Coverting files from Mac to Windows 1

[clane5]

Hello,

I have no experience with InDesign, but will be learning a bit due to the fact that my wife just got a project handed to her that is created in InDsign. The notes handout is created in InDesign CS3 for Mac at her work, I have InDesign 3.0.1 from CS1 for Windows. So is there a way to open the CS3 Mac file with my CS1 3.0.1 for Windows program? I tried just opening the original file at home and got an error saying it was not a proper InDesign file ... I then tried to export it as an InDesign Interchange and got the same error.

Thanks for any help.

 

[eugenetyson]

You can by exporting later versions of InDesign files to .inx format. You can then open them in earlier versions of InDesign. But bewarned that some features used to set up the CS3 version may be lost if you open it in an earlier version, like Nested Styles, Table Styles, Variables and other things.

File>Export>

Under File Type, choose InDesign Interchange and now your file is a .inx

 

[jimoblak]

Your issue is not platform based. Mac and Windows have no problem here. The issue is simply about versions.

To use INX, export INX from CS3.

Open INX in CS2.

Export INX again from CS2.

Open INX in CS1.

All versions should be fully patched.

I saw no mention of CS2 in your question so it seems you are out of luck. Even though I have all these versions, I would never attempt this much translation on a collaborative document. You'd probably need to tweak conversion errors each time the file was shuttled.

 

[clane5]

eugenetyson, thanks for the reply ... but as i said I tried the InDesign Interchange and it did not work.

jimoblak, thank you for your assistance ... you are correct that I do not have CS2, you are also correct in stating that going from CS3-->CS2-->CS1 is a terrible idea and likely to cause all kinds of errors ... besides that, it's just to dang much trouble.

I will just tell the wife that if she needs to work on that project, she will need to bring her work laptop home or convince work to provide her with CS3 to install at home ... that's how I got CS1.

Thanks again for your assistance.

 

[jimoblak]

I'm sure you realize that a standard single user license at work can be installed by the same user on a home computer as long as the two installations are used by the same person and not concurrently. See the EULA for details.

Of course - this is no help if the work computer is Mac and you have Windows at home. The single user license is only for the same platform.