Who is a typical user of offline editing for InDesign files?
There are many different types of users. Classic examples include product managers responsible for content, various proofreaders and reviewers, or, for example, translators, who modify the relevant content.

What are the advantages of the offline editor in comparison to the iXedit online editor?
This is not a competition; the advantages must always be determined based on the case in question. In general, the offline editor has the obvious advantage that it works offline 😉 In other words, no connection to the server is needed. And where there is no connection, no connection problems can occur. This is of particularly interest to users who have a poor or unstable network/internet connection, such as when travelling by car, aeroplane or train. And since no data is transferred during editing, your work goes even faster. Also, there are often people who are not interested in the layout. With iXcopy, you can focus solely on the content.

Is a mixed mode of online and offline editor possible?
Yes. Both of these work with identical tagging in the InDesign file. This means that an exchange or a mixed mode is possible without any problems and it can also be quite useful.

How does iXcopy work?
The iXcopy technology is built into our marketing management platform, publiXone. It is operated via the publiXone desktop.

Which languages is the publiXone desktop available in?
German and English.

Is it possible to track document changes?
Yes, via the additional module “Version”. This logs and saves all of the frame changes that have been made. Whenever changes from offline processing are returned, the system saves the respective versions in the database for version control.

Can I install iXcopy in my own application?
Yes, but in order to do so, you will need part of our marketing management platform, publiXone. Simply contact us, we would be happy to discuss an integration.

Which InDesign versions are supported?
iXcopy, or the underlying iXentric technology, supports both CS6 and all CC versions. Because of the high demand for CS6 support, we will try to maintain it for as long as possible.

Is the InDesign file converted for this use?
No. Only the contents of the InDesign file are transferred to the offline editor. After editing, the changes are transferred “into” the original InDesign file. Technically speaking, a neutral intermediate format is used.

How fast is document editing in the offline editor?
As fast as it can be in a local application. So, in principle, in real time. Of course this is somewhat dependent on the performance of the computer in question.

Can I make geometric changes to the document?
No. iXcopy is designed for content editing.

Is it possible to get an “individual” demo?
Of course. Contact us and we will be happy to set an appointment.

Can I set a restriction on which elements are editable?
Yes. You can define how a given frame can be handled at the frame level. This is done with the InDesign extension, iXcontrol.

How does iXcontrol work?
iXcontrol is an extension for Adobe InDesign Desktop. It is installed via the extension manager or directly from the Adobe add-on store. The extension enables you to assign unique names to the frames and it lets you define the rules you want. This can be done in a single operation when creating the layout.
These rules are stored “in” the InDesign file and also move with it. Our editor components, iXedit and iXcopy, then import these rules and respond accordingly.

How are the corporate design standards for the document ensured?
You can also use the frame rules to define the corporate design. You can define which elements are editable, which are not, and what the user is allowed to do within a given frame.

Which elements can be tagged with iXcontrol?
As a basic principle, we distinguish between text, image and table frames. The latter can also be “broken down” into cells. There are various rules with different settings for each element. Image tagging does not apply to iXcopy.

Can text formats be restricted?
Yes. You can restrict the selection of text formats so that users cannot select one arbitrarily.

Can several frames be defined in a single work process?
Yes. In this case, a consecutive number would be added to the assigned name for the frame, since the names of the frames must be unique. You can also differentiate between texts and images as well as visibility.

Is there a cost for iXcontrol?
No.

Which languages is iXcontrol available in?
German and English.

What text editing options are there?
The text itself can be edited, of course. The user can access the available paragraph and character formats. In addition, special characters (via the on-screen keyboard where necessary) and control characters can be entered. The latter are generally displayed with the characters as in InDesign itself. Functions such as soft returns or tabulators are also available.

Is there a preview?
Yes. You can display a preview of the most recent state of each page.

How do you navigate in the document to be edited?
Either via the tree structure on the left-hand side, or directly in the preview.

Can I see the original text when editing?
Yes. In the split-screen view, the user can see both the original text and the text to be edited. You can select a right-left or top-bottom split.

Can tables be edited as well?
Yes, even in various ways. For starters, the entire table can be opened in a table editor, or you can edit individual cells instead. It depends on how the document was tagged, see also iXcontrol.

Can I make indents and numbered lists?
Yes, via formats defined in InDesign. You have complete control.

Can special characters be displayed in the editor?
Yes, just like you are familiar with in Word.

Is it possible to integrate a translation system (translation memory)?
The textual contents can be exported to an XML file and then imported again later. This XML file can generally be read and processed by any translation memory system.

Can I mark areas that have already been edited?
Yes. These will also be displayed in the tree view accordingly.

Can a PDF be generated from the document I am working with?
No, not directly in offline mode because no InDesign server is available. However, the content can be returned to the InDesign document at the push of a button. At the moment, a PDF can be generated via the online editor, for example.

Can I see the master text during a translation directly in the editor?
Yes, but in order to do so you will need the additional module “Variation”. This allows the systematic control of (language) variants. If you are working on the text of a variant, the text editor appears in split-screen mode. You will see the master text on the left-hand side and your editable variant text on the right.

Are right-to-left texts supported?
Yes. For example, Hebrew or Arabic. You can configure the frame accordingly. Please note that you need a special version of InDesign to be able to define paragraph formats that run from right to left.

Is user training required in order to use iXcopy?
A “training” is certainly overkill. However, we find it useful to give users some brief instruction. This can be done in person, remotely or as a handout or on-screen video.

How is iXcopy licensed?
Within our marketing management platform, publiXone, the function is only licensed per client. This can then be made available to users and configured as they wish. They do not require any further licence or the like.

Can iXcopy be licensed as a stand-alone version?
Yes, but in order to do so, you will need part of our marketing management platform, publiXone. Simply contact us, we would be happy to discuss an integration.