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Participant
January 9, 2024
Answered

print booklet setup option grayed out when PPD is set to "device independent"

  • January 9, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 1425 views

Hey, y'all. This may be a couple of different problems, so please bear with me.

 

I'm working on a MacBook Pro with an M1 chip and Ventura. I'm trying to print booklet at 6x12, which I have done plenty of times before, but not with my current OS.

 

I have the printer set to PostScript file and when I choose Device Indepentent as the PPD, all of the page adjustment options are grayed out. When I set the PPD to any other printer, I can adjust the page size/layout to what I need, but the PostScript files and resulting PDFs have been coming out at 8.5x11 instead of 6x12.

 

I think I used to have the option to set the PPD as Adobe Acrobat, but I believe I read (in trying to trouble shoot this issue) that Mac has removed support for the Adobe PPD. If this is true, has anyone found a work around for this? Or some other PPD that allows for PostScript files to generate PDFs that actually stay the dimensions you set the page to?

Correct answer mzulauf0

So, if anyone is having the same issue I am, use this link: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/save-as-pdf-options-not.html

 

It provides you with not only the step-by-step to getting Adobe back as a PPD, but also, critically, provides you the PPD file. 

 

Just downloaded it/went through the steps, and got my booklet PDFs formated accordingly. 

4 replies

Cj.amn
Known Participant
May 19, 2026

Hi — Is there any update on this issue? For booklet printing and page reordering, we still need to use the legacy PostScript export process, which requires adding the Adobe PDF PPD if there is no printer installed on the device. Otherwise, the custom page size option will be grayed out. The download link provided here has been broken for several years, although a downloadable file was shared in this thread.

I was wondering whether Adobe is planning to resolve this issue so users can directly export a PDF through Print Booklet without going through the PostScript workflow.

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Community Manager
May 19, 2026

Hi ​@Cj.amn,

 

Thanks for sharing the additional details and feedback around the current Print Booklet workflow. I understand the concern around still needing to rely on the legacy Adobe PDF PPD/PostScript workflow for custom page setup options on macOS.

I’m currently checking this further with the product team and will share an update here as soon as I have more information from the team.

In the meantime, please consider upvoting the existing UserVoice request related to direct PDF booklet export and modernization of the Print Booklet workflow here:
https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/33242137-export-pdf-booklet

 

Thanks again for bringing this up and for sharing the detailed context.

Abhishek

mzulauf0Author
Participant
December 2, 2024
mzulauf0AuthorCorrect answer
Participant
January 9, 2024

So, if anyone is having the same issue I am, use this link: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/save-as-pdf-options-not.html

 

It provides you with not only the step-by-step to getting Adobe back as a PPD, but also, critically, provides you the PPD file. 

 

Just downloaded it/went through the steps, and got my booklet PDFs formated accordingly. 

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 9, 2024

I can only recommend not to use print booklet as it is a crap because it uses postscript. Let the printer do the imposing, not the designer. 

mzulauf0Author
Participant
January 9, 2024

Do you have a suggestion on generating colated spreads as a PDF? I'm not doing the printing myself; I'm sending them to a printing service (it's a book project that's too big for me to print myself).

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 9, 2024

Why do you make the imposing yourself if you do not print it? It is not your tsk, it is the task of the printer!