I remember several years ago when we stopped exporting files as RTF as it was buggy.
The company I work for does a lot of keyboarding of manuscript, which we send back to the designers and they import. They were stuck in their ways that they could only import Word or RTF files. They never heard of tagged text files.
Since we used XTags, we’d have it keyboarded using Quark codes (as it’s easier and faster than keying ID codes). For example, just key @TX: instead of <parastyle:text>.
Anyway–we’d flow it in into a blank ID document, and export as RTF.
But starting with CS6–InDesign no longer liked RTF files. The file would flow in–but the default justification (i.e., metric, optical) would not come through. And the RTF file would not pick up the designer’s point size/leading. Even though the style sheet was set up properly. The RTF files simply would not work.
It had always worked from CS3 through CS5.5–so something in CS6 was changed. It was not a case of importing it wrong.
So we finally convinced them to accept tagged text files. For that–we import using xTAgs, and then export as tagged text files.
Only problem is that half the time, when they import the tagged text file, it comes through with all the codes and not formatted. So we have to go into the tagged text file, add a space somewhere, delete it, and save. And then re-send it. And viola–it works.
And the real kicker–we have to use on Mac to do this. Only saving the .txt file in Word 2004 will work. Anything higher and it’s a crap shoot. And it’s weird–some folks can import the same file with no problems, but others have it come in wrong. No rhyme or reason–except InDesign doesn’t recognize a properly tagged text file half the time. Never mind–InDesign was the one who exported the tagged text file. One would think it would know how to do that.
Sorry for the rant.
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