Placing an rtf file in InDesign 1

[Sam577]

Hi,

I'm using the latest version of InDesign (2.02).

When placing an rtf file in InDesign, there is a blank page at the beginning of the document, even though there isn't one in the rtf file.

If I delete this blank text box, the whole file/story is deleted.

So I've moved it to the pasteboard and moved all the other text boxes back one page.

I don't think this is the right thing to but don't know what else to do.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks
Sam

 

[Sam577]

Hi,

I've just realised that the story isn't deleted when I delete this empty text box, it shuffles forward.

So when I delete the empty text box, I get two blank pages at the beginning of the document, as everything shuffles forward.

But when I try to delete the blank double-page spread at the beginning of the document, there is once again an odd page at the front.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks
Sam

 

[viol8ion]

It sounds as if you might have some sort of page break character in the RTF file, what happens if you go to the text and begin to hit backspace?

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Mechel]

Why do you leave it as a rtf just save it as a Word file and import in ID.

 

[Sam577]

Hi,

I find that if I save it as a Word file, it won't even import in the first place. I've found RTF to be the most reliable word processing file format to import into ID.

The problem was indeed a spare carriage return, easily solved by turning on hidden characters and deleting the extra returns, so thanks all for your help.

Sam

 

[MarcusStringer]

I have found that Word.doc files to be the best because it hangs onto bullet points, italics, etc.

RTF knocked out the bullets.

Also word.doc files have to saved as Word 2000, InDesign won't let you bring in anything under that format i.e word 5, 6, 95 etc

Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[Sam577]

Although Word 2000 is better at most things, it's not very good when the file is index entry heavy. It just won't place. Has anyone else found this to be a problem?

So although the bullets and various other things are knocked out, at least it allows me to place the file.

I'm also having massive problems with index generation -- ID hangs when trying to generate one -- does anyone else have these problems? It seems to be because of a corruption in the Word file, and I suspect specifically because of index entries, but am not sure.

Sam

 

[viol8ion]

I publish a small newspaper, and most of my articles are submitted in some version of Word. I usually have little difficulty in importing the Word docs, but every now and then I have to convert the doc to RTF just because Word does some really funky thing in the formatting. Even if I don't convert, I have ID strip out all attributes and formatting before placing the file.

Also, I always use File>Place (CTRL + D) to place a file, never copy/paste. Of course, I have no Index in a newspaper, but using the above workflow I work flawlessly.

I also publish a 200-page catalog in which all text is from Word, and that one does have an index, and I use the RTF workflow, without a problem.

My guess is that you have a Style somewhere in the doc that is causing the problem, and likely that style was imported from Word. Have you been able to pinpoint where the document is hanging when indexing? If you can pinpoint a page, then it may be easier to track down by trial and error.

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Sam577]

Thanks.

I'm fairly new to InDesign so am still trying to get my head round it.

The Word document is created in Word 2000 and is index entry heavy. I convert it to an RTF because it's never worked any other way.

We have an ID template (that was created by someone else), which I place the RTF into.

But I've never quite understood where the styles come from.

There are styles in the Word document and there are styles in the ID template, with the same name as the Word ones.

But they have different attributes (font etc.).

Am I right in thinking that the styles have been created separately in each package, with the intention of the ID styles overriding the Word ones -- that the style names are supposed to be the same so this can happen?

Many thanks
Sam

 

[viol8ion]

"There are styles in the Word document and there are styles in the ID template, with the same name as the Word ones."

That could be the cause of your problems... I would rename one or the other of the conflicting styles.

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com