Just lately, I've been having issues exporting PDFs from InDesign CS5. Usually, the export progress bar will stall at 0%, and I have to force-quit ID. (Mac OS).
Upon relaunch of ID, I can successfully export a PDF. But only once. If I try again, I get the same hang.
Is this happening to anyone else here, if so, have you found a fix?
While I'm at it, can I ask what you think of the new 'background export' business? Personally, unless you have lots of docs open, it doesn't make any real difference. Also, I hate the Panel for it. The old progress bar was better. </rant>
I like having stuff multi-threaded, so that I can keep working while it's exporting in the background. However, I get the feeling that the background export thing is a work in progress. For example, the fact that it doesn't work when exporting a pdf from a book panel is bizarre.
Sorry to hear about your problem exporting pdfs. I do wonder if there's some oddity in using older pdf presets… does creating a new preset work any better? Or rebuilding preferences in ID? Or changing the pdf export settings? (Using Acrobat 9 compatibility vs. Acrobat 4, etc?)
I've already tried the 'usual' things like throwing out the Application preferences and rebuilding them, but this didn't seem to work. I haven't done too much with the presets except for creating a new 'Test' preset which didn't help. I will try different flattening options next (PDF version etc).
Some of the circumstantial evidence from the Adobe forum suggest that it may be something to do with documents that were created with or contain elements from earlier versions of ID. I'm not so sure… as it has happened to me with a brand new document as well.
Also David, I'm curious about your workflow. Maybe I just don't get it… but how advantageous is it to be able to keep working on a document while you export it? I normally output a PDF as a proof of some kind or as a press-ready file, either way it represents a snapshot in time. If you are working on the document while exporting, surely there's a possibility of going out of sync with your versions? I suspect it's just me being unwilling to embrace the new!
My workflow is usually: Once I've exported a pdf of a document, I'm off to work on a different document. I like being able to close what I've done and get on with work.
Oh, yes indeed, it's nice to be able to open and work on another document – I appreciate the time-saving there, but the way the new 'background feature' was launched by Adobe was a bit odd if you look at some of the videos – they all seem to say things along the lines of 'you can carry on editing your document while you're exporting' or words to that effect. Apologies, having re-read my post, it seems I accused you of the saying same thing!
Thing thing I get a little hung up with is the Background tasks panel. I usually forget to have it open and then I try and close my document while it's still exporting only to be told I can't close it because it's exporting. Or I have the background tasks panel tucked away tidily so that I can't read it. I just think it's a all bit more clunky somehow. I do like cueing up a load of PDFs though, that's cool and like the old days when I used a watched folder to distil postscript files from QuarkXPress.
Don't even get me started on the way that selection tool changes to the direct selection tool every time I click too close to the centre of a small image!!!!! Grrr.
I think I need to have a day working in Quark, and I'm sure I'll shut up….
I've written a scripting solution for exporting PDFs in "foreground". Please test it with care, no guarantee that it will work in every case. There is a very basic UI for setting up the location where to save the pdf and to name it. After that the usual PDF preset dialog of InDesign will pop up where you can do your usual stuff like setting up page ranges etc.
A little error handling is also present, so the script will check if a given file is already present and you can decide to overwrite it or not. Further on the script errors out smoothly if you decide to overwrite a pdf and that particular pdf is already open in an pdf viewer app.
I hope the following lines of code are not messed up by the forum software (if so I will write a follow-up or try to edit the html-code):
if(app.documents.length>0){ var d=app.activeDocument; }; else{ alert("Please open a document to execute Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); } if(d.saved == false){ alert("Save your document first before executing Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); };
var pdfPath = Folder.selectDialog("Folder to save PDF:"); var pdfName = d.name+".pdf";
var userDefFileName = prompt("File name:",pdfName,undefined);
if(userDefFileName == null){ exit(); };
var pdfFullName = pdfPath+"/"+userDefFileName;
if(File(pdfFullName).exists){ c=confirm("The PDF-file "+userDefFileName+" is already existing. Do you want to overwrite it?",true,undefined); if (c==0){exit()}; }; //Error-handling if PDF file override is on and PDF is already opened in PDF reader app: try{ d.exportFile(ExportFormat.PDF_TYPE,File(pdfFullName),true,undefined,undefined); }catch(e){ alert("Error: "+e.message+" (Line "+ e.line+" in script code.)"); exit(); };
Another quick fix if you're experiencing this issue is create a new book and bring your InDesign document into it. Export the PDF from the book panel which doesn't work in the background.
I've written a scripting solution for exporting PDFs in "foreground". Please test it with care, no guarantee that it will work in every case. There is a very basic UI for setting up the location where to save the pdf and to name it. After that the usual PDF preset dialog of InDesign will pop up where you can do your usual stuff like setting up page ranges etc.
A little error handling is also present, so the script will check if a given file is already present and you can decide to overwrite it or not. Further on the script errors out smoothly if you decide to overwrite a pdf and that particular pdf is already open in an pdf viewer app.
I hope the following lines of code are not messed up by the forum software (if so I will write a follow-up or try to edit the html-code):
if(app.documents.length>0){ var d=app.activeDocument; }; else{ alert("Please open a document to execute Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); } if(d.saved == false){ alert("Save your document first before executing Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); };
var pdfPath = Folder.selectDialog("Folder to save PDF:"); var pdfName = d.name+".pdf";
var userDefFileName = prompt("File name:",pdfName,undefined);
if(userDefFileName == null){ exit(); };
var pdfFullName = pdfPath+"/"+userDefFileName;
if(File(pdfFullName).exists){ c=confirm("The PDF-file "+userDefFileName+" is already existing. Do you want to overwrite it?",true,undefined); if (c==0){exit()}; }; //Error-handling if PDF file override is on and PDF is already opened in PDF reader app: try{ d.exportFile(ExportFormat.PDF_TYPE,File(pdfFullName),true,undefined,undefined); }catch(e){ alert("Error: "+e.message+" (Line "+ e.line+" in script code.)"); exit(); };
Just copy and paste the code into a text document and save it as ExportPDF_Foreground.jsx and then put the .jsx-file in the scripts folder in InDesign.
To access the script you need to pull up the Scripts panel and then just click the script to run it.
I am sure there are few reasons for this, but here was my solution…
At my job I have to use Windows, but when I take my work home I use my Mac. I was having this problem when I was working on a doc I created at work, at home on my Mac.
I just recreated the doc and copied and pasted in place from the old doc to the new. I think this would also work if the doc is just an old one.
I Apologise if this is really obvious, but I am just new to this forum, and am having issues saving out PDFs in Indesign CS5 with the background tasks status bar stalling at 0% and having to force quit InDesign and try again, each time. V frustrating, I see was mentioned in the second post in this thread, that there was an Adobe user-to-user forum: Problems making a PDF from Indesign CS5
Unfortunately, when I click on this link, it says "unknown content" and there is nothing, could someone point me in the right direction to this? Many thanks.
Alas, the goold old Adobe Forum seems to be on the verge of a total breakdown. Attachments, login system, editor, search function, and even its own internal referring system ("More like this: Unable to retrieve content from the server" …) are all broken. It's sad.
Bob Levine said:Another quick fix if you're experiencing this issue is create a new book and bring your InDesign document into it. Export the PDF from the book panel which doesn't work in the background.
For me, a great bit of advice. Worked like a charm thanks. I'm using a Mac and often the export doesn't run at all in the Background Task mode. I read elsewhere that one should try having the Utility open and run the Export through the Adobe pdf preset drop-down. This only seems to work with one export. Come the next one I have to Force Quit and start again. Bob's advice has helped me to avoid all that.
I've written a scripting solution for exporting PDFs in "foreground". Please test it with care, no guarantee that it will work in every case. There is a very basic UI for setting up the location where to save the pdf and to name it. After that the usual PDF preset dialog of InDesign will pop up where you can do your usual stuff like setting up page ranges etc.
A little error handling is also present, so the script will check if a given file is already present and you can decide to overwrite it or not. Further on the script errors out smoothly if you decide to overwrite a pdf and that particular pdf is already open in an pdf viewer app.
I hope the following lines of code are not messed up by the forum software (if so I will write a follow-up or try to edit the html-code):
if(app.documents.length>0){ var d=app.activeDocument; }; else{ alert("Please open a document to execute Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); } if(d.saved == false){ alert("Save your document first before executing Export to PDF. Script will be aborted."); exit(); };
var pdfPath = Folder.selectDialog("Folder to save PDF:"); var pdfName = d.name+".pdf";
var userDefFileName = prompt("File name:",pdfName,undefined);
if(userDefFileName == null){ exit(); };
var pdfFullName = pdfPath+"/"+userDefFileName;
if(File(pdfFullName).exists){ c=confirm("The PDF-file "+userDefFileName+" is already existing. Do you want to overwrite it?",true,undefined); if (c==0){exit()}; }; //Error-handling if PDF file override is on and PDF is already opened in PDF reader app: try{ d.exportFile(ExportFormat.PDF_TYPE,File(pdfFullName),true,undefined,undefined); }catch(e){ alert("Error: "+e.message+" (Line "+ e.line+" in script code.)"); exit(); };
what I meant to say is I was wondering if there is a script I can download… I have been unable to get this script to work in AppleScript and am crashing every time I make a pdf now… even with reseting my preferences. Help me please! CS3 was so much more reliable… I am a book designer and need to send multipage documents for approval and am stalled at the moment
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