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Transferring files from PC to Mac
Malcolm Wooden of DTP Types explains how to avoid potential pitfalls by using his code translation module.
Publishing on any of today's media requires that
files of different formats be used transparently. Pictures, sounds,
videos, movies, must all be interchangeable no matter what computer
system was used to create them. However, when it comes to interchanging
text, things can get a little difficult, especially when passing
foreign language files across computer systems. Passing files from
Microsoft® WindowsTM PCs to AppleTM Macintosh® carries it's own unique set of problems to be overcome.
Most Macintosh based typesetting companies and
departments are usually happy about taking files that have been created
in Microsoft WordTM on
a Microsoft Windows based PC. Most of the popular DTP software programs
can import these files directly into a document. If not, the other
solution is to open the file in Word on the Macintosh and then cut and
paste the text into the document. There are of course other operating
systems that text could be sent from, but in this article we will just
be looking at the Windows to Macintosh path.
If the
languages of the document are not outside the usual west European
languages, the majority of the text will import correctly. Leaving
Unicode aside for a moment, Windows uses a collection of characters
defined by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and divided
into categories called 'CodePages'. CodePage 1252 contains the
characters for the West European languages that are used most
frequently. The Macintosh however uses character sets defined by Apple.
The basic west European character set for the Macintosh is called
MacRoman.
Windows unique characters
Differences in the number of supported
languages on the MacRoman and CP1252 characters sets is the first
problem. Icelandic is a supported language in Windows CP1252 but in
MacRoman there are no Icelandic characters. In fact in CP1252 there are
some sixteen characters that are not part of the Mac character set, and
if used by the author on the PC, will cause the Mac user problems.
The reading of a PC Word file into a DTP
program document is done using a function called the import filter.
This is usually transparent to the user and each DTP programs' filter
will act differently. Some may place a spurious character in place of a
character that it cannot code correctly, while others may just miss out
the character totally.
Beyond West European Borders
Receiving PC Word files that are not based on west European languages
creates a whole range of problems. In these situations close
communication and co-operation with the author of the PC document is
vital if you are to avoid any costly mistakes.
Language
ranges can be divided into two categories, left to right reading (as
English), or right to left and vertical reading. Right to left and
vertical reading languages such as Arabic or Chinese will require
significant application and system support and are best left to experts
with the necessary resources, however most non-western European left to
right reading languages, such as Greek, Turkish or Russian, can be
successfully negotiated if a few strict guidelines are applied.
The handling of these types of files for import onto a Macintosh can be divided into three categories.
* The creation of the original document by the author on a PC.
* The import of the PC files to the Macintosh.
* The handling of the resulting data on the Macintosh.
Creation.
Working to standards is
the key to the successful import of these kinds of files. When the
author is creating the document on their PC, be sure they are using
standard Unicode fonts such as Arial®, Times New Roman®, Tahoma® or
Garamond96. If they are not using this kind of font then the recoding
of the document becomes very difficult, if not impossible.
Try not to mix languages in the document. Having more than one language
in the document can also make conversion difficult. Try to restrict the
languages to just one language plus English if necessary.
Have the author save the document in standard Word format (*.doc) and
RTF - Rich Text Format (*.rtf). RTF can be used to recode the document
while still keeping most of the documents formatting. If you have a PC
and the author sends you just the Word format document, you may be able
to produce the RTF file yourself. But beware, your PC set-up is
probably different to that of the authors and that may lead to
differences in the creation of the RTF data. It is far safer to have
the author produce the RTF files from their system.
Import.
If you use your standard
importing procedure for PC Word files on non-west European language
files, the import filters will still convert the document as if it were
a west European language file. This will completely destroy any
non-West European text in the document. At this stage you must use
another type of system to convert the document into a document that can
be read by a Macintosh and opened using Microsoft Word for Mac.
The RTF version allows the document to be
recoded using a piece of software called DTP Types Code Translation
Module or just DTP Types CTM. With CTM you need to know two important
factors to convert the document successfully, the language of the
original document and the font set to be used on the Mac to support
that language. Using CTM is a simple drag and drop process to create a
new file that can be opened on the Mac in Word.
DTP Types CTM Window
The New Mac File
Be sure that on
the Mac you have the correct fonts to support the language of your
document. For example if you have a Russian document, use standard
MacCyrillic fonts or if the language is Greek then use MacGreek. If you
have any doubt about what kind of font set you should use, Faces will
be able to advise you.
The file created by CTM can be
opened on the Mac in Word as a normal Mac RTF file. The first thing you
will notice when to document is opened is that the non-west European
characters appear incorrect or look rather strange. Don't worry! By
doing a simple font change to the required font type, the document's
text should fall into place with the correct characters.
That's more or less it. Other things to consider are a few bugs in some
versions of Word that might cause problems and it is not compatible
with Mac OSX, but Faces can again advise on these. And of course always
get the new document proofed and checked.
If you find that the cost of purchasing CTM
software is not cost effective for your job, Faces can quote for
converting documents and returning a file for use on a Mac. Please call
for details.
