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Adobe InDesign: Bugs

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  1. Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
  2. Steps to reproduce the issues
  3. Expected result
  4. Actual result
  5. Test file, screenshot, video or GIF capturing the issue (optional)
If you are facing a crash in InDesign, please submit the crash report as well. How to Submit Crash Report
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560 results found

  1. background issue PDF

    I can not export a DPF file from my InDesign file. I keep getting the message that a background issues has occurred and the PDF can not be saved. HELP!!!!!

    2 votes

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    We have released InDesign CC2019.0.2 with lot of stability fixes. If you are not on 14.0.2.324 then I would recommend you to upgrade to latest version as it is more robust.

    If you still face this issue even after updating, please send the following information to santalwa@adobe.com :
    • Error snapshot or video recording of the issue?
    • Is(Are) the issue related to a specific document(s)/asset(s)? If Yes, Can you please provide the document(s)/asset(s)? Please package the entire document(To package the document, Go to File → Package)
    • Does Trashing preference and cache, please create a backup of Preference and cache before trashing them, help to resolve the issue?

    Adobe InDesign Team

  2. Phantom lines are appearing on export that do show up on print

    Phantom lines around boxes are appearing on export. Some of these are appearing when printed from Nitro Pro. This may be a Nitro Pro issue?

    2 votes

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    1 comment  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  3. Hidden content in pdf export

    Adobe InDesign CC 2017. While exporting the file into a PDF. In the PDF while searching for a word I found some sort of ghost fields (picture ghostfields.png). Then I found out that the problem is caused by graphics that we use internally. There are mostly more than just one graphic in one Illustrator file (picture illustratorfile.png). It is saved as an ai, not eps. InDesign exports the parts of those graphics that are actually not visible in InDesign (picture error2.png). I could not find out why, or how to solve it. And because of those ghost field you can…

    2 votes

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    3 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  4. Datamerge

    Version: Indesign CC 2017.1. Same behaviour in both Windows 7 and El Capitan 10.11.6.

    Steps to reproduce: Create a layout file and a tab delimited text file like the ones seen on the info images.

    Expected result: A pdf with the same data as the text file and preview.

    Actual result: A pdf with its first record correct, but the following two incorrect. See description image.

    Solutions/workarounds

    1. Decrease the column names number of characters and/or make sure no placeholder has overset text (used solution).

    2. Create a merged document. The values seem to work as expected then (this solution was not…

    2 votes

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    1 comment  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  5. AGLFN: ZWJ, ZWNJ, ZWS in PDF

    Indesign is not written ZWJ (U+200D), ZWNJ (U+200C), ZWS (U+200B) with its glyph name uni200D, uni200C, uni200B respectively.

    This is not helping in copying the text with ZWJ (U+200D), ZWNJ (U+200C), ZWS (U+200B) from PDF.

    These non-printing characters are copied has "space" instead.

    These non-printing characters in Indic scripts are part of text. With and without these characters, text can changes its meaning.

    Please support these characters with AGLFN glyph names in fonts in Indesign, PDF export feature.

    More info

    https://github.com/adobe-type-tools/agl-aglfn/issues/1#issuecomment-323822117

    2 votes

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    3 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  6. Profiles equal to the Output-Intend get lost on PDF-Export

    When exporting a PDF all profiles equal to the Output-Intend (which in my case is the Document-Colorspace PSO Coated V3) get lost when exporting.

    I have created a small test-file with an PSO Coated V3 Image and an ISO Coated V2 Image.

    When Exporting as PDF X4 with Output-Intend Set to PSO Coated V3 the Image that IS PSO Coated V3 looses its profile and the same for the ISO Coated V2 when the Output-Intend is set to that.

    This is horrible for Colormanagement. I've been in contact with "Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG" and they suggested to report this to Adobe…

    2 votes

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    2 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  7. Missing color in PDF from InDesign

    I have an InDesign file with a placed PSD file in it, which contains two spot colors. When I save the file as a PDF out of InDesign, only one of the two spot channels is visible.

    I'm running the latest versions of InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat. To reproduce, open the attached InDesign file and save as a PDF. The resulting PDF should show a yellow and blue spot, but only the blue is visible. (The PDF generated during packaging also exhibits the problem.)

    2 votes

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    4 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  8. PDF Export results in deleting a page from the InDesign Document!

    I have a 330 page book PDF. After exporting my ID design as a PDF, it destroyed my Table of Contents page by leaving it clear and adding another clear page to the spread.
    Every time I try to fix it by deleting the clear spread and adding a new page to start all over again, it tells me "Requested operation would cause one or more objects to be too small.
    Please check whether the stroke weight is too large."
    For some unknown reason I have lost my Table of Contents page and can't add even a new page to…

    1 vote

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  9. Paste Into don't respect the frame boundaries

    I’m having an issue in InDesign with graphics using the 'Paste Into' command. When I export the file to PDF, the graphics occasionally don't respect the frame boundaries. If I duplicate the frames, the problem persists, but it appears inconsistently in different places. However, when I export as a PNG or print the page directly to a printer, the issue does not occur.

    Mac Studio M1 Ultra
    macOS Sonoma 14.8.4
    Indesign 2026 21.3

    Attached pdf, png and indd files.

    1 vote

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    1 comment  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  10. PDF export freezing on 99%

    Continual problems with PDF exports freezing on 99% and not completing. InDesign is getting worse and worse. Unreliable, unstable, just garbage.

    1 vote

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  11. **Title:** Grayscale TIFF colorization exports low-resolution unless transparency is forced (InDesign 21.3 / macOS 26.4) **Environment:*

    Grayscale TIFF colorization exports as low-resolution unless transparency is forced (InDesign 21.3 / macOS 26.4)

    Environment:

    • InDesign version: 21.3
    • macOS version: 26.4 (build 25E246)
    • Hardware: Mac (Apple Silicon, exact model available on request)
    • PDF export presets tested: High Quality Print, custom (no compression), PDF 1.3–1.8
    • GPU on/off tested

    Description of the issue:

    Grayscale TIFF images placed in InDesign and colorized using the InDesign color tools export as visibly pixelated (low-resolution) in PDF.

    • The source images are high-resolution and correctly linked
    • The display in InDesign (high quality preview) is perfectly sharp
    • The issue appears only after PDF export
    • RGB/JPEG images do…
    1 vote

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  12. Cropped content inside frames becomes visible on older mobile PDF viewers.

    I found a rendering issue in InDesign 2021 (and potentially newer versions). When an image or PDF is placed inside a frame (cropped), the content outside the frame boundaries is still being rendered on older mobile devices' PDF viewers.

    Steps to reproduce:

    • Place a large PDF/Image inside a smaller InDesign frame.
    • Export as a standard PDF (Interactive or Print - High Quality).
    • View the PDF on an older smartphone (e.g., older Android/iOS built-in viewers).
    • The "hidden" parts outside the frame are visible.

    The content outside the frame should be completely clipped or removed from the render stream to ensure privacy…

    1 vote

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  13. Page Information is repositioned and cutoff when document is below a certain Document width

    If a document has a width smaller than a certain size, the Page Information on exported PDFs becomes re-positioned lower and outside the left and right bounds so becomes cut off, as opposed to being within the crop mark area, no matter how long the file name is.

    1 vote

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  14. PDF fails, no alert in Background Tasks

    Indesign 21.2
    Exporting a 30 page complex file, the sort which occasionally give us problems. The export ends with no crash, and no alert in Background Tasks, but a zero K PDF file.
    In previous versions Indesign would crash. Which was only better in that you knew immediately there was a problem.
    The complexity in our file is that it is a summary with many other indesign files placed into it.
    Our workaround (exporting single pages then compiling) usually works if it is done in 2 or 3 chunks.

    1 vote

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  15. Indesign with overprint exporting as blank PDF

    I've got a bunch of InDesign files from different artists that all have overprinted objects. I then place all of these into a master InDesign file and arrange them. However when exporting the PDF is blank.

    If I place PDF's instead of InDesign files though, the final PDF will export fine. Any one know why this is?

    1 vote

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  16. Poor error messaging when PDF fails t oexport

    Hi. I frequently export massive PDFs for event walls, things like that. Indesign crashes all the time doing this, and the error messages I get are the opposite of verbose. They just crash and say try again, no indication of the object or page causing the crash, let alone actual solution advice. This drives me absolutely nuts, it basically reads as indesign not being able to do what I have used it for for years for no reason. I can't be alone in this, the lack of any detail in these crash messages is awful for my productivity.

    1 vote

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  17. pdf error

    trying to pdf a document and generates this error, have removed the images one by one and it still throws the same error

    1 vote

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    1 comment  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  18. PDF Not updating on export

    Adobe InDesign 21.2
    I've been noticing when I export a pdf and override my last version that the changes do not update the new pdf version. I have to change the file name completely. I even deleted the file, re-exported, with the same name and it pulls the old PDF up!
    I've used this process for awhile and it's suddenly not working.

    1 vote

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    2 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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  19. Tint on frame export to *.pdf issue

    InDesign 26.1 x64; Windows 11 25H2;
    1. Create new document with two pages, add 20% of black on each text frame.
    2. Export to pdf file (Standard PDF/X-3:202)
    expected pdf file - two pages with 20% tint
    actual: to white pages

    1 vote

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  20. rendering not as per illustrator

    1. Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
      Adobe InDesign 21.1

    2. Steps to reproduce the issues
      When placing an artwork (from Illustrator via AI file) into InDesign, artwork appears to be distorted and different from the actual artwork. All settings are in place, same as before, InDesign is the latest version. Yet regardless what I do, the artwork is either

    3. Distorted

    4. Include multiple layers of the old, WIP and new, all in 1 view

    5. When exported, the render does not resolve itself, resulting in an incorrect artwork in the PDF

    6. Expected result
      Artwork placed is rendered as per the artwork.

    1 vote

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