¿How to export PDF directly with embedded links from Illustrator?

[ramelganame]

Recently a new problem emerged and i am not sure what im doing wrong.
I work with packaging and once i finish the design i export it in PDF and send it to china for printing.
Years without problems por this last month, one of the suppliers told me, when they open the PDF file, links where required. This has never happend to me, they always opened it without a problem.
For now, my workarround is to save the file twice with "include linked files" in the illustrator save options.
After the save, i have to close the file, then open it again and than all files are embeded and than i can export the PDF with all the files included. This does not only clutter my workflow and is a great time sink, it also leaves file behind that have a great size and need to be erased constantly.

Does someone know a way to simply export the PDF and change something in the export menu in order for the images to be directly included in the final PDF file?

Thanks in advance!

[Ton Frederiks]

Do they try to open the PDF in Illustrator?

Images are always embedded in a PDF, but need not be embedded in the Illustrator part, but can be linked.

Do you save the PDF with Illustrator editing capabilities?

If they only want a PDF, I would turn that off in the copy you give them.

[ramelganame]

I guess some of them do try to open the PDF in Illustrator.
Not sure if all suppliers print the same way.
I tried to tell them, they could try and place the PDF file directly into a new Illustrator file but they are quite stubborn to work with.
I would like to have a solution where they can simply open up the PDF in Illustrator and all the images are there, simply embedded from the start.
Do you suggest that leaving Illustrator editing capabilities means, things get automatically linked?
I always thought this would simply help with the PDF file being imported into Illustrator, not make it more complex.
I do leave Illustrator editing capabilities on. Why would you turn that off?

[Ton Frederiks]

I guess too that they open the pdf file in Illustrator and get missing links because they were not embedded in the Illustrator part.

If they are stubborn, always embed the links. The images will be there twice, once in the PDF part (they always are embedded in the PDF) and once in the editable Illustrator part.

Do you suggest that leaving Illustrator editing capabilities means, things get automatically linked?

They are linked by default. 

I do leave Illustrator editing capabilities on. Why would you turn that off?

To prevent editing the PDF

[Ton Frederiks]

I do leave Illustrator editing capabilities on. Why would you turn that off?

To prevent editing the PDF

[Monika Gause]

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@ramelganame  schrieb:

Do you suggest that leaving Illustrator editing capabilities means, things get automatically linked?

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Here's how Illustrator sabes files: How Illustrator saves files