On 02/18/2014 03:27 PM, JLuc wrote: > Le 18/02/2014 20:45, john Culleton a ?crit : >> I am trying my first real book interior in >> Scribus, and the page count will exceed 128. >> There will be text plus lots of black and white >> illos. I will use 1.5.0. >> So what is the preferred workflow: >> 1. Type each chapter externally and import as text >> into a set of linked pages. Then export the >> chapter as pdf. >> 2. Type each chapter using story editor. Then >> export the chapter as pdf. >> 3. Type the whole book in one document. > > I use a mixture of 1 and 3, depending on the book. > > I type the text in external documents (libreoffice or googledocs) > and import them as text (without style import) > I do the layout then. > > With 1) i setup a script to merge the produced PDFs with pdftk when > required. > > With 3) when the SLAs are ready and before producing the PDF, > i merge the 10 to 20 SLAs in 3 or 4 big SLAs (Pages > Import) > (entry and summaries, first part, second part, last part) > I redo manualy all links (because #11110) > and sometime i clean the duplicated and unused styles (#11814, #11420) > but there should be no problem if the styles have the same definition > in all merged parts. > And then i produce the 3 or 4 PDFs that i send as is to the printer, > without merging them further. > >> I am concerned about two things: speed/ease of >> production and size of the ultimate pdf. It seems >> to me that if I merge chapters using pdftk >> then there will be a lot of repetition in the pdf >> of fonts etc. > > Merging the PDFs is fully scriptable, fast and reliable, > and less tricky than merging the SLAs, > but i dont like keeping lots of SLAs. > IMO, fonts are not that big compared to scribus produced PDFs. >
I think the preferred workflow is whatever works. Certainly for 128 pages, your option 2 is the least workable. You know you need to break up your book into smaller pieces when screen updates become intolerably long. A 128 page all or mostly text book might actually work if you have plenty of RAM and a fast processor. The downside of breaking up your book is to make sure you keep track of page numbering, right-left pages, and all the other things that make for a smooth finished book once you merge. AFAIK, pdftk should avoid duplication of font metrics in your final PDF. Greg
