Extracting Word Files (RTF) from InDesign

[MelissaLPS]

Hello!

I am looking for some advice. At my company we create paging files in InDesign, and after the project is completed, we need to extract an RTF Microsoft Word file of the text ONLY, maintaining all Word paragraph/character styles. We do this so that clients can edit the text in Word for future versions of the product. The Word file will be edited and then poured back into InDesign at a later time.

Here is our current process:

1. Open InDesign paging file. Create a new empty InDesign file.
2. Copy and paste all text from original file into new file (which is cleaner - our files are usually VERY full of photos/margin items/art/footnotes), inserting text call outs for Figures and Photos. All margin text/footnotes go at the end of the Word file.
3. Clean up file, stripping out formatting. Set everything as Times, 12pt, double space.
4. Export to Word for final clean up.

Basically this is an extremely time consuming process, which we are looking to speed up. Anyone know of any programs that could help us out? Plugins? Basically, we need something automated (wishful thinking) that could "read" certain styles in InDesign and perform an action on them, such as, grouping them together.

Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks!

 

[jmgalvin]

If you just need the text from the Word doc, you can use Save As in Word and choose txt or rtf as the format. Then place that in ID - leaving the original Word .doc as is for further editing by the original author.

It does not appear you're bringing in the whole .doc - with pics, etc. If you are you can go to prefs/text and choose to leave .doc files as linked items. Then reformat the text in the ID document. The original Word .doc will remain as it was sent to you and the links menu will show a change if the author makes a change.


Using OSX 10.3.9 & 10.4.11 on a G4, G5 & Intel Macbook

 

[eugenetyson]

Export>RTF (from the drop down menu)

Open the RTF in Word and in FORMAT>Styles you will see all your styles still in tack.

Then the author can make changes etc. and save it.

When you get the file back.

Place the RTF into a blank InDesign file. Then export that as an RTF again (this just rids the file of bogey Word styles).

Then reimport the brand new spanking RTF into your InDesign file.

Because all the styles are still in tack, it means you have to do very little in formatting.


Another way I work:

I create a simplistic word file with Headings in different colours called Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 etc.

And Body Para for Body Text etc.

And whatever other styles you need.

In my InDesign file, the styles would match my word file. So it wouldn't matter what style you used in the Word file, for example you could have 12/24 Times New Roman for you body text. But once the Word Style matches the InDesign Style name, then the InDesign Style name will be used.

After that importing of the files, both examples, I have a script called "PreserveLocalFormatting". Basically when I import text from a word file I will select all the text and choose the script "PreserveLocalFormatting" and it finds all bold, bold italic, italic, superscript, subscript and other text and creates and applies a character style.

This means now I can just safely apply a paragraph style without having the bold, italic, superscript, etc. changing to Roman.

Hope this helps.

 

[MelissaLPS]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give them a try!