ask the administrator to create one empty chapter per section of the report.
2. In InDesign, create a new document from the same template (same page size, parent pages and styles).
3. In the original document, right-click the pages in the Pages panel and choose Move Pages. Under Move to, select the new document.
4. Repeat for each section, so each document holds one chapter.

Keep the Chapters Consistent

• Use one template for all chapters so styles, swatches and parent pages match.
• Set the first page number of each chapter with Layout -> Numbering & Section Options so page numbers follow on across chapters.
• Keep one chapter per section break that makes sense for your workflow; avoid very small chapters that make the merged report harder to manage.

Set Up the InDesign Document and Add It to Vicosight

Before you can upload a document, an administrator needs to create an empty chapter for it in the project. The document is uploaded directly from InDesign. Navigate to the Vicosight menu and select Add Document.

Prepare the Document

1. Create one InDesign document per chapter, since each chapter in Vicosight holds its own document. Use the InDesign version that everyone on the project will work in.
2. Apply paragraph and character styles to all text. Editors in InCopy can apply the styles you define and add manual formatting such as bold, italic or all caps, but they cannot create new paragraph, character, table or cell styles.
3. Place every frame an editor will need. Editors can only write inside existing frames; they cannot create, move or resize them.
4. Link images in high resolution from a stable location. Depending on how the project is set up, consider whether editors also need access to the images to keep full image quality in the PDFs (see Images below).

Add the Document to a Chapter

In InDesign, select Vicosight -> Add Document, log in with your own user details, and choose the company, project and chapter. For step-by-step instructions, see Add InDesign Document to Chapter on the Server.

Please note: If the project uses TrackChanges, open the chapter and use Save to Server once after adding the document. This creates a second version of the chapter, which is needed for tracked changes to be visible in the document.

Recommendation: Use underscores instead of spaces in chapter names. See Add Chapters to a Project.

The Day-to-Day Work Process

Every editing session follows the same cycle. Open the chapter from Vicosight with Edit in InDesign, which locks it for everyone else. Work and save locally with File -> Save. When you are done, select Vicosight -> Save to Server to upload a new version of the document, create the PDFs and unlock the chapter for the next person. See The Four Fundamentals, Open a Chapter for Editing and Save Your Work Locally and Save to Server.

Working Alongside Editors

• Design changes are yours. If text overflows or a new frame is needed, editors will hand the chapter back to you.
• Use Review for comments. Ask the client to comment in the Vicosight Review panel, not with the InCopy Notes tool. Notes are not tracked and appear as yellow sticky notes in PDFs saved from InCopy.
• Watch your locks. The My Locked Chapters widget on the dashboard lists every chapter you have checked out, so nothing stays locked by accident.

Critical: Do not unlock a chapter unless Client Services asks you to. Unlocking is only for troubleshooting; contacting support first saves time and can avoid a document recovery.

If a chapter is still locked by you, for example because the document was closed without Save to Server, see A Chapter Is Locked by Me, Locked Chapter Options.

Things to Keep in Mind as a Designer

Most support cases from design teams come down to fonts, saving, PDF presets, hyperlinks and images. Set these up correctly at the start and the rest of the project runs smoothly.

Fonts and Font Versions

Everyone who opens a chapter must have exactly the same font files you used. A different version of a font with the same name can still reflow the text.

• Supply the exact files (or the Adobe Fonts family) to the client's editors and their IT department before they start.
• Use static fonts. Avoid variable fonts, which have caused workflow issues. TTF and OTF files with the same name (for example Avenir.ttf and Avenir.otf) are different fonts and trigger the Missing Fonts dialog.
• Do not mix Adobe Fonts and local files. If one user has a font active through Adobe Fonts and another has the locally installed file, InDesign treats them as different fonts. Never have the same font active from both sources.
• Check fonts with Type -> Find/Replace Font to see which fonts are missing or substituted.
• Check license restrictions. Fonts that cannot be embedded in PDFs make Save to Server fail.

What happens when fonts are missing: text is highlighted pink, frames overflow (red +), and the server PDF shows cut-off or wrong text. See Understanding Fonts in Vicosight.

No Autosave, and Never Save As

InDesign has no autosave, so save often with File -> Save. A local save does not update the server; only Vicosight -> Save to Server does.

Never use File -> Save As on a checked-out chapter, as it disconnects the document from the server. See Save Your Work Locally and Save to Server.

Hyperlinks

Because each chapter is a separate file, hyperlinks and cross-references cannot link between chapters while you work in Vicosight. Links within a chapter and links to external web addresses work as normal. Add table of contents links and cross-chapter links once the report is final (see When the Work Is Done). See How Hyperlinks Work in Vicosight.

PDF Presets

When you Save to Server, a PDF of the chapter is created for every PDF preset in the project. The standard presets, No TrackChanges and TrackChanges, are managed by Vicosight and need no setup in InDesign. If the project needs other output, such as bookmarks, spreads or print resolution, an administrator can add a custom preset. Every preset adds one more PDF to each Save to Server, so only add the ones the project needs. See How to Manage PDF Settings (Presets) in Vicosight and Changes to the CtrlPrint PDF Presets.

Important: Any filters you have applied to trackchanges will be included in the PDFs when you save to the server. If you want all changes shown, remember to turn off filters.. See Filter Changes in a Chapter.

Images and Links

• Link images from a location you will always have access to. If links are missing when you save, the PDFs use low-resolution previews.
• InCopy users often do not have access to your image folders. If they save the latest version, the PDF image quality can drop until a new version is saved by someone that has access to the images.
• Avoid images on local network servers that other users cannot reach; mixed Mac and Windows handle file paths differently (a PC uses a drive letter such as S:\, a Mac uses the drive name), so an image linked on one system may show as missing on the other.

No conflicting plug-ins.

Other third-party plug-ins or extensions installed in InDesign can conflict with the Vicosight plug-ins and cause errors when you open, add or save chapters. If you use other plug-ins, especially ones that also manage files or workflows, check with Vicosight Client Services before the project starts.

XBRL and Indesign

If the report will be tagged for XBRL, the way you build the layout affects how well it converts to XHTML and how well the tags hold. Use proper InDesign tables, avoid overlapping text frames and alternate glyphs, and keep the layer order in line with the reading order. See Best Practices for a Successful ESEF Reporting Workflow for the full guidance.

Vicosight Preflight

Vicosight Preflight checks your document in InDesign and flags issues like these early. Open it with Vicosight -> Open Preflight. See Vicosight Preflight for how to activate it and choose a preset.

When the Work Is Done: Merging the Chapters

When every chapter is final, you either merge the chapter PDFs in Vicosight or merge the InDesign files into one document for final production. Choose based on what the final deliverable needs.

Before You Merge

• All chapters are saved to the server and unlocked.
• All tracked changes are accepted or rejected, and the TrackChanges filter is reset.
• No Notes are left in the text (they show as sticky notes in PDFs).
• Page numbering runs correctly from chapter to chapter.

Two Ways to Merge

• Merge and Download PDF in Vicosight: merges the chapter PDFs into one PDF. Table of contents and cross-chapter links are then added in Adobe Acrobat.
• Merge the InDesign files: download the chapters and combine them into one InDesign document, where you add the links before exporting the final PDF.

See How Hyperlinks Work in Vicosight for the steps for each option, and PDFs for Merge and Download PDF.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Can I add cross-chapter hyperlinks while working? No. Add them after the report is final, in InDesign or in Acrobat.

Can editors upload a new document? No. Only users with InDesign permission can add documents to chapters.

Can I use a newer InDesign version than the client? Only if the whole team upgrades. Files saved in a newer version cannot be opened in an older one.

Still stuck? Contact Vicosight Client Services.