IndesignPerfect

If you work with large-scale publishing projects—like catalogs, brochures, or multi-language editions—manually exporting each version is a time-consuming nightmare. That’s where batch exporting with scripts in Adobe InDesign comes in.

With the power of scripting, you can export multiple documents, pages, or assets to formats like PDF, PNG, and JPEG — automatically, reliably, and in seconds.

Why Use Scripts for Batch Exporting?

• Save time on repetitive export tasks
• Maintain consistent export settings across documents
• Automate multi-version or multi-format exports
• Reduce human error
• Integrate into production pipelines

What You Can Batch Export with Scripts

• Multiple InDesign files to PDF
• Each page as a separate image (JPG/PNG)
• Assets from layers or page items
• Different versions (e.g. English, Spanish, French)
• Interactive vs Print PDFs
• Packages for printing or archiving

How to Batch Export PDFs Using a Script

Adobe InDesign uses JavaScript (ExtendScript). Here’s a simple script outline to batch export all INDD files in a folder as PDFs.

🔢 Step-by-Step:

1. Open ExtendScript Toolkit or Visual Studio Code
2. Use the following base code:

var inputFolder = Folder.selectDialog("Select folder with InDesign files");
if (inputFolder != null) {
    var files = inputFolder.getFiles("*.indd");
    for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
        var doc = app.open(files[i]);
        var pdfExportPreset = app.pdfExportPresets.item("[High Quality Print]");
        var outputPath = File(files[i].fsName.replace(".indd", ".pdf"));
        doc.exportFile(ExportFormat.PDF_TYPE, outputPath, false, pdfExportPreset);
        doc.close(SaveOptions.NO);
    }
}

3. Save as batch_export.jsx
4. Run from:
   File > Scripts > Browse…

This will export all InDesign files in the selected folder as high-quality print PDFs.

Exporting PNGs or JPEGs

Change the export format in the script:

doc.exportFile(ExportFormat.PNG_FORMAT, outputPath);

You can also loop through pages and export them individually with .exportFile() in a loop.

Pro Tips for Batch Export Automation

• Use consistent file naming to avoid overwriting
• Combine with conditional text or layers to generate variant versions
• Use folder structure to organize exports by language, product, or region
• Incorporate date/time stamps into file names using JavaScript
• Export spreads vs pages depending on document layout
• Set custom export presets and reference them by name in your scripts

Third-Party Plugins for Batch Export

If scripting feels intimidating, there are plugins that offer UI-based batch export, including:

• BatchOutput for InDesign (by Zevrix)
• MadeToPrint (axaio software)
• EasyCatalog (for data-driven batch output)

These tools offer scheduling, automation triggers, and advanced export logic.

Summary

With scripting, batch exporting in InDesign becomes an efficient, repeatable process that saves hours of work and ensures consistency across your publishing projects. Whether you’re building multilingual brochures or exporting hundreds of marketing materials, automation is your best friend.

👉 Try Adobe InDesign free for 7 days — Start your trial today.