Converter Plug-In
With the Converter plug-in you can save an InDesign document as a StoreFront package. This is a ZIP package that can be opened and edited in the Online Editor of StoreCenter. The ZIP package contains all the necessary data as inherited from the InDesign document:
•the document with inherited styles in the StoreFront format
•embedded fonts
•embedded images
•complex design elements such as gradients and large files which are converted to PDF for optimum online presentation
•inherited layers which are locked or editable as specified
The Converter plug-in can be installed on as many computers as required and you can also give it to freelance designers. It is recommended that you check regularly that you have the latest version of the Converter plug-in. The version number is indicated in the top right corner of the Converter windows.
Three versions of the converter are available to ensure compatibility with the various versions of InDesign:
NOTE: Plug-ins are also referred to as extensions in Adobe InDesign.
Prerequisites
The following procedures are for using the Converter plug-in with Adobe InDesign which needs to be installed on your computer.
StoreFront packages can be created on Windows as well as Macintosh computers. See “System Requirements”.
NOTE: Read the Technical Information provided with the plug-in for information on installing the latest version of the plug-in.
Install the Converter plug-in
1 Click the Download Plug-in link in the StoreCenter navigation bar to download the latest StoreFront Converter plug-in.
2 Save the ZIP file to a location on your computer.
3 Browse to this location and unzip this file which contains a folder with the latest version and another with older versions.
4 Read the technical note for the installation instructions with your InDesign version.
StoreFront Converter is added to the list of extensions.
5 Restart InDesign and you can now start the Converter from the File menu or the Window menu, depending on the version of InDesign.
Prepare an InDesign document
Documents need to match the specifications of the product templates on which the customizable product will be based. For example, a customizable business card will be based on a business card product template which has specific dimensions. Your InDesign document must have the same dimensions.
It is recommended to prepare an InDesign document with layers so you can lock static content. See “Conversion Recommendations” for more details.
You may need to embed instructions for the shopper. For example if the shopper can choose from selected fonts, include sample text in the different fonts on a locked layer.
Your design also needs to take into account the workspace version that you choose for the shopper: Advanced, Basic, Forms or Expert. See “Online Editor Overview” for more information.
TIP: If you need to modify or update the base document or design of an existing customizable product, it is recommended to do this in the Online Editor if possible. Otherwise you will have to redo all the work you performed in the Online Editor (form fields, constraints, etc.).
Create a package with the Converter plug-in (InDesign CC and later)
1 In Adobe InDesign, open an existing InDesign document or create a new document that you want to use as a customizable product in StoreFront.
The document layout should consist of layers to separate static design elements from the customizable frames. Layers containing static information should be locked so the shopper cannot modify this information.
2 Choose Window > Extensions > StoreFront Converter to start the Converter.
The Converter dialog is displayed.
3 In the Export to StoreFront panel, choose the document you want to convert from the Source drop-down list and choose the other settings as required. See “Converter Windows (InDesign CC and later)” for more information.
4 Click Go to save the document as a StoreFront package.
This also starts the preflight checks to check that the Converter translates all design elements in the layout properly into a StoreFront Package. Warnings or errors may flag issues in the saved package. If the preflight detects errors, you will not be able to create the package. If this is the case, you need to open the second converter tool to fix the errors. Choose Window > Extensions > StoreFront Live Preflight to open the preflight tool, and click the Preflight document button. See “StoreFront Live Preflight”.
5 Optionally, the preflight step can also be performed before you create the package and when you are creating your document. This give you more control for fixing issues. Choose Window > Extensions > StoreFront Live Preflight to open the preflight tool. See “StoreFront Live Preflight”.
A ZIP file is created which is ready for uploading in StoreCenter when you create a customizable product.
6 Click the “x” in the top right corner to close the Converter.
Create a package with the Converter plug-in (up to InDesign CS6)
1 In Adobe InDesign, open an existing InDesign document or create a new document that you want to use as a customizable product in StoreFront.
The document layout should consist of layers to separate static design elements from the customizable frames. Layers containing static information should be locked so the shopper cannot modify this information.
2 Choose File > Export for Apogee StoreFront to start the Converter.
The Converter dialog is displayed.
3 Choose the document you want to convert from the InDesign file drop-down list and choose the other settings as required. See “Export for StoreFront” for more information.
4 Click Create ZIP to save the document as a StoreFront package.
The conversion starts and the Converter checks that all design elements in the layout can be translated properly into a StoreFront Package. The results are displayed in the Converter Preflight Report. See “Preflight Report” for more information.
Warnings or errors may be displayed to flag issues in the saved package. See “Conversion Recommendations” for more information.
5 Click Back to fix the issue.
OR
Click Save Document to finish the conversion.
OR
Click X in the top right corner of the window to abort the conversion.
A ZIP file is created which is ready for uploading in StoreCenter when you create a customizable product.
6 Click the “x” in the top right corner to close the Converter.
Uninstall the Converter plug-in (InDesign CC and later)
You can uninstall the converter as you would remove other programs. Uninstall the Converter plug-in (up to InDesign CS6)
1 Open the Adobe Extension Manager and highlight the StoreFront Converter plug-in in the list of extensions.
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2 Click the Remove button.
3 Click Yes to confirm that you want to uninstall the plug-in.
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