InDesign exports showing in Preview but not Adobe Acrobat Reader

[andreap86877267]

Hi everyone,

I'm almost finished with a project and just encountered an odd hiccup (?) with InDesign.

When I export my project (130 pages total, 128 of which follow a Master page template), all but one page display in Adobe Acrobat Reader. The missing page happens to be page +3, which is the 1st page that uses the master page template. The page number and header (part of the Master page template) and title (not part of the Master page template) show just fine, but the rest of the page content is missing. This is the only page affected by this issue, everything else shows up just fine.

However, when I open the full exported pdf with Preview (I use a Mac) or look at it through Gmail preview, the page content is there. When I export that same page as a jpeg it displays perfectly. I've only used one layer for the entire file so I don't think it's an issue with layers. I've been exporting this file to pdf every other day for a month, and only recently has the content on page +3 started to disappear when the file is exported to pdf format.

Any ideas on what is going on and/or what I can do to solve it? To summarize: the page content displays just fine via InDesign and exports perfectly as a jpeg, but 90% of the content disappears on just one page when the exported pdf file is opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader (on my computer and on other computers as well). And it only happens to that one page, which happens to be the first page of the file that uses the Master page template.

Thanks for any ideas.

[Steve Werner]

I can't tell you why that one file is set to open in Preview, but you can use the Mac Finder to change the application that opens it.

In the Finder, select the icon of the file and choose File > Get Info. At the bottom of the list of information, change the application in the Open With section. You can also click Change All to make Acrobat or Reader your default for opening PDF files.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

If the PDF displays all pages well in Apple Preview it is then an issue with your Adobe Reader or is it Acrobat Pro that you have there!

Try updating your Reader/Acrobat to the latest version if not done already or download an older Adobe Reader such as Reader X or earlier to see if the missing pages will show.

[andreap86877267]

Zaid, apologies for misspelling your name in my response. My auto-correct sometimes changes names it doesn't recognize, without me noticing.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

Zias sounds good too

Don't worry, it happens.

[cinziamarotta]

Sometimes it happens that some elements on the page have syntax errors. These errors affect the view in Acrobat (that makes an analysis of the elements) but not in other PDF readers.

I suggest you remove all elements from the page and export the file. Then add an item at a time by exporting, until you can discover which is the element that causes the problem.

Please, let me know if it works

[Barb Binder]

Thanks for any ideas.

Are you using layers? Could the misbehaving elements be on on a layer set to non-printing?

[Erica Gamet]

Along the same lines as cinziamarotta suggested, I've found that troublesome items often benefit from being removed and replaced. I have used the old "delete and immediately paste in place" method. Maybe try each troublesome item one at a time to see if you can hunt it down. Also, if you moved the troublesome page to a new document, do you get the same results?

[Luke_Jennings]

Are the vanishing elements white? If so, they are probably set to overprint and Reader is correctly honoring the over printing white. Preview does not. The display of overprinting elements in Acrobat and Reader can be controlled in the preferences.

[andreap86877267]

Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions, but I’m afraid none of this is solving the issue.

Steve, I deliberately open the file in Preview to see if the error reproduces.

Zias, I have already erased and reinstalled a different version of Reader and have the same problem with the new version.

Cinzia, I deleted the elements from the page and inserted a new text-box with dummy text, but that too did not appear in the exported pdf.

Barb, I have only used one layer throughout the entire document.

Erica, please see the comment I made regarding Cinzia’s suggestion. I have also copied the page content from backup versions of the same file made a month ago: the backup versions reproduce the content just fine in pdf format, but when I cut and paste that exact same content to this file, it does not show up in the resulting exported pdf.

Luke, the vanishing elements are not white. I tried your suggestion anyway but that did not make a difference.

Again, I really appreciate all of your suggestions but the issue remains. This is the first master page of the file, my guess is that has something to do with it, but I can’t get much further than a guess.

[cinziamarotta]

Did you export the file as spreads?

Then, can you try to export it as pages?