nexpress not liking my PDF's

[wonderings]

I am at a new shop, learning a bunch of new things. They have an offsite location where they run a bunch of digital stuff. Been having issues with PDF files that we get from our b2b portal. I never had issues dropping them into my imposition software (Imposition Studio Pro) or using the CWS imposition, they just work. They seem to have issues with the size of the PDF, it is standard size finished, but has crop marks and bleeds. Is the nexpress imposition software really that finicky about the PDF size even if it is 3.5 x 2 + bleeds and crop marks? Don't have much info on what they are using there, trying to find a solution on my end so the files I get can just be dropped in and printed without me having to manually resave each PDF now.

A resaved file that worked was 3.75 x 2.25, no crop marks. The file I get from our b2b store is 3.7503 x 2.2503 which I think is throwing off things on their end, that less then a hair size different.

[Joe]

Do the PDF's have correctly sized trim boxes? Most imposition software uses the trim box.

[wonderings]

Do the PDF's have correctly sized trim boxes? Most imposition software uses the trim box.

I made the PDF's in indesign. Document size is 3.5 x 2 with .125" bleed all the way around. I then add crop marks when exporting as PDF from Indesign.

[scottrsimons]

Yes the NexPress is really touchy about the PDF page boxes. If I remember correctly it really needs the Trim and Bleed boxes to be spot on, and setup in each PDF for it to print correctly.

[Joe]

Do the PDF's have correctly sized trim boxes? Most imposition software uses the trim box.

I made the PDF's in indesign. Document size is 3.5 x 2 with .125" bleed all the way around. I then add crop marks when exporting as PDF from Indesign.

Not sure if the tdocuemtn size is your bleed or your trim size but you should always make your document size in InDesign at trim size and specify the bleed when you create the document. InDesign will always make the trim box in the PDF the size the document is created in InDesign. Never make your document at bleed size. Then your page boxes will always be correct.

[wonderings]

Do the PDF's have correctly sized trim boxes? Most imposition software uses the trim box.

I made the PDF's in indesign. Document size is 3.5 x 2 with .125" bleed all the way around. I then add crop marks when exporting as PDF from Indesign.

Not sure if the tdocuemtn size is your bleed or your trim size but you should always make your document size in InDesign at trim size and specify the bleed when you create the document. InDesign will always make the trim box in the PDF the size the document is created in InDesign. Never make your document at bleed size. Then your page boxes will always be correct.

I make my document size the finished size and set the bleed margins in document setup. They have no problem when I resave in indesign and send them new PDF's, just need to figure out what the online guys are doing with our b2b reorder site.

[Joe]

My guess is the page boxes are not correct in the PDF's from the b2b reorder site.

[swampymarsh]

I agree with Joe, the page box info may be stripped from the file if this is a variable data application. Files simply uploaded to a portal should be OK. You can make an Acrobat Pro action/droplet or use PitStop Pro or Server to set the page boxes. It will depend on how consistent the input data is on how automated this is. PitStop can detect trim marks and set trimbox and bleedbox info from these marks.

[scottrsimons]

If your b2b is using FusionPro for it's VDP, I can tell you that it is FusionPro that is messing up the page boxes. It did it for us for a little while till I found the correct setting in FusionPro before we uploaded into our b2b. If you do it there, then you don't have to run it through anything else after you get the files from the b2b. Saving time.

[EyeTech]

Early Xmas present ...

Acrobat Action to set Page Boxes to Zero and Save File. I use this all the time for our NexPress instead of Kodak's Geometry Editor.

Open Acrobat goto Action Manager, select Import, choose the attached file and that should become available in the Actions list