Skip pages in PDF - why not?

Report · Apr 09, 2009

Hi,

Returning Frame user here, after 10 year absence. It's changed bit from what I remember.

Setting up a doc to be "single source" for PDF on CD and PDF to send to the printers. For the CD version, I want to skip blank pages. However, I'm finding that the setting is linked to Acrobat settings in a way that is unexpected (to me, anyway).

Specifically, in Frame 9:

* I want to have "Skip Blank Pages"

* I want to have "Generate Acrobat Data" (this seems to be the only way to get bookmarks)

Trouble is, they are exclusive settings. If I select one, it de-selects the other. I can see no logic in ths arrangement. Is it intentional? Do I have some other setting that might be causing this?

thank you!

Report · Apr 09, 2009

Welcome back to FM world Colin.

The behaviour is intentional and has been since at least v.5.5.6.

I suspect the reasoning is that in a pure print situation skippng a blank page has no side effects, whereas in a PDF, where there may be links that specify a certain page number rather than a named destination, dropping a blank page can mess things up.

Report · Apr 09, 2009

Hi Arnis,

Thank you for that answer. Looks like I will have to delete the pages

manually in Acrobat, which is disappointing I was really hoping that FM

would give me a fully automated PDF process - that was my reason for

migrating from Word.

To clarify why they are there: I have enabled the option for FM to

automatically add blank pages so that every chapter has an even number of

pages, as required for duplex printing.

However, the concept of "duplex" is meaningless for online. Since they are

automatically generated, they can't ever be the destination for a link.

Cheers

Colin

Report · Apr 10, 2009

Colin,

Why not change your book file settings for the pagination to Continue from previous and regenerate? This is just a couple of clicks.

Report · Apr 12, 2009

Hi Arris,

I guess that would work...can I do it globally, without messing up the

existing settings for pagination? I have 10 chapters and 10 appendixes, so

not keen to adopt a solution that is "per chapter".

Colin

Report · Apr 13, 2009

Colin,

You do this at the Book level (Book settings always trump document settings). Select all of the files in the book in the book panel, right click to get the context menu and set the Pagination properties for all files at once. Then Regenerate the book to adjust to the new pagination for TOC, Index and cross-refs. Should take about a minute depending upon the page count of your book.

Report · Apr 13, 2009

Hi Arnis,

Oh ... that is not my solution The PDF has to match up with the hardcopy

(both are products that we sell). Except the blank pages are needed in

hardcopy to get the left/right pages correct, but look silly for only use.

If we tell the customer to look on page D-57 to get a part specification, it

has to be the same page number for all versions.

But I do appreciate the explanation.

Colin

Report · Apr 13, 2009

Colin,

If you want the online PDF to match the printed version, then it's best to simply leave it as is. If the user prints from the online version in a duplex mode and you've removed blank pages that were there to keep the pages coming out on the correct sides in the first place, you'll probably being hearing about it from the users.

However, if you are using section-page numbering through out, e.g. 2-37, 3-99, A-27, etc., then deleteing the blank pages at the end of each section would not throw off your page references. This would only happen if your page numbering was continuous throughout your publication.

Report · Apr 13, 2009

Colin, there are some tools that can remove blank pages after the PDF is created. Here's one, and I'm certain there are others:

http://www.evermap.com/autopage.asp

Report · Apr 14, 2009

Thanks for that suggestion Shiela. It looks like a useful tool. As a

contractor I am pretty much stuck with what's there, unless it's free

Rather strange that we have to resort to third-party tools for something

that is so obvious. FM already has the required functionality, but it has

been disabled by needlessly linking the state of two option boxes, when they

should be independent. I hope somebody from Adobe is reading this...

Colin