Error message while exporting with PDF/X4 preset

[kai2]

Hello, I get the enclosed error message when exporting PDF/X4 The export is aborted. I had a similar problem in one of the beta versions last year. At that time an old Adobe postscript font was responsible. When I export the document as PDF/X3 the export works fine. I have a similar problem when exporting from AD when a PDF is placed in the document.
What could be the reason for this?

Regards

Kai-Uwe

[thomaso]

What font(s) are involved? – Does your X-3 export come out with curved text? If not, could you upload the PDF?

[kai2]

It was an Adobe Frutiger-Font - but in this document not included. I use the standard X3-preset without curves.

The X3-PDF is attached - the problem with the X4-preset is the embedded logo.

logo-test.pdf

[thomaso]

Frutiger:  What age/or format? (mine are from 1990 and 2002). They could be affected by this issue: The font file format Postscript/Type 1 is not supported by Affinity apps properly, and possibly it never will, according to this announcement of this font format's developer:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/announcement-end-of-support-postscript-type-1-fonts.html

Logo: What file format was the logo initially? I assume its transparency clipping path creates problems. There are issues reported with imported e.g. imported EPS and PDF files. – Could you upload your .afpub + separate logo file, too?

[kai2]

The Frutiger-Font is from 1999 🙂. It was the only font from my collection so far that did not work.

I'm uploading the two files additionally - but the bug is new in version 1.8.3. I use this logo almost daily in different documents - so far without problems.logo-test.afpub

logo-test.afpub renault-logovertical-positive-cmyk.eps

[thomaso]

I still assume the issue is caused by the clipping paths of the gradients in the EPS.
It appears odd to me what does work and what not. For instance ...

works:
– I can convert your exported X-3.pdf with Acrobat into a X-4.pdf.  logo-test_ot_pdfX3>X4.pdf
– I can also convert the EPS with Distiller into a PDF.  renault-logovertical-positive-cmyk.pdf
– The export of such a placed logo PDF works, both as X-4 and X-3.

– I can open the embedded EPS in your .afpub with a double-click –> which then is no EPS any more but a "Layer" with its gradients converted to many rasterised image layers and clipping layers. (Note: compare a zoom view on the shiny lense flare center in the logo of the placed versus the opened EPS: while the placed version appears smooth in the gradient the opened versions shows a pixel grid. Apparently not placing but only opening the placed EPS causes APub to convert the vector gradients into pixel.tifs. See screenshot below)
– I can select this entire "Layer" and copy & paste back in your .afpub on a new page.
– I can export this new page as pdf X-4, but its result is rasterized.

doesn't work:
– If I click on any sublayer of "Layer" in the opened embedded file then APub crashes most often.
– If I place the EPS in a new .afpub document and export as X-4.pdf then...
...a.) the file size estimation never ends  
...b.) I get the same error message as the OP.

The placed (embedded) EPS –> opened in APub –> copy&past back into the .afpub on page 2:

[thomaso]

@Serif-Team, in case you want to detect the issues with EPS logo files including vector gradients:
Attached 4 more samples which fail on export as PDF/X-4 but do work as X-3:    EPS test APub.zip

[kai2]

Thanks for your detailed analysis. @Serif-Team As i said, I have only been experiencing this bug since version 1.8.3.

[Jon P]

Hi @kai2,

It's generating an error due to the colour profiles used ["ICC profile for CMYK color space must not be identical to ICC profile of CMYK output intent in PDF/X-4/5"].

I've struggled to work around it for now (the EPS is the cause from what I can see, as thomaso mentions), it doesn't seem to be as simple as switching colour spaces in the document or EPS. It needs looking at further so I've passed it on to development. I'll let you know if we get more information.

[kai2]

I am curious about the problem solution.

[thomaso]

12 minutes ago, Jon P said:

["ICC profile for CMYK color space must not be identical to ICC profile of CMYK output intent in PDF/X-4/5"].

Jon, where is this quote from/related to?  And whose profile is meant with "profile for CMYK color space must not (...)" – is this the resource's (EPS) or the APub document's profile? Both sound odd to me as an exclusion for PDF/X output.

[Jon P]

It's possible to enable logging for PDF export, we have an FAQ on enabling it here.

It pointed to the profile on the embedded EPS but changing it would just change the profile it was pointing to. It does sound odd to me, so it's with development to look into a bit further.

[thomaso]

21 minutes ago, Jon P said:

It pointed to the profile on the embedded EPS

(Thank you for the link to the profiling tool!) – I just tried an .afpub (4 placed EPS files) twice, with different profiles. First with document = export profile (identical), 2nd with both differing. The document profile is "PSO Coated v3.icc", which was invented after the EPS files got saved. Also the protocol message varies with my selection of a different output profile. Therefore I don't think that the protocol points "to the profile on the embedded EPS"

[Patrick Connor]

We have made fixes/improvements to this area (Error message relating to ICC profile exporting a file to PDF X4) of the program in the latest release.

The fixes and how to update are described in these forum posts.

• Affinity Publisher 1.8.4 for Windows         ( Microsoft Store and Affinity Store )
• Affinity Publisher 1.8.4 for macOS            ( Mac App Store and Affinity Store )

We would appreciate you checking that this issue has now been resolved for you.