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How do I keep my text formating when pasting from other InDesign files?

Guest
Apr 24, 2012 Apr 24, 2012

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I'm trying to post charts from one InDesign file to another.  The chart I'm trying to paste has hand-made fractions in them. The font is superscript and baseline shifted. When I paste it into a new document, the text loses all that formatting. It seems like a preferance thing, but I can't find it.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 24, 2012 Apr 24, 2012

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Edit > Paste without formatting.

Bob

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Community Expert ,
Apr 24, 2012 Apr 24, 2012

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Ummmm...

I think that's the current problem. OP want's to preserve the formatting on paste.

Could be a problem with styles. Same named styles with different definitions would take onthe properties of the receiving document.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 24, 2012 Apr 24, 2012

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I'd blame it on the lack of coffee, but, um, yeah...lack of coffee...that's it.

Bob

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New Here ,
Sep 24, 2015 Sep 24, 2015

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I love you. You just saved me a major headache. Thanks!!!

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 25, 2012 Apr 25, 2012

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I´m having the exactly same problem. Out of nowere this started happening to me.

All the styles applied to the text (both paragraph and character styles) get lost when copying > pasting text inside indesign...

I tried to reset the InDesign preferences already, but nothing changed.

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Apr 25, 2012 Apr 25, 2012

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copying >pasting from where ....in the same Indesign document or different Indesign document.

have you checked the Peter solution mentioned above.

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 25, 2012 Apr 25, 2012

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I´ve tryied all the copy-paste possibilities I know so far in indesign..

What´s odd, in my case, is that I had made no changes on my InDesign settings and it started happening suddenly.

It was working properly..

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Community Expert ,
Apr 25, 2012 Apr 25, 2012

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Other than the style conflicts I mentioned earlier (and if you haven't applied something else, [Basic Paragraph] is applied, and if you've based other styles on that you can also have defintion troubles when moving between docs), the only reason I can think of for not preserving formatting when pasting from one ID file to another in the same version is corrupt prefs. See Replace Your Preferences

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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Peter,

I believe I am having the same problem as RafaelQ.

1. I have a block of text with multiple paragraph styles in InDesign.

2. I copy the text using the text tool and paste this text into a similar text frame (with multiple paragraph styles) in the same file.

All the formatting of freshly pasted text reverts to the last style used previously in that text frame rather than maintaining its formatting. I have used this method for years without issue, today it is suddenly an unexpected problem.

I confirmed my preference settings, finding nothing unusual. To be safe I deleted the preference files, but that provided no solution.

Any thoughts on correcting this issue?

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Community Expert ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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TDesign46 wrote:

Any thoughts on correcting this issue?

Don't use or base any other styles on [Basic Paragraph], for starters.

As I said, though, if there are style name conflicts between the two files formatting will be done according to the definitions inthe receiving file.

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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[Basic Paragraph] style is not used in this case anywhere in the document. All style used have been created by me.

The style reverted to is a style that I have created - it is whatever the last style (of multiple) that was used in the text block.

There is no style name conflict because they are from the same document. In this particular case the original file is a four up imposed business card that I use the data merge feature to create multiple 4 up cards from an excel file.

The problem was first noticed when I copied one business card generated by data merge onto another page in the same document and the style information was replaced in the entire text frame by the last style accessed in the receiving frame.

I tested the problem in the original base file and got the same result. I opened an unrelated file and created styles in it and had the same problem.

I have processed my batch business card orders like this for years without problem.

If you would like, I can send you the file to make the problem easier to visualize.

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Community Expert ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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Does you frame perhaps have apply style and next style enabled? I'm grasping at straws here....

You may send a link to your file, but I may not get a chance to review it until tomaorrow afternoon.

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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TDesign46, that´s exactly my problem. I´m thinking about format my desktop, just to try to fiz this problem for good. I have installed the CS6 design premium package trial version to see if the problem would keep on happening on other versions and, unfortunately, it did..

I don´t know what to do anymore!!

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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RafaelQ, I would not format your desktop just yet, as I am afraid that it will not solve the problem.

I am trying to figure out a way to send a very simple test file to Peter.

Because it came on so suddenly I thought it would be a preferences issue, but as I have deleted my preferences with no change then it must not be.

BTW - are you coming from the MAC or PC?

I am on the PC.

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Community Expert ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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TDesign46 wrote:

I am trying to figure out a way to send a very simple test file to Peter.

Two options, really. Post a link here and anyone in the world can take a crack, or send me the link in a Private Message (Click my name to go to my profile, then look in the actions list).

If you don't have a server of your own, you can use a fiel share service like YouSendIt.com to send it to yourself, then use the link that will generate.

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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Great idea. Here is the link

https://www.yousendit.com/download/QlVqc0w4NDJxRTI1eDhUQwhttp://

1st text frame- typed text then created styles.

Then copied and pasted that frame with selection tool.

Copied text from first frame with text tool and then selected all text in second frame with text tool and pasted.

End result: the last style was applied to all.

Thanks again.

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Community Expert ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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Your file is behaving itself here.

Try trashing your prefs. See Replace Your Preferences

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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The thing is that my file works perfectly on anyone else's PC but mine..

I've already deleted the indesign preferences (twice), unninstalled and reinstalled the hole CS5 design premium package and even installed the CS6 design premium package (trial version), but nothing solved my problem.. It must be a hidden preference, maybe in windows cache or something like that (I'm not an expert, so forgive me if I'm saying something stupid here)...

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Community Expert ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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You're not using any special plugins, are you? How about a Windows utility that does something funny to the clipboard, like ClipMate or FreeClip?

Maybe you have a broken keyboard such that Shift is always depressed, and any ctrl-V would be a shift-ctrl-V?

And you thought Peter was grasping at straws  

Are you the administrator of your computer? Or are you on a business network where someone else has control?

I don't know which version of Windows you're on, but one possiblity is that you've accidentally turned on StickyKeys or one of the other accessability functions of Windows - check your Accessibility in Control Panel to see if it's on or not.

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Community Beginner ,
May 30, 2012 May 30, 2012

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Thanks Joel and Peter for your help.

The problem resolved itself overnight.

FYI: I am not using any utilities affecting the clipboard.

Because it works correctly today I am leaning towards Joel's suggestion of a hardware problem. It is odd that typing text did not result in a Caps Lock looking condition, but using shift-ctrl-v today replicates the situation.

Previously I had restarted the computer, but had not done a complete shutdown.

RafaelQ - Do you have access to another keyboard? If so, the next test I would perform would be to shut down completely, replace the keyboard with another and see what happens after a restarting.

Now we are all grasping at straws!

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Community Beginner ,
Jun 28, 2012 Jun 28, 2012

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I am having this same problem.

Mac OS X 10.7.4

InDesign CS6

Created a file (for an advertisement) with some text objects and graphic objects. Select all, copy, switch to new blank InDesign file, paste. All objects are pasted with the correct size and placement, but the text objects lose their fonts and text alignment. Font colors and font sizes (for example, I have a little superscript in there) do appear correctly.

The fonts and text alignments in the first document were not applied with named character styles; they were applied by selecting the object and manually changing font and alignment.

I trashed the pref files, in the manner suggested above. No luck. I am not seeing any other weird keyboard behavior (like caps lock stuck or some such). No plugins. Any other clues on this?

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Community Expert ,
May 30, 2012 May 30, 2012

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RafaelQ. wrote:

The thing is that my file works perfectly on anyone else's PC but mine..


A good indication that it's prefs, or a third-party plugin.

I've already deleted the indesign preferences (twice),

How did you do that? Did you follow the instructions in the link I gave above?

If you've followed those directions, and it still isn't working, I would check Joel's suggestions carefully.

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Community Beginner ,
May 29, 2012 May 29, 2012

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If I sent a very simple InDesign Test file illustrating the problem via a yousendit.com link to your email address would that be sufficient?

Thanks again.

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New Here ,
Jan 03, 2014 Jan 03, 2014

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I have the same problem still, Adobe people from India CC seem not to know what's going on, they even told me to reinstall the program, and no change. I did apply the styles and that can be an easy fix, but I still think that Adobe needs to take a good look at this problem and put it back as it was.

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