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Participant
August 8, 2020
Question

Embedding fonts causing trim size to change....

  • August 8, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 2060 views

I am using Adobe PDF Print function/Properties to embed fonts in the PDF file since the publishing company I am working with demands it. The original file is 6x9. After I embed fonts, the size changes to 6.38x9.01, which is unacceptable to the publishing company and kicks it out with an "invalid trim size" error.

 

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

 

Thanks,

Mike

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2 replies

Luke Jennings3
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 10, 2020

If you must edit the PDF in Acrobat, you can go to Tools> Edit PDF> Select all> and drag everything to the right or left. You can turn on the rulers and guides to help keep the changes consistent page to page. A much better way would be to download a free trial of InDesign, although there is a steep learning curve. I would ask for a packaged InDesign file and make the changes there, then export to a new PDF. If you can only get a PDF (make sure it's a high-res print PDF and not a low-res proof PDF), place the PDF into a new InDesign file, make the position adjustments and export to a new PDF. You might consider finding an InDesign user who is willing to do the work for you for a small fee. You can check the original PDF for properly embedded fonts in Acrobat- File> Properties> Fonts they should all say embedded or embedded subset.

Dov Isaacs
Legend
August 9, 2020

Are you creating a new PDF file from an application or are you trying to embed fonts into an existing PDF file.

 

When you say that the trim box changes, it seems to imply that you are creating a new PDF file from an existing PDF file by printing from Acrobat. That is a process known in the industry as “refrying a PDF file” and typically causes more damage that anything those who advocate this particular hack may possibly gain.

 

If you have a PDF file that needs to have fonts embedded that currently aren't embedded, assuming you have Acrobat Pro, you can use the Acrobat Preflight fixup function to Embed all fonts to perform this function. Of course, those fonts must be installed on your system.

 

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
halifmikeAuthor
Participant
August 9, 2020
I am, I guess, "refrying". I didnt know there was an issues with that. I
had to use that technique to move the text to the left on left pages ad to
the right on right pages to allow gutter space. This seemed to work well

The web system (Lulu) I am trying to use complains that fonts are not
embedded in the PDF file I am trying to upload, in spite of the fact that
the very same PDF file uploads fine to KDP/Amazon.

I am using Adobe 2017 to Print to Adobe PDF. Then I click Properties, Edit
Default Settings, Fonts, and copy all fonts in the Font Source window to
the Always Embed window, click OK twice, then Print. The resulting PDF
file, which shows as 6.0 x9.0in in the beginning shows 6.38x9.01 afterward.

Any idea why this would happen? I used this method before with no issues.

I have to use Adobe PDF because I have no source files, only the PDF file.
It's a long story, but the author used a print company who changed all his
Word docs to InDesign, then made changes only to the InDesign files,
obsoleting the Word file. All they can supply him now is a PDF file. They
would supply InDesign files, but it is not a product I have so I can't help
him with minor changes that way.

Thanks,
halifmikeAuthor
Participant
August 9, 2020
So the Preflight worked well for me to embed the fonts, but only for the
black and white version of the book. The colour version went all strange
when I embedded the fonts - title with random upper and lower cases and
strange squares all over the place.

Any advice on that?