Make PDF documents editable

Make PDF documents editable

PDFMarkz converts PDF documents to InDesign, XPress and Affinity Publisher.


15. September 2023In PublishingBy Karsten Risseeuw3 Minutes

Is the original document missing and is there only a PDF file? How can an original file be created from it again? This task is performed by PDFMarkz, a conversion tool from Markzware.

PDF files are editable only to a limited extent. This is logical, because PDF files were only meant for transport. It is an output format, not an editable format. If problems arise in PDF files, they can be rudimentarily edited with special tools, but they cannot be converted to editable formats.

However, PDFMarkz makes this possible. The software converts PDF files to IDML format. From there, the file can be opened as editable original files in known publishing solutions. These include XPress, InDesign, and Affinity Publisher.

Original files missing

Sometimes you only have a PDF file and no original file anymore. Rebuilding a design often takes a lot of time and is therefore expensive. However, it is quick and easy to convert the PDF file to one of the standard publishing solutions.

All texts, images, elements are usually adopted without any problems. Images of the PDF file are swapped out. All colors are listed. These and other conversions are done in minutes and significantly reduce the time and effort required to recreate them. It is the fastest way to a new and editable document.

When converting a document with PDFMarkz, the IDML format is just an intermediate stage. The IDML format can be opened in InDesign, XPress or Publisher and saved there. This way you get an editable file in a professional publishing environment again in no time.

Convert Word files

Many customers are not familiar with publishing solutions. Instead, you do everything with Word or other text programs. However, these are unsuitable for prepress. Now how to convert a Word file to InDesign? This is possible with PDFMarkz.

The process is simple and involves the following steps:

  1. First, open the document again in Word,
  2. exports it from Word as a PDF,
  3. opens it in PDFMarkz afterwards,
  4. where you specify the desired destination format.

In order to export an IDML to XPress, InDesign or Affinity Publisher, a license of this software must be installed. The conversion from the IDML format is done via the IDML import functions of these publishing software solutions.

That was all!


All Markzware conversion solutions are now available for Mac and Windows

All Markzware conversion solutions are now available for Mac and Windows

All products are based on the same new MarkzOne technology


9. March 2023In PublishingBy Karsten Risseeuw2 Minutes

This week Markzware has completed its line of conversion solutions. All data conversion software solutions are now available for Mac and Windows.

Conversion of publishing documents

Markzware conversion solutions shine in prepress. The major publishing platforms all come with dedicated document formats. Markzware products convert InDesign documents to Affinity Publisher, or QuarkXPress documents to InDesign, for example. PDF documents can also be converted and turned into editable documents.

  • IDMarkz: Converts INDD documents
  • QXPMarkz: Converts QXP documents
  • PDF Markz: Converts PDF documents
  • OmniMarkz: Converts INDD, QXP and PDF documents (the all-rounder)

For these conversions, Markzware has developed its own new technology, called the MarkzOne engine. All products work with this engine, which does not require any other publishing software installed to perform conversions. This makes you completely independent of other licenses. The conversion solutions can therefore also be used without any problems in work preparation.

For example, if you have an archive of older INDD documents from InDesign, but you don’t have an active subscription to Creative Cloud, you won’t be able to open the documents. However, IDMarkz or OmniMarkz can be used to quickly and reliably convert INDD documents to QuarkXPress or Affinity Publisher, output them as image files, or check them for various characteristics.

Accordingly, the current products provide Mac and Windows users with good solutions for everyday digital life, allowing digital documents to be saved in other formats. This is comparable to the transfer of old typesetting to a new structure.

All products

Timothy Muza: Female finger touching screen

OmniMarkz combines all previous conversion solutions from Markzware

OmniMarkz combines all previous conversion solutions from Markzware

Quick conversion of PDF, INDD and QXP


7. January 2022In News, PublishingBy Karsten Risseeuw7 Minutes

The preparation of digital documents is often demanding. This not only applies to the output, but also applies to the data that you receive from customers or suppliers. How do you open different document formats? One method is to insist on “standards”. However, the fact is that there are several established data formats. As a professional contractor, you should be able to handle all formats. There is now OmniMarkz, an all-round tool from Markzware for converting important prepress document formats.

Data conversion

Almost every software has its own document format. This is often very useful when working with a particular program. But if you want to exchange documents, each party must be able to read these documents. That is not always cleared up straight away. It annoys me if you tacitly assume that everyone works with Microsoft products and everyone does their graphic work with Adobe products. This has not been the case for a long time.

The trend is towards diversification. There are more programs available, and each of these programs often has its own format. Exchange formats are also becoming increasingly common. For example, InDesign can generate so-called IDML files. They can now also be opened in other programs, whereby the IDML file is then automatically converted into the internal format.

Exchange formats are therefore important for collaboration. They make it possible to create a work here and process it there. It should be noted, however, that all software “interprets” a document. So there may be minor differences between the display on two different platforms. Rounding differences in the spacing of a font can, for example, lead to the very last word in a line of text sliding to the next page, even though this is not wanted at all. Control is therefore mandatory after every conversion.

The best way to compare data conversion is to adopt a standing sentence. For example, the customer only has a PDF file of an old travel brochure and no longer has original files. With a suitable conversion solution, you can now convert the PDF file to an original file in XPress, InDesign or Affinity Publisher. This would allow the old document structure to be rebuilt much faster than preparation for the new prospectus.

OmniMarkz is the Swiss Army Knife for file conversions

Document conversions are demanding. Markzware already offers 3 proven software solutions:

  1. IDMarkz converts INDD files from InDesign.
  2. QXPMarkz converts QXP files from QuarkXPress
  3. PDFMarkz converts PDF files from almost any source.

All three products are now summarized in OmniMarkz. So you are armed for almost any eventuality.

OmniMarkz imports INDD files as well as QXP and PDF files. Original software does not even have to be available for this. OmniMarkz also works if it is the only program on the computer where incoming jobs are checked and prepared. This need not be a fully equipped publishing workstation.

Thats how it works

Conversion solutions from Markzware convert internally to IDML and from there to the big wide world. IDML is a format that is already read by many programs today because it is a well-structured and open description of a file. OmniMarkz can already show an approximate preview of the file and also allows you to scroll through the file. If everything fits, you can start a conversion. There are various options to choose from:

  • Conversion to various image formats and PDF
  • Direct opening in XPress, InDesign or, for example, Affinity Publisher.

Conversion Limits

Data conversion is perfect for converting existing documents into another format once. However, these solutions are not suitable for constantly moving documents back and forth between several layout programs. A file conversion should be viewed as a one-time takeover of standing sentence. A control is always required after the conversion.

The fact that a file conversion is now often extremely successful should not hide the complexity of the challenge. There are big differences between different layout programs, even if they solve similar things. The conversion looks for the best match for the other program – provided that it is there.

Evaluation of a solution

The best question when evaluating a software solution like OmniMarkz is always this: How much time can I save? For example, if it takes 8 hours of work to rebuild the document identically without conversion, how expensive would that be? The more time has to be invested, the cheaper the conversion solution appears. It should be noted, however, that the conversion must always be checked. It would be better if you clarify for yourself how much time (and thus money) you want to save and where.

Depending on the situation, it can also be stated that some things cannot be solved at all if no conversion software is available.

  • How do you convert a Word document to InDesign?
    (by creating a PDF file and then converting it to InDesign in no time with OmniMarkz)
  • How can the elements of a website be used for a new XPress document?
    (by converting the website to PDF and from there using OmniMarkz to XPress)
  • How can I open InDesign documents if I don’t have InDesign (any more)?
    (by converting the INDD file to another format via OmniMarkz)


IdMarkz converts InDesign documents to Affinity Publisher, XPress and other formats

IDMarkz converts InDesign documents

Standalone software converting to IDML, PDF, XPress and other formats


16. December 2019By Karsten Risseeuw3 Minutes

Markzware launched the new IDMarkz, a conversion software made to convert native InDesign documents (INDD) to a variety of other formats. This is especially usefull, if documents are only available in INDD format or no InDesign is accessible for conversino to IDML.

IDMarkz opens InDesign documents, offers a preview of all pages and several export options.

Markzware’s technology for converting various document formats has proven itself over the years. There are plug-ins for InDesign for importing PDF or XPRess documents. Even complex documents can be converted to InDesign in next to no time.

IDMarkz now works the other way. Any InDesign documents (INDD) can be opened with IDMarkz. IDMarkz is a standalone software (not a plug-in). InDesign documents can be opened in no time and even a preview of all pages is generated. This allows you to scroll quickly through a document and some information about the document offer something like simple preflighting.

The InDesign document can then be exported in a variety of other formats. The export formats include: IDML, PDF, XPRESS and various image formats.

If you don’t have InDesign, you can still convert documents, for example to XPress, Affinity Publisher or IDML for use with Viva Designer, older InDesign versions, etc.

From Adobe InDesign to Affinity Publisher

Adobe locks customers in a subscription system. If you no longer have InDesign, you can no longer open InDesign documents. Of course, this strategy annoys many customers. Adobe is at the same point as QuarkXPress once was. Many are wondering how things will continue?

IDMarkz gives users the freedom to determine for themselves which software is the right one. Even complex documents can be converted to various other formats very quickly and easily. This also includes an export option for the newcomer Affinity Publisher. It works like this: Affinity Publisher currently officially supports PDF as an import format. It works very well. IDML is also offered in the current beta version. So if you still have InDesign, you can convert documents in InDesign to IDML and then open them in Affinity.

The situation is not that simple for long-time users of InDesign. Often there are hundreds of customer documents. Not everyone can and would like to preventively export all documents to PDF and IDML. With IDMarkz this is no longer necessary. Native InDesign documents can be converted directly to PDF and IDML.

For Affinity Publisher it works like this: Open the INDD document in IDMarkz. Export to Affinity Publisher. Finished! Affinity Publisher will start automatically and the converted file will open.

Export to image files

IDMarkz also offers various export options according to image formats. InDesign no longer needs to be present just to generate a preview file or to generate image files for the website. IDMarkz does it in no time.