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InDeisign fails to create pdf.

New Here ,
Sep 14, 2022 Sep 14, 2022

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When  I export to a pdf it crashes on large files. It worked last week. 

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Bug , Import and export , Print

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Community Expert ,
Sep 14, 2022 Sep 14, 2022

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What OS and version of ID are you using? And what are "large" files? Do they contain large or very-large images?

 


┋┊ InDesign to Kindle (& EPUB): A Professional Guide, v3.1 ┊ (Amazon) ┊┋

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New Here ,
Sep 22, 2022 Sep 22, 2022

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OS is 12.6 on a brand new Macbook Pro. Amazon is CC and totally current. Chip: 

Apple M1 Max

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Community Expert ,
Sep 14, 2022 Sep 14, 2022

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If this is happening on just one file then try exporting that file as an IDML (File>Export>InDesign Markup (IDML)) and then  reopening the file in your current version of InDesign. This process can remove some corruption from a file. If it is happening on all files then try resetting you InDesign preferences. This will reset the program to its defaults which, hopefully, will solve the issue.

To do so:

For Macintosh Users: The User Library folder in which InDesign’s preferences are stored is hidden by default on most Macintoshes. To access it make sure that InDesign is closed and click on the desktop to launch a Finder Window (Command-N). With this window in column view follow the path User>Home folder (it’s the folder with an icon that looks like a house—it may have the user’s name rather than “Home”) and click on the Home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. “Library” will now appear within the Home folder. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the folder called “Adobe InDesign” and the file called “com.adobe.InDesign.plist” and delete both that folder and that file. When InDesign is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

For Windows Users: You can try the quick way of resetting on a PC which is to hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching InDesign and respond affirmatively when asked if you want to reset. There have been some recent reports that the window asking if you want to reset is not popping up but that the prefs are being reset anyway. If this works great but if it doesn’t you may have to manually delete them.

To do so: On Windows 7 and above the preference files are hidden. To find them go to the Control Panel and open Folder Options and then click the View tab. Then select “Show hidden files and folders” or “Show hidden files, folders or drive options” in Advanced Settings. Then delete (or rename) the folder at the end of this path: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>. Make sure that InDesign is closed when you do this. When you relaunch the program it will create new preference files and the program will be at its default settings.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.

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New Here ,
Sep 15, 2022 Sep 15, 2022

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It didn't do a thing. Conversion to pdf still crashes.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 15, 2022 Sep 15, 2022

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Watch your background tasks panel and see if you can see what page it is hanging on.

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

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New Here ,
Sep 15, 2022 Sep 15, 2022

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It simply says 

Failed to Export the PDF file.

nothing else.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 15, 2022 Sep 15, 2022

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Again — what makes this a "large document," and are you including any large images?

 


┋┊ InDesign to Kindle (& EPUB): A Professional Guide, v3.1 ┊ (Amazon) ┊┋

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New Here ,
Sep 22, 2022 Sep 22, 2022

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There are 27 images in an 11 x 17 poster. None of the images are that big.: ~300k at most. All logos. 

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Adobe Employee ,
Sep 16, 2022 Sep 16, 2022

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Hi @Deleted User,

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble. Please try the suggestions shared here https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/troubleshoot-printing-pdf-export-indesign.html, and feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance.

 

Regards

Rishabh

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Community Expert ,
Sep 22, 2022 Sep 22, 2022

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PDF your file without graphics. Put your graphics on a separate layer and turn the visibility off.

If the PDF is successful, try the "binary" method: Output the first half and then the second half. If either section fails, split that section in half again. Continue splitting until you can find the problem. If it's a graphic, open the graphic up in Photoshop (or Illustrator) and save-as to a new file. Replace file and try PDF again.

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

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New Here ,
Oct 17, 2022 Oct 17, 2022

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If I take the graphics out I'll have a blank page.

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Community Expert ,
Oct 17, 2022 Oct 17, 2022

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Is it a single-page document? 

What program created the original graphic?

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

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New Here ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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The base was a single jpg created in photoshop. I added about 20 logos. It compiled into a pdf with no problem until the middle of July then it started to crash. I try it again every time I get an Indesign upgrade. I'm convinced it's a bug.

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Community Expert ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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David's troubleshooting approach is still valid. Open a copy and delete 3-4 of the logos. Export. If it crashes, open the same copy and delete 3-4 other logos. Repeat until you've found either the logo file that is causing the fault, or some consistent number of placed elements that will export reliably.

 

Or, another good start, delete ALL the logos and see if it exports with just the base JPG.

 

Only an iterative process like this will zero in on the problem.

 


┋┊ InDesign to Kindle (& EPUB): A Professional Guide, v3.1 ┊ (Amazon) ┊┋

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Community Expert ,
Oct 17, 2022 Oct 17, 2022

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@Dave Creamer of IDEAS I agree with this method.

Export half of the book - and keep halving until you reach the problem page(s). It could be anything, a rogue font, corrupted image placement, a strange text frame.

 

Things can go wrong with files - so you have to find the problematic page(s) and fix what you can find.

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New Here ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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It's a single page, a poster.

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Community Expert ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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Created in what program--InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, other?

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

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New Here ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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100% Indesign

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Community Expert ,
Oct 19, 2022 Oct 19, 2022

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quote

It's a single page, a poster.


By @SteveGlines

 

You still need to divide and conquer

Remove half the page and see if it exports

remove the other half

 

Remove items 1 by 1 if you have to.

 

The fact it's happening with other files - is there a common link they both use? 

 

 

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Community Expert ,
Sep 14, 2022 Sep 14, 2022

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i had the same problem when my links are on onlinne server!

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Community Expert ,
Sep 14, 2022 Sep 14, 2022

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Best results with imported images will always be achieved by having the images on your hard drive rather than on an external hard drive or cloud server. Working locally and then backing up the work to a server or drive is a much safer workflow than trying to work directly on an external source.

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New Here ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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It's set up so that all the images are local. Indesign worked, turning the file into a pdf, as late as July 15, after that it started to crash in the process. I've tried it with two other posters I've created, Same thing.

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Community Expert ,
Oct 18, 2022 Oct 18, 2022

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The only two (obvious) things that would cause this are running out of resources (probably system memory), or having one or more corrupt image files, or at least files with aspects the export can't handle.

 

Follow the iterative process outlined above to see if fewer images solve the problem, or if one specific image file is choking the export.

 


┋┊ InDesign to Kindle (& EPUB): A Professional Guide, v3.1 ┊ (Amazon) ┊┋

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New Here ,
Oct 19, 2022 Oct 19, 2022

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I have a brand new MacBook Pro with 48GB and 1TB of disk so it's unlikely I'm running out of resources unless it's a bug that's gobbling up everything.

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