Create an assignment and add the content
you want to include in the package.
Last updated on
16 May 2021
Create and send packages (InDesign)
Under ideal circumstances, all InDesign and InCopy users on the team have access to a server where assignment files are stored. However, if one or more users don’t have access to a common server, you can create and distribute compressed assignment packages. After working on the assignment, the InCopy user repackages the assignment and returns it to be integrated into the InDesign document. Package files created in InDesign include the .icap extension. The return package files created in InCopy include the .idap extension.
There are two commands for packaging files: Package For InCopy and Package And Email. Use Package For InCopy to create a compressed package that you can distribute manually; use Package And Email to create a compressed package that is attached automatically to an email message.
Note:
Do not confuse an assignment package with the File > Package command in InDesign that lets you bundle and send a document and its assets to a printer.
Create a package for manual distribution
-
Only content that is checked in can be included in the packaged assignment. If any content is checked out, you’re prompted to check in content.
-
In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package For InCopy from the panel menu.
-
Specify a name and location for the package file, and click Save.
You can attach the package file to an email message, upload it to an FTP server, or copy it to a disk or other external media.
Note:
Choosing Edit > Undo after you create a package cancels the package and unlocks the items in the assignment, but it doesn’t delete the package file from your computer or unsend the email.
Create a package for email (InDesign)
-
Create an assignment and add the content you want to include in the package.
Only content that is checked in is included in the packaged assignment. If any content is checked out, you’re prompted to check in content.
-
In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package For InCopy And Email from the panel menu.
A compressed assignment package is created and attached to an email message of your default email application.
Note:If you want to use a different email application, change the default email application. See your system documentation for details.
-
Edit the email message by adding a recipient and providing any instructions. Send the message.
All items in the assignment are checked out to the assigned user. However, the contents of the package itself aren’t locked, so anyone can open the package and edit them.
Cancel a package
In some cases, the package you send isn’t returned. For example, the message may have gotten lost, or the recipient may no longer work on the project. In such a situation, you can cancel a package.
-
In the Assignments panel, select the packaged assignment, and choose Cancel Package from the panel menu.
-
Click OK to cancel the package.
Canceling a package doesn’t remove the package file from your computer.
When a package is cancelled, the package’s contents are available for editing. Be aware that if someone returns a package that has been cancelled, conflicts may occur.
Update a package
After you create a package, you may want to add, remove, or resize items.
-
Add, remove, or resize one or more stories to the packaged assignment.
-
Select the assignment in the Assignments panel, and do one of the following:
Choose Update Package from the Assignments panel menu. Specify the name and location of the file. Make the updated package available to users by placing it on a shared server or by email. Remember to notify InCopy users that the package has been updated.
Choose Update Package And Email from the Assignments panel menu, and then send the message.
When InCopy users open the updated package, only new content is added automatically to the assignment; InCopy users can decide whether to overwrite existing content, allowing them to preserve previous edits.
Receive packages (InCopy)
You may receive a package from an InDesign user who created the package or from an InCopy user who forwarded the package to you. When you open an assignment package, the package is decompressed, and the contents are copied to a new subfolder in an InCopy Assignments folder.
Open a package (InCopy)
-
To open an InCopy package (*.icap or *.incp), do any of the following:
Launch the package using the email application. For example, double-click the attachment file.
Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click the file or drag it to the InCopy application icon.
In InCopy, choose File > Open, and double-click the packaged assignment file.
In InCopy, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel menu, and then double-click the package file.
You can now edit the stories in the package. When you begin editing a story, you’re prompted to check out the contents of the frame. When you’ve finished editing, save all content and return or forward the package.
Return or forward a package (InCopy)
After you open and edit a package, you can send it to another InCopy user or you can return it to the InDesign user who created the package. Package files created for other InCopy users include the .icap extension; return package files created for InDesign users include the .idap extension.
-
Edit and check in the content you want to include in the package.
-
From the Assignments panel menu, choose one of the following:
Forward For InCopy
Create a package for another InCopy user. Specify the name and location of the package file, and then make it available to the InCopy user.
Forward For InCopy And Email
Create and send a package for another InCopy user via email. The package appears as an attachment in a new message in your default email application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions, and send the email message.
Return For InDesign
Create a package to return to the InDesign user.
Return For InDesign And Email
Create and return a package to the InDesign user by email. The package appears as an attachment in a new message in your default email application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions, and send the email message.
Receive return packages (InDesign)
-
To open an InDesign package (*.idap or *.indp), do any of the following:
Launch the package using the email application. For example, double-click the attachment file.
Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click the file or drag it to the InDesign application icon.
In InDesign, choose File > Open, and double-click the package file.
In InDesign, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel menu, and then double-click the package file.
You’re prompted to update all links when opening the package. If a story has been modified since the assignment was packaged, you can determine whether to update or unlink the content in the InDesign file. When the stories in the files are returned and checked in, you can check out and edit the content.