Opening PageMaker Documents

The Open command (File ‚ Open, or z +O or Ctrl+O) lets you select and open documents and templates saved in PageMaker 6.5 or 7.0 on Macintosh or Windows. (You can't open libraries, though.) All the text, graphics, elements, layers , master pages, style sheets, and more in the PageMaker document are converted to their InDesign equivalents. If formatting can't be converted, an alert notifies you of the issues. After the document is converted, it displays as a new, untitled document.

Cross-Reference ‚  

See Chapter 4 for complete information about opening files.

Since InDesign and PageMaker are similar, documents from PageMaker usually convert reliably. However, you still shouldn't count on PageMaker documents displaying and printing exactly the same way once they're converted in InDesign. You may need to do a little repair work, depending on the type of formatting you use.

When you convert PageMaker documents to InDesign, you can expect the following:

• Master pages are converted, including all elements and content.

• Guides on master pages are placed on a separate layer called "Guides."

• All line and stroke styles are converted to dashed or plain strokes.

• All style sheets are converted to InDesign styles.

• The Bold and Italic type styles are converted to the appropriate typeface (if available), Underline and Strikethrough are converted, while Outline, Shadow, and Reverse revert to plain text.

• Index tags are not maintained .

• If an imported graphic's link is not intact, it won't display in the InDesign document. If you want to retain the graphic, you'll need to update the links in PageMaker (File ‚ Links Manager) before converting it.

• Pasted (embedded) graphics and graphics imported using OLE or Publish and Subscribe will not convert.

• Items for which Suppress Printout is checked are placed on a separate layer called "Non-printing layer." To view these objects in InDesign, view the layer.

• If a group contains an item for which Suppress Printout is checked, all the items are ungrouped and the suppressed items are placed on the non-printing layer.

• PageMaker fill patterns are not supported.

• Tracking values will be modified to InDesign's settings.

• Color profiles are converted.

• Colors are converted to InDesign swatches according to their CMYK values (except for HLS colors, which are converted to RGB swatches).