Converting PageMaker to InDesign

Carl Shank • January 15, 2021

How to Convert PageMaker Files to InDesign Files

To some users with  legacy PageMaker files, converting  them  to Adobe InDesign files has been a challenge. Adobe Systems Incorporated stopped shipping or updating PageMaker files for a number of years. They moved on to InDesign programming and layout. Aldus PageMaker 3 for Macintosh and Windows was shipped in 1988. Aldus PageMaker 4 for Macintosh was released in 1990, with the Windows version in 1991, and offered new word-processing capabilities, expanded typographic controls, and enhanced features for handling long documents.


Aldus PageMaker 5.0 was released in January 1993. Aldus was purchased by Adobe Systems who took over the upgrades and further enhancements. Adobe PageMaker 6.0 was released in 1995, and Adobe PageMaker 6.5 was released in 1996.


Support for versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and 6.5 is no longer offered through the official Adobe support system. This poses substantial problems for users who have works authored in these legacy versions.


The final version made available is PageMaker 7.0, released in 2001, though updates have been released for the two supported platforms since.


The Macintosh version runs only in Mac OS 9 or earlier; there is no native support for Mac OS X, and it does not run at all on Intel-based Macs. It does not run well under Classic, and Adobe recommends that customers use an older Macintosh capable of booting into Mac OS 9. The Windows version supports Windows XP and a few other Windows versions.


As Adobe migrated users to its new InDesign format released in 2001, versions 1 through CS6 had their fair share of adoption issues and compatibility problems. Newer versions of InDesign can read older InDesign versions, but they are not backwards compatible. InDesign CS6 can read only PageMaker 6.5 files. Consequently, users who now have InDesign CC series cannot read older PageMaker files at all. Thus, the need for this service.


What We Can Do For You

PageMaker 3 – 5 to InDesign ($15 per file) (Macintosh)

Specify the InDesign format to what you want to transfer your files. We offer InDesign CS – CS6 and InDesign CC. To transfer these older PM files to newer InDesign files (InDesign CS6 and beyond) requires first transferring them to PageMaker 6.5 files. Our goal is to keep your formatting and fonts in place. If we cannot do this, we will let you know before the transfer takes place.


PageMaker 6.x to InDesign ($15 per file) (Macintosh)

Specify the InDesign format to what you want to transfer your files. We offer InDesign CS – CS6 and InDesign CC. Our goal is to keep your formatting and fonts in place. If we cannot do this, we will let you know before the transfer takes place.


PageMaker 6.5 or 7 to InDesign CS ($15 per file) (Windows)

We also offer a Windows based transfer system for PageMaker 6 or later files to InDesign CS. 


We own the legal rights to the use of this software. All of the software used has a valid Adobe serial number. We have been using this software since its inception to the Macintosh or Windows platforms.

Successful Layout & Design

Art Nouveau Typography

By Carl Shank • September 6, 2025
Art Nouveau fonts grew out of the late 19th-century Art Nouveau movement (c. 1890–1910), which sought to break away from academic, historicist styles and create a new art for the modern age. The style flourished across Europe and America in architecture, furniture, illustration, and typography. In lettering, Art Nouveau embraced organic forms, flowing curves, floral motifs, and asymmetry, reflecting the movement’s fascination with natural growth and hand-drawn ornament. Art Nouveau took its name from the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, a Parisian gallery that exhibited the works of artists and designers who were associated with the movement. The style was characterized by flowing, curvilinear forms inspired by natural shapes and motifs such as flowers, vines, and insects. It also incorporated elements from other artistic traditions, such as Japanese art and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau was particularly popular in Europe, where it influenced a wide range of artistic disciplines, including architecture, interior design, furniture, jewelry, and graphic design. Some of the most notable Art Nouveau architects included Hector Guimard, Antoni Gaudí, and Victor Horta, while artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Gustav Klimt were celebrated for their decorative and ornamental works. Art Nouveau declined in popularity after World War I, as artists and designers began to embrace new, more modernist styles. However, its influence can still be seen in many aspects of contemporary design, and it remains an important and influential movement in the history of art and design. 

Ornamental Gothics

By Carl Shank • August 30, 2025
Gothics History. Gothic typefaces are a broad group of styles rooted in medieval calligraphy and evolved into distinct print types during and after the invention of movable type via Gutenberg in the 15th century. They are sometimes confusingly named. In Europe “Gothic” usually refers to blackletter (medieval scripts), while in the U.S. “Gothic” often refers to sans-serif typefaces since the 1830s. Gothic script is a broad term for the entire family of medieval European scripts that developed from Carolingian minuscule around the twelfth century. “Minuscules” are lower case letters as distinct from capital letters, or uncials. Type developed in the sixth through tenth centuries with modern lettering evolving from Carolingian scripts. The Emperor Charlemagne used these letters as an educational standard. These densely packed scripts featured tall, narrow letterforms, strong vertical emphasis, sharp, angular connections, a dramatic thick/thin contrast and minimal spacing between letters. Gothic-inspired fonts create immediate medieval impact and work beautifully for titles, logos, and short display text. They are used today in Fantasy Gaming, Historical Projects, Themed Entertainment (like the Renaissance Fair), Book Design, Certificates, Breweries and Distilleries. Jack Nolan, a professional graphics designer, has provided a fetching display of such faces in his "33 Medieval Fonts Perfect for ‘Ye Olde’ Designs in 2025."(1)
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