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Old 11-24-2008, 10:49 AM   #1
Laurie
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Default Importing from PgMkr to InDesign

Hello,

We have a book in PageMaker 7 and would like to import it into InDesign CS4. We have minimal experience with InDesign CS2 and none with CS4 which we recently acquired. We are awaiting the Total Training InDesign CS4 DVD, but it won’t be available for another month.

In the meantime, if there is a fairly simple way to move/import a book from PageMaker 7 into InDesign CS4, could someone kindly explain how to do it.

The book consists of Front Matter (title page, copyright page and introduction), a Table of Contents, several chapters, an index and a few ads at the back. It is in black and white. There are several graphics throughout (photos, sketches) and a few tables.

Thanks.

Laurie
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Old 11-24-2008, 11:50 AM   #2
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You should be able to open each PageMaker file in InDesign. I do it all the time. Just use Open, navigate to your PM file, and click.

The ID file should include styled text, links to images (assuming you also have the image files), styles, the layout (page sizes, margins, etc.), tabs, etc.

You will probably want to edit the styles to take advantage of some of ID’s advanced features (the paragraph composer, for example). Check the fonts. Unlike PM, ID is optimized for OpenType fonts. That may suggest some changes in the styles to take advantage of advanced OT features.

Let us know how it goes.

   
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Old 11-24-2008, 04:00 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ktinkel View Post
The ID file should include styled text, links to images
Whenever I've tried it, it failed unless the images had been embedded in Pagewrecker rather than linked.

   
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Old 11-24-2008, 05:15 PM   #4
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Whenever I've tried it, it failed unless the images had been embedded in Pagewrecker rather than linked.
Really? I’m pretty sure it has worked for me (with linked images) — but I had the images in the same folder.

And it has been a while.

If not, that is a serious bummer!

   
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Old 11-26-2008, 08:27 AM   #5
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It worked for us, no problem loading the images even though they are not embedded in the PgMkr files.

I'd also like to find out about importing indexing into InDesign. Can you help with this? For example, many words are tagged as index entries in the PgMkr files. Will these be imported and if so, how do we recognize them and can they be edited? Thanks.

Laurie

Last edited by Laurie; 11-26-2008 at 08:31 AM. Reason: fix error
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Old 11-26-2008, 12:30 PM   #6
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Quote:
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It worked for us, no problem loading the images even though they are not embedded in the PgMkr files.
Whew! That is what I was pretty sure would happen, but don’t anything to test here so just kept my fingers crossed! Glad to hear it.

Quote:
I'd also like to find out about importing indexing into InDesign. Can you help with this? For example, many words are tagged as index entries in the PgMkr files. Will these be imported and if so, how do we recognize them and can they be edited? Thanks.
I never had to do that, but believe that it has at least some ability to translate footnoting.

Afraid you will have to test to see what, exactly, fails. Alas.

This table may help you sort out some of the PM > InDesign issues.

There was a “PageMaker edition” of InDesign CS which was intended to ease the transition from PM to ID. Not sure it is still available (or that it would be any better than whatever is incorporated in CS2/CS3). But you might want to inquire.

   
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Old 11-27-2008, 07:31 AM   #7
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That table is very useful. Thanks!

I might start a thread on indexing, in case someone who knows about indexing didn't read this thread about importing files.

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Old 11-27-2008, 09:13 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurie View Post
That table is very useful. Thanks!

I might start a thread on indexing, in case someone who knows about indexing didn't read this thread about importing files.
Good idea. The last indexing I did (not my favorite task by any means) was done in Word, then placed in PageMaker and tweaked there.

You would think that ID would be slicker than all that, but maybe Adobe wants everyone to buy FrameMaker for all heavy doc production.

   
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Old 11-25-2008, 06:28 AM   #9
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Thanks, Kathy. I'll let you know if this works. We'll try with one chapter and see what happens with the images (per Robin's warning).

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