

When downsaving and exporting in older versions of InDesign, you should also select IDML as your format. To do this, click File > Save a Copy > Select IDML (InDesign Markup) > Save. In this example, we’re downsaving from InDesign CC to a file that can be opened in InDesign CS4 or later. Next, I’ve labeled it as “Logo_cs5” so that I know which version this new file has been saved in. In the example above, I’ve chosen to “Save a Copy” in order to create an entirely new file for opening in older versions of Adobe Illustrator. To downsave a newer version of Adobe Illustrator to an older one, simply click File > Save a Copy > Save > Select the CS Version of your choice > OK.

Here, we’ll discuss how to do this in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. To avoid compatibility issues with your files, it’s a simple matter of downsaving the file before you hand over them the design. Most newer versions of Adobe programs can open and read older versions of Adobe programs, however older versions of Adobe Programs often have trouble reading files created by newer versions of Adobe Programs. This can cause compatibility issues when you’re sharing files with a client or fellow designer. In the design industry, designers are using different versions of different Adobe programs to create designs. If you’ve ever seen a message like this when trying to open an Adobe file it’s probably because the file wasn’t downsaved.
