The "ghost text": text deleted from a docx file reappears in the InDesign-imported text

[armitas]

I sent the pdf files of InDesign-formatted text to the editor. He was surprised by finding in the layout the huge blocks of texts he had previously deleted from the source docx files. When I checked the source, the "ghost text" wasn't there. It was undetectable with the search tools. However when I pasted the file in InDesign, the "ghost text" popped up again. I tried to copy-paste the text in a new docx file, and the result was the same. The only way to get rid of the "ghost text" was to paste the text only, yet then I lost the footnotes.

Apparently the "ghost text" reappearance makes the editor's work going to pot as we can not be sure how deeply it impacts the edited text. I've never encountered such a problem. Please, help.

[Peter Spier]

I bet track changes was enabled in Word and and the changs had not yet been accepted before the file was placed.

[armitas]

Thank you, Peter. I'm sure you are right. The question is — how should I import the clean, ghost-free text? The file I received looks unsuspicious, yet it's full of surprises.

[BobLevine]

Open the Word file and check for revisions.

[armitas]

Thanks, Bob. The Word file I received from the editor looks perfectly clean. No revisions, no comments, nothing.

[BobLevine]

Try a file>save as and save it to a new name. Place that.

[armitas]

Ok, I found that conversion to rtf solves the problem while keeping footnotes intact. Yet it is a one-time solution and does not eliminate the problem itself.

[Peter Spier]

I would try opeing the Word file and going to Track Changes > Accept all changes, then do a Save AS and see waht happens. That's a pretty typicalrequirement with Word files.

[armitas]

Thanks, Peter. Just tried, didn't work. No problem with that while saving as .rtf works as I've written above.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

When you imported, was Track Changes checked on the Word Import options?

As for saving as another file format, the best way I've done it is to save as an old .doc format instead of .docx.

Word's internal XML structure is kinda weird. I've had situations where even old deleted images (in the Word file) will show up when imported into inDesign.

[armitas]

Thanks, roaringmousegraphics. In fact, what I'm receiving from the editor are .doc, not .docx files. But placing .doc files into InDesign layout brings another problem: the reddish-spotted squares on the place of some (not all) footnotes. Saving and importing as .docx solves this problem, so I didn't even want to mention it in this thread. As I've written above, saving as .rtf helps.

[armitas]

I mean, saving as .rtf helps to get rid of ghost text.

[BobLevine]

DOC is a very outdated format. Why in the world would you not want to mention this?

[armitas]

BobLevine, it had never been a problem for me. For some reason, this particular editor didn't manage to update his system. Fine. I receive .doc, convert them to .docx, everything works, nobody tries to reeducate anybody. But then this "ghost text" problem emerged.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Well, yes, it is.. (I'm usually an .rtf guy, actually) but when I've had issues with an XML-based file, and all I'm doing is importing text, It has saved me, so I mentioned it as another alterantive.