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Graphics from PDF disappear when placing it into InDesign.

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
December 23, 2019
5 replies
20851 views

I am placing a PDF into InDesign for printing (I am also scaling it up in InDesign). When I place the file some of the text is not visable. What are some of the reasons the text would not be visable when simply placing it?

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Correct answer Dov Isaacs

There is another possibility that has not yet been mentioned in this thread. This may be your problem.

When you place a PDF file into an InDesign document, only the “base PDF content” is placed; “other content” of the PDF file is ignored.

This other content includes any form of annotation including but not limited to forms fields (including protected forms fields that appear to be standard PDF text), stamps, signatures, watermarks, and review markings (highlights, underscores, crossouts, underscores, insertion points, text boxes, arrows, lines, polygons, scribbles, etc.).

To get such PDF content to not be ignored, you must open the PDF file in Acrobat Pro DC (or Acrobat Pro 2017), invoke Acrobat Preflight, choose the Acrobat Pro DC 2015 Profiles and from the PDF Fixups group, select Flatten annotations and forms fields and press Analyze and fix, storing the resultant PDF file as a new PDF file. Place the resultant PDF file into InDesign and missing content due to annotations will appear. (Note that when this fixup is applied in Acrobat, the content that was previously editable as annotations and forms will no longer be editable as such!)

Let us know if this resolves your problem.

- Dov

Geоrge

Legend

The community of local psychics asked to tell that guessing on coffee thick happens better if
- there are screenshots of pdf with the text and other screenshot with the placed pdf into ID where the text was gone (mark this part)
- downloaded files on the service like dropbox/yadisk

Remember, never say you can't do something in InDesign, it's always just a question of finding the right workaround to get the job done. © David Blatner

Advanced Direct MarketingAuthor

Participating Frequently

The top image is the file viewed in Acrobat - the lower image is the file after it is placed in InDesign. There are several versions of this file we are placing into InDesign, each with a different phone number, and it makes it difficult to double check these since the black text drops out. We tend to run into the same issues over and over in dealing with client provided files (as you all well know) and generally they don't present too much difficulty. I've just never had this happen before. When I check for printing errors I've always been able to compare a print to what is on the screen even if the file was placed in InDesign.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

Can't tell for sure, but I'd be willing to bet they are form fields. See Dov Isaacs' reply.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

Dov IsaacsCorrect answer

Legend

There is another possibility that has not yet been mentioned in this thread. This may be your problem.

When you place a PDF file into an InDesign document, only the “base PDF content” is placed; “other content” of the PDF file is ignored.

This other content includes any form of annotation including but not limited to forms fields (including protected forms fields that appear to be standard PDF text), stamps, signatures, watermarks, and review markings (highlights, underscores, crossouts, underscores, insertion points, text boxes, arrows, lines, polygons, scribbles, etc.).

To get such PDF content to not be ignored, you must open the PDF file in Acrobat Pro DC (or Acrobat Pro 2017), invoke Acrobat Preflight, choose the Acrobat Pro DC 2015 Profiles and from the PDF Fixups group, select Flatten annotations and forms fields and press Analyze and fix, storing the resultant PDF file as a new PDF file. Place the resultant PDF file into InDesign and missing content due to annotations will appear. (Note that when this fixup is applied in Acrobat, the content that was previously editable as annotations and forms will no longer be editable as such!)

Let us know if this resolves your problem.

- Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

Geоrge

Legend

>> To get such PDF content to not be ignored, you must open the PDF file in Acrobat >> Pro DC (or Acrobat Pro 2017), invoke Acrobat Preflight, choose the Acrobat Pro DC 2015 Profiles and

>> from the PDF Fixups group, select Flatten annotations and forms fields and press Analyze and

>> fix, storing the resultant PDF file as a new PDF file.

Or if you work on Windows: Do print to Adobe PDF printer this PDF with fileds and other strange things.

Remember, never say you can't do something in InDesign, it's always just a question of finding the right workaround to get the job done. © David Blatner

Dov Isaacs

Legend

Absolutely WRONG!

Printing a PDF file from Acrobat to the Adobe PDF PostScript printer instance, otherwise known as “refrying a PDF” is strongly discouraged by Adobe and the vast majority of PDF publishing experts. “Refried PDF” has lost all live transparency and ICC color management, some text may have been converted to raster or at best vector, searchability may be lost, and still some annotations may not make it through properly.

The method of incorporating annotations into the base PDF that I provided in my initial posting is the method supported by Adobe and the only one we will stand behind.

Again, don't refry PDF files!

- Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

Ashutosh_Mishra

Inspiring

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. Would you mind sharing some more information like:
1. Version of OS and InDesign.
2. Have you tried converting the file into IDML and then tried to export? If there is only one file having this issue, it could be a file specific situation. Converting to IDML may rectify this.

If this is happening with all the files, you may try resetting preferences. You may follow the steps provided on https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/setting-preferences.html

**Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings and InDesign will launch with default settings. You can also take a backup of the folders in case you want to. Location is mentioned in the article.

All this information will help us understand the issue and work accordingly.

Looking forward to your response.

Regards,
Ashutosh

Advanced Direct MarketingAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thank you for your assistance.

I am running Win7

InDesign CC 14.0.1 x64

This issue is not happening with any other files. Besides this one case everything is working properly. I am communicating with the customer (since it is a file they provided) and I am just trying to pinpoint the issue (If that's even possible). As I mentioned, I am familiar with issues where graphics drop out during printing but I don't think I remember a case where graphics drop out when I simply place the PDF into InDesign. Usually, InDesign will display the file without issues.

BobLevine

Community Expert

Doesn't sound like an InDesign issue to me.
Open it in Acrobat and preflight it there.

Steve Werner

Community Expert

What application created the PDF file? How was it exported? What PDF settings did you use?

Advanced Direct MarketingAuthor

Participating Frequently

I don't know how it was created. It is a customer provided file. The text that won't display also won't print. I am familiar with issues regarding text/images not printing but they will usually display in InDesign even if they don't print. These won't display or print. I can only see it accurately in Acrobat but we are wanting to print it from InDesign. I will likey use a work around (like converting the PDF to a TIFF) but I'm not familiar with graphics dropping out when the file is placed.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

It's possible that the program that created the PDF did not embed the fonts. Acrobat would use font substitution to display the fonts.

In Acrobat, go to the File>Properties menu and click on Discription tab on top. About halfway down, what dies it list as the application that created the PDF?

You can export as TIFF from Acrobat but make sure you show it to the client (or compare to a supplied hard copy proof) to make sure the fonts look correct.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

100pk

Inspiring

Is the preview of the pdf set as 'high resolution'?

if not try setting it as such: might be the solution.

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