The CrossTalk Workflow

Adobe's idea behind the LiveEdit workflow was to offer a collaborative tool for InDesign and InCopy users in a fast moving editorial environment such as a newspaper. The Adobe LiveEdit workflow is a compelling option "out of the box", however the learning curve and management of the workflow is not for everyone. Just to be able to edit an InDesign document (in InCopy) you need to read through 16 pages of instructions on how to prepare the document in InDesign.

Adobe InCopy is a powerful yet easy to learn application. However the way of using InCopy for editing InDesign documents needed to be simplified for agency, in-house production and corporate environments. This is why we created CtrlCrossTalk for InCopy and what we call, the CrossTalk workflow.

The solution is simple, install the CtrlCrossTalk plug-ins for InCopy and you can take an InDesign file, open it, convert to CrossTalk, and edit any text you want. CtrlCrossTalk allows you to bypass the assignments and Check-In/Check-Out process by unlocking all the stories in the document.

So what actually happens? When users of InCopy with CrossTalk "convert" an InDesign document to CrossTalk all the stories are unlocked and become editable. This is the way most people are used to working with files and the way we feel InCopy should work as well. Users of InDesign do not need to change their way of working, install anything or even specially prepare documents. They simply work as they have always worked.

However, in addition to CtrlCrossTalk for InCopy, we have created CtrlCrossTalkID for InDesign. This plugin adds to the CrossTalk workflow by allowing InDesign users to take full control over which stories can or cannot be edited. Users can lock certain stories, lock stories on master pages, and enable or disable the CrossTalk workflow entirely. CtrlCrossTalkID gives InDesign users control over their documents without compromising the InCopy user's ability to do their job.

There are tremendous benefits that can be gained from the CrossTalk Workflow Solution. You'll be saving time and cutting down on the amount of work that needs to be done on correcting and managing different documents. It offers copywriters or translators a powerful, yet easy to use, editing tool and requires no additional steps for the InDesign user. This is the way InCopy and InDesign should have been made to work together.