print --> save as adobe pdf doesn't work

Question

Level 1

11 points

print --> save as adobe pdf doesn't work

I've got a good number of manuscripts in Pages 09. I'm testing whether Pages 13 will work. I don't have anything too complicated, so it might.

My previous workflow on pages09 was as follows:

1. Makes pages09 manuscript

2. Print --> pdf --> save as adobe pdf

That produced a file my print designer could work with. It produced a different version from the plain export as pdf option.

On pages 13, when I try that option, I get "The content is not valid in the source pdf file"

If I make a new pages13 file, I am able to export that way. So the error must be in how I converted. I converted this way:

1. Take pages09 file

2. Open in pages13

3. Hit save

4. Document converts to pages13

Is there a different way to convert that might avoid the error? Or any other way to fix the document so that "save as adobe pdf works"?

I've tried exporting as postscript or other formats, but they don't meet our requirements.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Oct 5, 2015 10:50 AM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,464 points

Oct 5, 2015 11:13 AM in response to graemefromqc

I don't know what application added that Save as Adobe PDF print plug-in, but it is not part of OS X, and not working may suggest that the originating application: 1) has been removed, 2) is not compatible with your current release of OS X, or 3) the plug-in is expecting certain dependencies that it cannot find now.

You can use the Pages (Pages '09/Pages v5.5.3) File menu ▸ Export To PDF facility, or the Print PDF Save as PDF… sub-menu item.

There are about 100 features/functionality in Pages '09 v4.3 that were never added to Pages v5.5.3. If you open a Pages '09 document in Pages v5.5.3 and either save, or agree to have it converted, it is no longer a Pages '09 document, and may have had unsupported Pages '09 features removed, or mangled. Linked Text boxes are a good example of mangle.

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Answer 2

graemefromqc Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 5, 2015 12:04 PM in response to VikingOSX

Oh, interesting. Here's the full menu in pages13. I get the same menu in pages09: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpx8qwyh8j6odsq/Screenshot%202015-10-05%2015.01.34.png ?dl=0

The removed features aren't a problem, I think. The issue is that default pages pdf export doesn't do PDF/X-1a:2001, which I need to do print publishing. The print --> save as adobe pdf option does allow that. It works in pages09, and it works in pages13 if I start from a new file created in pages13. But it doesn't seem to work if I upgrade a pages09 document.

I can copy paste my pages09 document into pages13, but then more formatting is lost than during the upgrade process.

Is there any way to get a PDF/X-1a:2001 out of pages13?
Is there any alternate document upgrade process that might conserve the print --> save as adobe pdf option?
Does that print menu look familiar?

Thanks for your quick reply!

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,464 points

Oct 5, 2015 12:47 PM in response to graemefromqc

That Save as Adobe PDF menu item depends on a the presence of a compatible version of Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.1 (OS X 10.6.8) or later, which it would use instead of the default OS X PDF context — to produce a PDF/X 1a:2001 (or the later 2003 specification) compatible document. No version of Pages is capable of doing this on its own via Save as PDF, or Export to PDF.

If you want the Print… ▸ PDF ▸ Save as Adobe PDF to work properly, you will need to upgrade to the most recent Adobe Acrobat Pro version for your release of OS X. I have no Acrobat Pro installed, so I cannot tell you in advance that Adobe still includes this Print plug-in or not.

As Pages is not intended to be an InDesign, Quark, or Open Source Scribus DTP tool. You might be amused that Scribus can open an existing PDF, and when you click the PDF icon in its toolbar, will pop a preflight verifier window where you can change the profile to PDF X/1-a, X4, and X5 — and it will then show preflight PDF errors. Once the errors are corrected, or you (not recommended) choose ignore errors, another panel will pop open for fine tuning your PDF X/1-a output, including the output profile for the press.

Scribus 1.5 is a purpose built OS X application, and does not require the X Window System.

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Answer 4

graemefromqc Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 5, 2015 12:46 PM in response to VikingOSX

Ah, thank you. I'm on Acrobat 10. Maybe Acrobat 12 would fix it.

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