Troubleshoot printing, PDF export | InDesign

• Determine the level of the problem
• Troubleshoot problems at the document level
• Troubleshoot problems at the application level
• Troubleshoot printing problems at the printer level
  • Resolve problems printing to a PostScript printer
  • Resolve problems printing to a non-PostScript printer
• Troubleshoot problems at the system level

This document can help you resolve problems that occur when you print or export to PDF from Adobe InDesign. To get the most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each one, including errors or other problems. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.

Known printing/exporting problems and solutions to specific errors are documented in the Adobe Support Knowledgebase on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/. If you can't find a specific solution to your problem, follow these procedures to isolate and resolve the issue.

When you attempt to resolve a printing/exporting issue, the first step is to determine the conditions under which the problem occurs. For example, was the error a one-time problem or can it be reproduced consistently when printing/exporting all documents, some documents or a specific document? The steps and tests below will help you define how and when your issue occurs so that a solution can be found.

You should first verify whether the problem is a recurring issue. If the issue recurs consistently, then you can whether it is caused at the document, application, or system level.

If the error doesn't occur, it may have been caused by a temporary communication problem, low system resources, or other temporary environmental factors. If you can print/export without error when you first restart the computer, but the error occurs again later, troubleshoot the issue at the system level.

If the error doesn't occur, an issue with the printer's memory may have caused the problem. If the error recurs further troubleshooting is required.

If you can print/export a new document, but not the original document, troubleshoot the error at the document level.

If you can print from another application (for example, WordPad or TextEdit), or export/save as a PDF from another application (for example, Illustrator or Photoshop) but not from InDesign, troubleshoot the problem at the application level. 

If another printer is available, then try printing the document to another printer. If you can print to a different printer, then check to make sure that the original printer is turned on and is online. Remove and reconnect the printer cables, ensure that they are connected properly, and then run a self-test on the printer to check for mechanical failure or damaged cables. If none of these steps identify the problem, then troubleshoot the error at the system level.

If your issue occurs when Exporting to PDF from InDesign and you have Adobe Acrobat Standard, Pro or Pro Extended installed, try to print to Adobe PDF printer to identify if the issue is specific to InDesign's PDF Export engine. 

Note: The Acrobat 9 Save As PDF support has changed in Mac OS x Snow Leopard. Please see: Acrobat 9 Save As Adobe PDF support in Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6)

If your issue occurs when you use the Print function in InDesign, use File > Export to PDF to create your PDF. 

If the error doesn't occur when you print/export a new document, the document's print/export settings may be invalid, a particular object or font used in the document may be damaged, or the structure of the document may be damaged. Do one or more of the following tasks to troubleshoot an error that occurs only when you print a particular document.

Note: Problems that occur at the system level may appear to be document-specific if they occur due to the complexity of the document.

The document may have become damaged. Damaged documents are especially common after being converted from a previous version of InDesign or from a QuarkXPress document. Exporting to IDML or INX could eliminate problematic data.

Windows:

Mac OS X:

If a PostScript error is causing the problem, the PostScript error handler prints a page with error information. For help interpreting PostScript errors, see document 328515, Troubleshoot PostScript errors.

To exclude graphics when you print the document:

To exclude graphics when you export the document:

If the document prints/exports successfully, one or more of the graphic elements on the page may be damaged. Remove 50% of the graphics by deleting pages, or graphic frames on a single page, and print/export the document after each change to determine whether a damaged graphic in the group removed is causing the error. If the document prints/exports after a change, revert the change and remove the other 50% of remaining pages/graphics. Confirm that the error recurs, then delete 50% again, and so on. Once you identify one or more graphics which consistently produce the error when they are included as the only graphic in your output, delete and replace the graphics. You may need to re-export a graphic from the application in which you created it.

A successful print job without the graphics may also indicate inadequate printer memory. Common symptoms of insufficient printer memory include fonts being substituted, missing graphics, or incomplete print out of pages. Try printing in ranges of pages, or simplify the publication to see if it will print with fewer graphics.

Note: If the document contains only graphical elements, then you will receive a blank page when you print only if the option to print blank pages is enabled in InDesign (select Print Blank Pages in the General section of the Print dialog box).

If you choose to exclude fonts when you print from InDesign, the printer substitutes printer-resident fonts for fonts that are specified in the document instead of downloading the fonts to the printer. When exporting, you cannot exclude the fonts, but you can minimize the number of fonts used.

To exclude fonts when you print:

To minimize fonts when you export to PDF

If the document prints/exports, the problem may be related to one of the fonts used in the document. If the document uses a large number of fonts, excluding the fonts makes the document less complex. Test the fonts that are specified in the document one at a time in a new document to determine if one or more of the fonts is damaged. If a font consistently demonstrates a problem, check for multiple active instances of the font, or reinstall the font from a known good source.

When you place graphic and text elements in a document, InDesign creates a link to the original graphic. InDesign relies on the original graphic to obtain information it uses to display and print the file correctly.

To view the status of links, choose Window > Links. Unlink or relink any files where the file name is preceded by a question mark or other symbol. For an explanation of the various symbols that may appear in the Links dialog box, see "About the Links palette" in InDesign Help. For additional information about links in InDesign, see "Managing links and embedded graphics" in InDesign Help.

Sometimes errors are a result of a particular function in the print/export process as it is handling some specific content in the document. Eliminate as many of these types of settings as possible. If eliminating settings resolves the issue, try enabling them again in groups to try to isolate the problem to a particular setting.

For example, in the Print dialog box:

• In the General pane:
  • Set Copies to 1.
  • Disable Spreads.
  • Disable Print Master Pages.
  • Disable Print Non-printing Objects.
  • Set Print Layers to Visible & Printable Layers.
  • Disable Print Visible Guides and Basline Grids.
• In the Setup pane:
  • Set the Paper Size to Defined by Driver.
  • Set Scale Width and Height to 100%.
  • Disable Thumbnails.
  • Disable Tile.
• In the Marks and Bleed pane:
  • Disable all Marks, Bleed and Slug.
• In the Output pane:
  • Set Color to Composite Leave Unchanged.
  • Disable Trapping.
  • Disable Text as Black.
  • Disable Simulate Overprint.
  • Visit the Ink Manager and disable any Ink Aliasing.
• In the Graphics pane:
  • Set Images: Send Data to None or All.
  • Set Fonts: Download to None or All.
  • Set PostScript to Level 2.
  • Set Data Format to ASCII.
• In the Color Management pane:
  • Set Color Handling to Let PostScript Printer Determine Colors.
  • Enable Preserve CMYK Numbers.
• In the Pages Panel (outside of Print dialog box):
  • Select all pages, and from the Panel's flyout menu, choose Spread Flattening > None (Ignore Transparency)
    
    Note, this will cause your document to fail to image as intended, but is useful for determining of the Transparency Flattening process is part of the problem. If it is, you can try changing the Flattener Settings, or adjusting the stacking order to avoid unnecessary transparency interactions.

In the Export Adobe PDF dialog box:

• In the General pane:
  • Set Standard to None.
  • Disable Spreads.
  • Disable Embed Page Thumbnails.
  • Disable Optimize for Fast Web View
  • Disable Create Tagged PDF.
  • Disable View PDF after Exporting.
  • Disable Create Acrobat Layers.
  • Set Export Layers to Visible & Printable Layers.
  • Disable all of the Include options (for example, Bookmarks, Hyperlinks, etc.)
• In the Compression pane:
  • Set all Downsampling options to Do Not Downsample.
  • Set all Compression options to None.
  • Disable Compress Text and Line Art.
  • Disable Crop Image Data to Frames.
• In the Marks and Bleed pane:
  • Disable all Marks, Bleed and Slug.
• In the Output pane:
  • Set Color Conversion to No Color Conversion.
  • Set Profile Inclusion Policy to Don't Include Profiles.
  • Disable Simulate Overprint.
  • Visit the Ink Manager and disable any Ink Aliasing.
• In the Advanced pane:
  • Set the Subset Fonts... option to 0%.
  • Enable Omit for OPI for EPS, PDF and Bitmap Images.
  • Disable the Create JDF File Using Acrobat option.
• In the Security pane:
  • Disable both password requirements.
• In the Pages Panel (outside of Print dialog box):
  • Select all pages, and from the Panel's flyout menu, choose Spread Flattening > None (Ignore Transparency).
    
    Note, this will cause your document to fail to image as intended, but is usuful for determining of the Transparency Flattening process is part of the problem. If it is, you can try changing the Flattener Settings, or adjusting the stacking order to avoid unecessary transparency interactions.

Remove third-party plug-ins from the InDesign Plug-ins folder, and then restart InDesign. If the problem recurs, move the plug-ins back to the InDesign Plug-ins folder. If the problem doesn't recur, identify conflicting plug-ins.

To identify conflicting plug-ins:

Alternatively, you can view a video to identify and disable third-party plug-ins.

Occasionally, a user account can become corrupted and prevent the application from reading or writing to necessary files and folders. Create a new account, log in to the new account, and then try to print/export. Do not delete your existing Windows account; the new account is only for testing purposes, and you can revert back to your original Windows account if the test shows no difference in reproducing the problem.

On Windows:



On Windows XP, you can create a new user account by going to Start button > Settings> Control Panel > User Accounts.



For Windows Vista, see "Create new local administrator account (Windows 7 and Vista)" (TechNote kb404912).

For more details on creating a new Windows user account, consult with your IT administrator or the Windows documentation.

On Mac OS X v10.5.x - 10.6.x:

On Mac OS X v10.3.x - 10.4.x:

Perform the tasks listed in document kb403982, "Troubleshoot damaged InDesign documents".

If you receive an error when you print any InDesign document, one of the InDesign resource files may be damaged, or InDesign may be incompatible with the printer driver, video driver, or another device driver on the system. Do one or more of the following tasks to identify the cause of an application-wide problem.

Note: Re-creating the InDesign preference files restores settings to their defaults, so you will lose custom settings associated with the old preference files. If  Make sure to close InDesign before you re-create the preference files or InDesign may behave unexpectedly.

To re-create the InDesign preference files automatically:

To re-create the InDesign preferences files manually:

If the problem persists, then you can restore the original preferences by deleting the new files and renaming the old preference files back to their original names.

Install the most recent driver for the printer to which you print:

• If you print to a PostScript printer, download the Adobe Universal PostScript Windows Driver Installer from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/ .
• If you print to a non-PostScript printer, contact the printer manufacturer for the latest version of the driver for the printer.

See the documentation included with the printer for instructions on how to disable this feature.

If you can't connect directly to the printer, then save the document as a PostScript file and then send the file to the printer from a command line on a computer that can be connected directly to a printer. For more information about creating a PostScript file, see "Creating a device- and driver-dependent PostScript file" in InDesign Help.

Network instability or permissions issues can cause problems when exporting to mounted network volumes. If the file can be exported to a local drive, but not your desired network location, as your IT departement to investigate the problem.

For example, you shouldn't print color separations of EPS graphics to a non-PostScript printer. For more information about the printer's capabilities, contact the printer manufacturer.

Adobe posts updates and bug fixes to InDesign periodically on its website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/.

Determine whether you are using a Postscript or a non PostScript printer. Once you have determined which kind of printer you are using, follow the appropriate steps below.

To verify that you are using a Postscript printer, check the printer properties (Windows only):

Note: If you are using a Macintosh computer, then check your printer documentation or contact your printer manufacturer to determine if your printer is a Postscript device.

If you are using a PostScript printer, "PostScript Printer Driver" appears at the top of the window along with the driver version, the PPD name, and the PPD version.

If you have problems printing to a PostScript printer, do one or more of the following tasks, printing after each task:

Use the Universal Installer (WinInstaller) to automatically install the PostScript printer driver that is compatible with your version of Windows. The most recent version of the Universal Installer is available on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html.

Note: If you use a network printer, then the print server may not be set up to run alternate drivers for different operating systems on client computers. You may be using a printer driver that is compatible with the print server's operating system but not with your computer's operating system. To install a printer driver that is compatible with your operating system, reconfigure the network printer using the Add Printer Wizard. For instructions, see task 6 below, "Install a printer driver that is compatible with your operating system."

A PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file describes the capabilities of a PostScript printer for settings such as margins, color, and resolution. Incorrect or outdated PPD files can increase print times. Configure your printer in the Printers Control Panel with the PPD file recommended by the printer manufacturer.

To obtain a PPD file for your device, contact the printer manufacturer or visit www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html.

If you set up the printer driver to output PostScript code that's optimized for portability and in binary format, the amount of scaling the driver must do is minimized, thus preventing it from losing portions of images.

Make sure that plenty of free hard disk space is available: Adobe recommends that free space is equivalent to three to five times the size of the file you print. To create more space, search for and delete temporary (.tmp) files on your computer, and clear the disk cache that the web browser uses. For instructions about clearing the disk cache, see the documentation for the browser. You can also free up disk space bypassing the spool file, which stores temporary files to the system disk during printing. For instructions for bypassing the spool file, see the documentation included with Windows.

If you print to a network printer, try printing the file from a computer that is connected directly to a local printer. If the file prints correctly, network-related issues may be the cause. Contact the network administrator for assistance.

If you use a network printer, then install a printer driver that is compatible with your operating system. Print servers don't always provide drivers for operating systems running on client computers, so you may be using a printer driver that is appropriate for the print server's operating system but not for your computer's operating system.

If you have problems printing to a non-PostScript printer, do one or more of the following tasks, printing after each task:

Disclaimer: Some of these solutions require you to change the printer driver properties. The locations for specific properties vary by printer and by printer driver. Therefore, Adobe Technical Support cannot provide detailed information about the location for each property. Contact the printer manufacturer or refer to the printer documentation for more information.

By default, InDesign uses GDI commands to print to non-PostScript printers on Windows, and PostScript to print to the Mac OS X CUPS printing architecture, which passes the data as PDF to the printer driver to convert to it's native drawing language. Where possible, InDesign offers an option to send each page as bitmap data encapsulated within standard non-Postscript printing protocols. To enable this option

Ensure that the printer has enough memory to print all page elements. To print at 300 dpi, the printer should have at least 2 MB of available RAM. To print at 600 dpi, the printer should have at least 4 to 6 MB of RAM. For instructions on determining available printer memory, see the printer documentation.

If the printer has a PostScript option, use the PostScript mode. For details, see the printer documentation.

Switch to the standard Windows SVGA driver to determine if your third party video driver causes the problem. If the error doesn't occur when you use the standard SVGA driver, then contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver. If you already use the current version, then try using a different video resolution (for example, 1024 x 768 rather than something higher).

If nothing prints from any application, then contact Apple Technical Support, Microsoft Technical Support, or the printer manufacturer. Always check the physical connection between the printer and the computer before calling, as the solution may be as simple as reconnecting a loose cable.

Also, consider what has changed on the system recently that may be impacting the printing process. For example, have you performed any of the following tasks:

• Updated your hardware
• Added new software
• Updated existing software
• Deleted software
• Installed or deleted fonts
• Added or removed hardware components
• Recently connected to a network
• Cleaned up the hard drive, or erased unused files
• Encountered random system errors
• Encountered errors in any other applications

Often, a change to the system directly corresponds to the appearance of a printing problem. You should keep a record of changes made to the system as a resource for troubleshooting printing and other problems.

kb403982: Troubleshoot damaged InDesign documents