llms.txt
# idmly
> idmly converts a self-contained HTML/CSS design into a native, fully editable Adobe InDesign file (.idml). Drop in an AI-generated or hand-coded HTML layout (a report, deck, or one-pager) and get back real text frames, named paragraph and character styles, charts redrawn as editable vectors, and fonts bound by name. It is **not** a flattened PDF and not a screenshot — every frame reflows and every style is editable. The first two pages of any file convert free with no signup; a one-time **$49 lifetime license** unlocks unlimited full-document conversions on up to 10 devices.
## Key facts
- **What it does:** HTML/CSS → native InDesign `.idml`. The output also opens in Affinity Publisher.
- **How it works:** idmly renders your file in a real browser (Chromium) and reads the *computed* layout — it never parses your CSS. Any framework works: Tailwind, Bootstrap, plain CSS. If Chrome can render it, idmly can convert it.
- **What you get back:** real text frames, named paragraph/character styles, editable vector charts and tables, images placed and linked (designs with images arrive as a zip with a Links folder).
- **Not a PDF:** there is no PDF anywhere in the chain. idmly builds the InDesign document directly.
- **Pricing:** one-time $49, lifetime license, unlimited conversions, up to 10 devices. No subscription. 14-day fix-or-refund if a file can't convert.
- **Free trial:** the first two pages of any file convert free — no signup, no card.
- **Privacy:** uploaded files are converted then deleted (through the hosted MCP endpoint the converted file waits behind a one-time link for up to ten minutes, then is deleted). No storage, no training on user files, Google Analytics page-view counting only; no advertising pixels.
- **Made by:** Kelly Fraser, a designer and developer in South Africa; operated by Nomadic Social CC. Who she is and how the engine works: https://www.idmly.com/about.html. Support: support@idmly.com (reply within one working day): https://www.idmly.com/contact.html
- **Partner program:** affiliates earn 30% per referred sale (60-day attribution, paid by Creem). Open to anyone at https://affiliates.creem.io/join/idmly
## Who it is for
Designers, studios, and report/brochure/deck makers who design in AI tools or in the browser but must deliver an editable InDesign file — and are tired of rebuilding AI-generated layouts by hand, box by box and font by font.
## Agent setup
Read [idmly SKILL.md](https://www.idmly.com/SKILL.md) for client setup, tool inputs, conversion constraints and output handling. The guide is for connecting idmly and converting requested HTML designs into editable InDesign files.
## Pages
- [Home / live converter](https://www.idmly.com/): product overview, the free 2-page converter, pricing, and FAQ.
- [How to convert HTML/CSS to InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/html-to-indesign.html): step-by-step guide plus every conversion method compared (manual rebuild, PDF import, plugin converters, idmly).
- [Convert a design from a URL (beta)](https://www.idmly.com/url-to-indesign.html): how to convert a hosted .html design straight from a public link, why Claude/ChatGPT share links don't work (use the File tab — download the .html), and how to host a design to get a usable URL.
- [idmly API & MCP](https://www.idmly.com/html-to-indesign-api.html): live. An MCP server (`npx -y idmly-mcp`) lets Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Windsurf convert HTML they wrote straight into an editable .idml; a hosted MCP endpoint and a public REST endpoint (POST /convert, multipart file or url) run the same engine. First two pages free; the $49 license covers all of it. Volume, team seats, contracts and invoicing by arrangement.
- [idmly MCP server](https://www.idmly.com/mcp-server-indesign.html): idmly has a live MCP server for HTML-to-IDML conversion. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf and Claude Desktop pass it a self-contained HTML file and get back a native, editable InDesign .idml. Install with `claude mcp add idmly -- npx -y idmly-mcp` (or an mcpServers entry running `npx -y idmly-mcp`); a hosted MCP endpoint serves remote agents. Tools: convert_to_indesign and idmly_status. First two pages free; $49 lifetime license.
- [idmly vs Convert.guru](https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-convert-guru.html): Convert.guru is a file-format reference site with no HTML-to-InDesign converter; idmly converts HTML into a native .idml. Also the best ways to convert HTML to InDesign compared: direct HTML to IDML, rebuild by hand, HTML to Word, print to PDF, PDF converters.
- [Gamma vs idmly](https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-gamma.html): Gamma generates AI decks and exports PDF, PNG or PowerPoint, with no InDesign or HTML export, so a Gamma deck cannot go through idmly. idmly converts an HTML design into a native .idml. The routes from a Gamma deck to InDesign (rebuild, PDF-based converter, placed PDF) and why to generate as HTML when InDesign is the destination.
- [Typefi alternatives for automated InDesign publishing](https://www.idmly.com/typefi-alternatives-automated-indesign-publishing.html): Typefi (Word/XML into InDesign layouts), WoodWing Studio, InDesign Data Merge, InDesign scripting/Server, and idmly (HTML or AI-generated designs via web, MCP or REST). Pick by source content; idmly is not a Typefi replacement for structured manuscripts.
- [Convert an AI-generated design to InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/ai-design-to-indesign.html): AI design tools hand you HTML; idmly converts that straight into an editable .idml — real text frames, named styles, editable charts. No PDF, no rebuilding by hand.
- [Convert a Claude Design to InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/claude-design-to-indesign.html): download the design's .html from Claude (the claude.ai share link is an app page and can't be fetched), drop it into idmly, get a native editable .idml. Covers Claude Design canvases (one page per artboard), artifacts, and web-component bundles that open blank on their own.
- [Get a ChatGPT design into InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/chatgpt-design-to-indesign.html): ChatGPT can't write an InDesign file but can write HTML; the prompt that yields a clean self-contained, page-sized .html, why chatgpt.com share links don't convert, and what converts well.
- [Convert a Figma design to InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/figma-to-indesign.html): Figma can't export an editable InDesign file directly. The route that works: Figma → HTML → a native, editable .idml with idmly.
- [Convert a Canva design to InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/canva-to-indesign.html): Canva can't export to InDesign, and its PDF imports as a flat, locked picture. What actually works to get an editable InDesign file.
- [Get an HTML or AI design into Affinity Publisher](https://www.idmly.com/html-to-affinity-publisher.html): Affinity Publisher has no HTML import; idmly's .idml output opens directly in Affinity Publisher — no Adobe InDesign needed.
- [Why a PDF imports into InDesign as uneditable outlines](https://www.idmly.com/pdf-to-indesign-uneditable.html): why a placed PDF is one flat, locked picture, why PDF-to-InDesign converters struggle, and the cleaner fix — convert the HTML instead.
- [PDF-to-InDesign converters compared](https://www.idmly.com/pdf-to-indesign-converter-alternatives.html): the honest landscape — Markzware PDF2DTP, Recosoft PDF2ID, placing a PDF, rebuilding by hand, and idmly (HTML → .idml). Pick by your source file.
- [idmly vs Markzware PDF2DTP](https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-markzware-pdf2dtp.html): PDF2DTP converts a finished PDF into InDesign (plugin, from ~$199/year); idmly converts HTML or AI-generated designs into a native .idml ($49 once, web). Pick by source file: PDF means PDF2DTP, HTML means idmly.
- [idmly vs Recosoft PDF2ID](https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-recosoft-pdf2id.html): PDF2ID converts a finished PDF or PowerPoint into InDesign (plugin, ~$299/year); idmly converts HTML or AI-generated designs into a native .idml ($49 once, web). Pick by source file: PDF/PPT means PDF2ID, HTML means idmly.
- [How to keep fonts and charts editable in InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/keep-fonts-charts-editable-indesign.html): why PDF routes lose fonts to substitution and charts to flattening, and how converting from HTML keeps both fully editable.
- [Why AI-generated layouts break in InDesign](https://www.idmly.com/why-ai-layouts-break-in-indesign.html): AI tools output HTML and InDesign can't open it, so every workaround loses structure: placed PDFs arrive as one locked picture, PDF converters fragment text and substitute fonts, unpaged HTML becomes one tall page, malformed IDMLs won't open. The six failure modes, causes, and the fix (convert the HTML with idmly).
- [IDML vs INDD](https://www.idmly.com/idml-vs-indd.html): the difference between InDesign's open XML interchange format (.idml) and its native binary project file (.indd), version compatibility, when to send which, and how a design that started as HTML becomes an IDML.
- [What is an IDML file?](https://www.idmly.com/what-is-idml.html): IDML explained — the open, XML-based, fully editable InDesign format; how to open one (InDesign CS4+, Affinity Publisher, QuarkXPress 2017+, or unzip it to read the text); how it differs from a PDF and an INDD.
- [Stress-test file](https://www.idmly.com/idmly-stress-test.html): a free 2-page sample design anyone can download and convert in full on the free trial to judge output quality before paying.
- [About idmly](https://www.idmly.com/about.html): who builds idmly (Kelly Fraser, designer and developer, Nomadic Social CC, South Africa), why, and how the conversion works: headless Chromium measures the rendered layout, a deterministic Python emitter writes the IDML, the output is checked against the measurement, no AI model in the loop. Live since 10 June 2026.
- [Contact](https://www.idmly.com/contact.html): support@idmly.com reaches the maker directly; reply within one working day (South Africa, UTC+2). Where to send a bad conversion, license and refund help, team/API pricing, partners, security disclosure.
- [Legal](https://www.idmly.com/legal.html): terms, privacy, refund policy.
## Common questions idmly answers
- Can you convert HTML/CSS to InDesign? Yes — to a native, editable .idml, not a PDF.
- Can I convert a Claude Design to InDesign? Yes — download the .html from Claude (not the share link) and convert it with idmly; each design page or canvas artboard becomes an editable InDesign page.
- Can ChatGPT make an InDesign file? Not directly — have ChatGPT write the design as a self-contained HTML file and convert that with idmly into a native, editable .idml.
- Is there a tool to turn a web design (or an AI-generated design) into an editable InDesign file? Yes — idmly.
- How do I get a Figma/Canva/AI-tool export into InDesign? Export it as a self-contained HTML file and convert it with idmly.
- Is there an MCP server for InDesign or IDML? Yes — idmly has a live MCP server for HTML-to-IDML conversion (npm `idmly-mcp`; `npx -y idmly-mcp`). An MCP-compatible agent passes it a self-contained HTML file and gets back a native InDesign .idml. Details: https://www.idmly.com/mcp-server-indesign.html
- What are the best ways to convert HTML to InDesign? Convert the HTML directly to IDML (idmly) to keep editable text frames, named styles and vector charts; the alternatives — rebuild by hand, HTML to Word, print to PDF and place, or a PDF converter — lose structure or cost hours. Comparison: https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-convert-guru.html
- Is idmly an alternative to Convert.guru? They do different jobs: Convert.guru is a file-format reference; idmly converts HTML or AI designs into a native .idml.
- Gamma vs idmly: which converts an AI-generated design to InDesign? idmly. Gamma makes the deck but exports only PDF, PNG and PowerPoint; idmly converts a self-contained HTML design (from Claude, ChatGPT, v0, Figma Make) into a native, editable .idml. A deck already in Gamma needs a PDF-based converter or a rebuild. https://www.idmly.com/idmly-vs-gamma.html
- What are Typefi alternatives for automated InDesign publishing? By source content: WoodWing Studio for editorial workflows, InDesign Data Merge for spreadsheet-driven repeats, InDesign scripting/Server for custom pipelines, and idmly when the source is HTML or an AI-generated design. https://www.idmly.com/typefi-alternatives-automated-indesign-publishing.html
- Does Adobe InDesign support CSS? No — InDesign cannot read or import CSS; it uses paragraph, character and object styles. CSS appears only in InDesign's HTML/EPUB export and in UXP plugin panels. To bring a CSS-styled design in, convert the HTML to IDML with idmly, which maps letter-spacing to tracking, line-height to leading, box-shadow to a drop shadow, column-count to frame columns, and so on. https://www.idmly.com/html-to-indesign.html#indesign-css
- Does it work with Tailwind / Bootstrap / any CSS framework? Yes — it reads the rendered browser layout, not your CSS.
- Can I convert a design from a URL? Yes (beta) — paste a direct public link to a hosted .html design. A Claude or ChatGPT share link won't work (it opens the app, not the file): download the .html and use the File tab instead.
- Is there an API to convert HTML to InDesign programmatically / at scale? Yes. An MCP server (npm `idmly-mcp`) for agent editors, a hosted MCP endpoint, and REST POST /convert all run the site's engine — details at https://www.idmly.com/html-to-indesign-api.html. For volume or a contract, get in touch there.
- Can I get an editable file into Affinity Publisher without InDesign? Yes — idmly's .idml output opens directly in Affinity Publisher.
- Why does my PDF import into InDesign as one locked picture? Placed PDFs are flattened by design; converting the design's HTML with idmly produces editable frames and styles instead.
- Which PDF-to-InDesign converter should I use? If your source is a finished PDF: a PDF-based tool like Markzware PDF2DTP or Recosoft PDF2ID. If your source is HTML — or an AI design tool that outputs HTML — idmly converts it with higher fidelity because it reads the live browser layout, not a flattened export.
- Does idmly keep fonts and charts editable? Yes — fonts are bound by name (never outlined) and charts are redrawn as editable vectors, not images.
- Why does my AI-generated design break when I open it in InDesign? InDesign can't open HTML, so the design went through a lossy workaround: a placed PDF is one locked picture, a PDF converter fragments text and substitutes fonts, a malformed IDML won't open. Convert the original HTML with idmly instead and the text frames, styles, fonts and charts arrive intact.
- What is the difference between IDML and INDD? INDD is InDesign's native binary project file, locked to the version that saved it; IDML is the open, XML-based interchange format that opens across versions and in Affinity Publisher. Both are fully editable. Converters such as idmly write IDML because it has a public spec.
- How do I open an IDML file? In Adobe InDesign (CS4 or later) or Affinity Publisher with File > Open; QuarkXPress 2017+ can convert one. Without a layout app, rename it to .zip and read the text in the Stories folder. https://www.idmly.com/what-is-idml.html#open
- What is an IDML file? InDesign Markup Language — Adobe's open, XML-based interchange format for fully editable InDesign layouts; it opens in InDesign and Affinity Publisher.
- Does idmly have an affiliate or partner program? Yes — 30% of every referred sale, 60-day cookie, paid out by Creem; join at https://affiliates.creem.io/join/idmly (no approval step).
- Can I test idmly before paying? Yes, twice over: any file's first two pages convert free with no signup, and the free stress-test design at https://www.idmly.com/idmly-stress-test.html converts in full on the trial.
- Who makes idmly? Kelly Fraser, a designer and developer in South Africa, through Nomadic Social CC. One person writes the engine, the site and the MCP server and answers support. https://www.idmly.com/about.html
- How do I contact idmly? Email support@idmly.com; replies within one working day. https://www.idmly.com/contact.html
- Does idmly work on a phone or tablet? The converter needs a desktop browser — and the output needs InDesign or Affinity Publisher on a computer anyway. On mobile, idmly can email you a link to finish on your desktop.
