EmmiV Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 Hi, I hope this isn't a frequently asked question. I couldn't find it in any case. I am looking to switch to Affinity Publisher from InDesign. I currently have about 75-85 INDD files that I will need to be able to work on in Publisher. So I set out to convert them to IDML, since Publisher is supposed to be able to open those. However, Publisher doesn't actually open the couple of IDML files I created. It shows that it is loading something, but after 25 minutes nothing has happened. I tried opening the same files in InDesign, which does open them (does take about 5 min though). I am currently using a MacBook Pro mid 2014. I am awaiting the arrival of a MacBook Pro M1pro next month. On the new MacBook I would like to fully switch to the Affinity suite. Any idea what goes wrong with the IDML files? How do I get them to open in Publisher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim_L Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 Welcome to the Affinity forums @EmmiV! Turning off hardware acceleration in Preferences > Performance could be worth a try? Another reason could be, that your IDML files are really complex ... taking ID 5 minutes to open them seems to be an indicator. Is it possible for you to upload one of those problem IDML files to the forum? Quote ------ Windows 10 | i5-8500 CPU | Intel UHD 630 Graphics | 32 GB RAM | Latest Retail and Beta versions of complete Affinity range installed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 Hi! Thanks for your reply @Joachim_L. Turning off hardware acceleration hasn't made a difference, unfortunately. File complexity might be the issue though. I tried a much simpler file and it did open. Unfortunately over half of my files are of the more complex type and I will still need to be able to work on those. I have attached one example. And further advice is greatly appreciated! Denken in Getallen groep 3A.idml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RM f/g Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 It took my APub 5 seconds to open this file. Quote Macbook Pro mid 2015, 16 GB, double barrel: MacOS Mojave + Affinity 1 (+ Adobe’s CS6)/ MacOS Monterey + Affinity 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim_L Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 1 minute ago, RM f/g said: It took my APub 5 seconds to open this file. It took me a few seconds longer on my average Windows machine, so there is hope, that the files will open faster on your new machine Emmi. Quote ------ Windows 10 | i5-8500 CPU | Intel UHD 630 Graphics | 32 GB RAM | Latest Retail and Beta versions of complete Affinity range installed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RM f/g Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 attached converted file, may save you some time. Groeten Denken in Getallen groep 3A.afpub Quote Macbook Pro mid 2015, 16 GB, double barrel: MacOS Mojave + Affinity 1 (+ Adobe’s CS6)/ MacOS Monterey + Affinity 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 Thank you all for giving it a try! Here's hoping that my new macbook will do better. I didn't think the current one is particularly bad though. Normal INDD files open pretty fast (5 seconds). Is this a general issue with IMDL files, that they take longer to open? Thank you, @RM f/g for sharing the converted file! This one opens in zero seconds! Very happy to get started! I need to relink the images though, and that seems to give a lot of error messages. For instance, Publisher says it doesn't support eps files, is that true? Will play around a bit and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RM f/g Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 I have no problem linking eps-files. EmmiV 1 Quote Macbook Pro mid 2015, 16 GB, double barrel: MacOS Mojave + Affinity 1 (+ Adobe’s CS6)/ MacOS Monterey + Affinity 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmwellborn Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 12 hours ago, EmmiV said: Hi! Thanks for your reply @Joachim_L. Turning off hardware acceleration hasn't made a difference, unfortunately. File complexity might be the issue though. I tried a much simpler file and it did open. Unfortunately over half of my files are of the more complex type and I will still need to be able to work on those. I have attached one example. And further advice is greatly appreciated! Denken in Getallen groep 3A.idml 8.94 MB · 2 downloads Good news! I opened your file (FILE>OPEN, not FILE>PLACE) in about 2 seconds using my 2020 Macbook Pro 13" with the M1 chip. You should not have any problem at all with your new machine, when it arrives. Just one very important thing. You will find that Affinity Publisher will note any missing fonts, or other missing resources (see the attached notice below). So do be sure that the fonts you have with InDesign are also installed on your new machine. (Sample pages from your .idml document are attached, for you to see how they look in Publisher.) Hope this will reassure you and that you will enjoy the Affinity Suite as much as I do!! EmmiV 1 Quote 24" iMAC Apple M1 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16 GB unified memory, 1 TB SSD storage, Ventura 13.6. Photo, Publisher, Designer 1.10.5, and 2.3. MacBook Pro 13" 2020, Apple M1 chip, 16GB unified memory, 256GB SSD storage, Ventura 13.6. Publisher, Photo, Designer 1.10.5, and 2.1.1. iPad Pro 12.9 2020 (4th Gen. IOS 16.6.1); Apple pencil. Wired and bluetooth mice and keyboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 1 hour ago, jmwellborn said: You will find that Affinity Publisher will note any missing fonts, or other missing resources (see the attached notice below). The ‘Old Press’ and ‘Walkway’ fonts are all available on DaFont. https://www.dafont.com/old-press.font https://www.dafont.com/walkway.font EmmiV and jmwellborn 1 1 Quote Alfred Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.4.1 (iPad 7th gen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted October 30, 2021 Author Share Posted October 30, 2021 9 hours ago, Alfred said: The ‘Old Press’ and ‘Walkway’ fonts are all available on DaFont. https://www.dafont.com/old-press.font https://www.dafont.com/walkway.font Yes, DaFont is where I got them Will make sure they're transferred to the new machine (or will download them again)! Alfred and jmwellborn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted November 17, 2021 Author Share Posted November 17, 2021 Well, I got my new 2021 MacBook Pro and it opens de idml file now, but doesn't show any images. Just outlines that aren't clickable. In addition Publisher keeps lagging and stops responding. I have had to do a lot of force quits. Other (similar) idml files have the same issue. They take about a minute to open, too. So I guess that's not exactly an improvement... Any more suggestions or do I just need to give up and find a way to keep using Adobe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 Having had a baby in December I had to concentrate on other things for a while (), but I have been trying to work with my idml files again. Sadly, I still can't get them to work. They now all get stuck at 50,8% loading. I have attached a video of what happens. Screen Recording 2022-02-01 at 12.02.58.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmiV Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 New attempt at attaching the video. low res.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Lee D Posted February 1, 2022 Staff Share Posted February 1, 2022 @EmmiVCan you try sending me a link to the video via DM, may have better luck that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpeirox Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 I am planning on moving over from InDesign to Affinity. I got a trial for 10 days, began saving my InDesign files as idml but when I try to open them in Affinity it tells me it is not a supported format, saving them as packages gives me a pdf which again, is not helpful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Dan C Posted November 9, 2022 Staff Share Posted November 9, 2022 Hi @Sharpeirox, Welcome to the Affinity Forums Sorry to hear you're having trouble! Can you please provide a copy of the .IDML file and a screenshot of the error message you are seeing here for me? Many thanks in advance Quote Please note - I am currently out of the office for a short while whilst recovering from surgery (nothing serious!), therefore will not be available on the Forums during this time. Should you require a response from the team in a thread I have previously replied in - please Create a New Thread and our team will be sure to reply as soon as possible. Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpeirox Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Hi Dan C Sorry it has taken so long to respond. I purchased the latest version and the .IDML files seem to open fine now, perhaps it may have been a version conflict? Either way, they seem to be working fine now. I cannot believe how much fun the Affinity programs are. I am very new as I have used the InDesign suite since about 2005. Just wish I had heard about Affinity years ago. I just love it. Everything is just so simple and intuitive. Dan C 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff Dan C Posted January 3, 2023 Staff Share Posted January 3, 2023 No problem at all, I'm very glad to hear this and we sincerely appreciate your kind feedback. We always love hearing our users are enjoying using the apps as much as we enjoy making them Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to start a new thread! Sharpeirox 1 Quote Please note - I am currently out of the office for a short while whilst recovering from surgery (nothing serious!), therefore will not be available on the Forums during this time. Should you require a response from the team in a thread I have previously replied in - please Create a New Thread and our team will be sure to reply as soon as possible. Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.