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Nikos Vardakis
Inspiring
January 14, 2025
Answered

InDesign exports pdf the same page over and over again!

  • January 14, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 582 views

The last 3 days I am struggling with a very serious problem in InDesign:

I have a multi-page document and I want to export various pages to separated pdf files.

First, I export to pdf (e.g.) page No 15. The file name is "15.pdf"

After that, I try to export page No 20. The result is that I have a file named "20.pdf" but the page exported is page no 15!!!

No matter which page I export to pdf, the result is a file with page 15!!! The only solution is to restart InDesign! I open the document again, and I export another page, e.g. page 30. After that, every page I try to export, the result is the same again! A pdf file with page 30!!

It looks like it keeps the first page I export to pdf, no matter which page I export after that.

• I tried exporting page range, e.g. pages 10-25, and still the same result: a file named "10-25.pdf" but the pdf has only page 15, I exported before!!!

• I have tried many different pdf Presets and the result is the same.

 

I'm using InDesign 2024 (version 19.5.1)

• I tried deleting preferences and it didn't fix the problem!

• I tried uninstalling and re-instaling again, and still the same result!

• I installed version 19.4 and still the same problem!

 

I had updated to InDesign version 2025 (version 20), but it is veeeery sloooow, even for a computrer with 32GB RAM and a 2TB SSD Drive! The same problem that many other users have!!

I am working with multi-page documents and the version 2025 is 2-3 times slower than version 2024, no matter what I have tried to to do make it work faster.

In InDesign 2025, it exports the files correct, but... I DON'T want to use InDesign version 2025. I was working with version 2024, until last Thursday without any problems.... It is faster and I could export pdf files without any problems...

Since that day, the only solution to export separated pdf files, is to close and re-open the file I want to export.

Any ideas?

 

Thanks in advance!

Nick

    Correct answer Nikos Vardakis

    I finally did it!!

    I would like to thank you all for your time and your help! I tried everything you suggested and I finally came to the following solution:

     

    • I did a full and complete uninstall of InDesign version 2024 and InDesign version 2025 (I had both versions installed on my computer).

    • I trashed every folder and file located in both Library locations (Preferences, Application Support etc).

    • I restarted my iMac, I installed Indesign version 2024 (19.5.1) and that was it! It works fine!! I can finally export my pdf files!

     

    Maybe there was some kind of conflict with version 2025?

    I forgot to mention that I tried exporting the same files using InDesign 2025 and it was working fine. I just didn't want to open all my files to InDesign 2025 just to export pdf files...

     

    If I have to, I will install again InDesign version 2025, just to open files created with that version and convert them to idml, but I will not use it until there is an update with a lighter version of 2025.

    Maybe there should be an option to disable all the AI features that came with that version. Not just hide the contex bar, but disable it. I think that it might slowing down InDesing...

     

    Thanks again!!

    3 replies

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Peter SpierCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 14, 2025

    One more thought, interface problems like blank panels are usually cause by corrupt cache files and perhaps that's the problem here as well. Try scrolling down to

    Reset InDesign preferences more deeply (3) in Reset InDesign Preferences and Other Troubleshooting for instructions on deleting the cache files.

      N
      Nikos VardakisAuthor
      Inspiring
      January 15, 2025

      Thank you for your reply, but that didn't work either... 😞

      I will come back with an update

      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Legend
      January 14, 2025

      @Nikos Vardakis

       

      Have you tried "nuclear" option - CC Cleaner?

       

      Can you share your sample INDD document? 

       

      It's a bit strange, that even after reinstallation - you still have the same problem? 

       

      N
      Nikos VardakisAuthor
      Inspiring
      January 15, 2025

      Hello and thank you for your reply!

       

      Have you tried "nuclear" option - CC Cleaner?

      I haven't tried it. What do you think I should do with it?

       

      Can you share your sample INDD document?

      I tried it in another iMac computer with InDesign 2024 and it works fine. So there is something wrong with my version of InDeisng...

       

      It's a bit strange, that even after reinstallation - you still have the same problem?

      Yes. I uninstalled it, and re-install it and still the same problem.

      Today, I will try to uninstall it using InDesign Uninstaller to remove all InDesign Preferences folders and I will come back with an update

      Abhishek Rao
      Community Manager
      Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      January 14, 2025

      Hi @Nikos Vardakis

       

      Thank you for sharing the detailed information about the issue. Let’s work on getting this resolved for you!

      I have a few clarifying questions to better understand the situation:

      1. Is this issue occurring with one specific file, or does it happen with any multi-page document you try to export?

      2. How many total pages are in the document you’re working with?

      3. If you open the document and attempt to export a range (e.g., pages 1–15), does the resulting PDF contain the correct 15 pages?

      4. If you then try to export a different range (e.g., pages 16–30), does the export still output pages 1–15 instead?

       

      Please try the following to check if it resolves the issue:

      1. Save and Export Using an IDML File:

       - Save your document as an IDML file (File > Save As > InDesign Markup).

       - Open the IDML file and save it with a new name.

       - Open the newly saved file and attempt to export your pages again.

       - This can help resolve any potential document corruption.

      2. Test with Another File:

       - Create a simple multi-page test document to see if the issue occurs there as well.

       - If it doesn’t, the problem may be specific to your file.

       

      Let me know how it goes after trying these steps, or if the issue persists, feel free to share more details. If possible, a screen recording of the steps would be helpful for further investigation. If the file is confidential, you can share it via DM on the community.

       

      Looking forward to your response!

       

      Best,

      Abhishek

      N
      Nikos VardakisAuthor
      Inspiring
      January 14, 2025

      Hello @Abhishek Rao  and thank you for your reply!

       

      Regarding your questions:

      1. Is this issue occurring with one specific file, or does it happen with any multi-page document you try to export?

      It happens to any document.

       

      2. How many total pages are in the document you’re working with?

      I tried with 2 files. One with 322 pages and the other has 208 pages.

       

      3. If you open the document and attempt to export a range (e.g., pages 1–15), does the resulting PDF contain the correct 15 pages?

      The first attempt always export the correct pages. If I try to export another 15 pages, the result is the same, no matter which pages I export.

       

      4. If you then try to export a different range (e.g., pages 16–30), does the export still output pages 1–15 instead?

      Yes, It esports the same pages as the first attempt. Only if I quit InDesign and re-open it, the result is correct, but only for the first attempt. I noticed that, if the first attempt takes about 10 seconds to create the pdf file (regarding the number of images etc), the second attempt takes less than 1 second to create the same file! It creates the pdf file almost instantly! 

      I also tried different PDF Settings, but it also keeps the PDF Settings I used in my first attempt.

       

      I tried the following:

      1. Save and Export Using an IDML File:

       - Save your document as an IDML file (File > Save As > InDesign Markup).

       - Open the IDML file and save it with a new name.

       - Open the newly saved file and attempt to export your pages again.

      I tried that, and the result is the same!

       

      I tried the following:

      2. Test with Another File:

       - Create a simple multi-page test document to see if the issue occurs there as well.

      I tried that, and the result is the same!

       

      I will try the screen recording, but in case I cannot share the details in public, can you tell me where can I send you the recorded file?

       

      Thanks again!

       

      Abhishek Rao
      Community Manager
      Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      January 14, 2025
       
      Thank you for your detailed explanation and for your willingness to share more information to help resolve this issue.
      You can send me a direct message by clicking on my name and then selecting Message. In the message, you can share a link to one of the affected files for us to investigate further.
      To share the file:

      1. Create a package of the document to include all necessary fonts, links, and other resources. For detailed steps, refer to this guide: Package Files in InDesign.

      2. Upload the packaged file to a public cloud service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer.

      3. Generate a shareable link for the uploaded file and send it to us via DM.

      Let me know if you encounter any issues while packaging or sharing the file. Looking forward to your response so we can continue troubleshooting!
       
      Best,
      Abhishek



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