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InDesign CS3  |  Go to CS4 Help

Open QuarkXPress files in InDesign

InDesign can convert document and template files from QuarkXPress 3.3 or 4.1x. InDesign can also convert document and template files from multi-language QuarkXPress Passport 4.1x files, so there is no longer any need to save these files as single-language files first. (To convert documents created with QuarkXPress 5.0 or later, reopen the documents in QuarkXPress and save them in 4.0 format.)

For more information, see the QuarkXPress Conversion Guide (PDF) at www.adobe.com/go/learn_quarkconv.

Open a QuarkXPress document or template

  1. Make sure that the original application file is closed.
  2. To ensure that all links are maintained, copy all linked files to the same QuarkXPress document folder.
  3. In InDesign, choose File > Open.
  4. In Windows, choose QuarkXPress (3.3‑4.1x) or QuarkXPress Passport (4.1x) from the Files Of Type menu.
  5. Select a file and click Open.
    Note: If InDesign cannot convert a file or a specific part of a file, it displays a warning describing the reasons it cannot convert it and the results of the conversion.
  6. If a warning dialog box appears, do one of the following:

    • Click Save to save a copy of the warnings as a text file, and then open the file in InDesign.

    • Click Close to close the dialog box and open the file in InDesign.

  7. To more accurately convert text wrap applied in QuarkXPress, do the following in InDesign:

    • Select Text Wrap Only Affects Objects Beneath in the Composition area of the Preferences dialog box.

    • Assign the Adobe Single-Line Composer in the Paragraph panel menu to one or more paragraphs.

Save a QuarkXPress template as an InDesign template

  1. Open the template in InDesign.
  2. Choose File > Save As and specify a location and filename.
  3. Choose InDesign CS3 Template for Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS), and then click Save.

What gets converted from QuarkXPress

When you open a QuarkXPress file, InDesign converts the original file information to native InDesign information:

  • Text boxes are converted to InDesign text frames.

    To accurately convert text wrap applied in QuarkXPress, select Text Wrap Only Affects Text Beneath in the Composition area of the Preferences dialog box.

  • Styles are converted to InDesign styles.

  • Because QuarkXPress uses different color profiles, they are ignored in InDesign.

  • Text and graphics links are preserved and appear in the Links panel.

    Note: Embedded graphics—those added to the original document using the Paste command—are not converted. For more information on embedded graphics, see About links and embedded graphics.
    InDesign does not support OLE or Quark XTensions. Consequently, when you open files that contain OLE or Quark XTensions graphics, those graphics will not appear in the InDesign document. If your QuarkXPress document does not convert, check the original and remove any objects that were created by an XTension; then save, and try to convert again.

  • All master pages and layers are converted to InDesign masters and layers.

  • All master-page objects, as well as QuarkXPress guides, are placed on the corresponding InDesign master pages.

  • Grouped objects remain grouped except where nonprinting items are included in a group.

  • All strokes and lines (including paragraph rules) are converted to the stroke styles they most closely resemble. Custom strokes and dashes are converted to custom strokes and dashes in InDesign.

Colors are converted exactly to InDesign colors, except in the following situations:

  • Multi-ink colors from QuarkXPress are mapped to mixed inks in InDesign, unless the multi-ink color does not contain at least one spot color. In this case, the multi-ink color is converted to a process color instead.

  • QuarkXPress 4.1 colors from the color library are converted based on their CMYK values.

  • QuarkXPress 3.3 HSB colors are converted to RGB, and colors from the color library are converted based on their CMYK values.

  • QuarkXPress 4.1 HSB and LAB colors are converted to RGB, and colors from the color library are converted based on their RGB/CMYK values.

For information about other conversion issues, check the support documents on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support.




Comments

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Comments


Bob - Adobe Writer said on Sep 26, 2007 at 1:15 PM :
See David Blatner's video on converting to InDesign from QuarkXPress:

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/indesign/articles/indcs3at_quarkmigration.html
PLCustom said on Jun 30, 2008 at 7:40 AM :
I have saved my old QuarkXPress v5.0 files as v4.0 but they won't open in
InDesign CS3. Everything I've researched says that's all I have to do but it
doesn't work. Is there something I'm missing?
No screen name said on Sep 28, 2008 at 5:02 PM :
I cannot get my Quark 4.1 documents to open in CS2. Any help out there?
Bob Bringhurst - Adobe said on Sep 29, 2008 at 9:49 AM :
Go to the user forum for questions like this:

www.adobe.com/support/forums

 

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