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Adobe Workfront Software Integration

Community Beginner ,
Oct 21, 2021 Oct 21, 2021

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I'm having an impossible time exporting PDFs from InDesign and uploading to directly to Workfront using the Adobe Workfront Plug-in. No matter what settings I use, when I export directly to WF, the PDF is corrupt (images/text drops out, text frames duplicate on top of each other, etc.)...but when I export a PDF to a local folder, then upload that existing PDF using the WF Plug-in, the PDF is fine. See the examples below - the item on the left is the PDF output directly to WF, and the item on the right is output using the exact same settings, output to the desktop, then uploaded as a new proof version using the plug-in:

Screen Shot 2021-10-21 at 9.53.13 AM.png

 

Screen Shot 2021-10-21 at 10.05.41 AM.png

 

Screen Shot 2021-10-21 at 10.06.16 AM.png

Workfront Support says it's an InDesign export issue, not a plug-in issue because we recently had a couple of files drop out images and text from print-ready PDFs. I question that response because those were isolated to a single user's files and used standard vendor presets that we have never had problems with before. In my testing, I have tried exporting different files from our server and from my local drive, I have tried all the default PDF export presets as well as custom presets, and in every case the PDF exported from the WF plug-in is more than 50% corrupt.  Of course, we could export to folders and use the plug-in just to upload the PDFs but we do that already (create the PDFs and upload to WF) - the whole point of the plug-in is to streamline that process, but we can't do that unless the PDFs are clean, and they're not when we export/upload via the plug-in. I've also attached the PDFs - the "TEST" pdf is the one created straight from InDesign, then uploaded via the plug-in, the other is the pdf generated by the plug-in. I really appreciate any help I can get with this.

 

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Bug , Import and export , Publish online

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Community Expert ,
Oct 21, 2021 Oct 21, 2021

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I had never even heard of Workfront before now. I'm only saying this because it's never been mentioned here before and, while I hope I'm wrong, you may have a rough time getting any kind of help beside the method that you're already using.

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Community Beginner ,
Oct 21, 2021 Oct 21, 2021

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New Here ,
Mar 04, 2022 Mar 04, 2022

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Not sure about your problem but maybe you can help me.

 

I have an issue where my PDF isn't showing up in the Documents window. The email for teammates to proof was generated but I don't see my PDF in the documents window. In work in New Jersey and my teammate and I can't see it but people in Cleveland can see it. Any ideas what's causing this?

Thank you.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 04, 2022 Mar 04, 2022

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I believe I understand your issue, but I'm not quite sure of this. Please review my assumptions and let me know if I'm on the right track:

 

You're creating a new PDF from InDesign. The PDF is fine, and if you choose to locate it through your file management utilities, you can see it's there. But it doesn't pre-populate a Documents window (?) after you create the PDF from InDesign.

 

Based on my assumptions of your situation, I have to ask a couple of questions:

 

Question 1— Which Documents window? Because if you're referring to the InDesign documents window, it won't appear there because it isn't an InDesign document. If it's not appearing in the Acrobat Documents window, it's likely that is because you haven't opened the resulting PDF in the application. That is the only way that Acrobat will know to address it from the wide number of PDFs from multiple sources that may be scattered throughout your system and connected networks. Or are you referring to some other Documents window that I'm not addressing here?

 

Question 2 — When you create your PDF from InDesign, have you selected the View PDF after Exporting check box under the General sction of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box? And if so, is your system set to open PDF files in Adobe Acrobat or some other system utility independent of Adobe Acrobat?

 

1 Export - Open PDF.jpg

 

I ask that because if you do choose that check box, it will open your created PDF on your system. And if Adobe Acrobat is set as your default application for opening PDFs it should show up in your Adobe Acrobat Documents window after you save it and close it. Because it has then been opened and referenced by your Adobe Acrobat application. If you're using some other utility on your system to open PDFs, of course, then all bets are off.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Randy

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 07, 2022 Mar 07, 2022

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Paul, are you referring to the documents window in WF? If so, it almost sounds like a permissions issue...although I'm not sure why you would have high enough permissions to generate and share a proof, but not enough permissions to see it...

 

If your team in Cleveland can see it, maybe they can share it with you, and maybe you will be able to see it on your side? Not that that is a solution, but could put you on the right track...

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Community Expert ,
Mar 04, 2022 Mar 04, 2022

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I would say that InDesign does a pretty good job exporting its own content to PDF output.

 

And I'd add that it's perhaps the height of arrogance for a third-party to produce a plug-in that's providing problems to you and then contend that it's an InDesign problem. For the most part, InDesign works pretty well on its own. Plus, as your own testing shows, InDesign creates a PDF that's just fine for your needs and you can upload that end product to their systems perfectly well.

 

TL;DR — If they provide the problem, it's incumbent on them to provide the solution.

 

/rant

 

Randy

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 07, 2022 Mar 07, 2022

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It is really annoying that Workfront is putting the entire technical issue on to Adobe, but I also assumed Adobe would take some responsibility for helping to troubleshoot this issue since they acquired Workfront in 2020. I'm really disappointed.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 07, 2022 Mar 07, 2022

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Hi @lenasal , it’s been 6 months since your original post and I’m not sure if this helps with the Workflow plugin, but the PDFs have 9 spot colors plus CMYK with transparency. Is the output really going to be to offset with 13 plates? Does the problem happen if you convert the Spot swatches to Process

 

Screen Shot 27.pngScreen Shot 28.png

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 08, 2022 Mar 08, 2022

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Four of those colors get stripped out before I export print-ready PDFs, 2 others are stripped out at the vendor but we keep them in, output multiple times, and upload to Workfront without any issues. I'm attaching screenshots of our main export settings. We never have any problems with these settings when we output straight from InDesign. But when we export with the same settings via the plug-in, we get the garbled mess in the earlier attached PDFs. 

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Community Expert ,
Mar 08, 2022 Mar 08, 2022

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But when we export with the same settings via the plug-in, we get the garbled mess in the earlier attached PDFs.

 

Hi @lenasal , my question is, in the end do you really output and print spot plates plus the CMYK process plates, which include Transparency (the drop shadow)—is the print output to extra plates on an offset press?

 

Do you have the same problem with the Workfront export if you convert the spots to process before the export?

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 08, 2022 Mar 08, 2022

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Now those are interesting questions that I hadn't considered before...and well worth testing with the WF plug-in...thank you Rob!!! Will let you know how it goes!

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Community Beginner ,
Jun 21, 2022 Jun 21, 2022

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Hi @rob day It's been a few months, and I'm just getting to this, but your suggestion was right on. I converted spots to process and tweaked a couple of other settings and the exported PDF from the plug-in was clean, no corruption. Still going to test it with some other types of files, but definitely on the right track. Thanks again!

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