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colby_0912
colby_0912
Participant
May 27, 2026
Question

Distiller is unable to create a PDF file from a Postscript file

  • May 27, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 213 views

 

Hi, to fix certain issues with in PDFs, my work has us export the PDF file into a Postscript file before using Distiller to create a new PDF from that postscript file. One of my team ran into an issue where the new PDF file is never created, the log just says:

 

%%[ Error: undefined; OffendingCommand: þ± ]%%
%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
%%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%

 

I’ve attempted to the exact same file with the same process, and succeeded. Is there some setting that we could be missing that causes it?

    1 reply

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 27, 2026

    Hello @colby_0912,


    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. We're sorry for the trouble you had with the app.


    Could you please share more details about the issue? What is the Distiller version & OS on the affected machine vs. the working machine?

    Source application of the original PDF: was it created from Word, InDesign, a scanner/OCR, a third-party PDF generator, or something else? The OffendingCommand: þ± (non-ASCII bytes) usually points to a corrupt or encoding-mismatched PostScript stream, and the source matters.

    How the PostScript file is being generated on the failing machine: File > Print > Adobe PDF printer with "Print to file" checked, or Save as Other > PostScript (Acrobat Pro's native export)? And are the Job Options / PDF settings preset (e.g., Standard, Press Quality, High Quality Print) the same on both machines?


    Please ensure that both machines are on the latest version of Acrobat/Distiller. If one PC is on an older update or lacks resources (fonts, memory), it can trigger errors that the other doesn’t.

    Verify Distiller’s PDF settings: In Acrobat Distiller, check the Adobe PDF Settings preset (at the top of the Distiller window or via Settings > Edit Adobe PDF Settings…). Ensure the same preset is used on both machines. For consistency, try a standard preset like “High Quality Print” or “Standard”.

    Check this article for more information: https://adobe.ly/4nRx38Z


    Check font embedding and handling: An “undefined” PostScript error often points to a font issue. Confirm Distiller can find and embed all fonts used by the file:

    In Distiller’s Settings > Edit Adobe PDF Settings… > Fonts tab, make sure “Embed all fonts” is enabled and no required font is in the Never Embed list.

    If needed, add font search paths (Distiller Settings > Font Locations… > Add) so Distiller can locate any missing fonts.


    Please note that if a font can’t embed, Distiller normally substitutes Courier, but certain PDF presets (e.g. PDF/X) may stop the conversion when a font is missing. Ensuring fonts are available prevents this.


    Workarounds:

    1. Re-create the PostScript from the original PDF (for example, using File > Save As > PostScript in Acrobat, or printing to “Adobe PDF” with default settings). This rules out file corruption or encoding issues.

    2. Confirm the PostScript language level is supported (Distiller supports up to PS Level 3). If your workflow uses any special Distiller job options or PDF standards, try turning those off.


    Let us know how it goes, and share your observations.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    colby_0912
    colby_0912Author
    Participant
    May 27, 2026

    We are both on PC that should be pretty much the same update per, Acrobat and Distiller are the same version on both machines, but i did notice that the files for acrobat are in Program Files (x86) instead of just Program Files. 

    I am unsure about where the initial PDF was made but i was able to successfully convert it to a Postcript and then use distiller to make a new PDF.

    We make the postscript goint to File > Export a PDF > Postscript.

    I’m still trying to work out what settings are different between the two of us.

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 27, 2026

    ​@colby_0912 Please try the suggested steps, and let us know the observations.

     

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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