Skip to main content
Inspiring
February 18, 2019
Answered

Unable to save as PDF in FrameMaker 2017

  • February 18, 2019
  • 14 replies
  • 12159 views

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.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jeff_Coatsworth

I am having the same problem with not being able to print to PDF. What is the patch that fixes this issue?

Thanks,

Jenny


Shoot a PM over to @meenakshin83966505 for the

fix

14 replies

New Participant
April 2, 2019

Hi Meenakshi Please send me the patch, I can't create PDFs in framemaker....  pretty urgent...

Meenakshi Negi
Community Manager
Community Manager
April 3, 2019

Hi Louiseb,

Please check your inbox. I have sent you a message with information.

Let us know if you need any help.

Regards,

Meenakshi

TomSchenck
Inspiring
April 8, 2019

Hello everyone,

I'm a little late to this party, only because I've just been editing lately. Now I need to print a PDF.

Windows 7, latest updates installed.

FrameMaker 2017, update 4

Acrobat DC with the 20099 patch.

It does produce a PDF, but it takes almost 10 times longer with files that have PDF and SVG graphics imported by reference. Yes, if I turn the graphics off everything works fine.

To the Adobe employees on this thread, I have an open case with support. All they want me to do is to uninstall/install FrameMaker and Acrobat. How do we escalate this to development?

New Participant
March 21, 2019

meenakshin83966505​, could you please send me the patch for this issue?

Inspiring
March 13, 2019

To confirm: Our writer who reported this issue has verified that the patch fixes it.

Meenakshi Negi
Community Manager
Community Manager
March 13, 2019

Thank you for the confirmation.

Glad to know it worked.

Regards,

Meenakshi

Inspiring
March 8, 2019

To add to this discussion:  We have seen this as well when distilling docs containing EPS graphics from FM10 and FM2017 using Save as PDF.  It may relate to EPS files with specific characteristics, as the example document I used for troubleshooting caused Distiller to crash three times in the course of processing although it contained many more than three EPS graphics.

The temporary workaround we used was to replace C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\acrodistdll.dll dated, as I recall, 1/31/2019 with an earlier version (dated 6/29/2018).  Hopefully the next Distiller DC update will contain a fix for this problem.

(I'm also posting this to the other two similar threads of which I'm aware in case folks aren't following all of them.)

Participating Frequently
February 28, 2019

I just opened my FrameMaker to try some things, and all the marker symbols have been replaced with a 6.  I think they were Pi before, but I don't remember for sure.  Boy, this is getting weirder and weirder.

Update:  I reinstalled the fm5font.ttf font file and it fixed the problem.  These updates have broken more than a few things.

New Participant
March 5, 2019

After updating Adobe Acrobat 2017 (Acrobat2017Upd1701130127.msp)

and Acrobat DC (AcrobatDCUpd1901020098.msp) Adobe Acrobat Distiller 2017 Professional 17.11.30120315608

ceased to distil (the work of the distiller is interrupted with the closure of the application)

PostScript files derived from FrameMaker 12 and FrameMaker 2019 (Windows Professional 10).

If you remove Acrobat and reinstall it, the distiller is working correctly.

The previous version of Adobe Acrobat Distiller 2017 Professional 17.11.30078264150 works correctly.

Known Participant
February 28, 2019

Another update from me:

FrameMaker 2019

Two of us have installed FM2019, and it looks like:

  • The “save as PDF” path works
  • The print to postscript path results in PS files that can’t be distilled
  • The “save as PDF” mangles the Helvetica font in the PDFs, but we expect that’s an unrelated problem.

So overall, 2019 “save as PDF” seems okay.

We also saved one of the files back to FM2012 and it still failed.

We don’t think the problem’s with FM. We’re very suspicious of Distiller.

Our failing documents

We now have 7 failed files – all but one of the files we’ve tried.

3 are okay with CMYK but not RGB.

2 are okay as long as we remove one of their diagrams (a particular diagram, not just any diagram)

1 is okay if we remove 2 of its diagrams AND use CMYK.

1 is okay if we remove all 14 of its diagrams.

The Graphics setting

Turning off Graphics in View > Options menu made some of our PDFs printable but not all of them.

Known Participant
February 27, 2019

Some quick answers from me:

- I'm on Win10 1703, as are most people in my team. But one person is on Win7 and still sees the problem.

- I've got KB4487038 installed but not the other 2. They're not available for 1703.

- I can distill the test spaceship doc

I'll do more troubleshooting in about an hour, but I've got to do other stuff first.

Community Manager
February 27, 2019

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.

Participating Frequently
March 7, 2019

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.

Community Manager
March 7, 2019

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

Community Manager
February 27, 2019

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
Known Participant
February 28, 2019

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.

Community Expert
February 28, 2019

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

Community Manager
February 27, 2019

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

Community Manager
February 27, 2019

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?