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Cyndee M
Cyndee M Calculating status...
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PDF stamp missing on import into InDesign

May 14, 2012 11:30 AM

I asked this in the Acrobat forum but on further investigation it seems to be an ID problem.

 

I was sent a PDF to include in a magazine I layout. This PDF was originally created by one person and has one element that was added by another. This added element is a stamp added in Acrobat.

 

When I open this in Acroboat (9.5.1) it looks as it should. The document prints properly including the stamp as long as I select to print Document & Stamps in the print dialog.

 

However,when I place it into an ID (6.0.6) document, that new element *the stamp) does not appear (and does not print).

 

What needs to be done either to the source document with the stamp or on the ID import to get the stamp to show?

712 Views   4 Replies   Latest reply: Cyndee M, May 14, 2012 12:22 PM
 
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  • David W. Goodrich
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    1. David W. Goodrich,
    May 14, 2012 11:50 AM   in reply to Cyndee M
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    A stamp in a PDF is an annotation rather than an integral part of the PDF.  The term for inegrating annotations (and other ancillary elements) into a PDF is called "flattening".  Once the PDF is flattened, the stamp should appear in InDesign.  However, achieving pleasing results might not be so simple -- you might not want a low-res stamp in a printed piece, for example.

     
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  • Cyndee M
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    2. Cyndee M,
    May 14, 2012 12:01 PM   in reply to David W. Goodrich
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    I tried using the preflight flatten transparency (high resolution) and in the resulting PDF the stamp still didn't show when the PDF was placed into ID. Is there a different way to flatten it? I need to find what allows it to show and then I'll relay the problems with the method to the person providing the PDF. Thanks.

     
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  • David W. Goodrich
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    3. David W. Goodrich,
    May 14, 2012 12:16 PM   in reply to Cyndee M
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    Like so many terms in publishing, the meaning of "flatten" changes with context.  Here, you need to flatten the PDF before you bring it into ID.  Googling the 3 words <PDF flatten stamps> will find a variety of solutions, but note that the changes to the interface with Acrobat X mean some no longer work.  On the other hand, you can get instructions for flattening in Acrobat X from an Adobe blog.  But as I implied, you might prefer to recreate the stamp as a separate element in InDesign.

     
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  • Cyndee M
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    4. Cyndee M,
    May 14, 2012 12:22 PM   in reply to David W. Goodrich
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    I am using Acrobat 9, not X. I realized I needed to flatten it in Acrobat. I found a script to download http://www.pdfscripting.com/public/FreeStuff/Automation/PDFScript_Flat tenPages.zip which did the trick. I would certainly prefer to do it in InDesign, but it is not something I am creating, it is something I am receiving from an advertiser to insert into another publication.

     
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