Complete Guide to Document Format Conversion

Document Formats Overview

Understanding the strengths and limitations of each format helps you choose the right tool for the job.

Markdown (.md)

Plain text format with simple syntax for headings, lists, links, and emphasis.

• Best for: Version control, documentation, static sites, GitHub READMEs
• Strengths: Human-readable, simple syntax, version control friendly, portable
• Limitations: Limited formatting options, no page layout control, requires conversion for printing

Rich Text Format (.rtf)

Microsoft's legacy interchange format, plain text with formatting codes.

• Best for: Maximum compatibility across old and new software
• Strengths: Universal support, editable everywhere, smaller file size than DOCX
• Limitations: Limited features, no track changes, poor image handling

LaTeX (.tex)

Typesetting system with markup language, standard for scientific publishing.

• Best for: Academic papers, books with complex math, professional typesetting
• Strengths: Superior math rendering, automatic bibliography, precise control, beautiful output
• Limitations: Steep learning curve, compile step required, debugging can be difficult

Microsoft Word (.docx)

XML-based document format, industry standard for business documents.

• Best for: Business documents, collaborative editing, complex formatting
• Strengths: Rich formatting, track changes, comments, wide adoption, template support
• Limitations: Proprietary, can be inconsistent across versions, bloated files

OpenDocument Text (.odt)

Open standard document format used by LibreOffice and others.

• Best for: Open-source workflows, government documents requiring open standards
• Strengths: Open standard (ISO), well-specified, cross-platform
• Limitations: Less common than DOCX, some feature gaps when converting to/from Word

Portable Document Format (.pdf)

Fixed-layout format that preserves appearance across all platforms.

• Best for: Final deliverables, forms, printing, archival
• Strengths: Universal viewing, identical appearance, security features, print-ready
• Limitations: Difficult to edit, poor for reflowable content, accessibility challenges

Electronic Publication (.epub)

Standard ebook format based on HTML and CSS.

• Best for: Ebooks, reflowable documents, digital reading
• Strengths: Reflowable layout, wide ereader support, multimedia support, accessibility features
• Limitations: No precise layout control, limited print capabilities

Format Comparison Table

File Size Considerations

Preserving Formatting During Conversion

The key to successful format conversion is understanding what can and cannot be preserved.

Universal Best Practices

1. Use semantic markup: Headings (H1-H6), not just bold text
2. Apply styles consistently: Use paragraph and character styles
3. Keep it simple: Complex layouts rarely convert perfectly
4. Test early: Convert a sample before completing the entire document
5. Separate content from presentation: Focus on structure, not manual formatting

What Converts Well

• Headings and subheadings
• Paragraphs and line breaks
• Bulleted and numbered lists
• Bold, italic, and underline
• Hyperlinks
• Images (in most formats)
• Tables (simple structures)

What Often Loses Fidelity

• Custom fonts (may be substituted)
• Precise spacing and positioning
• Text boxes and shapes
• Comments and annotations
• Track changes/revision history
• Embedded media (videos, audio)
• Complex table layouts
• Page-specific formatting (headers/footers)

Format-Specific Tips

DOCX to PDF

Best preservation: Print to PDF from Word itself
Alternative: Use DOCX to PDF Converter
Tip: Embed all fonts to ensure identical rendering

Markdown to DOCX

Use Pandoc with a reference document:
pandoc input.md -o output.docx --reference-doc=template.docx

The reference doc provides:
- Font choices
- Heading styles
- Page margins
- Color schemes

Tool: Markdown to DOCX Converter

LaTeX to Word

Challenge: Math equations need special handling
Best approach: pandoc with --mathml or --webtex
Alternative: Convert to PDF, then PDF to DOCX (loses editability)

Tool: LaTeX to DOCX Converter

Academic Writing Workflows

Academic documents have specific requirements: citations, equations, cross-references, and collaboration.

LaTeX to Word (Journal Submission)

Many journals request Word files even from LaTeX authors.

# Basic conversion
pandoc paper.tex -o paper.docx

# With bibliography
pandoc paper.tex --bibliography=refs.bib --csl=ieee.csl -o paper.docx

# Better math rendering (MathML for Word)
pandoc paper.tex --mathml -o paper.docx

# Custom template
pandoc paper.tex -o paper.docx --reference-doc=journal-template.docx

Word to LaTeX (Professional Typesetting)

Moving from Word to LaTeX for final publication quality.

# Convert DOCX to LaTeX
pandoc paper.docx -o paper.tex

# Specify document class
pandoc paper.docx -o paper.tex --template=article.latex

# Clean up and customize:
- Review math equations (may need manual adjustment)
- Check bibliography formatting
- Adjust figure placements
- Apply journal-specific style

Collaborative Writing with Version Control

Recommended workflow:
1. Write in Markdown or LaTeX (Git-friendly)
2. Commit regularly to version control
3. Generate DOCX for collaborators without Git:
   pandoc manuscript.md -o manuscript.docx
4. Accept changes, incorporate back to Markdown
5. Final version: LaTeX → PDF for submission

Reference Management

Ebook Creation

Creating professional ebooks requires understanding reflowable layouts and ereader compatibility.

Markdown to EPUB (Recommended)

Markdown is the cleanest source format for ebooks.

# Basic EPUB
pandoc book.md -o book.epub

# With metadata
pandoc book.md -o book.epub \
  --metadata title="My Book" \
  --metadata author="Jane Smith" \
  --metadata lang=en-US

# Add cover image
pandoc book.md -o book.epub --epub-cover-image=cover.jpg

# Table of contents depth
pandoc book.md -o book.epub --toc --toc-depth=2

# CSS styling
pandoc book.md -o book.epub --css=styles.css

Tool: Markdown to EPUB Converter

DOCX to EPUB

# Convert Word document to EPUB
pandoc manuscript.docx -o book.epub

Tips:
- Use heading styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) for chapter structure
- Remove manual page breaks (EPUB is reflowable)
- Optimize images (ereaders have limited resolution)
- Test on multiple devices (Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books)

HTML to EPUB

For web content or existing HTML documentation.

pandoc chapter1.html chapter2.html chapter3.html -o book.epub

Tool: HTML to EPUB Converter

EPUB to Kindle (MOBI/AZW3)

# Use Kindle Previewer or KindleGen (deprecated)
# Modern approach: Upload EPUB directly to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
# Amazon converts EPUB to KF8 format automatically

# Or use Calibre:
ebook-convert book.epub book.mobi

Ebook Best Practices

• Keep formatting simple: Complex layouts break on small screens
• Use relative sizing: em units, not pixels
• Optimize images: 72-96 DPI sufficient, compress for smaller file sizes
• Test reflowability: Check on phone, tablet, and desktop
• Include metadata: Title, author, ISBN, language, publication date
• Validate: Use EPUBCheck to ensure standard compliance

Business Documents

Business environments prioritize compatibility, collaboration, and professional appearance.

DOCX to PDF (Final Deliverables)

Convert Word documents to PDF for client delivery, archival, or printing.

Tool: DOCX to PDF Converter

PDF to DOCX (Editing Legacy Documents)

Conversion quality depends on PDF source:

Excellent: PDF generated from Word (retains structure)
Good: Text-based PDFs with simple layouts
Poor: Scanned PDFs (requires OCR)
Difficult: Multi-column layouts, heavy graphics

Best tools:
- Adobe Acrobat (highest fidelity)
- Pandoc (open source, good for text)
- Online converters (privacy concerns)
- ToolsDock (browser-based, private)

RTF for Maximum Compatibility

When working with diverse systems or older software.

# DOCX to RTF (broader compatibility)
pandoc document.docx -o document.rtf

Use RTF when:
- Exchanging files with unknown software versions
- Working with legal/government systems
- Email size limits (RTF is smaller)
- Guaranteed text editing capability needed

Tools:
DOCX to RTF Converter
RTF to HTML Converter

ODT ↔ DOCX (Cross-Platform)

# Microsoft → LibreOffice
pandoc contract.docx -o contract.odt

# LibreOffice → Microsoft
pandoc proposal.odt -o proposal.docx

Tools:
ODT to DOCX Converter
DOCX to ODT Converter

Note: Simple documents convert well. Complex formatting may need review.

Wiki & Documentation Conversion

Documentation formats need to be accessible, searchable, and easy to update.

MediaWiki to HTML

Convert wiki content to static HTML for archival or static site generation.

pandoc wiki-page.mediawiki -f mediawiki -t html -o page.html

Tool: MediaWiki to HTML Converter

Use cases:
- Archiving wiki content
- Migrating to different platform
- Creating offline documentation
- Generating PDF manuals from wiki

Markdown to HTML (Static Sites)

pandoc README.md -o index.html --standalone --toc

Tool: Markdown to HTML Converter

Options:
--standalone: Complete HTML document with head/body
--toc: Generate table of contents
--css=style.css: Include custom stylesheet
--template=template.html: Custom HTML template

HTML to Markdown (Import Content)

pandoc webpage.html -o documentation.md

Tool: HTML to Markdown Converter

Perfect for:
- Converting blog posts to Markdown
- Importing HTML documentation to Git
- Creating Markdown from web scraping
- Archiving web content

ReStructuredText ↔ Markdown

# Python documentation (RST) to Markdown
pandoc docs.rst -f rst -t markdown -o docs.md

# Markdown to RST (for Sphinx)
pandoc README.md -f markdown -t rst -o README.rst

Tools:
RST to Markdown Converter
Markdown to RST Converter

Pandoc: The Universal Document Converter

Pandoc is the Swiss Army knife of document conversion, supporting over 40 input and output formats.

Installation

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install pandoc

# Windows (Chocolatey)
choco install pandoc

# Linux (apt)
sudo apt install pandoc

# Or download from: https://pandoc.org/installing.html

Basic Syntax

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf
       └─input  └─output

# Explicit format specification
pandoc input.md -f markdown -t latex -o output.tex
              └─from      └─to

# Multiple inputs
pandoc chapter1.md chapter2.md chapter3.md -o book.pdf

Common Options

Real-World Examples

# Resume: Markdown to PDF with custom template
pandoc resume.md -o resume.pdf --template=eisvogel.latex

# Academic paper: LaTeX to DOCX with bibliography
pandoc paper.tex -o paper.docx \
  --bibliography=references.bib \
  --csl=apa.csl

# Ebook: Multiple Markdown files to EPUB
pandoc title.md ch*.md appendix.md -o book.epub \
  --toc \
  --epub-cover-image=cover.jpg \
  --metadata title="My Novel" \
  --metadata author="Author Name"

# Technical doc: Markdown to PDF with syntax highlighting
pandoc guide.md -o guide.pdf \
  --highlight-style=tango \
  --toc

# Website: HTML to Markdown
pandoc https://example.com/article.html -o article.md

Supported Formats

Batch Conversion

Automate conversion of multiple documents with scripts.

Windows Batch Script

REM Convert all Markdown files to PDF
@echo off
for %%f in (*.md) do (
  pandoc "%%f" -o "%%~nf.pdf"
  echo Converted %%f to %%~nf.pdf
)

REM Convert all DOCX to PDF
for %%f in (*.docx) do (
  pandoc "%%f" -o "%%~nf.pdf"
  echo Converted %%f
)

macOS/Linux Bash Script

#!/bin/bash
# Convert all Markdown files to HTML
for file in *.md; do
  pandoc "$file" -o "${file%.md}.html" --standalone
  echo "Converted $file"
done

# Convert all DOCX to PDF with error handling
for file in *.docx; do
  output="${file%.docx}.pdf"
  if pandoc "$file" -o "$output"; then
    echo "✓ Converted $file"
  else
    echo "✗ Failed: $file"
  fi
done

Advanced: Organize Output

#!/bin/bash
# Convert Markdown to PDF and organize in folders
mkdir -p output/pdf output/html

for file in *.md; do
  basename="${file%.md}"

  # Generate PDF
  pandoc "$file" -o "output/pdf/$basename.pdf"

  # Generate HTML
  pandoc "$file" -o "output/html/$basename.html" --standalone

  echo "Processed: $file"
done

echo "All files converted!"
ls -lh output/pdf/
ls -lh output/html/

PowerShell Script

# Convert all Markdown to DOCX with custom template
Get-ChildItem -Filter *.md | ForEach-Object {
  $output = $_.BaseName + ".docx"
  pandoc $_.Name -o $output --reference-doc=template.docx
  Write-Host "Converted $($_.Name) to $output"
}

Accessibility Considerations

Ensure your converted documents are accessible to all users, including those using assistive technologies.

PDF Accessibility

• Tagged PDF: Use Pandoc with --pdf-engine=xelatex for better structure
• Alt text for images: Include in source Markdown/Word
• Logical reading order: Use heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• High contrast: Ensure sufficient color contrast
• Searchable text: Avoid scanned image PDFs (use OCR if needed)

EPUB Accessibility

pandoc book.md -o book.epub \
  --metadata lang=en \
  --metadata title="Accessible Book" \
  --epub-metadata=metadata.xml

# metadata.xml includes:
<dc:language>en</dc:language>
<meta property="schema:accessibilityFeature">tableOfContents</meta>
<meta property="schema:accessibilityFeature">structuralNavigation</meta>

DOCX Accessibility Checklist

1. Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, 2, 3...)
2. Add alt text to all images
3. Use tables for data, not layout
4. Provide descriptive link text (not "click here")
5. Ensure sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 minimum)
6. Use built-in lists, not manual bullets
7. Run Word's Accessibility Checker before exporting

General Best Practices