How to print Indesign 1 built 20 pg. doc. using Indesign 4, saddle stitch on color copier????

Question

I have a document built in the first version of Indesign. We have two Macs (OS 10.4.11).  My employer purchased a Sharp/COECO brand 6200 color copier/printer (a big boy!).
The #1 criteria for purchasing that equip. was that it had to successfully print our annual president's report. (After Sharp delivered the copier/printer, things went down hill starting with day one. Bad motherboard in machine; got new motherboard. Output quality shifted causing uneven margins on large posters (11x17) went sent directly from the Macintosh and it gets worse.) Long story short, our Sharp folks said it was because we were operating with Indesign 1 that the features for creating a saddle-stitch job appear grayed out (selections are shown, but we could not select them). Just last week we purchased Indesign 4. Installed it. Tried the very same steps as we tried with Indesign 1. Areas to select to create a booklet using saddle-stitch feature are still grayed out.
Document information: 20 page, single-page built 8.5 x 11 document (built using Indesign 1).
Cover Paper (for pages 1 & 20 and 2 & 19) : 80# Futura Laser Dull
Content Paper (for pages 3-18) : 80# Futura Laser Text
We want 700 copies of a 20 pg. document. We were instructed by our copier tech/specialist to print the covers separate (since they were to be a different weight paper). So I created an 11 x 17 horizontal layout to place my already built 8.5 x 11 single pages into so they would be printer spreads (the only way I knew to do it). Pages 20 & 1 were side one; pages 2 & 19 were side two. I printed one side first, then the other, as our copier will not duplex automatically.
The theory from our copier tech was that we would load the covers into the by-pass tray and those would pull (to be added to the content pages to be saddle stitched) once I sent the pages 3-18 (still in a single page format) from my mac to the new copier/printer. The software from my mac would "talk" to the software on the copier/printer and the copier/printer would know to impose, place my letter-sized pages into printer spreads. Made sense to me.
When we attempted to do all of the above, options that I needed to select for making it into a booklet, saddle-stitched, etc. were grayed out. After countless suggestions (with no solutions ) from our copier tech., they quickly washed their hands of the situation and stated that it was not their product but an issue with our mac. End of story.
We have 700 covers already pre-printed (containing pages 20 & 1, 2 & 19).  I need to know if there is anyone out there who might have had a similar issue when trying to create a saddle stitched book, designed in Indesign 1, printed in Indesign 4 on a copier/printer that supposedly can do such as mentioned??If so, i need and appreciate all help, feedback, suggestions, recommendations as soon as possible. This job must be ready by Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.
Our only other option at this time is to set pages 3-18 up as printer spreads, print them on the 80# Futura Dull Text paper (will yield me 4 printer spreads) and pair those with the first printer spread (20 & 1 and 2 & 19), which will then be a total of 5 printer spreads and carry it to a local printer who will graciously collate, fold, and saddle stitch for only $85.
Please help and many, many thanks for all who can assist! I certainly appreciate it!

Answer 1

Daniel,
Thank you SO MUCH for your options and quick reply to my post! I'm nearly at my wits end ... our Command Workstation is also loaded on the only PC in my department. When you said it could be printed using Acrobat, I guess you mean just the plain old, basic Adobe Acrobat that one would use to open PDFs in? I'll give that a try first. If I've misunderstood you, please don't be afraid to correct me .... again, thanks!
Beth Gray
>>> Daniel Flavin <[email protected]> 11/04/09 5:58 PM >>>
Several options come to mind -
The copier engine and RIP are in charge of the imposition and duplexing from your single page file and should be available from any program ie: Word, Open Office, Acrobat. Could you print a 8 page file from any other program and have the features available?
Your support points the finger at the MAC drivers; do you have a PC in the facility to check the imposition and duplexing ability?
The job could be printed from Acrobat as easily as from InDesign if drivers are to blame.
Is the Sharp accesible/driven by a stand alone program ie: Command Workstation? You would be able to spool the page file and make the options from there.
FYI, 2 things you can expect and should check with from your local printer about the booklet making - A decent shop will score the covers before the gather, stitch and fold yeilding a nicer crease (no cracking along the spine). (I'm assuming your 80# Futura Dull is a cover weight as opposed to text weight.) Also, you should be getting a face trim to eliminate the creep from the inside pages - a clean polished outer edge. You Sharp can do neither and it is your annual report.