Some PDF files written from InDesign failing at commercial printer's RIP

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
March 29, 2024
3 replies
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I have been having an ongoing problem with one InDesign file for the last 5 months. I have saved it as an IDML, totally rebuilt the template yet the problem persists. I wrote individual PDF files for this 72 page tabloid newspaper and uploaded them to the printer's FTP site. 9 pages failed. 3 of them were full page ads, the others were just regular pages with text and photos.
Three of them worked worked when I saved as ps files and distilled.

Three more worked when I replaced all jpgs on the page with tifs and distilled as a ps file

The last three were the biggest problem pages, all were full page ads.

I made the files a tif, placed on the page and wrote a PDF. Failed at the printer. I tried distilling them as a ps file, failed at the printer. I made a new blank template, opened the acrobat file in photoshop and saved as tif and placed on the page then made a ps file and distilled it and that worked for two of the pages but not the last one. I finally tried saving the final page as a PNG, placed in blank document, distilled it and that finally worked.
The wonky thing is these problems seem all over the place. Not all ads, not all graphics. Why are these failing? It's different pages/ads every month. I'm the only client with this problem so it's not on the printer's end. I even bought a new computer thinking it was not enough memory (the job is graphic heavy, the InDesign file is usually over 100 mgs) but same problem with the new computer. If it was a damaged file it should have corrected with a totally new template. Don't know what to do at this point.

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Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@usert81316121

Let's start with basics - which PDF standard:

Failing JPEGs - yours or clients? What if you re-save them in Photoshop?

Have you tried PDF after replacing with TIFFs - without distilling?

Ads - presumably clients - you can expect ANYTHING there - can you resave them in Photoshop / Illustrator?

If PDF's - do preflight in Acrobat. Try to resave from Acrobat with "reduce size" option.

If your printer still likes you - can you export the same PDF in multiple standards - as per screenshot above? To see which one will pass.

Or as @James Gifford—NitroPress suggested - ask your printer for FULL specification... it should be in their best interest to give you all the details how you should prepare your files ... INCLUDING color profiles ... it's a bit strange that they haven't done that for the last 5 months and wasted your and theirs time...

U

usert81316121Author

Participating Frequently

The printer requests a PDF/X-1a-2001 file.
The photos are provided by the client. I download them from a shared FTP site, but I also manipulate them (resize, convert to CMYK) and resave.
I have tried the PDF after replacing with TIFF. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I distill only on trouble pages becuase that seems to work sometimes.
I check the ads when they come in as PDFs and none have had errors. The ones that failed I opened in photoshop and resaved as a TIFF which worked some of the time, sometimes not. I'll try the reduce size option.
I could ask the printer if I can try the other standards.
The printer did supply a spec sheet and it's all the standard stuff I already do and have done for years (adjusting photos for dot gain, saving at 200 dpi and CMYK etc) so there are no problems there.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@usert81316121

PDF/X-1a-2001 is rather very outdated standard...

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

A PDF exported to a defined standard and settings should work all but perfectly. Millions of them do, every day.

However, breaking that down —

The printer should be able to tell you a specific standard and all relevant settings. If they aren't, ask.
There are still printers out there using, if not antiquated RIPs and processes, then antiquated workflows like .PS files, outlined type, etc. — things that have been completely displaced by proper PDF export for at least a decade.
The printer should be able to tell you the error and source with great precision and detail. If they can't, and it's just "this graphic wonked out," or worse, just a flawed proof — well.

Since you sound like you know what you're doing and understand document corruption and image formats and such reasonably well, I'd take a hard look at the printer to see if they're up to modern processes. If they're up to speed, you can start working backward to see if some aspect of your material or export processes is flawed.

U

usert81316121Author

Participating Frequently

The printer isnt telling me the exact problem, just sending me pictures of what the screwed up pages look like. Maybe their processes aren't up to speed but then you'd think others would be having problems with them.

I'm going to totally rebuild the template again, including the library, fonts used, style sheets etc and see if that makes a difference. I work on other jobs in InDesign and have no problem with them, but then they go to different printers. Hard to say if it is the printer or the template.