Issue

When you try to export to PDF or create an Adobe PDF document using the Adobe PD
F printer, Adobe PageMaker returns one of following error messages:
"Cannot send PostScript file to Distiller."
"Saving the PostScript output failed."
"Could not print to the PostScript file."
"Could not write PostScript to File."
"Cannot send PostScript to Distiller"
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Solutions
Do one or more of the following solutions:
Solution 1: Save the PageMaker file to a different location before you create a
PDF file.
Use the Save As command to save the PageMaker file to a different location, such
as the desktop, and then create a PDF file.
Solution 2: Select paths and filenames that don't contain punctuation characters
.
When you create a PDF file, choose a filename and path that doesn't contain punc
tuation characters (for example, commas, exclamation points). If a file or folde
r in the destination path includes punctuation characters in its name, rename th
e file or folder. If your PageMaker publication includes punctuation characters
in its name, rename the publication.
For example, if the path and filename of the publication is newsletter\gardens,v
ol8\flowers,blue.pmd, and you want to export the PDF document to the same locati
on, change the path and filename to newsletter\gardensvol8\flowersblue.pmd.
Solution 3: Download and install the latest update for PageMaker.
Visit the Adobe website at: www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID
=2426
Click Proceed to Download.
Click Download Now.
Choose Run to install the update.
Solution 4: Select a Postscript printer in the Compose To Printer list. (Windows
only)
If a non-Postscript printer is selected in the Compose To Printer setting, then
you can see unexpected behaviors when exporting a PDF from PageMaker. For more i
nformation, see "Setting print-related Document Setup options" in the PageMaker
online Help.
In PageMaker, choose File > Document Setup.
In the Document Setup dialog box, select a Postscript printer from the list
of printers in the Compose To Printer list.
Solution 5: Delete the printer style preference file.
Quit PageMaker.
Delete Pstyles.cnf (Windows) or Printer Styles (Mac OS) from one of the foll
owing locations:
Windows: Program Files/Adobe/PageMaker [version]/RSRC/[language]
Mac OS X: Applications (Mac OS 9)/Adobe PageMaker 7.0/RSRC

Mac OS 9: Applications/Adobe PageMaker 7.0/RSRC

Start PageMaker.
Print or export the document to PDF.
Solution 6: Make sure that Acrobat Distiller is installed.
PageMaker requires Acrobat Distiller to create PDF files. By default, Acrobat Di
stiller is installed to the following locations:
On Windows: C:/Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 5.0x or Acrobat 6.0, depending on
your version of PageMaker
On Mac OS: Hard drive/Adobe Acrobat 5.0/Distiller
For information on how to install Acrobat Distiller from the PageMaker CD, do on
e of the following:
See "To install Acrobat Distiller," below.
See "About Adobe PDF" in the PageMaker User Guide.
See the How_to_Install ReadMe file on the application CD.
To install Acrobat Distiller:
On Windows:
Insert the PageMaker CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Open the Acrobat Distiller folder on the PageMaker CD.
Double-click setup.exe, and follow the onscreen instructions.
On Mac OS:
Insert the PageMaker CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Double-click the PageMaker CD.
Double-click Install Acrobat Distiller, and follow the onscreen instructions
.
Solution 7: Change the Printer Style to Acrobat Distiller or Adobe PDF printer d
river. (Windows only)
Define an Adobe Printer as your printer style. For example, Acrobat Distiller (i
nstalled with PageMaker 7.0 and 7.0.1) or Adobe PDF printer (installed with Page
Maker 7.0.1a or later). Defining a printer ensures that you are printing to the
correct printer with the correct settings.
Choose File > Printer Styles > Define.
Click New.
Type in the name for the Printer Style and click OK.
Click Edit.
Select the Adobe Distiller or Adobe PDF printer from the printer list.
Select the correct Distiller PPD for the version of your printer (Distiller
5 PPD - "Acrobat Distiller 3011.104", Distiller 6 PPD- "Adobe PDF 3015.102", Dis
tiller 7 PPD -"Adobe PDF 3016.102")
Note: For more information on installing the correct PPD, see the User Guide.
Ensure that you have the correct settings in Additional Print Settings and c
lick OK. Click OK again to close the Define Printer Styles dialog box.
To use the Printer Style, choose File > Printer Styles >[name] as created ab
ove, and click Print.
Solution 8: Install an updated version of the PostScript printer driver.

You can download the Adobe Universal PostScript Windows Driver Installer from th
e Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/.
Solution 9: Reinstall Adobe Acrobat and PageMaker.
If you installed Acrobat 6 after you installed PageMaker, remove Acrobat and Pag
eMaker, and then reinstall Acrobat and PageMaker, in that order.
Note: If Acrobat 6 and Acrobat 5.x are installed on your computer, then remove b
oth versions of Acrobat before you reinstall Acrobat 6 and PageMaker.
To remove Acrobat and PageMaker, do the following:
In Windows, use the Add Or Remove Programs utility.
In Mac OS:
Move the Acrobat and PageMaker application folders to the Trash.
Move the following Acrobat preference files to the Trash from the Users/[use
r name]/Library/Preferences folder:
com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro.plist
com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro6.0.plist.
Move the PageMaker preference file (Adobe PageMaker 7.0P Prefs) to the Trash
from the System Folder (Mac OS X) or the System/Preferences folder (Mac OS 9.x)
.
Solution 10: Configure the printer to generate PostScript that is optimized for
portability (Windows only).
After you configure the printer, reprint or reexport the publication.
To configure the printer to generate PostScript that is optimized for portabilit
y, do one of the following:
Choose Start > Settings > Printers (Windows XP and 2000) or choose Start > S
ettings > Control Panel and double-click Printers (Windows NT).
Right-click the printer and choose Printing Preferences.
Click Advanced.
Expand Document Options, and then expand PostScript Options.
Choose Optimize For Portability from the PostScript Output Option menu, and
then click OK.
Click OK.
Solution 11: Configure the printer to download TrueType fonts in Outline or Bitm
ap format. (Windows only)
After you configure the printer, reprint or reexport the publication.
To configure the printer to download TrueType fonts in Outline or Bitmap format,
do the following:
Choose Start > Printers And Faxes (Windows XP) or Start > Settings > Printer
s (Windows 2000) or Start > Settings > Control Panel. Double-click Printers (Win
dows NT).
Right-click the printer and choose Printing Preferences.
Click Advanced.
Expand Document Options, and then expand PostScript Options.
Choose Bitmap from the TrueType Font Download Option menu, and then click OK

.
Click OK.
Solution 12: Print the publication to PostScript, and then distill the PostScrip
t file.
To print and distill a PostScript file, Acrobat Distiller and a PostScript print
er driver must be installed on your system. Acrobat Distiller and the Adobe Post
Script (AdobePS) printer driver are included on the PageMaker CD.
For instructions on installing Acrobat Distiller, see Solution 4, "Make sure tha
t Acrobat Distiller is installed," above.
For instructions on installing the AdobePS printer driver, see "Installing PostS
cript printer drivers for PDF export" in PageMaker Help.
To print the publication to PostScript and distill the PostScript file, do the f
ollowing:
Important: To view PostScript errors that can occur when you print your file to
PostScript, use an error handler utility. For example, Adobe PageMaker includes
the PostScript Error Handler option in the Print Options dialog box. In Windows,
configure your printer to print the error message. To activate the PostScript E
rror handlers, see the Background information section at the end of this documen
t.
Open the publication in PageMaker.
Choose File > Print.
Note: If you use PageMaker in Classic mode in Mac OS X, set up a printer using t
he Chooser before you can print to PostScript. See "Printing from Mac OS 9 appli
cations" in Mac Help for more information.
Click Options.
Select Write PostScript To File.
Enter a filename in the Write PostScript To File box.
Click Browse (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS) and choose a location in which to
save the file.
Click Save (Windows) or OK (Mac OS) in the Write PostScript To File box.
Click Save in the Print Options box.
Do one of the following procedures:
Navigate to the PostScript file on the system and double-click it.
Start Acrobat Distiller, choose File > Open, and navigate to the PostScript
file.
Note: If your conversion job fails, Acrobat Distiller creates a log file that ca
n also contain PostScript errors. You can use this log to troubleshoot the probl
em. If the file lists a PostScript error, troubleshoot the error according to Tr
oubleshoot PostScript errors (328515). You can find the messages.log file in the
Acrobat Distiller[version] folder at the following location:
For Acrobat Distiller 7.0:
Windows 2000 and XP: Documents and Settings/[user profile] /Application Data
/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 7
For Acrobat Distiller 6.0:
Windows Me, 98, and 95: Windows/Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 6

Windows NT: Winnt/Profiles/[user profile] /Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Di

stiller 6
Windows 2000 and XP: Documents and Settings/[user profile] /Application Data
/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 6
Solution 13: Use the Place command to import images in the PageMaker publication
.
Choose File > Place.
Navigate to the folder that contains the image.
Choose the image, and then click Open (Windows) or OK (Mac OS).
Solution 14: Check objects and graphics for damage.
Determine if a specific element on a master page or a document page causes the p
roblem. To isolate elements, first delete empty pages and unnecessary elements,
such as those on a pasteboard or hidden layer.
To delete pages, do the following:
Open the publication in PageMaker, and then choose Layout > Remove Pages.
In the Remove Pages dialog box, enter the page range you want to delete.
Click OK to delete the pages and then click OK again to confirm deletion.
If the problem recurs after you delete empty pages and elements, delete half of
the remaining pages and save the document with a new name. Then try to re-create
the problem:
If the problem recurs, one of the remaining pages can contain a damaged elem
ent. Continue to delete pages until you determine the page that causes the probl
em.
If the problem doesn't recur, one of the deleted pages can contain a damaged
element. Replace the deleted pages until you determine the page that causes the
problem.
After you determine the page that causes the problem, remove and replace element
s on it, including imported graphics, objects drawn in PageMaker, and text frame
s.
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Additional information
PageMaker cannot create a PDF file if either the source publication or the desti
nation path include punctuation characters.
When you import an image using Copy And Paste or Import Object, it becomes a Win
dows metafile (WMF), which isn't designed for high-resolution printing. The Plac
e command doesn't convert the file format of an image.
If you think a PostScript error has occurred, but it doesn't appear onscreen or
in your printout, you can sometimes view the error by doing the following:
On Windows XP or 2000:
Choose Start > Settings > Printers.
Right-click the target printer, and then choose Properties.
Click Printing Preferences, and then click Advanced.
Click PostScript Options, click Send PostScript Error Handler, and then choo
se Yes.
Note: If PostScript Options isn't visible, double-click Document Options.

Click OK to close the Advanced Options dialog box, and click OK to close the
Printing Preferences dialog box. Then click OK to close the printer's Propertie
s dialog box.
On Mac OS, configure the Apple LaserWriter 8 or Adobe PS printer driver to p
rint the error message. Do one of the following in the Print dialog box:
Choose either Job Logging or Error Handling from the pop-up menu, click
Options, select either Summarize On Screen or Print Detailed Report, and then cl
ick Print.
Choose Background Printing from the pop-up menu, select Foreground, and
then click Print.
For information on troubleshooting Postscript errors, see Troubleshoot PostScrip
t errors (328515). For additional resources on PostScript errors, visit www.prep
ressure.com/ps/dbase/overviewerrors.htm.
PageMaker 7.0.1a addresses compatibility issues with Adobe Acrobat 5, Acrobat 6
Standard, and Acrobat 6 Professional.
If the procedures above don't resolve the problem, contact PageMaker Technical S
upport:
Customers in the US and Canada: Call Adobe Technical Support at 206-675-6500
.
International customers: Call the support number for your region. To locate
this number, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/intlsupport.html