Participant

Answered

EPS Import: UnmatchedMark error

21 replies
2707 views
Translate

This pops up when copy/pasting a vector image from Illustrator to InDesign. Only from recent update.

Needs to be fixed ASAP.

Abhishek RaoCorrect answer

Community Manager

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your patience on this. This issue has now been fixed in the latest Illustrator release (v30.3). Copying and pasting gradient vectors into InDesign should no longer trigger the “EPS Import: UnmatchedMark” error or cause incorrect behavior.

Could you please update to the latest version and check if the issue is resolved on your end? Let me know how it goes.

Abhishek

monicll

Participant

Hi!

Just updated to the latest version, I am still having this issue. I tried what they said about saving and reopening the EPS file and it did not work, as well as fixing my paste settings.

Translate

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @monicll,

Sorry to hear you’re still running into this, I understand how disruptive it can be when this affects a regular copy paste workflow.

To help take this further, could you please confirm if this is happening specifically when copying gradient filled vector artwork from Illustrator to InDesign, or are you seeing it with other types of artwork as well?

It would also really help if you could share a short screen recording showing your exact workflow while copying and pasting, along with the Illustrator and InDesign versions from Help > About Illustrator and Help > About InDesign. This will help me check this more closely with the product team.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

Translate

Abhishek Rao

Correct answer

Community Manager

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your patience on this. This issue has now been fixed in the latest Illustrator release (v30.3). Copying and pasting gradient vectors into InDesign should no longer trigger the “EPS Import: UnmatchedMark” error or cause incorrect behavior.

Could you please update to the latest version and check if the issue is resolved on your end? Let me know how it goes.

Abhishek

Translate

adamod10644772

Participant

This continues to be an issue and seems to be totally indiscriminate when it comes to what causes the error and what doesn’t. For example, copying and pasting the same graphic from the same document in 2 different colors—one causes the error, the other doesn’t. What? I’m at a loss here and this is really disrupting my workflow. Adobe needs to address this ASAP.

Translate

leo.r

Community Expert

Check the Clipboard Handling preferences in both InDesign and Illustrator and see if changing something there makes a difference.

Also, you mentioned that it's "only from recent update". Does it mean that you don't have this issue with the same Illustrator file when copy-pasting to InDesign 2025?

Translate

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Agree. AI should copy AICB while InDesign might well turn off Prefer PDF when Pasting.

Translate

Mike Witherell

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

Good morning - advice from @Willi Adelberger and @Brad @ Roaring Mouse is completely true.

I know you want to copy and paste EPS as before, but EPS is really outdated file format and has only been supported for legacy files for a long time.

Do you have to keep EPS format - can you save as .ai? Or is that too much work.

Besides the warnings above - here's the alternative advice if the above is not good for you and your workflow.

It looks like this is a latest InDesign update. The “EPS Import: UnmatchedMark” message is tied to how InDesign translates clipboard data from Illustrator. Illustrator places several formats on the clipboard (PDF, SVG, EPS, WMF), and InDesign chooses one to interpret. Something in that chain is breaking since the update.

A few practical workarounds until Adobe patches it:

1. Use “Paste as” → AICB

In Illustrator:
Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard

Enable AICB (no transparency) (or with transparency if needed)
Disable PDF clipboard temporarily

This forces Illustrator to send the older, simpler clipboard format. Many people report this avoids the UnmatchedMark error.

2. Try “Paste in Place” instead of “Paste”

Weirdly, for some users one works and the other triggers the error.

3. Roll back Illustrator or InDesign

If copy/paste is essential to your workflow, rolling back one version of either app restores the previous clipboard handling.

(I never update to the latest version of anything - including Adobe Software, I have the latest installed, but I use 2023 and moving to 2024 soon).

4. Report it as a confirmed bug

Adobe engineers do monitor the UserVoice/Bug pages more closely than forum threads.
Multiple reports help it reach priority.

This is a valid workflow and it should work copying vectors from Illustrator to InDesign is used by loads of people. At the moment it might seem broken because of the update, not the workflow. Hopefully Adobe patches the clipboard interpreter quickly if it's the cause.

*********************************************************************************************

If you do roll back a versoin and test it - then you know it's your content not the version.

If you confirm the version post it here for review

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs

*********************************************************************************************

Translate

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Don't use EPS in modern times.
Place files <8File > Place…)
Use AI or PDF/X-4 or Illustrator native PDF.

Translate

Brad @ Roaring Mouse

Community Expert

You should PLACE the file. Why are you copy/paste-ing it?

Translate

adrianb58103430Author

Participant

You have got to be kidding me. Do you not ever grab a logo or shape from Illustrator and paste into InDesign?

Give me solutions and fix the problem. Just shows how far Adobe doesn't understand.

Translate

Brad @ Roaring Mouse

Community Expert

Literally, NO. There is no upside to doing what you're doing. There are few instances where this could be useful, like you can grab a shape and paste it in so you could use it as, say, a custom photo/text frame shape.

Of course, dragging a file from the desktop into an InDesign file is different, as that invokes the Place routine to do so, so that's valid.

Translate

1. Use “Paste as” → AICB

2. Try “Paste in Place” instead of “Paste”

3. Roll back Illustrator or InDesign

4. Report it as a confirmed bug

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.