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InDesign

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  1. InDesign User Guide
  2. Get to know InDesign
    1. Introduction to InDesign
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Contextual task bar
      3. Customize your workspace in InDesign
      4. Toolbox
      5. Set preferences
      6. Properties panel
      7. Touch workspace
      8. Default keyboard shortcuts
      9. Undo edits and manage History panel
      10. Document recovery and undo
    3. Generative AI (Not available in mainland China)
      1. Text to Image
      2. Generative Expand
      3. Generate Effect in InDesign (Beta)
      4. Generative AI FAQ
  3. Create and layout documents
    1. Documents and pages
      1. Create documents
      2. Work with parent pages
      3. Work with document pages
      4. Set page size, margins, and bleed
      5. Work with files and templates
      6. Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta)
      7. Create book files
      8. Add basic page numbering
      9. Number pages, chapters, and sections
      10. Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
      11. Share content
      12. Understand a basic managed-file workflow
      13. Save documents
    2. Grids
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
    3. Layout aids
      1. Rulers
      2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
      3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
  4. Add content
    1. Text
      1. Add text to frames
      2. Threading text
      3. South-East Asian Scripts
      4. Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
      5. Create type on a path
      6. Bullets and numbering
      7. Insert MathML to create math expressions
      8. Glyphs and special characters
      9. Text composition
      10. Text variables
      11. Generate QR codes
      12. Edit text
      13. Align text
      14. Wrap text around objects
      15. Anchored objects
      16. Linked content
      17. Format paragraphs
      18. Format characters
    2. Typography
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
      3. Scale and skew type
      4. Apply color effects to type
    3. Format text
      1. Format text
      2. Auto Style text
      3. Work with Style Packs
      4. Tabs and indents
    4. Review text
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
    5. Spell check and language dictionaries
      1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
      2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
      3. Change dictionary preferences
      4. Duden dictionary
    6. Add references
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
    7. Styles
      1. Paragraph and character styles
      2. Map, export, and manage styles
      3. Object styles
      4. Drop caps and nested styles
      5. Work with styles
      6. Leading
    8. Tables
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
    9. Interactivity
      1. Hyperlinks
      2. Dynamic PDF documents
      3. Bookmarks
      4. Buttons
      5. Forms
      6. Animation
      7. Cross-references
      8. Structure PDFs
      9. Page transitions
      10. Movies and sounds
    10. Graphics
      1. Understand paths and shapes
      2. Draw with the Pencil tool
      3. Draw with the Pen tool
      4. Apply line (stroke) settings 
      5. Compound paths and shapes
      6. Edit paths
      7. Clipping paths
      8. Change corner appearance
      9. Frames and objects
      10. Align and distribute objects
      11. Linked and embedded graphics
      12. Integrate AEM assets
    11. Color and transparency
      1. Apply color
      2. Use colors from imported graphics
      3. Work with swatches
      4. Mix inks
      5. Tints
      6. Understand spot and process colors
      7. Blend colors
      8. Gradients
      9. Flatten transparent artwork
      10. Add transparency effects
  5. Find and replace
    1. Find and replace text
    2. Find and replace fonts
    3. Find and replace glyphs
    4. Find and replace using GREP expressions and queries
    5. Find and replace objects
    6. Find and replace colors
    7. Search options to find and replace
  6. Share
    1. Save and access cloud documents
    2. Organize, manage, and share cloud documents
    3. View and manage versions in cloud documents
    4. Common questions about InDesign cloud documents
    5. InCopy on the web (Beta)
    6. Share and collaborate        
    7. Share for Review
    8. Review a shared InDesign document
    9. Manage feedback
    10. Invite to edit
  7. Export, import, and publish
    1. Place, export, and publish
      1. Publish online
      2. Publish online dashboard
      3. Copy, insert graphics
      4. Export to Adobe Express
      5. Export content for EPUB
      6. Adobe PDF options
      7. Export to HTML5
      8. Export content to HTML (Legacy)
      9. Export to Adobe PDF
      10. Export to JPEG or PNG format
      11. Import SVG files
      12. Supported File Formats
      13. Export and import User Settings
    2. Printing
      1. Print booklets
      2. Printer's marks and bleeds
      3. Print documents
      4. Inks, separation, and screen frequency
      5. Overprinting
      6. Create PostScript and EPS files
      7. Preflight files before handoff
      8. Print thumbnails and oversized documents
      9. Prepare PDFs for service providers
      10. Prepare to print separations
  8. Extend InDesign
    1. Automation
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
  9. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash on launch
    4. Preference folder read-only issue
    5. Troubleshoot file issues
    6. Unable to export InDesign file to PDF
    7. InDesign document recovery

Learn how to troubleshoot problems while exporting an InDesign document as a PDF.

Multiple factors, both internal and external, can prevent a document from being exported as a PDF. One or multiple reasons can be associated with the file itself, such as the links used in the file, the styles, fonts, or any other.

Try exporting the file to a different location

For Example, if you are exporting your files to a Network drive, try exporting them to your desktop locally. This will determine if the issue is with the file or location.

Binary sorting of the document

Binary sorting of the document helps in eliminating the issue coherently.

  1. Export a single page or group of pages at time.

  2. Locate the corrupted page or link by exporting your document in short sections.

    For Example: If you have a document with 20 pages, then export your document as PDF in ranges 1-10 and 11-20. So, In whichever set it would generate the error or failed, sort it more until you find out the problematic page.

  3. Once you find the problematic page, you can either remove and re-create the page or remove the images or elements causing the problem.

Export the document as IDML

  1. Go to File > Export and choose to save as IDML.

  2. Open the saved IDML in InDesign and export it.

Move pages to a new document

  1. Create a new blank document.

  2. Open the source and destination documents.

  3. In the source document, select Pages panel menu   icon > Move Pages.

  4. In the Move Pages panel, specify the following:

    • Move Pages: Enter the page numbers you want to move.
    • Destination: Select the location and enter the page number.
    • Move to: Select the destination document from the drop-down.
    Note:

    Don't select Delete pages after moving document.

  5. Once the pages are moved to the new document, export the new document to PDF.

Troubleshoot plugins

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

  1. Choose one of the following options as per your Operating System. 

    Windows: Help > Configure Plug-Ins

    macOS: InDesign > Configure Plug-Ins

  2. Select All Plug-Ins for the Set and then clear all the options in the Display section except Third Party. Create a list of these plug-ins.

  3. Quit InDesign and move these plug-ins out of the Plug-Ins folder:

    • Windows: /Program Files/Adobe/Adobe InDesign [Version]/Plug-Ins
    • macOS: /Applications/Adobe InDesign [Version]/Plug-Ins

  4. Restart InDesign and try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem does not recur, repeat steps 3 and 4, adding some third-party plug-ins back to the Plug-Ins folder. If the problem recurs, contact the developer of the plug-in you last moved, to inquire about an update.

For more information, see Troubleshoot InDesign third-party plug-ins.

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