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SVIDdev
Known Participant
November 26, 2021
Question

Issue in saving multi-page PDF as IDML

  • November 26, 2021
  • 14 replies
  • 2691 views

Hi,

I placed multipage PDF in InDesign and embedded the links.

Then I haved the document as IDML, so all the pages are getting replaced with the first page of PDF.

For example I have a PDF (test.pdf) having 4 pages, then links will be : test.pdf, test.pdf:2, test.pdf:3, test.pdf:4

But after saving it to IDML, links are getting converted to test.pdf, test.pdf, test.pdf, test.pdf. Means page number is getting lost from the link.

And all the pages will have content of 1st page only.

Please let me know if there is any solution or if this is a limitation of IDML format.

This topic has been closed for replies.

14 replies

L
Community Expert
LaubenderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 30, 2021

Tested on a bit. Now it gets funny:

 

[1] This time we place only page 2 and page 3 of a multipage PDF and embed both placed and linked graphics.
[2] Rename the originally placed multipage PDF ( optional )

 

Then export to IDML and open the IDML file in InDesign.
Also in this case the first page of that multipage PDF will be exported two times to IDML.

 

Repeat [1], change [2] to:
Delete the originally placed multipage PDF ( optional )

 

Same result:
The first page of that multipage PDF will be exported two times to IDML.

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( ACP )

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 30, 2021

There is a fine line between curiosity and obsession... 🤣

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 30, 2021

    Hm. Also tested the following:

    Exported IDMS snippet files from the frames with the embedded PDF pages. Together with the caption text frame.

    Same issue. In all four cases you only write the first pdf page embedded to a snippet. The preview thumbnails of the snippets for the frames with pages 2 to 4 are misleading. And also after placing the snippets, if you do not use High Quality View or Overprint Preview you see the wrong contents on the page.

     

    This time I used four placed PDF pages with four distinct color frames in the background.

     

    Snippet files placed.
    Layout in Normal View:

     

     

    Snippet files placed.
    Layout in High Quality View of the same document:

     

     

    Download the four snippet files and the document where I placed them from my Dropbox account:

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/br2fcplxk2eg9d1/211130-1-MultiPage-PDF-SnippetFilesPlaced.zip?dl=1

     

    Of course the same will happen if you store an embedded pdf page as asset in an InDesign library file or in a CC Library.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 30, 2021

    I would write this down as one of those bugs that will probably never get fixed due to its low-level of importance. Adobe gets distracted by "shinny things"* and never seems to get around to fixing some of these minor, but annoying, issues. 

     

    *Whatever is popular at the time...

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 30, 2021

    Hi David,

    I solved this riddle with your DC.indd document and the paradox view of the embedded PDF pages.

    If I turn on "Normal View" I see what you are seeing. Four different PDF pages placed and embedded:

     

     

    A switch to "High Quality View" reveals the bug.

    Only the embedded PDF page 1 is there four times:

     

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Gusgsm
    Gusgsm
    Inspiring
    November 30, 2021

    That workflow seems to be imagined by somebody that does not have to deal with it and wants to reinvent the wheel for some unspecified reason but...

     

    What if instead of placing a multipage PDF, you break it first in individual pages (Acrobat can do that very easily if your version of InDesign is too old to generate individual PDF by itself)? So, you could place the batch of PDF and all of them would be just the first page.

     

    Best regards

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 30, 2021

    Hi Gusgsm,

    yes, of course, placing one page PDFs only is the solution.

    Already told that our OP here in a reply before.

     

    FWIW: Personally I never work in Normal View, always in High Quality View.

    And I never embed any placed graphics or images.

     

    And as we can see in the sample above: Never trust the Normal View.

    Even more: Always work in High Quality View and turn on Overprint Preview as well now and then.

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    "Worked properly."

     

    Not for me, David.

    Opened your attached InDesign document and I see that page 1 is placed four times.

    In the original document page 1 is only placed one time.

     

     

    Page 1 of the PDF should be on page 1 of the opened IDML file. That worked.

    Page 2 of the PDF should be on page 2 of the opened IDML file. Not the case. BUG.

    Page 3 of the PDF should be on page 3 of the opened IDML file. Not the case. BUG.

    Page 4 of the PDF should be on page 4 of the opened IDML file. Not the case. BUG.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    My results:

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    Wow. I mean, wow!!??!! That is disturbing me…

    Your screenshot is from your DC.indd file that you attached before? Yes?

    What kind of bug on my side is this?

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    Creamer Training said:

    "Windows 10 Home v21H1

    InDesign 17.01"

     

    Same for me.

     

    David,

    can you make your InDesign test document available with embeded PDF pages?

    Plus the IDML file you exported from that.

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    Or David,

    could you do some tests with my documents?

    Export my PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105-WIN.indd to IDML and open that in InDesign to see if all the four placed PDF pages are different in the result document.

     

    Thanks,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

     

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    I opened this file: PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105-WIN.indd

    Saved as IDML and opened the IDML

    Worked properly. 

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    Hi Peter,

    I don't think that this can be fixed inside the IDML file.

    There is an encoded <![CDATA[ range for every embedded PDF page.

    It seems that all <![CDATA[ ranges of all my spread xml files contain the same data.

    They should be different when the PDF pages are different.

     

    To do this comparison I opened:

    Spread_uc6.xml

    Spread_ucc.xml

    in Notepad++, isolated the data in <![CDATA[  for both files, printed them to PDF and compared the two PDFs with Acrobat Pro DC. Acrobat found no difference.

     

    InDesign is writing the wrong data when exporting or saving the IDML file.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    FWIW: I can see this issue already with InDesign CS6 version 8.1.0.420 on Windows 10.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Peter SpierCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    can this be fixed by editing the .idml file?

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    Hi Creamer Training,

    here my test documents to download from my Dropbox account:

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyaloblb0mwltf8/211129-1-MultiPage-PDF-Embedded-IDML-Issues.zip?dl=1

     

    Inspect this InDesign document:

    PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105.idml-OPENED.indd

     

    That's the one I saved from the opened IDML file that contains the embedded PDF pages from my minimal multipage-PDF.

     

    Source InDesign document of the exported multipage PDF:

     

    Multipage PDF placed and every PDF page embedded.

    PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105-WIN.indd

     

    IDML document exported from that document:

    PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105-WIN.idml

     

    Result document showing the bug below. IDML file opened and saved as new document:

    PDF-from-SourceDoc-placed-17.0.1.105.idml-OPENED.indd

     

     

    The icons in the Pages panel are alright and showing the contents of the placed PDF pages 1 to 4.

    The contents of the document pages 2 to 4 is wrong. Always the first page.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 29, 2021

    "I just tried it and it worked perfectly. "

     

    Interesting.

    I will make my test documents available later.

    Did you test with InDesign on Mac or Windows?

    Which version of InDesign did you use?

     

    Hi SVIDdev,

    a solution could be:

    [1] Split the multipage document in single page PDFs with e.g. Acrobat Pro DC.

    [2] Place the single page PDFs.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    S
    SVIDdevAuthor
    Known Participant
    November 29, 2021

    Thanks Laubender

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 27, 2021

    Now that I did test your workflow with a multipage PDF, embeded the linked and placed PDF, exported to IDML, opened the IDML file in InDesign, I can see your issue.

     

    Tested with InDesign 17.0.1.105 on Windows 10.

    Could be a bug with IDML export or IDML interpretation.

     

    I think the bug is with IDML interpretation, because the right preview of the graphic is visible in the Links panel, but the wrong page, always the first one, is rendered on the page.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 27, 2021

    I just tried it and it worked perfectly. 

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