Unable to save as PDF in FrameMaker 2017

[Dennis Vied]

I have been able to use this feature as recently as 02/11.  We did three Windows 10 updates last week.

KB4487038 02/13

KB4487017 02/13

KB4023057 02/15

I wonder if that had anything to do with it.  Anyone else having this problem?

Thanks.

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Dennis,

How do you create your PDFs?

With/without Distiller?

What's your Windows version?

When you search the forum for 1803 you will find posts about similar problems.

Since Friday I also have a PDF problem. When there are a few graphics in my files, I cannot create PDFs with Distiller. (I have Acrobat Pro DC.)

In my Publish/PDF settings Use Acrobat Distiller had been activated.

When I deactivate this option and use the FrameMaker PDF generation route, the PDF is created correctly.

With other applications everything is fine.

In my update list there aren't any recent Windows updates.

Only an Acrobat update. My version is now 19.010.20091.

My Windows version is 10.1803.17134.523.

Is this the version which caused the PDF issues last year?

The versions in the problem descriptions were lower than my 523.

Best regards

Winfried

[dennisvied]

I have been using Save to PDF, with Distiller, Windows 10.  I have seen all the 1803 issues, and they are not the issue, as far as I know.  I was able to produce PDFs as recently as 2/11, so those issues were long ago resolved on my system.

I can't find the Publish/PDF entry you mentioned where Distiller is selected.

The present behavior looks normal up to when the PDF file is produced, but it only shows 1KB size, and when I open it, it says it's an "Empty Job."  At least that's an improvement.  Previously, it bombed out leaving a very large tps file.  At least it brings up Distiller now.

[Winfried Reng]

I also get a large tps file (i.e. a PostScript file) left. When I change tps to ps, I still cannot process it with Distiller. It also shows an error message.

I guess that at least my Windows version has already fixed this 1803 bug.

Adobe said that Microsoft fixed this with 17134.191.

My version is 17134.523.

You find the Publish/PDF settings here (FM 2019):

In the File menu click Publish.

In the Publish pod select PDF and click on the icon to the right of Settings.sts. Click Edit.

The option to create the PDF with/without Distiller is at the lower left of the dialog.

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Hi Dennis and Winfried,

Can you please check your setup against the things I list in https://techcommtools.com/framemaker-pdf-tips-and-tricks/ ?

If those steps don't solve the problem, please let me know.

-Matt

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Matt,

Yes, I do these things anyway.

Still I cannot create PDFs with the Distiller when I Save As PDF or print to a PostScript file.

What I do not understand:

• Two weeks ago I had not had any problems creating PDFs with Distiller. Now I cannot distill _most_ of my PDFs.
• When I check one of the many samples which I cannot distill, I end up with three EPS graphics. When any of these is alone in the FM file (brandnew with the FrameMaker default template, no font or formatting issues), I can create all PDFs.
• With 12 or 13 I get an error message. 23 OK.
• 123 error.
• If it would be graphics 1, then I should not be able to create a PDF. However, this works.

Best regards

Winfried

[dennisvied]

Some of them I have implemented, but there were no changes which led to the present situation.  The main thing was the three Windows updates which seem to have broken the process.  Prior to those updates it was working ok.

The present process seems to work ok through the Adobe PDF printing process, builds a large TPS file.  Distiller then tries (3 times) to compile, and bombs out.  Distiller process up through page 7, the bombs out and flushes the file with the error message, "Error type check, OffendingCommand show" and "Stack (a)."

So, it looks as though the problem is in Distiller.  I'm using FM 2017, so I don't have PDF in the Publish options.

[doug1120]

Try changing your RGB/CMYK selection on the PDF Setup dialog.  If RGB doesn't work, try CMYK, or vice versa.  There was an issue with this over the summer, but Adobe fixed it with an update in August.

[NZReb]

We're seeing the same problem this week, with 4 different people, and 3 different documents so far. We're all on FM17, version 14.0.4.511. Acrobat versions are either 17.011.30120 or 17.011.30127. One person is on Windows 7, the other 3 on Windows 10.

Symptoms are that Save As PDF results in a message that "Acrobat Distiller has stopped working", repeated 3 times, and a TPS file being created. That TPS file doesn't distill. The Windows exception code is the really helpful (not) 0xc0000005.

And Print > Adobe PDF results in a PS file that can't be distilled.

One of the failing documents had an .fm file inside a book, and the .fm file distilled by itself but the book didn't. I found a diagram in that file that consisted of an anchored frame with multiple figures embedded in it. Deleting a particular one of those embedded figures fixed it. Changing from RGB to CMYK didn't fix this one.

For one of the other documents, changing from RGB to CMYK worked.

For the third document, we haven't found a solution yet.

Our Publish settings don't have PDF as an option, so I can't try that.

[miguels82713336]

I am seeing the same behavior though I am using FM 2015 (and Windows 10).

At first I thought it may be caused by global changes I made to files in a book but FM is also having the same problem with files in books that have not been modified.

In my case, changing from RGB to CMYK has not helped and, though the distiller quits on pages with figures/diagrams, there is no clear correlation to a specific type of imported or referenced file causing the problem (e.g., svg. pdf, jpg).

[Winfried Reng]

FM 2019.0.2.517

In my case I can  delete everything besides three EPS graphics. When any of these is alone  in the file, FrameMaker can generate the PDF via Distiller. If there  are any two, then the generation fails. Therefore I cannot say that  graphics 1, 2 or 3 causes this issue.

This started on Friday (one week ago). Until then I could Save As PDF this exact same file and these graphics.

Therefore I'd say that the files are OK.

Last week I did not get any Windows updates, only an Acrobat update.

When I print to a PostScript file and try to distill this file, I get these messages:

...

%%[Error: typecheck; OffendingCommand: show ]%%

Stack:

(69)

[1.02561e-07-0.029106-0.0029106-1.02681e-07-471.05 1693.18]

%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%

Then Distiller closes.

No page reference in the Distiller window.

Luckily FrameMaker 2019 can also generate PDFs without Distiller ...

Best regards

Winfried

[Stefan Gentz]

Hi Winfried,

the typecheck error comes up when Distiller finds an operand of a wrong type. That is, an operator expects a certain type of data but the input was not compliant to that. The offending command given to you is "show". Offending commands of type "show" indicate a problem with specific text or a font element.

Can you please check the following:

1. In Windows go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
2. Select the printer you are using.
3. Click "Manage".
4. In the "Manage your device" page, select "Printing Preferences." The "(Printer Name) Printing Preferences" dialog opens.
5. Open the "Layout" or "Paper/Quality" tab and click "Advanced".
6. In the tree list open "Graphic" and make sure "TrueType Font:" is set to "Download as Softfont".
7. Click "OK" to come back to the "(Printer Name) Printing Preferences" dialog.
8. Click OK again.
9. Restart FrameMaker and try to print to ps + distill again.

Please let us know the result.

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Stefan,

Many thanks that you take care of this issue!

I could convert your test book without problems with Distiller and with FrameMaker..

I also set the printer settings (Adobe PDF) as you said and tested this with my files.

1_eps_1.fm    OK

1_eps_2.fm    OK

1_eps_3.fm    OK

2_eps_12.fm    Error

2_eps_13.fm    Error

2_eps_23.fm    OK

3_eps_123.fm    Error

The first number is the number of EPS graphics.

The second numbers are the positions which are still in the file.

All of my graphics files have just some Arial text.

I use Acrobat Pro DC, 2019.010.00298.

Distiller 19.10.20091315611

Best regards

Winfried

[NZReb]

Just a quick update. In the last week, my team's tried to PDF 7 different documents. 6 of them failed.

Changing to CMYK fixed 2.

Replacing a diagram fixed 2 (they were different diagrams and had successfully distilled in the recent past).

We're still working on the other 2. Change to CMYK didn't fix them but we haven't yet checked all their diagrams to see if that does.

An Adobe engineer has been in touch (thanks!) and worked through a bunch of troubleshooting with us yesterday, which didn't turn up anything else that helped. We sent him one of the failing files overnight and he's reproduced the issue. Hopefully he'll manage to figure out the cause soon.

[Stefan Gentz]

Let me try to summarize what we have so far:

It seems a couple of people are facing the same issue: Files that distilled fine before, suddenly do not distill anymore. And I understand that this is for all of you happening just recently, and it seems it does not matter if you are using FM 2015, 2017, or 2019. The problem *might* be related to graphics, maybe in combination with a Windows and/or an Acrobat.

I just printed the FrameMaker sample manual from FrameMaker 2017 and 2019 with "Adobe PDF" Printer into a PostScript file and ran it through Distiller with High-Quality joboptions. It went through fine and resulted in PDFs as expected.

The sample user guide can be found here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker 2017\Samples\UserGuide(Arabic,English,Hebrew)\English\Personal Spaceship User Guide - EN-US.book

Can you folks try to print this sample guide as well (print to ps file, then run through Distiller)? Does it work for you? Or does it fail?

My Setup:

Windows 10 Enterprise, 1809, 17763.316

Adobe Acrobat Distiller DC, Professional Version 19.10.20091315611

FrameMaker 2017, Update 4

FrameMaker 2019, Update 2

[Stefan Gentz]

I have also tested it now with a big guide provided by a customer with 528 pages and 597 EPS graphics (the oldest ones going back to 2005, the newest ones from 2018). It prints and distills fine on my machine.

Hm. For now, I cannot reproduce the issue on my machine. So, what might be different?

[dennisvied]

Stefan, thank you for looking at this.  I will get to this this afternoon.

Dennis Vied

Technical Writer

[Stefan Gentz]

Dennis Vied,

another customer just came in and has the same problem. She has the same problem since the last Windows Update and has the same three updates installed:

• KB4487038 - Related to Adobe Flash Player
• KB4487017 (I do not have it one on my machine as it is not for Windows 10.1809)
  Includes (among others): Security updates to Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Graphics, Windows Input and Composition, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Server, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.
• KB4023057 (I do not have this one on my machine as it is not for Windows 10.1809).
  Update to Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, and 1803 for update reliability.

NZReb, Winfried Reng, miguels82713336: Could you please let me know if you are running Windows 10 1803 or 1809? Also, could you please check if you all have one of those three updates installed?

I have Windows Update 4487038 and don't have the problem. So I tend to exclude this one. I guess 4023057 is not related as well as it is only for the Windows Update mechanism. My hunch is that the problem might be related to 4487017. Does everyone with this problem has 4487017 installed?

To check, please go to Windows Settings > Update & Security > View update history. Should be under "Quality Updates".

[miguels82713336]

I'm working with Framemaker 2015, Windows 10 version 1703

From the updates mentioned I have

• KB4487038 - Installed
• KB4487017 not installed
• KB4023057  not installed

>C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker 2017\Samples\UserGuide(Arabic,English,Hebrew)\English\Personal Spaceship User Guide - EN-US.book

> Can you folks try to print this sample guide as well (print to ps file, then run through Distiller)? Does it work for you? Or does it fail?

The 2015 version printed fine, no problems.

[Winfried Reng]

Hi Stefan,

I have Windows 10 Enterprise, Version 1803, Build 17134.523.

My updates are:

KB4100347 (quality update)

KB2267602 (Windows Defender, definition update)

KB890830 (tool to remove malicious software)

Best regards

Winfried

[Stefan Gentz]

Also, at everyone: Can you please open the document that fails to print (or mark up all documents in the book) and choose > View > Options in FrameMaker and deactivate "Graphics":

Then please print & distill again. Does it work? This way we can narrow down that the problem is related to graphics. This puts Windows Update KB4487017 in more focus for me.

[Dave_ITAD]

When I deactivated the graphics my problem file printed to PDF (File > Save as PDF) in about 3 seconds (FrameMaker 2017, Windows 10, Acrobat Pro 2017 (17.011.30127)). I have several PNG and one EPS file in the six page document. I have modified the Acrobat PDF to 'Download as Softfont'.

I can print five other documents that use the same EPS image and some have PNG images as well. This problem document is the only one I edited to add a graphics frame which I have since removed.

I had the problem before and after the Windows update from 1803 to 1809. Same problems with both versions and the latest updates.

I work from home with a colleague who works remotely (about 1500 km away). We share files using Sync and have had no problems until the RGB/CMYK colour issue, now this one. He does not have the print problem with this file, or any others. The only difference is that I have a perpetual licence and he has a subscription one (Technical Communications Suite 2017). We both have Windows 10 1809 with the latest updates.

[Mayank_Meh]

Hi Dave,

Can you try installing the following Acrobat 2017 patch and check if this resolves the issue?

[ Moderator: The link has been removed. The link will be shared privately.]

Regards,

Mayank

[andrewm.atlnz]

Hi Mayank,

I am on NZReb's team. The patch resolved our PDF issues.

Regards,

Andrew

[Dave_ITAD]

Hi Mayank,

     the provided Acrobat 2017 patch resolved my issue. I could save as PDF, but it was very slow - but it does fix the issue.

A six page document with very few graphics took about 15 minutes to convert to PDF. I have the PDF printer icon showing a document pending, but no document is listed. I did not previously see this, only Distiller which I don't see now.

A larger document, over 50 pages with a lot of graphics, took over one hour to save as PDF. That is a long time to wait and hope it works. Can you do anything about the time delay or is there a better process to use?

I have not tried to print to RGB yet. I am still printing to CMYK after the last issue. I cannot afford delays to get fixes. This is the second time I have not been able to print with a looming deliverable.

Thank you for your quick reply to this issue.

Regards,

Dave