The difference between IDML and INDD files

In the Professional Zone on our website, we offer InDesign templates for use in our photobooks. These templates are stored in IDML format.

The abbreviation IDML stands for "InDesign Markup Language" and was introduced with InDesign CS4. A document stored in this variant can be opened across the entire version and improves compatibility when exchanging data. The format is, therefore, used for the fact that the templates can be used by almost all customers with different InDesign versions. The INDD file, on the other hand, can only be opened in the same version in which it was saved.

After opening the IDML file in InDesign, the document can then be saved as INDD.