Unable to Keep Italics when Placing Text

[Vector Oriole]

Hello,

I'm placing a .docx file, into indesign.

The original text has both English and Greek characters. Using the place option, the English characters maintain their italics format, but the Greek characters do not.

If i try to actually copy and paste the text, both English and Greek characters maintain italics, as i setup the clipboard handling appropriately.

Although copy / pasting introduces other problems such as weird gaps between paragraphs and superscripts that get transferred simply as normal text with a baseline shift value of .5

Is there a way to solve either of the import option's problems?

[Laubender]

Hi,

maybe this script by Marc Autret is something for you?

Indiscripts :: RichPaste | Copy and Paste with Minimal Formatting [UPDATE]

How to use and install scripts, see on Marc's page:

Indiscripts :: Indiscripts for Dummies

Regards,
Uwe

[Vector Oriole]

Thank you for your reply, although i'd like to find the actual solution rather than using scripts. (Or at least identify the actual problem)

I'm new to InDesign, so it might actually be something simple, that i have overlooked.

[Laubender]

Unfortunately with *.docx or *.doc file import nothing's simple at all.

Especially if different language formatting is used in Word. Or the sources origins are in different localized languages other than English or the localized version of InDesign you are currently using.

Can you show us a screenshot of your import options for Word/RTF import?

For that use the Forum controls. You cannot do an inline JPEG or PNG image when replying by mail.

Ah. Forgot just one thing:
What could help is to open the docx file in Microsoft Word and save to a new file name.
That would weed out some problems with docx files that are not created by an original Microsoft Word.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

If you have Microsoft Word at hand the best strategy could be to assign a new character style for all italic formatting before importing and map that style during import with an InDesign character style that is doing italic only and should be set up before.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

There also some threads here in the forum about a similar problem.
Maybe you'll find something usable. I just picked up some compiled with a quick search in the forum:

Can InDesign Import Italic Words?

preserving italics

Importing text into InDesign - italics missing

Search the forum for: Word import Italic

A lot more threads are waiting for you…

Regards,
Uwe

[Vector Oriole]

Is there a way i can assign the italic character style in Open Office instead of Word?

[Vector Oriole]

Using Word and then pasting actually solved my problem.

Both italics and superscript maintained in all languages.

[Vector Oriole]

I don't currently have the option to open the file in word, i'll try it in the future though.

Let's say that i go with the copy / paste option, that maintains all the italics. Is there a reasonably easy way to select all the wrongly transferred superscript (baseline shift value .05) and correct them?