Wrong font/style constantly replaces desired font/style

[Grundoon Groundhog]

I am trying to import a Word document into ID. My document, a magazine, has long established styles. The "first paragraph of article" style includes a special initial cap. Even if I go to the paragraph menu BEFORE I start the import the "first paragraph of article" character is applied to the entire import. Even if I go to the character menu BEFORE I start the import and select the correct font the "first paragraph of article" is applied to the entire import. Even if I create a new text box BEFORE I try either of those solutions the "first paragraph of article" is applied to the entire import. Is there a weird preference I never set that is doing this? How can I make it stop? 

Also, if I manually correct the font, the initial cap of each paragraph is still the wrong size — the size of the initial cap in the "first paragraph of article" style. If I then try to apply the correct style, it reverts to the wrong font. 

And I lose all italic and bold in the original ms.

[Steve Werner]

HOW are you importing text from Word. Copy and paste? or File > Place? If File > Place, are you choosing Show Options. If you're choosing Show Options, which options are you choosing?

[Grundoon Groundhog]

I've tried Command + D and File > Place. Originally I was choosing the first option,  to remove styles etc. Now it's started working better, after I quit the program and opened another document. However, the character style for the first character of the paragraph is now applied to the entire paragraph. I guess I'll try deleting and recreating it. But any advice on why this happened would be appreciated.

I also had a problem with extra space after paragraphs. I opened the paragraph tab, but could not delete the space, even after I'd done so in the original Word document. That seems to have stopped but I am not sanguine (a favorite word).

I'd also removed and reloaded the offending style. 

[Willi Adelberger · Accepted solution]

When you import the text is the character style selected?

No charcter style must be selected, if so all text is with this style applied.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Yes, I realized this morning that was the problem. But I never selected the style; ID seemed to do so on its own. I'm about to go back to all my master pages to be sure the style is not mysteriously selected in their text boxes. Thanks for your reply.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Well when I create a new text box the wrong style is selected. I've tried to change this default without success.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

I think that was the problem: somehow the character style became selected (though I had not selected it). However, I still have a problem with the character style. It is designated to, and should apply to, the initial letter of the the initial word only. Instead, the second letter is also in the decorative font selected for the initial cap.

[MBio]

I am not sure about this second problem you have run into. In regards to the original issue, I discovered InDesign has a non-obvious (and quite sneaky) way of defining which styles (paragraph, character, object and tables) are set as the defaults. When nothing is selected in the entire document (Edit > Deselect All), if you then click on a paragraph or character (etc) stylesheet, that becomes the default stylesheet. Of course, this then causes issues when importing text. This drove me nuts until I found out why. The answer is: Deselect All, then choose Character Style = [None] (or Paragraph Style = [Basic Paragraph], Object Style = [None] etc), to set those as the defaults. This is especially important in a template document! Well, it fixed the issue I was having, anyway.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Many thanks. I'll make a point of deselecting all the styles in the template document. I thought I had, but it mysteriously chose the "First Paragraph of Article" style as the default.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Unfortunately the problem is persisting. I have tried to deselect all and then select "basic paragraph" as the template/default, and selected "none" in character styles. They still revert to a character style.

[jmlevy]

If you select an empty text frame, what do you see in the paragraph styles panel and in the character styles panel?

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Paragraph styles are correct, but character styles keep jumping to the unselected, wrong style of their own accord. I deleted the style and it stopped happening, but I need it!

[jmlevy]

Are you absolutely sure that there is no character style apllied by default when you create a text frame? Or, would it be possible that this character style is autmatically applied (grep style, nested style)?

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Why would it be applied by default? All the columns on my master pages have no character style. What is a grep style?

If I click within the text box there is no character style applied, but when I have placed text and attempt to apply a paragraph style the character style is also applied. It is not nested.

[jmlevy]

It's very strange… Can you post a sceenshot of a text frame, with the text cursor in it showing also the character style panel? Is this character style applied to the whole text when you import it?

[Grundoon Groundhog]

I deleted and then remade the style and the problem seems to have stopped. It was applied to all of the text when I tried to restyle it with the correct paragraph style. I was importing, replacing the Word style with "basic paragraph" and then trying to apply the final style. Thanks for your replies.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

No, it's occurring again. How do I make the default character style NO character when I make a new text box?

[1Mollybird]

I'm having the same or a similar issue using Indesign. For some reason it keeps jumping my font size to 60 point! I have several paragraph styles throughout my project (it's a book), and it doesn't seem to matter if I import or if I type in directly to my text frame the font jumps to 60 pt when it's supposed to be 12 point. I have to keep correcting it...and I keep editing the paragraph style and it is still correct in the box, but as soon as I'm back it's jumping to 60 point. It's driving me crazy and I don't know how to fix this and it's costing me so much time! 

[jmlevy]

Are you absolutely sure that there is not a 60 pt character style which is applied to your text?

[1Mollybird]

I don't use a 60pt character style anywhere in the book... InDesign seems to have a glitch that keeps changing it to that. I'm dealing with it, but wondered if there was someone who might have a solution.

[Grundoon Groundhog]

Do check the individual text boxes, and those on your master pages. I've had a similar problem. Sometimes the program seems to revert to an undesired character of its own accord.

[1Mollybird]

Thanks. I'll do that.

[jmlevy]

Can you share the file? Even with dummy text.

[1Mollybird]

No... This is a 100 plus page book... I'm not about to go thru all the trouble. I've been dealing with it and getting frustrated enough. I was just hopeful that someone might have a solution. 

[Willi Adelberger]

Select no character style when no text tool is selected.