Unable to Place Canva PDFs in InDesign: Error Messages and Workarounds

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
October 30, 2024
4 replies
2313 views

We have come across a new issue when working with PDF's generated from Canva.

When we try to place these PDF's in InDesign (File>Place) we get the following error message "Failed to open the PDF file".

When we try and place the file using a custom script, we then get the error message "xxx.pdf doesn't contain a "Media" crop type. Note, we have tried importing using all the different crop types, e.g. Crop, Art, Trim, Bleed, Media, ally Layers Bouding Box and Visible Layers Bounding Box, however none of them work.

The only option we have found that somewhat works is to open the PDF's in Illustrator then save as a PDF, then place into InDesign. However, as we often get PDF's with anywhere from 8 to 200 pages, this is not a viable solution.

We are a printing company, and we are receiving more and more PDF's generated from Canva. We desperately need a solution to this problem as the current situation is unworkable for us.

Import and export

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lisaRC

Participating Frequently

I just recently encountered this issue of trying to place a Canva pdf (12pg booklet) into InDesign (Mac OS 14.6.1) My work-around: using Acrobat Pro, I "Save As" the pdf to EPS (Encapsulated PostScript). You can then place each .eps individually - or - select all the .eps pages, right click and select "Open With", choosing Acrobat Pro to convert all the .eps pages into one .PDF and then place the multi-page pdf into InDesign.

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Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

Hi Lisa,

Converting a Canva PDF to EPS is really not a good idea here. EPS is a very old format that doesn’t fully support modern PDF features like transparency, colour management, layers etc. By pushing your file through EPS, you risk flattening, shifting colours, or introducing errors that won’t show up until print.

The actual problem isn’t InDesign or Acrobat, it’s Canva’s non-standard PDFs. The correct way to fix them is in Acrobat Pro:

Use Preflight (Print Production > Preflight) and convert/repair to a proper PDF/X standard.
Or manually add the missing Media Box using the Crop tool in Acrobat, (the media box is what Canva leaves out).

Once repaired, you can place the PDF in InDesign just like any other, without needing risky detours through EPS.

If you’re receiving these files regularly, the best long-term solution is to have Canva fix their export so it complies with PDF standards. Until then, Acrobat Preflight or adding Media Box through Crop is the safest workflow.

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Andy_Baz

Inspiring

Not an ideal solution but I have found that opening the PDF in Preview (mac) and resaving as PDF, usually does the trick.

And in my experience it doesn't seem to affect the quality of the PDF when printed.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @Andy_Baz,

Thank you for sharing your experience, Andy! Resaving the PDF in Preview is a helpful workaround, especially for those on a Mac. It's great to hear that it doesn't seem to affect the print quality.

For others encountering this issue, below are a few potential solutions:

Perform a Preflight Check in Acrobat Pro (under Print Production > Preflight) and repair any issues before placing the PDF into InDesign.
If the PDF is missing the Media crop type, you can add it using Acrobat Pro. Check out this guide for instructions.
If you're using macOS, open the PDF in Preview, then resave it as a PDF. This often resolves issues without affecting print quality.

Hopefully, one of these solutions works for you! Let us know if anyone needs more help.

Thanks,

Abhishek Rao

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defaulticzpuw0eq78t

Participant

I've tried 1 and 3 and neither of these suggestions work. I haven't tried option 2 yet. But I'm curious .... This wasn't a problem until recently so what happened to cause it? Was it an update gone wrong? It is EXTREMELY frustrating! And ridiculously time consuming. Something like this shouldn't be happening! I work with a team that creates everything in Canva. And then I have to build entire books, in some cases up to 400 pages, out of all of these PDF Files. Is there anything that can be done about this? Preferably sooner rather than later??