Converting Legacy QuarkXPress and PageMaker Files

InDesign can directly open QuarkXPress 3.x and 4.x files, as well as files created by PageMaker 6.0 and later, thereby converting those files to InDesign documents. InDesign CS2 can also open and convert QuarkXPress Passport files. Note this limitation for QuarkXPress files. On its own, InDesign cannot open and convert QuarkXPress 5.x or 6.x files. However, the Q2ID utility from Markzware can open and convert QuarkXPress 5.x, 6.0, and 6.5 files.

Preparing for Conversion

Even though you only have to choose File > Open to open these legacy files, it's important to realize that this is a translation processyou're not simply opening a file. There are some precautions you can take to minimize problems in conversion, but you should be emotionally prepared to massage the resulting InDesign file. You'll achieve the best results if you first ensure the health of the original file you're going to convert.

• Make sure that all the required fonts are active on your system.

• Open the file in the originating application and update all graphics. Skipping this step won't prevent conversion, but it may save you some time hunting for links in the converted file.

• If there are any unnecessary elements in the document, such as extra elements in the pasteboard or unused colors and styles, delete those. It's best to start with a file that's as clean as possible.

• If you're starting with a QuarkXPress 5.x file, save it as a 4.0 file so that InDesign can open it.

• Before closing a PageMaker document, perform a Save As (rather than a File > Save) to streamline the file. The PageMaker Save command is a fast save, and there may be vestigial hidden data. Make it easy on InDesign.

• If the document is quite large, consider breaking it into smaller chunks for easier digestion.

• Convert embedded graphics to linked graphics in PageMaker if possible.

• Close the file before you attempt to open it in InDesign.

What to Expect

It's wise to check the results of conversion. You could laboriously compare hard copy to what's displayed onscreen, but here's a suggestion. After you've prepared the file in QuarkXPress or PageMaker, create a PDF from that file. Then, once you've opened the QuarkXPress or PageMaker file in InDesign, create a new topmost layer in the new InDesign file, and then place the pages of the PDF in that layer. Turn on and off the visibility of that layer by using the Layers palette visibility controls, or noodle with the opacity of the placed PDF, and watch for problems.

Expect reflowed or overset text, and keep an eye out for shifting graphics. Watch for subtle changes as you toggle the visibility of the proof PDF.

It's a conversion process, and it's amazing that it works at all. Here's what happens during the process:

• Styles are converted to InDesign styles.

• Swatches survive the trip.

• Master pages are retained, as are master elements in document pages.

• Graphics links are retained.

• Strokes and lineseven paragraph rulesare preserved.

• Groups are preserved (except for nonprinting items within a group).

• Multi-ink colors in QuarkXPress become mixed inks in InDesign. If the multi-ink color does not contain at least one spot color, a process swatch is created instead.

Frankly, you should expect text reflowthen you can be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen. InDesign's text composition engine differs from those of QuarkXPress and PageMaker. If line breaks are not crucial, the good news is that text will look smoother in InDesign because of the default composition method, which is called the Paragraph Composer. In the Paragraph Composer approach, InDesign considers the entire content of a paragraph as it determines how to break lines. If you switch to the Single-Line Composer, InDesign behaves like other page-layout applications and makes composition choices on a line-by-line basis. Open the Paragraph palette (Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph), and choose Single-Line Composer from the palette menu if you'd prefer to mimic the composition approach used by QuarkXPress or PageMaker. Text may not be as smoothyou'll see more white rivers, as well as tight and loose linesbut you may find that line breaks more closely resemble those in the original document. (Note that the choice of Single-Line or Paragraph Composer applies to text on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis.)

PageMaker Conversion Issues

Choosing File > Open to convert a PageMaker file to an InDesign file is a translation process. Here are some of the issues to consider when you perform the conversion:

• PageMaker's pasteboard contents are stored on the first spread's pasteboard.

• Two layers are createdMaster Default (containing all master elements) and Default (containing everything else).

• Hyphenation in InDesign differs from that in PageMaker, which may result in line-break changes.

• PageMaker's Top of Caps and Proportional leading styles become baseline-based leading in InDesign, which contributes to text reflow and occasional overset text.

• InDesign provides no support for OLE (object linking and embedding). Any OLE graphics will be missing.

• PageMaker's Image Control effects are not retained.

• Shadow text becomes plain text.

• Inline graphics may shift vertically.

QuarkXPress Conversion Issues

While InDesign does a remarkable job of opening and converting QuarkXPress files, there are some issues you may encounter:

• InDesign does not have a Superior text style, so text styled as such in QuarkXPress becomes superscript text with a positive (upward) baseline shift (Figure 12.19). The Superior style might be described as a version of superscript, and is often used in QuarkXPress for currency symbols such as dollar signs.

  Figure 12.19. In QuarkXPress, the Superior type style raises the position and reduces the size of text such as dollar signs (top). InDesign doesn't have a Superior type style, so it applies the superscript style instead. While this maintains the raised position of the text, it does not reduce the size (bottom).

  

• QuarkXPress color profiles are ignored.

• Outlined text takes on a .25-point stroke.

• Line endings such as arrowheads may not match the originals in QuarkXPress.

• Artificially emboldened or italicized text takes on a true bold or italic font if it's available. If the correct font (or style within a font) is not available (for example, bold and italic styling applied to Impact, which can't get any bolder and has no italic face), the text will sport an unattractive pink highlight indicating a missing font or font style.

• Text shadows created by selecting the S in the Measurements palette are deleted.

• By default, text wrap in InDesign is created irrespective of stacking order. A frame carrying text wrap affects text frames above and below it in stacking order, even across layers. Modifying text in a converted file makes it subject to InDesign's rules. So if a neighboring frame is set to create text wrap, the text in your just-selected frame will feel compelled to play along and will reflow (or seem to disappear). Select the text frame whose text you don't want responding to text wrap, and then choose Object > Text Frame Options. Select the Ignore Text Wrap option, and then click OK. Note that you can change the InDesign text-wrap preference to behave like QuarkXPress. Select Preferences > Composition, and then choose Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath.

• Up through InDesign CS, there were occasional conversion errors resulting in images being set to be nonprinting as a result of the file conversion. A quick way to check for this is to activate Preview mode (press W on your keyboard). Toggle Preview on and off by repeatedly pressing W, and watch for images to disapear. Think of it as a crude video game. If you find any problem images, open the Attributes palette (Window > Attributes), select the images with the Direct Selection tool (white arrow), and then clear the Nonprinting check box in the Attributes palette. This problem seems to have been fixed in InDesign CS2.

Cleaning Up

After you've tuned up your line breaks and massaged any errant images, don't forget to delete the PDF layer you created for checking the conversion. Preflight the file (File > Preflight) to check for missing fonts or images.

To ensure that you're working with a healthy file from this point forward, it's a good idea to export the file as InDesign Interchange (File > Export). Then open up the resulting INX file, save it, and work from that. Think of it as a voodoo ploy to remove any memory of the file's previous incarnations. In fact, InDesign Interchange is a great general remedy for misbehaving files, regardless of their origin.

When Not to Convert Legacy Files

If you're simply reprinting an old job, it's saner to just keep it in its original PageMaker or QuarkXPress state. There's no true advantage to converting it and, as you can see, the conversion is likely to engender additional work and the risk of errors that you might not catch.

When creating templates that will be used as the basis for many documents, we strongly recommend building a new template in InDesign rather than working with a converted file. It's the healthiest start you can have. Besidesyou need the practice.