Text re-flow when using "convert" option

[herb4]

If I get a file from a customer using a more recent version of ID than I have and use the "convert" option, more times than not the text reflows in a way that's not accurate. Same fonts loaded - same everything - except the line breaks change. Particularly inconvenient and troublesome with tabs and sometimes tables. This has happened to me a few times now. Is there a preference buried somewhere I'm not setting correctly or did Adobe just suddenly decide to compose text in a different way for no reason at all?

Of course the answer is "update to the latest version" but every time we do that in my shop, we get unexpected weirdness with our RIP, conflicts, bugs, etc. so we tend to put off "upgrading" until we absolutely have to.

[Derek Cross]

Why not ask for a PDF/X-4?

[herb4]

We try to get working files. Also doesn't answer the question or explain why it would reflow.

[herb4]

Also, our customers do not always know the proper way to set up things like die lines, spot colors and varnish for instance, so they pay us to fix those things.

[Jongware]

> .. Of course the answer is "update to the latest version" ..

At our office we avoid that (also "of course") -- and for the reasons you mention. But there is a sane middle road between sticking to a reliably working old version and dogmatically upgrading to the Very Latest Version hot off the presses (Free Bugs Included™). Purchase Rent the new version and use it for any new projects, but keep the old versions installed precisely to deal with your situation.

[barbara_a]

If everything is truly identical there should be no reason for the text to reflow. Fonts can sometimes be deceptive because a font with the same name can be different -- made by a different font foundry, a Mac only font versus a Windows only font, and so forth -- and they will have the exact same font name.

If you're not already doing so, instruct your customers to package their files and include the fonts when they package so that you can use the exact same fonts. (There may be a legal issue in doing that.)

[barbara_a]

I'm in agreement with BobLevine. The text could reflow depending on how old the version is that you are using. I was assuming that your version was fairly recent.

[BobLevine]

This is normal depending upon the version of InDesign creating the files and the one opening. The text engine has changed through the years and when opening an IDML, InDesign has no idea how to compose the text from a later version.

There is absolutely nothing you can do about this with the exception of fixing a badly broken workflow.