InDesign to HTML for email newsletter

[Tim_PAUL@adobeforums.com]

Hi,

We use InDesign to develop a range of printed merchandising items including a print newsletter. We want to take this same newsletter and email it out using Outlook/Word with their mail merge features.

Trouble is it seems that the only way to get InDesign CS to produce a HTML document is via GoLive. Now I don't want to buy a separate package just to get an InDesign document into HTML.

Is anyone aware of a way to achieve my aim?

I am very grateful for your generous assistance

Cheers

Tim

[Ken_Grace@adobeforums.com]

Assuming your aim is to be able to send it as an e-mail you have a couple of
options. The simplest would be to make a PDF, but I guess that would have to
go as an attachment rather than in the body of the mail message.

Acrobat 6 will, I believe, export a PDF as HTML, but I don't know what the
results are like.

Alternatively you could export it as SVG. This will open in a browser -
although whether Adobe's SVG reader has to be installed first or is
installed by default with the browser I'm not sure. SVG is a fairly
extravagant format in terms of file size, but whether that's a problem will
depend on the complexity of your document.

And you can also export to JPEG - again, the success of this would depend
very much on your document.

You need to play a little and see what suits you.

k

[Tim_PAUL@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the comments Ken. The PDF results are poor, SVG requires browser plug-in and .jpg the same issue as with an attached PDF with the added loss of not being able to add links the the message.

I am surprised InDesign CS does not support a HTML export; I seem to recall that InDesign 2.0 did.

Maybe someone else knows of a plug-in or something?

Thanks again all

[Ken_Grace@adobeforums.com]

"The PDF results are poor"

Why? Is it that you are using export to screen and so getting lo res
pictures? Or is there something else? You could try exporting to print
rather than screen if you can live with the larger file size.

"I am surprised InDesign CS does not support a HTML export; I seem to recall
that InDesign 2.0 did."

There is no magic bullet for converting from a paper layout format to HTML.
PageMaker to InDesign 2 tried it, but a lot of people seemed to expect more
than was possible and were disappointed. The fact that Adobe now offers the
Package for GoLive option indicates that the machine for making the
conversion satisfactorily needs to be pretty substantial, and I guess
building that into InDesign was just not viable.

k

[Tim_PAUL@adobeforums.com]

I've downloaded a trail of GoLive (thanks Adobe for letting us try before we buy) and found that the package from InDesign comes over fine. What I then discovered is that I must layout the work again by dragging elements from the GoLive package onto a new HTML page.

Guess I was hoping for a reasonably seamless 'layout once, publish twice' approach.

Still open to other ideas if anyone else knows of a soilution.

Thanks again Ken

Cheers

Tim

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

If you want a seamless approach, use PDF. Remember that screen layout is nothing like page layout. Columns used in page layout are silly on screen layout. This is why GoLive 'encourages' you to reformat your content for screen display.

[Tim_PAUL@adobeforums.com]

Well this will be my last word on the subject. Go Live more than "encourages" you to reformat there is no way that any of the layout work done in InDesign can be transfered. Basically you have to completly layout the pages again.

I must admit to feeling VERY let down by this lack of basic features. No matter how the marketing guys might spin this I believe HTML is a valid format for delivery of a page and as such I believe that InDesign should support a HTML export nativly and as a standard feature.

For the first time in five years we are being forced to move away from Adobe products in order to meet a design delivery goal.

Thanks to those who posted comments, your input was most valuable.

[Unregistered]

We developped a product [url]http://boceto.fr/produit-3-transformer-fichier-indesign-en-html-xml.html[/url]
You all should go and check out the demo on this link
Good luck

[Pelmo]

Have a look here. You can convert indesign to html
http://boceto.fr/produit-3-exporter-fichier-indesign-en-html-xml.html

[Kex]

Uhmm what about FILE/Export for/Dreamweaver?

Works for me..

[Vedrana Hoogland]

Uhmm..what about FILE/Export for/Dreamweaver?

Works for me with CS5..

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Tim_PAUL@adobeforums.com;292118]Hi,

We use InDesign to develop a range of printed merchandising items including a print newsletter. We want to take this same newsletter and email it out using Outlook/Word with their mail merge features.

Trouble is it seems that the only way to get InDesign CS to produce a HTML document is via GoLive. Now I don't want to buy a separate package just to get an InDesign document into HTML.

Is anyone aware of a way to achieve my aim?

I am very grateful for your generous assistance.