HELP! PDF compression bug after 27.9 update

[Kernzy]

Hello All,

I wanted to bring to your attention a bug that a few colleagues and I have encountered after updating to Illustrator versions 27.9 and 28. This issue pertains to saving revisions of proofs and using Adobe PDF presets for compression. Any help resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated!

Our workflow involves saving two versions of a proof: one using the "[Illustrator Default]" Adobe PDF Preset as our working file and another with a custom Adobe PDF Preset for email purposes (see attached "Email Proof"). When running our script for the first time, it correctly compresses the proof, resulting in a smaller file size suitable for emailing.

However, the problem arises when we need to make revisions to the proof. We make these changes in the "[Illustrator Default]" version and then run the same script to save the document, attempting to replace the previous file. In versions 27.0, 27.4.1, 27.5, and 27.8.1, this process works as expected, maintaining the compression profile. Unfortunately, starting with version 27.9 and continuing with version 28.0, the script fails to apply the compression profile, resulting in an email version of the proof that's the same size as the "[Illustrator Default]" version.

Here are the test results across various computers and Illustrator versions:

Process:

1. Save Proof
2. Close Proof
3. Open Proof
4. Save Proof

Results:

• User 1: Version 27.0 - Compressed
• User 2: Version 27.4.1 - Compressed
• User 3: Version 27.5 - Compressed
• User 3: Version 27.8.1 - Compressed
• User 3: Version 27.9 - Failed to compress
• User 3: Version 28.0 - Failed to compress
• User 4: Version 27.8.1 - Compressed
• User 4: Version 27.9 - Failed to compress
• User 5: Version 27.9 - Failed to compress
• User 6: Version 27.9 - Failed to compress
• User 7: Version 27.9 - Failed to compress

We hope this information helps in identifying and resolving this issue. If you have any insights or updates regarding this matter, please feel free to share.

Proof File: 1337123.pdf (feel free to use your own file)
Email Proof Settings: Email Proof.txt

File size after save:
Version 27.8.1
1337123.pdf - 282 KB
1337123_Proof.pdf - 150 KB

Version 28
1337123.pdf - 400 KB
1337123_Proof.pdf - 399 KB

Here is a simplified version of our script that can help with any troubleshooting!

  var doc = app.activeDocument;
  var saveLocation = "insert your filepath here!"
  
  savePDFFile(saveLocation, "1337123_Proof.pdf", "Email Proof");
  savePDFFile(saveLocation, "1337123.pdf", "[Illustrator Default]");


function savePDFFile(saveFolder, fileName, preset) {
  file = setupFileObject(saveFolder, fileName);
  saveOpts = new PDFSaveOptions();
  saveOpts.pDFPreset = preset;
  saveOpts.viewAfterSaving = false;
  // checking for file overwrite
  if (file.exists) {
    if (!confirm("Replace existing file " + fileName + "?")) {
      return;
    }
  }
  //alert("Saving file " + file);
  doc.saveAs(file, saveOpts);
}

function setupFileObject(folder, fileName) {
  var settingsFilePath = folder + "/" + fileName;
  return new File(settingsFilePath);
}

Again, any help is appreciated!
Have a great day!

[m1b]

Hi @Kernzy, good on you for finding this issue. Have you files a bug report on uservoice? When you have, please post a link to it here and people can vote on it. When you file the bug report, you can add a link to this forum thread too, if you like.

- Mark

[Kernzy]

Turns out a lot of people are having similar issues.

I posted my version over there, but here are some related ones that also need a vote!
Bug; Save as, PDF, does not remember PDF settings 
Illustrator 27.9 Adobe PDF Preset will match what it was last modified to.