InDesign update 2017 export to pdf resulting in LowRes images

[100pk]

I just received a booklet from the printer.

the backcover was printed in lowres.

Back in my studio I had to conclude that the PDF was Written bad.

I constructed the cover as a plano file in which I imported the front and backcover.

The imported InDesign file contained high res linked photos which were imported without errors.

I work a lot with imported files.

Yesterday a printer returned a printfile which contained a poster. Again: the poster was rendered in lowres in the print-PDF-file.

I have no idea what is going on here apart from a bug in InDesign.

Has anyone else seen this kind of behaviour or has someone a solution?

[Dov Isaacs]

How are you determining that this situation is the result of “a bug in InDesign” and “the PDF was Written Bad” (sic)?

Did you do the export of the cover from InDesign? Exactly what PDF presets did you use? Did you even examine the PDF file in Acrobat before sending it to the printer? Did the problem exist at that time? I would assume that you wouldn't send a PDF file off to be printed if it was obvious that the some of the imagery in the PDF file was not at the proper resolution. And assuming that the PDF file was OK when you examined it after exporting it from InDesign, then low resolution printing by your printer would clearly not be an InDesign PDF export issue.

Please provide more information and we will try to further assist you.

          - Dov

[100pk]

Thanx for answering so soon, my reaction was not added when I typed it, but fortunately was saved so here it is:

Indeed I did not look carefully enough at the exported PDF to check it.

Normally that would not have been nessecary, certainly since I am using this method for years.

the book cover I mentioned has been printed already and even the printer has not seen it when printed. So far for not checking.

The PDF preset is a preset provided by the printer, apart from that preset I use the standard lowres preset for making client-proofs and off course when making print-docs I use the magazine or newspaper preset

More importantly the cover was constructed by importing 4 pages: backcover/back/frontcover and a second page with inside cover left / and right inside cover. As said: combined to print this file plano.

The back cover is the only image that's rendered low res. So far I can only conclude that something in InDesign has rendered the imported file badly.

I checked the above by copy-pasting back and front cover in the same file. Writing a PDF with the same preset which resulted in a high res PDF of both pages.

The poster I mentioned had the same faulty issue. In this case I did not inspect it carefully enough before sending it to the printer. I trusted my experience and the (before and many times) used preset. Optically this time I was tricked since the file was quite big. When inspecting this file the on-screen resolution makes the image looking sharp nonetheless unless you zoom in. This time my printer let me know a couple of times that I had provided him with a low res file which I could not believe as you could expect.

All in all I can only conclude that the behavior of indesign exporting Iike this, and not being able to trust the export result is probably only to blame to the software.

[rob day]

More importantly the cover was constructed by importing 4 pages:

By importing I assume you mean you used the File>Place command—the files are linked and not pasted? What format are the placed files? Are you sure all of the links were up-to-date in the Links panel when you exported the problem PDF?

[100pk]

Indeed: File>Place native InDesign files

all imported pages from the same 'mother' InDesign document which containes 76 pages.

All links correctly linked and not missing obviously that is the first error I looked for. But the links are all good. And I tested the procedure with the linked file but also with a file where I copy-pasted all information from the original file into the Plano file.

PDF export from both should be identical but in fact is not so again: conclusion it must be something within InDesign software.

[rob day]

So you're saying you can replicate the problem? Can you package and share the file via Dropbox?

[100pk]

Hi Rob, I replicated the issue at my studio in the ways I mentioned above.

I can send the files by Dropbox.

[rob day]

Are you placing inDesign files inside of other InDesign files?

[100pk]

Yes. InDesign file placed in a second InDesign file.

--

vriendelijke groet,

===========================

Paul

===========================

sent from my iPhone

Op 17 apr. 2017 om 16:15 heeft rob day <forums_noreply@adobe.com> het volgende geschreven:

InDesign update 2017 export to pdf resulting in LowRes images

created by rob day in InDesign - View the full discussion

Are you placing inDesign files inside of other InDesign files?

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[rob day]

Looks like a bug. I just ran a couple of quick tests in CC2014 and CS6 and can confirm that in CC2014 placed images in nested InDesign files are losing resolution. CS6 is working as expected.

Here's what I see with Acrobat's Object inspector with nested InDesign files exported with the default PDF/X-4 preset from CS6. Resolution under image attributes is reported as 300ppi:

The same exported from CC2014, resolution is 72ppi:

[Laubender]

Hi Rob,

fortunately I cannot see any degradation of resolution with images in placed InDesign documents when exported to PDF.

I used a PDF/X-4 preset for export and did not down sample images while exporting. Maybe that's the difference? The original preset for PDF/X-4 that comes along with InDesign will down sample  images to 300 ppi if I recall it right.

Hm. Did the experiment again with the original PDF/X-4 preset where images are down sampled to 300 ppi…
All's ok with the written PDF.

How about PDF/X-1a?
Same result. No problems.

Tested with German InDesign CC 2017.1 v 12.1.0.56 on German OSX 10.10.5

Regards,
Uwe

[100pk]

Well, I am using this workflow for years now and the last CC 2017.1 seems to have this bug.

[rob day]

I do have 2017, 2014, and CS6 installed, but my tests are from CC2014 and CS6. So unless there's the possibility of the bug being introduced to 2014 via the 2017 install it's also in 2014.

[rob day]

I just ran another test on a machine with 2014 that has never had 2017 installed and the problem is not there. So it seems like the 2017 install has somehow affected the 2014 install. Seems like a pretty serious bug.

[Laubender]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/rob+day  wrote

I just ran another test on a machine with 2014 that has never had 2017 installed and the problem is not there. So it seems like the 2017 install has somehow affected the 2014 install. Seems like a pretty serious bug.

Hi Rob,

all current versions of InDesign that are available in the Cloud are installed on my machine.
Side by side: CS6 v 8.1.0 , CC v 9.3.0 , CC 2014.2 , CC 2015.4.1 and CC 2017.1.

Maybe it's related to the OSX version?
Other factors? Image type perhaps? Mine is JPEG saved with PhotoShop.

At least that issue is alarming.

Can you post your samples on Dropbox?
I'd like to test with your files…

My test files are here:
Dropbox - Indd-Placed-3-CC-2017.zip

Regards,
Uwe

[rob day]

So trashing my preferences seems to have cleared it up. Here are the files with the export I got before trashing my prefs

Dropbox - NestedIDTest

I've only recently added 2017 to my production machine, so I initially thought it was related but it might be a coincidence. I have an incremental backup going so I can go back in time and find roughly when the prefs corruption happened.

In my tests I was using PDF/X-4 with sampling turned off.

[Laubender]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/rob+day  wrote

So trashing my preferences seems to have cleared it up. Here are the files with the export I got before trashing my prefs

Dropbox - NestedIDTest

I've only recently added 2017 to my production machine, so I initially thought it was related but it might be a coincidence. I have an incremental backup going so I can go back in time and find roughly when the prefs corruption happened.

In my tests I was using PDF/X-4 with sampling turned off.

Thanks, Rob.

Just inspected your provided InDesign documents.

NESTEDPSD300.indd

Last Saved with Macintosh, 10.95 - InDesign-Version: 10.0.0.70

IDPageWithPSD300.indd

Last Saved with Macintosh, 10.95 - InDesign-Version: 10.0.0.70

( I guess the document history is showing the wrong OSX version. I assume that you saved that file on OSX 10.10.5 and not on 10.9.5. )

Is the InDesign version correct?
That points to a non-bug-fixed version of CC 2014.
The current one should be 10.2.0.69.

FWIW:

A strange thing happened.

I opened your NESTEDPSD300.indd with CC 2017.1 v 12.1.0.56

It seems that the document initially was placed as a CC Library asset.
I could be wrong, though…

And I am not able to relink or update the link without opening the linked InDesign document with CC 2017.1 and update the link there. InDesign claims that the link of the psd file is not up-to-date in IDPageWithPSD300.indd.

If I open/save both documents and update the links and export to PDF X-4 there is no loss in quality of resolution.

Regards,
Uwe

[rob day]

I used Adobe Cleaner on my 2014 install before I figured out it was a preference thing, so that's why it's not up-to-date. My OS is 10.10.5.

I'm not sure if this would qualify as a bug, but it is more dangerous than a generic preference problem.

[rob day]

It seems that the document initially was placed as a CC Library asset.

No I used the Place command

[rob day]

I just ran the update on 2014 and it started happening again

[Laubender]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/rob+day  wrote

I just ran the update on 2014 and it started happening again

What is your current version of CC 2014 ? Mine is 10.2.0.69

Can you recreate the problems with my samples from post #14 in CC 2014 and CC 2017.1 ?

Regards,
Uwe

[rob day]

Well, I am using this workflow for years now and the last CC 2017.1 seems to have this bug.

Does clearing your Preferences fix the problem?

[100pk]

Hi all,

(Un)fortunately I can now confirm that InDesign CC 2017.1 has a bug.

I issued a bug-report before posting here but this is going to cost people money!

For what it is worth:

I am using a MBP TB 2016 running

Mac OSX Sierra 10.12.4

Adobe InDesign CC2017.1

(and fortunately a running InDesign CC 2015 to make test-files for comparison)

I just replicated the issue by this steps:

1.

I recreated a file with 4 A5-pages (1, 2+3, 4)in CC 2017.1

2.

I create a plano file measuring 302x210mm so I can place the pages of the cover as needed (4+1, and 2+3)

3.

I create a pdf using the pdf-preset provided by my printer.

End-result contains lowres images.

I then created a file using CC2015 by the exact steps mentioned above.

The pdf created here had high res images.

Both pdf's were created using the same pdf-preset provide by the printer!

See the attached screen dumps with details of a placed picture.

Screendump detail from pdf created with CC2017.1

Screendump from pdf created with InDesign 2015

[Laubender]

Hi 100pk,

can you recreate the issue with my samples from post #14 in CC 2017.1 using the printers PDF Export setting ?

Thanks,

Uwe

[rob day]

can you recreate the issue with my samples from post #14 in CC 2017.1 using the printers PDF Export setting ?

Uwe, I can using the default PDF/X-4 from CC2017.1. This is what I get—I'm sampling the image in the lower left, but the others are low res also:

I looked at this some more on an OS clone I use for testing and it happens when I uninstall or clean CC2014 and CC2017 but leave CS6. If I reinstall allowing CS6's preferences to migrate, I get the bug (even though it doesn't happen exporting from CS6). Trashing the prefs solves it for me and that might be why we are not hearing much from others, because it looks like any preference reset clears the problem.