Can I import formatted text from Word 2010 and add photos to make a pdf in DP6?

[alina]

I need to make a pdf to upload my book to Createspace. I've read that I can format the book in Word 2010 using one of their templates.

I've also read that it won't handle photos well.

So I'm wondering if it's possible to import formatted text from Word into Xara Designer Pro 6, then add photos, then export a pdf file.

I tried importing one formatted page (I'm doing 6X9 inches) into a 6x9 page in Xara, but it pastes the whole thing as a lump that is the wrong size, way too big, and I would have to try to shrink it...

Is there a way to do this simply, that would be accurate for every page of a book?

[ad1066]

The easiest way would probably be to export the Word file to PDF, then import the PDF into Xara.

-- Ben

[gracehjs]

That is what I did and it worked well.

The easiest way would probably be to export the Word file to PDF, then import the PDF into Xara.

-- Ben

[alina]

Awesome. Thank you!

[Albacore]

Is it not easier just Ben to copy and paste into DP6? as you get the option to paste "Rich Formatted Text". Also if you are going to place photos or do any edits in DP6 it is impossible to do or has Microsoft improved the export filter recently as my text imports in lines not as a book and I am using 2010 as well. It is my job to so this for NHS in the UK I get Word docs from all over the place and I make up newsletters, books and presentations along with stationary and many other docs with the information nearly 100% from Microsoft programmes.

[ad1066]

I'll further clarify my original recommendation: If you are not expecting to have to make any changes to the layout or formatting of the text, I recommend using the method I outlined above rather than copying & pasting from Word, simply because in my experience, in its native format Word tends to do funky things with text and formatting.

However, if you have a quantity of text in a Word doc that you want to import into Xara, and you are expecting to have to make changes to the formatting or layout, bite the bullet and copy & paste the text from Word into Notepad, then copy & paste from Notepad into Xara, so you've got just the raw text, and you can format however you like. There may be more elegant ways to strip out the formatting, but that's the most thorough (in much the same way as pulling out and nuking the site from orbit would be the most thorough way for the Colonial Marines to deal with the aliens).

-- Ben

[Soquili]

I agree with Ben, use Notepad to strip the weirdness from Words formatting... and nuking the aliens from space are the best options.

[David O'Neil]

How big is your book going to be? After a certain number of pages, from what I've read, XDP will bog down. Also, what do you mean by Word not handling photos well? I've published a 450 page book through CreateSpace with probably 70 greyscale illustrations in it (at 600 dpi) using Word and Acrobat, and never had a problem. Full-page color background photos might be a different story, but I think even that can be done. Word is pretty powerful, and many people don't give it the credit it deserves because they don't know it well enough. I'm not saying XDP isn't also good, but you will run into limitations with it as well. Or, those of you who have XDP 7, have those issues been fixed?