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location of custom PDF job options file

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
April 9, 2018
6 replies
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Apparently Adobe changed the location where custom PDF job options files are stored. Some years ago, under Mac OS, the files used to be in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings, the issue is when we drop a custom job options file in this folder, InDesign and Illustrator will not read the file. Instead we we need to store the custom job options file to the new location /Users/zaidalhilali/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF.

I understood from a client that same changes were made to the location of custom PDF options files under Windows platform too.

Did Adobe announce these changes? Or, are the paths to the new storing location mentioned anywhere on Adobe site or perhaps on the "Adobe PDF Creation Settings"? I'm sure Offset printers, pre-press guys and designers do look for this information.

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Correct answer Steve Werner

Zaid,

The location of the custom PDF job options changed quite a long time ago.

In fact I wrote about it in an InDesignSecrets.com blog post in 2007!

https://indesignsecrets.com/customizing-pdf-presets.php

Look down at the very end of the article:

"One other technical note is that this location has changed for Acrobat 8 Professional (and presumably Adobe Creative Suite 3). The file format for the “.joboptions” file hasn’t changed, however. The default settings are stored in these locations:

Macintosh: Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

Windows: Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

But, when you save your own customized PDF presets, they are stored in your local user location:

Macintosh: Users > [yourname] > Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

Window: Documents and Settings > [yourname] > Application Data > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings"

G

Gédobe

Participant

The easiest way to install .joboptions files is inside the app.

In InDesign it goes like this:
Choose from the menu File > Adobe PDF Presets > Define… > Load and navigate to the file you want to install.

Adobe’s own instructions are here, but you have to scroll down a lot, to the heading "Load PDF presets":
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/exporting-publishing-pdf.html
It took me a long time to find out, as I was searching for "job options", not "presets"…

S

sampigiampi

Participant

Hi everyone,

I ask you a question even if it is not like the post of the post, but I did not understand how to open one.

Can anyone tell me why I no longer see the names of presets. Joboption in alphabetical order?

From a certain moment, both on the fixed MacPro and on the portable MacBookPro, I don't see them ordered, but in bulk ...

Tks

Massimiliano

L

Laubender

Community Expert

sampigiampi wrote
…Can anyone tell me why I no longer see the names of presets. Joboption in alphabetical order?

Hi Massimiliano,

I suspect the cause is a bug in OSX Mojave.

Regards,
Uwe

S

sampigiampi

Participant

I use OSX High Sierra...

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

I think Adobe are following Apple's recommendations, at least what they were recommending that week. Sometimes files get put in ~/Documents/applicationfolder but this vexes people who believe ~/Documents is only for the stuff they save. So developers end up using ~/Library/Application Support/applicationfolder. You'll find a great many files around there.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

Sukc, Both Mac and Windows systems hide huge numbers of files. Adobe didn’t decide to do this. I suspect Apple and Microsoft found that beginning users would delete what they didn’t understand and break stuff. Certainly I’ve often had a conversation where the question “why did you delete that [vital file]?” is met with a response like “I didn’t know what it was for”. I particularly remember someone deleting a file called MAIL and then complaining that they couldn’t find their mail. Overall, the learning curve to find them may be preferable.

S

sukc42650077

Participating Frequently

Thanks for the kind reply, Test. I certainly understand the purpose of hiding files and/or folders that are not user-serviceable.

But this particular folder where customized pdf presets are kept shouldn't be one of them.

rob day

Community Expert

Apple started hiding the user's library folder with Lion 10.8, I think the idea being an intermediate to advanced user would not have a problem learning how to reveal the folder, and it would prevent novices from inadvertently trashing needed files.

There is a security hierarchy of Library folders with the most secure being System/Library. You have to have admin privileges with a password to change Startup/Library. For the user library the only restriction is revealing the folder, which is relatively easy to do.

L

Laubender

Community Expert

FWIW:

The standard joboptions files of my German InDesign CC 2018.1 on Windows 10 are in:

/c/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe InDesign CC 2018/Resources/Adobe PDF/settings/mul/

If I had the Japanese version it would be:

/c/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe InDesign CC 2018/Resources/Adobe PDF/settings/japan/

My custom ones saved from InDesign are in:

~/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings

Where the ~ is pointing to my user directory.

That directory can be reached directly from InDesign through the Scripts Panel.

Select User in the Scripts Panel and the context menu will open the following directory in your file system:

~/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/InDesign/Version 13.0/de_de/Scripts

From there it's no problem to reach the Settings directory for the joboptions files.

Store the directory in your "Favorites" or do an alias on your desktop and you are good to go.

Regards,
Uwe

Steve Werner

Correct answer

Community Expert

Zaid,

The location of the custom PDF job options changed quite a long time ago.

In fact I wrote about it in an InDesignSecrets.com blog post in 2007!

https://indesignsecrets.com/customizing-pdf-presets.php

Look down at the very end of the article:

"One other technical note is that this location has changed for Acrobat 8 Professional (and presumably Adobe Creative Suite 3). The file format for the “.joboptions” file hasn’t changed, however. The default settings are stored in these locations:

Macintosh: Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

Windows: Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

But, when you save your own customized PDF presets, they are stored in your local user location:

Macintosh: Users > [yourname] > Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

Window: Documents and Settings > [yourname] > Application Data > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings"

Zaid Al Hilali

Author

Community Expert

Wow, so long time 2007! I need to sit with Pre-press people more often not just lecture others on what I knew.

Steve, apparently Adobe did change quite few things since launching CC, I hear designers or pre-press people says Adobe changed the location were we used to keep icc color profiles, and changing color settings isn't in a single location for all Adobe products as it used to, although I do know it is still available in Adobe Bridge.

Why do Adobe keep changing locations like that? Is it related to Operating Systems changing all the time?

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Because this is complicated and because people might not want to see all these hidden files, I'd recommend teaching people the Go to Folder method. Also to learn about the difference between /Library and ~/Library, when you use which one, and when you might use both.

It depends on the skill level of the person involved. I was (perhaps incorrectly) assuming that because the question was asked here, they always wanted to be able to see the folder.

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