Problems with PDF files

[amomtaz93]

I noticed that some times we can not import PDF files in the pages after we modulate the original files like cropping or image processing to make color correction .

I resaved the files again with alower acrobat version it solved the problem particially but i still have that monky on my back......

 

[Pam Hanson]

Quark has known issues with newer versions of pdfs.

 

[amomtaz93]

Thanks for your interest but till now i still have this problem

 

[toronar]

You should save the PDF as an EPS from Acrobat and place that in Quark XPress.
Quark is much more stable and predictable if you use EPS instead of PDF, especially if you have transparency or other color spaces than DeviceCMYK in the PDF.

 

[amomtaz93]

thanks

thanks

thanks for your help i will try these solutions in my work....

 

[TBjammin]

Whenever you modify a PDF, then resave it, Acrobat will change the PDF version to a newer one, depending on which version of Acrobat you are using.

Quark uses an import filter that will not allow higher version (1.6 and up, I think) to be imported. This filter doesn't care what is in the PDF, just that the version number is too high.

You are already using the right workaround by lowering the version number of the PDF so the filter will allow the otherwise identical file to be imported.

Toronar is right in saying that you SHOULD save as EPS before exporting to quark, but as long as you are using v1.3 PDFs and aren't having any problems, who wants to take that extra step and create those extra files to keep track of? If you are having problems with a PDF in quark, saving as an EPS with the fonts outlined is almost 100% at fixing the issue.

 

[Tech]

I always save PDFs down to v1.3-1.4 if I have to place it in Quark layouts.

 

[Jecclr2003]

Quark has never really played well with PDF files. It's just another strike against an old favorite of mine.

 

[CGUK]

I never put PDFs in Quark as I don't like PDF from external sources inside my final PDF! I always rasterize ads from agencies in Photoshop and then resave as TIF or EPS for placing in Quark - I just have always done this as I know a TIF is a complete flattened file and there will be no font issues which you can still get with EPS.
If I DO use an EPS it's when an ad has a thin border - they seem to get slightly cut off in Quark for some reason if you make them a TIF but not when it is EPS! Weird...

 

[toronar]

I never put PDFs in Quark as I don't like PDF from external sources inside my final PDF! I always rasterize ads from agencies in Photoshop and then resave as TIF or EPS for placing in Quark - I just have always done this as I know a TIF is a complete flattened file and there will be no font issues which you can still get with EPS.
If I DO use an EPS it's when an ad has a thin border - they seem to get slightly cut off in Quark for some reason if you make them a TIF but not when it is EPS! Weird...

I hope for you and your client's sake that if you raster the PDFs in Photoshop you use a decent resolution to do so (e.g. 1200dpi). You should save as EPS from within Acrobat and place that in Quark XPress, to ensure that vector art stays sharp and clean.

 

[CGUK]

10-15 yrs ago when I was working in newspaper we did exactly that - everything at 1200dpi but these days with the presses our printers use and the CTP workflow it's a bit of overkill - we do them at 600dpi to keep file size down (altho that is also a remnant of the time when we had to send our mag on multiple CDs as the 180 page Homes & Interiors magazine we do was sent as a Quark collect!) and we have never had a complaint about sharpness of text or vector images.

We deal with ad agencies for most of the major homebuilders (Barrat, Cala etc) and also clients in our business publications from BP to RBS but in 7 years have not had any complaints about quality or definition from any of them. And don't think for a minute an ad agency would not jump on it asap if they felt the ad was output badly!

We have done a few sample tests with house ads and the difference is negligible between the 1200dpi and 600dpi versions.

 

[mtnman]

I hope for you and your client's sake that if you raster the PDFs in Photoshop you use a decent resolution to do so (e.g. 1200dpi). You should save as EPS from within Acrobat and place that in Quark XPress, to ensure that vector art stays sharp and clean.

I have to agree with toronar, I don't like to rasterize unless I have a problem file that I can't get to work any other way.

mtnman

 

[ajr]

Use Indesign instead!

 

[cmpe]

I am using an old RIP and have many problems with PDFs imported into newer versions of Quark. I used to rasterise them in 1200 dpi and make huge files. Now I ask the client in which application he has created the PDF file. I import it to the same application and save it as an EPS. It has worked fine so far, but you must have all those applications both for Mac and PC.

 

[CGUK]

We are using InDesign now as well I think we will be moving over to that completely as we use it for our imposition too so may as well start designing the mags in it - I tried it way back in the early years and it was terribly clunky and slow but it's gradually got better to the point it has so much more in it that's useful.

I'm always impressed by the little subtle touches that show it was created by people who actually use the programs and not just QA guys!

 

[amomtaz93]

thanks to you all but i have some point:
1-converting Pdfs to images makes font to be unsharp.
2-saving with a lower version destroying some effects which made from new illustrator version and causes many graduations and transparencies to be solid areas.
3-exporting as eps makes it pooring as you can export only one page each time.
4-so i found that the best solution is to export as tiff files from the acrobat ...now i am working with that way......

..many thanks to all of you...

 

[pcmodem]

thanks to you all but i have some point:
1-converting Pdfs to images makes font to be unsharp.
2-saving with a lower version destroying some effects which made from new illustrator version and causes many graduations and transparencies to be solid areas.
3-exporting as eps makes it pooring as you can export only one page each time.
4-so i found that the best solution is to export as tiff files from the acrobat ...now i am working with that way......

Your solution to export as tiff files from acrobat is still doing the same as #1 and will still make fonts to be unsharp.

Saving the PDF to a lower version will Flatten the transparencies. This does not make them solid areas, it should still be viewable the same as before but can't be edited. If you are concerned about editing the PDF later, I would work on a copy of the PDF for the Flattening.

If this is a PDF created from within Illustrator. I would open it in Illustrator and save it to a format that works for you in Quark.

 

[amomtaz93]

Dear pcmodem:
-I think you have some kind of miss understanding.....exporting as tif from acobate does not convert to image it still needs to be rasterizd ???and it keeps font as victors you cxan try it.
-Try to save transparencies from illustrator CS2 and convert it to pdf then lower the acrobat version and tell me the result speacially if you made graduated transparancies
-Ediiting Pdf files using illustrator require the all empeded fonts to be present in your system which could be unavailable.

 

[pcmodem]

amomtaz93,

I just checked with Acrobat 9 Pro and saving out a TIFF does not maintain the fonts as vectors. If you want to save the fonts as vectors you have to save the pages as EPS.

As far as saving Illustrator transparencies with gradients to a lower level. I only have access to the CS4 suite of apps. I was able to select Advanced | PDF Optimizer | and then select Make compatible with: "Acrobat 4.0 and later". The transparency and gradient came out looking fine.

How are you making the PDF a lower version?

 

[amomtaz93]

ok try to open it with version 4 and tell me wt u c