Illustrator has no PDF import options available when you open up a PDF after Illustrator 28.0

[Rustar]

When I try to open the PDF's a customer sends, the import options are not present at the bottom like it was before. It just opens up the PDF with no "PDF Import options" at the bottom. It automatically opens with the "PDF as links for optimal performance" with no way to edit the pages and has an x through the frame when you click on it. I need to add bleed to these files and it is not possible when it force opens "import PDF pages as a link for optimal performance" 

The customers uses third party artist and they use windows illustrator 23.0 to create the files, but apparently has no idea how to add the bleed and crop marks. That means I have to add them to print them professionally. These are the same routine files we get every month with slight changes from month to month.

It appears to have disappeared when I updated to Illustrator 28.0
But we did update OS to windows 11 unfortunately at almost the same time.

OS: Windows 11
Windows Illustrator 28.0

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Rustar,

The change you've noticed appears to be related to how you open PDF files in Illustrator 28.0. Instead of seeing PDF import options when opening a PDF, these options are available when you place a PDF file into your document. To add bleed and crop marks, you can follow these steps:

1. Create a new document in Illustrator with the desired size, including the bleed area.
2. Go to "File" > "Place" and select the PDF file you want to open, select the "Show Import options," and click Place.
3. Click on the document where you want to place the PDF file. This will give you the PDF import options.

Here, you can adjust settings like crop marks and bleed settings before placing the PDF. This change in the process should help you add bleed and crop marks to your customer's files.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, please feel free to ask.

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Rustar]

Thank you very much for the response. When I tried that, it does work like before, except the main large font(which was outline in preflight) in the center is completely missing. Even after I use preflight "save as outlines". I am not sure why this occures but the exported EPS saves that font paths on export. Something is clearly off with the current file being sent to me. I request furture files to be sent as illustrator file and should be much easier to add the bleed required.
I need to get better software for preparing files for printing. Maybe PitStop. 

Again, thank you

[Rustar]

UPDATE: I found a work around. Use preflight to outlines fonts and then export all the pages as a binary EPS(separate page files). Then open each one up (which gives me original art) and then ungroup then add bleed and re-export PDF with crop marks with bleed. My brain hurts from figuring this out. I do bleive the PDFs that are sent to me is different some how bcause page size on resave was WAY off from the previous files sent. *such as life being a prinitng technician*