Adobe InCopy Tips,
Techniques, and Resources

An edited compendium of the best tips, white papers and tutorials for Adobe InCopy and the InCopy/InDesign workflow.

INCOPY TRAINING: Start out on the right foot with user-friendly InCopy/InDesign workflow consulting and training for you and your team. Not sure if the InCopy/InDesign workflow is for you? Gather your team and set up a 30-minute remote (phone conference/screen sharing) "brain-picking" session with me (Anne-Marie). As one of the country's top InCopy experts, I can answer all your questions and help you decide if it's a good fit for your publications.

Ready to make the move? Bring me or one of my associate geeks in for hands-on InCopy application training — including InDesign/InCopy workflow training —for your designers, editors, IT and other stakeholders. Training is delivered clearly and patiently, using your publications to practice on. Reluctant editors are our specialty! Contact us and we'll be happy to answer your questions and give you a rough training and/or consulting quote along with our syllabus and references. I've helped scores of publishers and publication departments from around the world master the workflow, avoid the glitches, and reap the amazing benefits — if they could do it, you can too! Training and support offered on-site, online in real time in our Web classroom, or in a large, off-site classroom; and comes with 3 years of follow-up support.

INCOPY E-ZINE: Sign up for my free InCopyFlow newsletter! Each monthly issue contains tips and techniques for getting the most out of Adobe InCopy and the InCopy/InDesign workflow, as well as answers to reader's questions, late-breaking news from Adobe, bug fixes, events and workshops of interest to anyone using InCopy and InDesign to get the job done.

InCopy Tips from DesignGeek e-zine

InCopy Tips from my InDesignSecrets.com blog
(InCopy Workflow section)

Anne-Marie's InCopy Handouts and Articles

Introduction to an InCopy/InDesign Workflow (eSeminar)

The hour-long webcast I did for Adobe in 2006 on InCopy and InDesign is now available for viewing on their web site. After you register (free) they'll send you a link to view the eSeminar on their site at your convenience. It's pretty cool, from your browser you hear me speak and see my screen via the magic of Macromedia Breeze. This eSeminar covers how the workflow differs from what you're using now, essential set-up steps, tips and "challenges," and how it actually works with live InDesign and InCopy files.
 

Feature Article, The Next Evolution (PDF, 920K)

This is a reprint of my 10-page feature story on InCopy that I wrote for InDesign Magazine in 2006. It's aimed squarely at designers and the editors who work with them, and lays out in user-friendly detail exactly how and why InCopy can replace Microsoft Word (or at least supplement it) in your workflow. It's not all rah-rah, I include a table that shows when InCopy makes sense for your workgroup, and when it doesn't make sense, as well as a frank discussion of its shortcomings (and how users work around them). Print this out and pass it around at the next staff meeting to get everyone up to speed with how InCopy can empower editors and designers alike.
 

Seminar Slides, Moving to an InCopy/InDesign Workflow (PDF, 1.9MB)

For the past couple years I've had the pleasure of introducing the InCopy workflow en masse in public seminars. After the seminars I've often been asked if I could make some of the slides I use to introduce the concept available to the attendees. People want to take them back to the office and use them to help their colleagues understand what it's all about and to "sell" them on InCopy. The slides also clearly lay out the advantages and the "challenges" of moving to this workflow, and "Essential Set-up Steps." So — here they are, enjoy, and I hope they help you out!

Best InCopy Resources from Adobe's Web Site

InCopy CS3 Tryout

Give it a whirl: Download the free, fully-enabled InCopy CS3 from Adobe's site (hope you have a fast connection). It's good for 30 days, but the clock doesn't start ticking until you install the file you downloaded. If you have InDesign CS3, you're good to go; but if you have InDesign CS2, you'll need to install the InCopy Workflow plug-ins (on the IDCS2 install disc) into your InDesign application folder so you can make ID stories editable and use that cool Assignments feature. Yes, InCopy CS3 can open and work with InDesign CS2 stories, layouts and assignments, but I wouldn't recommend it for the long term.

 

What's New in InCopy CS3

Every new text-related feature from InDesign CS3 is present in InCopy CS3, including text variables and table styles; but the big news is an easier InDesign/InCopy workflow for remote (off-site) editors. Read more about the remote workflow in the "how it works" article I wrote on my InDesignSecrets.com blog.

 

Adobe InCopy CS3 FAQ

Do you have questions about InCopy CS3? Might they be frequently-asked? Here you go.

 

The Adobe InCopy CS2 LiveEdit Workflow (PDF, 1M)

Get familiar with the ins and outs of setting up an editorial workflow using InCopy CS2. Download this PDF to learn more about this affordable and flexible solution.

 

InCopy CS2 Evaluation Guide (PDF, 10.8M)

More comprehensive than the white paper above, this 28-page evaluation guide (aimed at end users as well as reviewers) provides an in-depth look at the features of interest to writers, editors and designers in your group. Don't forget to check out the side-by-side comparison of InDesign and InCopy CS2 vs. commerical plugs-ins to get an idea of what your workgroup may need to purchase to maximize your workflow.

 

Top Support "Issues" for InCopy

Wouldn't you love to know why your screen freezes while using InCopy? See these Adobe Tech Notes for beginning, intermediate and advanced-level troubleshooting tips.

 

Best Ways to Get Help from Other Adobe InCopy Users

Adobe's Forums:
InCopy Mac | InCopy Windows

As far as I know, this is the only place on the Internet where InCopy users can put their heads together and figure out solutions to problems. I'm not sure why Adobe split the forum along platform lines; the program is virtually the same on either side and the combined message traffic is only a trickle. Be sure to check out both forums for existing answers to questions. If you're not registered with the forums, you can still log in as a guest if all you want to do is read the posts; you'll need to register (free) if you want to post your own.  

 

Other InCopy Sites of Interest

InCopy Workflow Blog

I often post Information, tips, and workarounds of particular interest to designers who work in an InDesign/InCopy workflow, and other users chime in via comments. It's a dedicated section in David Blatner's and my InDesignSecrets.com web site/podcast.

InCopy Plug-In Developers:

WoodWing Software — SmartConnection (Light, Pro, and Enterprise)

SoftCare — Developers of the K4 Publishing System, as well as the InCopy plug-ins Notes Manager and Overset Manager

Managing Editor Inc. (MEI) — TrueEdit plug-ins and the exclusive distributors for the Americas of SoftCare's K4 Publishing System