Hello all
I have a strange problem with this pdf file linked below. I can not do anything with the text object. At Pitstop I can not convert it into outlines, I can not remap it to another font. Only after saving the file to .eps and then to PDF using Distiller makes that the text can be edited and I can do with it whatever I want. Can you help me with what is wrong with this file and possibly what should I tell to the Client what He have to change when He generate files? Is the font coding problem?
Is it possible to change the font encoding directly in the PDF file?
Best regards and thank you in advance for your help.
Looks like it was created in something called PreS Connect
I placed it in InDesign and reoutput a pdf and then it was editable, you don't need to distill it.
To me it's a bad pdf, do you get a lot of pdfs like this?
Heads up there is a black line at the top that is barely visible.
you can use the edit object tool select the text and edit object and it looks like illustrator
will outline the fonts when it opens it.
Using basic Acrobat DC tools (preflight), I could change the size of the text, recolor the text, add additional text and convert the text to outlines. I could not edit the existing text without doing what the two of you mentioned, however.
Yes, strange, export from InDesign, all ok.
Like the original is coated with protection, like a condom.
IT'S A FONT CONDOM DAMNIT!
I can edit it without changing to .eps or making a new PDF from InDesign. Sort of...if I use my Pitstop selection tool and draw a box around the type it shows this:
[attach width=500]18715[/attach]
It looks like a small image is selected but it is all of the text. I can change it from RGB to K=100% after that but Pitstop still won't let me remap the font but Acrobat DC will with the "Edit PDF" by selecting the text box and doing "Select All" which looks like the text isn't selected but it is and shows the point size as 9.94. If I change it to 10 pt via the dropdown then it can be selected normally and then change the font and then change it back to 9.94 pt.
It is a weird PDF. Not sure what purpose the black line at the edge of the document serves unless it is a sheet guide of some sort.
It's a rib, like a ribbed condom.
Jimmy Hat Condensed
Quote from: Tracy on June 13, 2018, 08:00:49 AMLooks like it was created in something called PreS Connect
And from what I can find, it looks like that software is made to create a type of variable communication, which would make sense that the fonts are a bit funky. Here's a link to their website: PreS Connect (http://pres.objectiflune.com/en).
I like the tag line from the company. "Objectif Lune develops simple, effective and enjoyable software helping companies communicate better with their customers."
I can't remember the last time I used an enjoyable piece of software, thank you Objectif Lune. :sarcasm:
:laugh: don't think metlife is enjoying it either
Quote from: pspdfppdfxhd on June 13, 2018, 09:27:50 AMIt's a rib, like a ribbed condom.
You're not about to let this theme rest, pspdf... :undecided: :hello:
By all means, keep it up, though... :grin:
Quote from: Joe on June 13, 2018, 09:15:10 AMI can edit it without changing to .eps or making a new PDF from InDesign. Sort of...if I use my Pitstop selection tool and draw a box around the type it shows this:
[attach width=500]18715[/attach]
It looks like a small image is selected but it is all of the text. I can change it from RGB to K=100% after that but Pitstop still won't let me remap the font but Acrobat DC will with the "Edit PDF" by selecting the text box and doing "Select All" which looks like the text isn't selected but it is and shows the point size as 9.94. If I change it to 10 pt via the dropdown then it can be selected normally and then change the font and then change it back to 9.94 pt.
It is a weird PDF. Not sure what purpose the black line at the edge of the document serves unless it is a sheet guide of some sort.
Joe, that's what I have to face. The text edited in the Pitstop behaves like a picture. The line at the top is placed specifically to see if the file breaks because of it. In my opinion, the problem is font coding. Yes, I could repair such a file and this is not a problem. The problem is that these files will be a minimum of 100 with a total of about 700,000 pages. My computer will convert it all day by blocking my Pitstop, and I have something to do in the meantime. Here we have only a test file, while the target files that contain personalization and when it comes to editing in Acrobat, lines of text spoil when you try to edit in such a way that one overlaps the other and the text becomes unreadable. Therefore, I must tell the client to change the settings when generating files from their application, but I do not really know what else they could change except for the font coding. I am waiting for a test file in which They try to set another font encoding, but I have not received anything from them yet.
Well first it might help if we knew how they were creating the PDF's and what settings they use. This PReS Connect they are using probably generates the PDF in some fashion. Are all the PDF's you will be receiving just text like the sample you posted? Ask them if PReS Connect can make either PDF X-1a or PDF X-4a PDF and send you a test file made with it.
See four screen grabs - The fonts are CID with a custom encoding. Tell the client to use Unicode or ANSI coding instead.
Here's a link to a similar issue on the topic..
http://www.toughdev.com/content/2015/02/restoring-text-from-pdf-files-encoded-using-custom-cid-fonts/
QuoteWhile using CID fonts can have many advantages, especially when displaying Eastern language text, in this case I believe it was purely a deliberate attempt to make copying text from the document a hassle, as most reader applications would just copy the original encoded characters, resulting in garbled text being pasted.
Quote from: frailer on June 13, 2018, 09:34:41 PMBy all means, keep it up, though... :grin:
Phrasing?
Kudos to ninjaPB_43 for mentioning the CID font encoding issue...extract this Acrobat Preflight and import it into Acrobat. Run it on the file using 'Analyze and Fix' and save the new file. Once that is done you can select the text with Pitstop as you normally can.
Quote from: Joe on June 14, 2018, 07:43:49 AMKudos to ninjaPB_43 for mentioning the CID font encoding issue...extract this Acrobat Preflight and import it into Acrobat. Run it on the file using 'Analyze and Fix' and save the new file. Once that is done you can select the text with Pitstop as you normally can.
I had a feeling someone would have an action or preflight that would fix it. Nice Joe. Thanks.
Quote from: frailer on June 13, 2018, 09:34:41 PMQuote from: pspdfppdfxhd on June 13, 2018, 09:27:50 AMIt's a rib, like a ribbed condom.
You're not about to let this theme rest, pspdf... :undecided: :hello:
By all means, keep it up, though... :grin:
I think I've beat this to death. I am spent.
Hello Joe,
Thanks for the PreFlight Profile. Sadly its not working for me... but then I am a schmuck for using Acrobat DC. Maybe with a decent copy of Acrobat all will be well.
I ran an Inventory report out of Acrobat (attached) and saw "PostScript name: EDWAAA+ArialMT".
I've seen this kinda nonsense before with Ghostscript where Glyph mapping gets lost or garbled.
Hello MetLife,
If the PreFlight Profile does not work for you, ask them to try again using "MS Arial Unicode" instead of ArialMT. The Polish glyphs they need will all be there and hopefully the encoding will come through without any loss of mapping
Quote from: Fat Boy Tim on June 14, 2018, 01:38:18 PMHello Joe,
Thanks for the PreFlight Profile. Sadly its not working for me... but then I am a schmuck for using Acrobat DC. Maybe with a decent copy of Acrobat all will be well.
What was the issue with the preflight profile? I assume you unzipped it before trying to import it into Acrobat preflight?
Quote from: Joe on June 14, 2018, 01:59:37 PMQuote from: Fat Boy Tim on June 14, 2018, 01:38:18 PMHello Joe,
Thanks for the PreFlight Profile. Sadly its not working for me... but then I am a schmuck for using Acrobat DC. Maybe with a decent copy of Acrobat all will be well.
What was the issue with the preflight profile? I assume you unzipped it before trying to import it into Acrobat preflight?
Hello Joe,
Seems to have imported ok. Flags up the error but looks like the fix up does not want to kick in. Attached is the output result pdf and two reports ( one as manually called preflight the other as a droplet)
I still suspect DC is to blame.
I created it in DC and it seems to work fine. I think it is still a CID font afterwards but the encoding is fixed. After the preflight Pitstop selects it just as it should.
Hmmmm...I created the Preflight in Acrobat DC at home and it worked there but now it isn't working here at work in Acrobat DC. I'll get back to it when customers quit sending jobs for 30 seconds.
:spy2:
FYI - I tried to load the preflight profile as well (out of curiosity to see it work on the test file) but it failed to import into Acrobat. (screen grab below) However, I am on Acrobat Pro X (10.1.16).
Yeah you would need Acrobat DC to import it.
It is weird. It worked on my Mac at home but I even created it again on the work Mac and it doesn't work. Same version of DC. Just in a different town/county.
Quote from: Joe on June 14, 2018, 03:46:41 PMYeah you would need Acrobat DC to import it.
Figures, I feel so left behind... :rage:
Quote from: Joe on June 14, 2018, 07:02:02 AMWell first it might help if we knew how they were creating the PDF's and what settings they use. This PReS Connect they are using probably generates the PDF in some fashion. Are all the PDF's you will be receiving just text like the sample you posted? Ask them if PReS Connect can make either PDF X-1a or PDF X-4a PDF and send you a test file made with it.
Joe, unfortunately, so far I have not received an answer to what settings the client generates files. I installed PReS Connect, but I am waiting for the project file from the client to check the PDF file writing options yourself. I asked them about PDF-x1, PDF-x4, PDF-A and they all had the same problem with the font. Joe, final files will be invoices that contain the text itself and possibly a few tables containing monetary amounts. Thank you in advance for preflight fixing CID font coding. If you manage to create a preflight that will work properly with us all, it will be great. Certainly it will be useful for me to fix similar problems in fewer files.
ninjaPB_43 I noticed this too and I asked the client to use another font coding if of course they have the option. I also asked to use a different font, but so far I have not received any test files that meet my requests.
Fat Boy Tim, I have asked the customer about this before, but still no messages from him.
OK you can create an Acrobat Preflight to outline all fonts and it does work on this test file but of course that is the big hammer approach.
Manually I can use the Acrobat DC "Edit PDF" tool and click on the text container and right click and "Select All" then change the typeface to something else and then change it back to the original font that you have to have open on your system. After that I can go back to Pitstop and select the text lines as normal. But this is a manual procedure that isn't practical with the number of files you have.
What exactly do you need to edit in these PDF's?
The optimum solution is to have the person creating them to do them so you can do whatever you need to do to them.
I agree! It sounds like he gets lots of pages, for safety reasons they need to fix the issue :laugh:
Ok - don't hate me, but....
I exported the PDF out of Acrobat DC as PostScript (embedded fonts are referenced fonts preserved)
I then ran it through Distiller - PDF 1.3 / PDF-X1a ... (shhh.... not a word to Dov Issacs or anyone)
The output (attached here) is not perfect but you can at least get an action list to correct the RGB black text to make it what ever colour you need and its selectable (if broken into 6 segments).
Because of the simplicity of the PDF content that you are being sent, this might just work for you IF they client cannot correct their PDF output.
* So for export to PS you can create an Action with Action Wizard in DC
* You can make a distiller hot folder for the PDF refry
* And an Action List to do any other quick clean up
All in all - you can automate the many files you are going to get.
But receiving the file correct the 1st time is definitely the best option for you.
(I just used distiller - I feel so cheap & dirty inside)
You can actually convert the RGB text with Pitstop in the original file by using the Pitstop Selection Tool and drawing a box around the text and doing a global change. Or by just running the built in "Convert Color to Gray and Keep Black Text" action that ships with Pitstop. No need to go to postscript and back to PDF first.
Repairing files by me is probably not an option, because we lose too much time because of the fact that there are a lot of files and they have a very large number of pages. One of the departments in our company works on the GMC Inspire Designer software and needs to process these PDF files to the .AFP format. Due to the fact that there is a problem for me with font in PDF files from the client, we can not process them to the AFP format. Color change is not a problem. I also managed to repair the file by saving it to PostScript and then using Distiller to PDF. For me the most important thing is to find out what the problem with this file is. I bet that the problem is the font encoding. In the report from Acrobat I get the information that the CIDset entry is missing in the font subset and that the font encoding is set to custom. Unfortunately, Preflight from Joe does not work with me and does not fix the error with the font. Joe, is there any way you can create a working Preflight? I would be very grateful.
P.S.
Can you help me, how to create hot folders in Distiller? I admit that I have not been looking for it in google, because I think that I will get more professional help from girls and guys :)
The preflight is not working for me either. Not sure why it worked once unless I had already done something to the first test.pdf I had downloaded which could be the same that I had remapped the file previously with Acrobat DC's "Edit PDF".
For Distiller hot folders:
Open watched folders:
[attach width=300]18735[/attach]
Then change settings to whatever you want:
[attach width=300]18737[/attach]
Quote from: metlife on June 18, 2018, 03:45:44 AM...... One of the departments in our company works on the GMC Inspire Designer software and needs to process these PDF files to the .AFP format. Due to the fact that there is a problem for me with font in PDF files from the client, we can not process them to the AFP format......
Ahhhhh.... GMC Inspire .... well, why didn't you say so. :-D
Ok, when the PDF is brought into the GMC environment you need to ask what "handling group" they are using. They need to select a handling group (or create a handling group) that treats the PDF as a complete object and adds it to the output without interpreting it or converting it to a native file format.
Now, I am not that familiar with .AFP so you might not have any options to do this, but do ask them the question. It might save everyones time if they can handle the wacky PDF output you already have.
Quote from: Joe on June 14, 2018, 03:07:17 PMI created it in DC and it seems to work fine. I think it is still a CID font afterwards but the encoding is fixed. After the preflight Pitstop selects it just as it should.
Hmmmm...I created the Preflight in Acrobat DC at home and it worked there but now it isn't working here at work in Acrobat DC. I'll get back to it when customers quit sending jobs for 30 seconds.
:spy2:
I'd almost forgotten 'COD font issues'.
Preflight zapper filed away...thanks.
Joe, thank you so much for your help. I analyzed your Preflight and it turned out that the one I did before I came here for help was almost identical to yours. Unfortunately, mine does not work either. When it comes to PDF editing from the Acrobat level, in the case of the test file, there are no major problems, whereas when I use EDIT PDF on the target file, the texts start overlapping and you have to manually correct them. Unless there is an automatic process that would fix it. In such cases as this one, you can see that there are still some tools missing from Pitsop that could handle some problems efficiently.
Fat Boy Tim, I know what you mean with this Handling Group. We have sent a question to the customer about this issue, unfortunately we have not been able to get any answer. I did not receive files from the settings that I asked for, nor did I get a project file for the PReS Connect application so that I could play with the output settings of the PDF files myself. From what we were able to find out, the Client has some support from Germany who is trying to help Them in the matter of these PDF files. Just wait until all of Europe is involved in helping this Client ;)
Quote from: metlife on June 19, 2018, 03:41:22 AMunfortunately we have not been able to get any answer. I did not receive files from the settings that I asked for, nor did I get a project file for the PReS Connect application so that I could play with the output settings of the PDF files myself. From what we were able to find out, the Client has some support from Germany who is trying to help Them in the matter of these PDF files. Just wait until all of Europe is involved in helping this Client ;)
Shit in, shit out. It's all the new rage... AND it's no longer
just the American way.
Welcome to the
New World Order Doomed World Order. :toaster:
:ninja:
Quote from: ninjaPB_43 on June 19, 2018, 12:00:29 PMShit in, shit out.
I remember in my very first computing class at school they taught us this (Garbage in, Garbage out - hey! we were kids).
At the time I thought they meant it as some kind of warning. These days it seems more like a mission statement.
1st time I heard "Good enough for Government work" I was confused because
I thought government work should be really good :laugh:
When I used to shoot page negs for this guy's weekly newspaper, he was so picky, whining over every imperfection in the paper, being an architect by trade. He was just doing the paper till his mother got over an illness. I told him that one of the first things I learned in printing is you've got to learn the difference between good and good enough, especially with deadlines.
Quote from: Tracy on June 19, 2018, 03:25:29 PM1st time I heard "Good enough for Government work" I was confused because
I thought government work should be really good :laugh:
Which government were you thinking of? ;D
:laugh:
When I first worked at the Paper, The old guys that worked the lead type was still there.
they had all kinds of sayings and stories, one that I remember is: If you aren't falling down your not drunk :laugh:
Hello,
Finally, we were able to find what was the problem in the client files. The real issue was that the viewer we are using (Adobe Acrobat Pro DC) does not handle custom CMap for CID fonts implemented in the Pres Connect program. So the viewer is ignoring a part of the PDF standard related to font encoding. Adobe Acrobat Pro appears to ignore their custom CMap and instead treat pairs of characters as if they were Unicode code points. After changing the CMap in Pres Connect by the creators of the program, the problem with the files has disappeared and they are processing correctly. It is interesting that the developers of Pres Connect decided to create a new version of Pres Connect with implemented another CMap. Therefore, we can calmly close the topic. I just wanted to share with you what was wrong with the files.