Acrobat 9 Distiller job options

Report · Feb 03, 2009

When I open Distiller, I get the error:

Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2007.joboptions:
/CheckCompliance out of range

What I'm not sure about is as the install is only a drag and drop from the Disc, where it's supposed to get the job options from?

If it uses ones from older versions, I don't want to delete them. However, it doesn't have any distill options when I open it, I'm assuming because it won't load the rest after it's had a problem with that one.

Report · Feb 03, 2009

I believe that there is a problem with the joboptions file. Delete it at
will.

Mike

Report · Feb 04, 2009

Thanks, but unfortunately that means I lose my job options. Also, when I do this, I don't get the error, but I only get three job option choices and the one that is selected by default is blank.

Report · Feb 04, 2009

Funny, I'm getting the same message. I just upgraded/installed Pro v9 and I get this message when I launch the newly installed distiller:

"Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2008.joboptions:
/CheckCompliance out of range"

I can launch Distiller 7 w/ no problem. This only happens when I launch Distiller 9

Any ideas? What do I need to do to fix this?

Report · Feb 04, 2009

There is an error in the joboptions file. Delete that specific
joboptions file and it goes away (which is what I did). Keep it and tiy
have a defective joboptions file with who knows what other errors. The
choice is yours.

Mike

Report · Feb 05, 2009

That particular job options file doesn't exist, and when I delete them all, I get the problems mentioned above.

Report · Feb 05, 2009

It's a spurious problem. Distiller shouldn't DISPLAY that .joboption file because it can't use it. The fact that it displays it at all is a bug. It's in the location with the other .joboptions because it can be used in the other Adobe Creative Suite 3 or 4 applications. You could use this out of InDesign CS4, for example.

The PDF/X-4 specification includes the ability to PRESERVE TRANSPARENCY and other attibutes that are totally inappropriate for Distiller. Distiller only works with PostScript file which, by definition, flatten transparency. The PDF/X-4 .joboption file would be used to create a file for a PDF workflow like with an Adobe PDF Print Engine RIP. These newer RIPs consume native PDF files to preserve their quality. Flattening transparency only happens in the RIP at print time.

Report · Feb 05, 2009

Thanks for the info, that's useful to know.

Sounds like Distiller 9 is broken, can't believe this has only happened to a couple of us! I'll just go back to 8 I guess.

Report · Feb 05, 2009

By the way Mike, sorry, had a look and it does exist, I was looking at the wrong folder. I have two folders with PDF job options and I was looking in the wrong one.

The one in question is library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings and I was looking in library/Application Support/Adobe PDF/Settings

Report · Jul 07, 2009

I noticed this error warning, too, and I also assumed that it was causing Distiller to "hang" on launch.

Let me save you all some trouble.

If Distiller is working for you (i.e. it launches, and distills files), don't bother to reinstall Acrobat.

(You must reinstall all of Acrobat, if Distiller is corrupted, because you cannot just reinstall Distiller)

(And BTW, the Acrobat Uninstaller does NOT remove all preferences and related file as promised - my custom job options "magically" reappeared after the reinstallation).

By reinstalling, I got rid of the "hang" issue, but I still see the same error warning:

"Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2008.joboptions: /CheckCompliance out of range"

and/or

"Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2008 JPN.joboptions: /CheckCompliance out of range"

It does no good to delete the offending job options file; when I removed mine, a SECOND PDFX4 joboptions file gave me the same error.

It's definitely a bug in Distiller.

I guess I'll just try to ignore it, and hope that it goes away when the next 2 or 3 bug fix updates come along...

Report · Jul 08, 2009

I don't believe this is a Distiller bug.

I spotted the problem with the "Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2008.joboptions: /CheckCompliance out of range" error soon after I started using Acrobat 9. I noticed it when I installed on my own machine and then subsequently when installing for clients. I removed the offending .joboptions file in my own installation and have subsequently removed this file in all other installations (about 200 so far) and have had no reports of problems.

I have not seen a replacement file re-appear in any installation as yet, but would be interested to hear if anyone else has.

Report · Oct 21, 2009

This isn't a bug with Distiller, it can't create PDF/X-4 files because these features are not supported in PostScript.

The setting that Distiller sees is shared across CS3 and CS4, Illustrator and Acrobat use these settings to create PDF/X-4 files natively. Deleting the file is not a good idea, you may end up removing the ability to create PDF/X-4 files in Illustrator and Acrobat.

Adobe have an article that explains the issue, the following paragraph explains why Distiller sees the error.

Distiller processes PDF files using PostScript, which does not support live transparency or layers. Thus, Distiller cannot create PDF/X-4 files, which maintain live transparency and layers. As an alternative to Distiller, you can use the Acrobat 8.0 Preflight feature to convert a PDF file to PDF/X-4.

The article is here:

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/acrobat/articles/acr8ap_pdfx_03.html

Regards Alan

Report · Oct 21, 2009

After spending the day on the phone with both Adobe and Apple I finally got directed to this information. It's document cpsid_50981 on Adobe information site. I'm told Distiller doesn't work on Snow Leopard. There are no plans to get it to work on Snow Leopard for security reasons. Adobe and Apple have agreed to let Adobe programs create PDFs directly from programs used like Photoshop.

Acrobat 9 "Save As Adobe PDF" Support in Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6).

Ratings:6 of 38 people found this helpful

ISSUE

When you attempt to print to the Adobe PDF Printer in Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6), the Adobe PDF Printer is not in the Printer list or if it is present, it is unusable.

REASON

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)'s enhanced security features prevent Adobe's PDF Printer from functioning as it did in previous versions. As a result Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.1 removes the Adobe PDF Printer and adds a new Save as Adobe PDF function. Customers using earlier versions of Adobe Acrobat will find that the Adobe PDF Printer is unusable when running on Snow Leopard.

SOLUTION

1. Use the "Save As Adobe PDF" menu item from the Print Dialog>PDF menu.

2. If you are using Adobe Acrobat 9.0, then update to Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.1 and the Updater will remove the Adobe PDF Printer. The "Save As Adobe PDF" menu item will now be in the Print dialog>PDF menu list.

3. If you have updated from Mac OS X Leopard (v10.5) to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) and the Adobe PDF Printer is still present in the Print dialog's Printer list, simply remove the Adobe PDF Printer from printers list. The "Save As Adobe PDF" menu item will now be in the Print dialog>PDF menu list.

To remove the Adobe PDF Printer from the Printers list follow the instructions below:

1. Go to the Apple> System Preferences... menu item.

2. Open the "Print & Fax" preference panel.

3. Select the Printing tab, to get to the printers list.

4. Select the printer "Adobe PDF 9.0".

5. Click the minus ( - ) button.

6. Close the "Print & Fax" preference panel.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Technical changes made to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) are preventing Adobe from delivering a Postscript-based printer module as we have on previous versions of Mac OS X and as we do on Windows.

However, because Mac OS X already uses a PDF-based printing architecture, we have taken this opportunity to replace the previous technology with a modern PDF Workflow solution.

Therefore, instead of selecting a special printer, you need only go to the "PDF" button in the Print dialog and choose "Adobe PDF" to have the standard Apple PDFs converted to Adobe-quality PDFs based on your JobOption settings.

The benefits of PDF to PDF are much better performance, higher quality PDFs, the ability to create PDFs that are compliant with Standard such as PDF/X and PDF/A, the potential for adding functionality to PDFs such as bookmarks, hyperlinks and watermarks.

Users of non-Adobe Postscript-based publishing applications should be aware that due to this change, they can no longer print directly to Adobe PDFs and instead need to use another method for PDF creation.

Report · Mar 08, 2010

Does this mean I can't print to PDF by using Print Booklet in InDesign? Anyone know of a work around that doesn't involve me repaginating by hand? This is a major bummer.

heather

Report · Mar 09, 2010

I don't know InDesign. In Photoshop and Illustrator I reentered the custom settings I use in the Edit PDF setting in Distiller. Those setting were then available to me in the PDF settings list in Photoshop and Illustrator. The files they create are 3 times the size they use to be.

Report · Mar 09, 2010

Hi Heather,

You could use the PostScipt File printer in the Print Settings dialogue and then distill that?

Regards Alan

Report · Apr 14, 2010

I was asking the same question!

How can I use the Print Booklet in InDesign CS3 and have a PDFX4 2007?

Will I have the same problem with CS5?

Many thanks.

Report · Mar 15, 2010

Hello there,

i had a similar problem that distiller posted me:

"…
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/Standard.joboptions
%%[ Warning: Empty job. No PDF file produced. ] %%…"

I remembered that i had this problem some versions of distiller earlier and a collage suggested to change the pref file:

com.adobe.distiller9.plist

and there is also that one:

com.adobe.distiller.plist

i randomly changed all boolean to true.

i think the "AllowPSFileOps" was the one that made distiller work again as usually.

Now everything works again.

Hope that helps - but please be aware that this can cause serious problems or even damage to your system - keep a backup of the old pref file so you can restore the old "not working" status.

Report · Apr 01, 2010

We're experiencing the same problem with Adobe Distiller 9 being blank next to "Default Settings" with the error, "Error in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/PDFX4 2008.joboptions: /CheckCompliance out of range".

I can delete that joboptions file, which fixes the error, but the Default Settings pulldown still is blank and doesn't show all of the joboptions files that it should. Only 2 of them are showing up in the pulldown.

How can I fix this?

I've tried deleting all joboptions files and letting Adobe self repair them and have tried deleting a few com.adobe.distiller* preference files and nothing yet seems to work.

Thanks!

Report · Apr 02, 2010

I'm no whiz at Acrobat. I had to redo my preferredPDF settings in the Edit Settings panel in Distiller. When I did I could get to them through Photoshop and Illustrator where the option to make a PDF is found. The files that now result are 5 times the size they use to be. The only program that will make a PDF from an EPS is Quark. Even there I can't name it until I've created the PDF. I change the name on the desk top. It has to be created as Page1.pdf first. Once on the desk top then it can be renamed.

Apple doesn't like the drivers in Distiller. It feels they make Apple subject to hackers. Adobe went along with them in Snow Leopard OS.

This is all been done to serve you better.

Report · Apr 13, 2010

I have the same error!

Error in PDFX4 2007:

/CheckCompliance out of range

In Acrobat/Distiller 8, Mac OS X 10.4.11 PowerPC

Report · Apr 13, 2010

This error has been discusses earlier in this very thread. It is for use in certain non-Acrobat applications within the Creative Suite. Ignore the error or delete the joboptions file. The choice is yours.

Report · Jul 15, 2010

I have the same "issue". And here I've been trying to fix the Distiller PDF writer for the last hour... Should I invoice Adobe or Apple? =P

Report · Jul 15, 2010

I had to put in the high resolution setting in distiller I wanted to use then create the PDF in Photoshop or Illustrator. Then by using the pull down in the save as PDF in Photoshop or Illustrator I had to option to pick the settings I wanted. The problem with this is the size of my PDFs got very large.

Report · Sep 30, 2010

It's not just Mac/Snow Leopard. We Windows users are having the identical issue. I just wish that new purchasers of software could be warned about these problems before they spent all their money on software that doesn't work.

Unfortunately Adobe prefers to get the money, and then to get more money for the next version that fixes the problem. And by making sure there are no contact numbers, they can say there are no complaints and it's a bug that only affects a couple of people!