Convert PMD files without PageMaker
Adobe stopped making PageMaker in 2004, and it doesn't run well on today's Windows, so old newsletters, letters, programs and church bulletins saved as PMD files (.pmd) are hard to open. This PMD converter reads the PageMaker file in your browser and turns it into a PDF, an editable Word document or plain text: PMD to PDF, PMD to Word (DOCX) or PMD to text.
The PDF keeps the layout: every text block where it was on the page, PageMaker's own line breaks, the fonts' sizes, bold and italic, colors, alignment, lines and pictures such as logos, and the letterhead from the master page. The Word file holds the same words and formatting as ordinary paragraphs you can edit, page by page, in reading order.
How to convert a PMD file to PDF or Word
- Click the box above and choose your PMD file, or drag it onto the box.
- Previews of the pages appear. Check that the text and pictures are all there.
- Click Download PDF to print or share the pages as they looked, or Download Word to edit the text.
- To copy only the words, open Show the text and click Copy all text.
- Untick Include letterheads to leave out what the master page adds to every page, such as a letterhead or page numbers.
Questions
Which PMD files work?
PMD files saved by PageMaker 6.5 and 7 on Windows (.pmd, .p65). Files from PageMaker 5 or earlier use an older format; open them in PageMaker 6.5 or 7 and save them again first.
What is a PMD file?
A PMD file is a document made in Adobe PageMaker, the desktop publishing program used for newsletters, letters, books and programs before InDesign replaced it. PageMaker 6.5 saved .p65 files and PageMaker 7 saved .pmd files; both open here.
Will the PDF look exactly like PageMaker printed it?
Very close. Text breaks into lines where PageMaker broke it and sits in the same place, but it uses the PDF's built-in fonts (Times, Helvetica and Courier) in place of the fonts on your computer, so letter shapes and widths differ slightly. Use the Word file if you need to change the fonts.
Are Hmar and Mizo letters like ṭ kept?
Yes. Text typed in the Hmar font "rk", where t prints as ṭ, is turned into a real ṭ, so it shows correctly in Word, in the text and in the PDF.
Is my PMD file uploaded?
No. The PMD file is read and converted inside your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
What if something is missing?
Tables, rotated text, shapes other than lines, and pictures stored outside the document (linked files) aren't drawn yet. The words are always there in the Word file and the text.