Open PDF without installed Types

[diddl2164]

I make a journal for the wrestler in Stuttgart. I tryed to make it in Publisher but PDF writing doens't work. I think the reason are PDF from the ads with defect types und not installed types. I had the same problem with InDesign. So I changed the ads in pixel-pictures.. But it doesn't work with Affinity Photo to open the PDF correct without having the types installed. But with Photoshop it works. In Photoshop I can open the PDF correct without installed types.

[stokerg]

Hi diddle2164 and Welcome to the Forums,

This will be due to the Fonts not being installed and also because we don't convert the PDF to an image, like Photoshop does when you open the PDF in there.  The only workarounds for this at the moment, install the missing fonts or from checking your account with us, you use Affinity on Mac, so you could use the Preview app to open the PDFs and then save them as an image and insert those into Affinity.

[Guy Alex]

Building on the initial question, is it really impossible to import a PDF file into Publisher converting it into an image, without keeping texts as texts? To be honest, I would find such behaviour rather suprising and not always practical.

[wonderings]

This has been an issue since the beta version and there are many many posts about it. Seems the OP is saying he had the same issue dropping the PDF in Indesign though as well which I find strange. Right now if you need to use supplied PDF's I would stick with Indesign till some sort of pathrough option comes out where Publisher is not trying to make the PDF editable. Too many possible headaches with this at the moment. 

Work around solution if you have the capabilities is to convert all fonts to outline if you do not need the pdf text editable the future. 

[Guy Alex]

Thanks. An editable document would be entirely fine if the conversion from PDF was not associated with strange results in Publisher. Indeed, there are sometimes distorted (or possibly missing) texts.

I am definitely happy to read that this issue is under review.

[wonderings]

1 hour ago, Guy Alex said:

Thanks. An editable document would be entirely fine if the conversion from PDF was not associated with strange results in Publisher. Indeed, there are sometimes distorted (or possibly missing) texts.

I am definitely happy to read that this issue is under review.

Not sure if it is something they are working on correcting as many seem to think it is a feature and not a problem. Personally this would have been a high priority issue as so much cannot be done if PDF's cannot be safely placed in Publisher. I am not holding my breath for a fix of this feature. 

[Guy Alex]

OK, I understand, though after your explanation I find it to be both a feature and a problem. Why cannot the users switch off this kind of behaviour? And as pointed out, this behaviour more than rarely leads to distortions of the text.

[diddl2164]

Thank you all for the info. Sorry, but my English is very bad. And I am not a real PDF Expert. InDesign has a very goood type management. In the type management I saw that same types are defect or misssing. And as I said I changed them in pictures and then PDF writing in INDesign worked. I opened the PDF in Photoshop in High resolution with 500 dpi so the quality was good. From the technical support came the advice to open it in Preview and change it in a picture. I tryed it but the only possibility I saw was a screenshot. This is from the resolution not good enough. So it is no solution the problem. With the cleaned PDF  (5 ads from hundreds) PDf writing worked in InDesign. So I opened the cleaned IDML in Publisher and tryed PDF writing but it didn't work. I must say I have many clients which have really no idea from professionell PDF writing.

Edited April 10, 2020 by diddl2164

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

I am working on a PC and do not have Photoshop. Following your advice, Lagarto, I tried to import a PDF file into Gimp and then to export it as a Photoshop file. It opened in Publisher as a multilayer pixel file. I have not explored possible problems with other original PDF files, but it seems to be a way when one needs to take it. Thanks.

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

Thanks a lot for your efforts! I really appreciate it.

I am so sorry to say that I am not such a skilled user, though, and I therefore ignore how to run Ghostscript, whose latest version I have just installed on my computer, and what to do exactly with the pdf2outlines.vbs file. I have tried to run it, but it flags out an error. (Sorry, the text from Windows is in Czech, but it basically says it cannot find the PDF file in question.) Would you be willing to help me a bit more to find the way?

[lacerto]

(...)

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

Thanks. The pdf2outlines.vbs file when running indicates no more an error, but it does not create the * _nofonts.pdf file either. 😞

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

I tried amonst others a 4-page file directly with Ghostscript. The result was the following:

It was enough to drag and drop the file on the window of Ghostcript. I had to press return after each page.

What to do now?

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

I appreciate very much your patience. Still no result. I may have a mistake somewhere... Thanks.

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

Thank you for both your advice and your patience. Now, it works! 😊

[lacerto]

(...)

[lacerto]

(...)

[lacerto]

(...)

[Guy Alex]

Thank you for this additional element. I confirm it works. 😊