Application Built-In Trapping fails

[argo5]

For some reason, I am getting an "Adobe Print Engine has failed due to an unknown error" message when trying to use the Application Built-In option for trapping. It happens when I try to print separations to a PDF, and also when I try to print them to our rip. It's not a document-specific problem, because it happens with both existing and new documents. I've tried resetting preferences as well as the cache, but neither one fixed it. I updated to 16.1 just a week ago, and this is the first time I've tried printing separations since then. Any help anyone can give would be much appreciated.

[rob day]

Have you tried using the Adobe PDF 9.0 PPD?

I just tried with ID 16.1 on OSX 10.14.6 via Distiller and it worked for both In-Rip Separations and Separations. Here’s In-Rip:

[argo5]

Thanks for the reply. For creating a PDF, I have always printed separations to a PDF straight from InDesign using the Adobe PDF printer and the Adobe PDF PPD. For printing to the rip, I print directly from InDesign to the rip using its proprietary PPD. Suddenly, neither one works anymore. I just tried printing a PostScript file using the Adobe PDF PPD (something I haven't done in eons!), but I got a similar error message: "Export Error: The Adobe Print Engine has failed to output your data due to an unknown problem." Is the Adobe PDF 9.0 PPD an old version? I have no idea which version number mine is.

By the way, I'm on a Windows 10 64-bit machine.

[BobLevine]

That workflow is about 20 years out of date. Export a PDF using the PDF/X-4 setting and print that.

[rob day]

For printing to the rip, I print directly from InDesign to the rip using its proprietary PPD

Is the RIP’s PPD up to date? Is the print engine error specific to trapping separations—do you get the error when you print separations with Trapping Off or when the Color is set to In-RIP Separations? Have you tried reinstalling CC2020 to see if the problem is a bug with CC2021 on Windows?

[argo5]

The rip and its PPD are archaic, but they've worked just fine up until my latest InDesign update. The print engine error is indeed specific to trapping separations. There's no error if trapping is off. The fact that it's happening with both the Adobe PDF PPD and the rip's PPD makes me certain that it's a Windows CC2021 bug and not a PPD problem. I'll try reinstalling the old version and report back.

[argo5]

I unistalled 16.1 and then installed 16.0.1, and that works perfectly. So it's definitely a bug with 16.1. Thank you  for your suggestions.

[rob day · Accepted solution]

There is a color management bug with the latest update. Not sure if it relates, but color management gets turned off in Color Settings—Emulate InDesign 2.0 CM Off. The bug affects PDF exports, so I could see where it might also affect trapping. See this thread:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/color-settings-reverting-to-emulate-adobe-indesign-2-0-cms-o...

[argo5]

Nice find. It is a possibility. I did just update Photoshop to 22.3 at the same time as updating ID to 16.1.