Extracting Word Files (RTF) from InDesign

[MelissaH]

Hello!

I am looking for some advice. At my company we create paging files in InDesign, and after the project is completed, we need to extract an RTF Microsoft Word file of the text ONLY, maintaining all Word paragraph/character styles. We do this so that clients can edit the text in Word for future versions of the product. The Word file will be edited and then poured back into InDesign at a later time.

Here is our current process:

1. Open InDesign paging file. Create a new empty InDesign file.
2. Copy and paste all text from original file into new file (which is cleaner - our files are usually VERY full of photos/margin items/art/footnotes), inserting text call outs for Figures and Photos. All margin text/footnotes go at the end of the Word file.
3. Clean up file, stripping out formatting. Set everything as Times, 12pt, double space.
4. Export to Word for final clean up.

Basically this is an extremely time consuming process, which we are looking to speed up. Anyone know of any programs that could help us out? Plugins? Basically, we need something automated (wishful thinking) that could "read" certain styles in InDesign and perform an action on them, such as, grouping them together.

Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks!

[Craig B]

Look into Adobe InCopy (http://www.adobe.com/products/incopy/).

[MelissaH]

Thanks Craig, we're trying to look into that, but unfortunately it may not be an option. I will recommend that we do more research in that area, though!

Melissa

[Craig B]

It sounds like one of your best options to me, unless you don't all have a shared network or if price is an option.

To slightly help yourselves out, if you can get the copy writers to sue predetermined word style,s you can use the import options while placing their text to map the word styles to your assigned InDesign styles which will at least save some headache.

[doubting_thomas]

MelissaH,

What if you Export a PDF from InDesign, then Export an RTF file from
Acrobat? Have you tried that? I'm not sure if it'll work or not, but it's an idea.
I tried it on a couple pdf's that I had sitting around, and it seemed to work
to an acceptable degree.

[urstwile]

There might be something you could use here (http://rorohiko.com/), lots of useful plug-ins. Looks like they're in development for something even more up your alley as well.