Placing multiple page PDF

[StrixCZ]

Hi, I'm trying to transition from InDesign to Publisher and one thing I've been sorely missing so far is the ability to place multiple pages of a linked PDF into an AFPUB document.

In InDesign, there's a "Show import options" checkbox when placing a file, with a consequent dialog window which allows you to choose all pages (or a range) of a PDF file.

So if I want to place a 100 page PDF onto 100 pages of a document, I'll just create a document, add 100 pages, import the PDF, choose all pages and then I can simply scroll and click 100 times to place page after page. Not at all perfect but it works.

Sadly, I haven't found any way to place more than one page of a PDF at a time into Publisher (and I can't even choose which page of a multi-page PDF to place - it always places page 1 which I then have to manually change), which is inconvenient to say the least. Please, can you do something about this?

[StrixCZ]

LOL, I know how to add pages to a document - that's not what I'm asking about...

[StrixCZ]

Ok, I'm sorry - this IS actually the solution I was looking for - thank you so much! 🙂

[Ash]

Just to say, that method imports the PDF (so it will be editable), which in many cases is what you want. However the new place auto-flow feature was originally implemented because of the request many people had to place a multi-page PDF. Using this route each page of the PDF is added as a place file - meaning they could all be set to passthrough for example. This is a better method if you do not need to edit your PDF.

Lets say you had an A4 PDF with 100 pages. The way to do this is would be to add an A4 page to your Publisher document, create a picture frame the size of the entire page, then go to file-place and choose the PDF you want (without the picture frame selected). This will bring up the place panel. This allows you to choose which page you want to place, but also above the file thumbnail there is a > which allows you to expand to see all pages. Do that then hit cmd-a (or shift select first and last page to select all the pages you want to place) and then hit the picture frame. Publisher will then add all the additional pages to your document automatically and place each page of the PDF file separately on those pages.

[DoublEdge]

Quote

 However the new place auto-flow feature was originally implemented because of the request many people had to place a multi-page PDF.

Two questions about this new auto-flow feature with PDFs.

1) Using this workflow if you update the original PDF file will it update in Publisher like a linked file can?

2) Using this workflow do PDF annotations made in the original file come though without having to flatten the original PDF first?  

Thanks!

[Krzysztof Petrus]

On 12/2/2022 at 4:25 PM, Ash said:

However the new place auto-flow feature was originally implemented because of the request many people had to place a multi-page PDF. Using this route each page of the PDF is added as a place file - meaning they could all be set to passthrough for example. This is a better method if you do not need to edit your PDF.

This is method is great, except publisher becomes unstable (overall computer performance is visibly lower).

Is there any chance, we could maybe have an option to reduce display quality of those attached pdf's to avoid this (as in indesign) ? Other thing - file size is relatively big (irrespective of having files linked or embedded).

Thank you and best regards K

[Krzysztof Petrus]

if I want to update my placed, multi-page pdf, I never choose .... 'Update' (otherwise program will crush).

Solution to this is to choose 'Make linked' or 'Embedded' and than back to 'make embedded' or 'linked' respectively 😃

[Jon P]

@Krzysztof Petrus Can you make a post in the bugs forum if you can reproduce that in the current retail build. I've just placed a PDF, modified it externally and updated it and there was no crash, so a video/some example files will help us reproduce the issue you are experiencing

[Foolix]

Hello,

I'm using a german affinty Publisher v2 so my translation may be unprecise. However I found that there is a very convenient way to place multi-plage PDF documents into a Publisher document.

Instead of using "File -> Place", use "Document -> Place pages from Document" (or whatever the english translation may be - German: "Seiten aus Datei hinzufügen...")

You get a very handy dialogue.

A downside of this function is that it disregards the "preferably linked / preferably embedded" settings from your Document Settings. (There is a workaround for it which I might explain further, if someone cares.)

[walt.farrell]

20 minutes ago, Foolix said:

Instead of using "File -> Place", use "Document -> Place pages from Document" (or whatever the english translation may be - German: "Seiten aus Datei hinzufügen...")

It's Document > Add pages from file.

And it's very different from Placing the file, because it requires that you have all the fonts installed, and opens it for editing.

And, as you say, it's not Linked or Embedded, so there's no way way to refresh the document if the original PDF changes.

 

[Stuart_Mac]

On 12/2/2022 at 3:25 PM, Ash said:

Just to say, that method imports the PDF (so it will be editable), which in many cases is what you want. However the new place auto-flow feature was originally implemented because of the request many people had to place a multi-page PDF. Using this route each page of the PDF is added as a place file - meaning they could all be set to passthrough for example. This is a better method if you do not need to edit your PDF.

Lets say you had an A4 PDF with 100 pages. The way to do this is would be to add an A4 page to your Publisher document, create a picture frame the size of the entire page, then go to file-place and choose the PDF you want (without the picture frame selected). This will bring up the place panel. This allows you to choose which page you want to place, but also above the file thumbnail there is a > which allows you to expand to see all pages. Do that then hit cmd-a (or shift select first and last page to select all the pages you want to place) and then hit the picture frame. Publisher will then add all the additional pages to your document automatically and place each page of the PDF file separately on those pages.

Thanks for this tip....I've just switched to publisher 2 from in design, and have been struggling to place multipage pdfs for about 30 min! I think this feature could be made a bit more obvious!

[oschrenk]

Had the same issue and found a good solution for for a small to medium amount of pdf pages (on macos)

 

I split the original pdfs into its separate pages using an Automator Workflow

 

• Launch Automator from your /Applications folder
• At the dialog, select New Document > Quick Action > Choose.
• At the top of the Quick Action use these settings
• Workflow receives current [ PDF files ] in [ Finder ]
• Change nothing else in this Quick Action header
• Drag and drop the Split PDF action from the PDFs Library onto the large blank workflow window.
• Change the Save Output to [ PDFs ] folder instead of the default Desktop.
• Output File Name remains Same as Input Name.
• Save the Quick Action with the name Split PDF
• Quit Automator.
• In Finder Right Click the pdf > Quick Actions > Split PDF

See https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253786715?sortBy=rank

Now I have multiple "images" I can use. If you already creates enough pages and added the picture frames, you can now just click one by one. It's not as automatic as I wanted but it's done in a very short amount of time (if you don't misclick)

[tapodi]

Hello!
Multiple PDF place now works in Publisher 2.
At least I tried it when importing full pages.
You create a picture box on the page (it doesn't matter if it's a master page or a simple box), File/Place. In the Place panel, you open the tab and select all the pages and click on the picture box. And the magic happens…

[tombro]

This doesn't work for me, I don't get a “Place panel”, I just get a the first page of the PDF placed on the page.

EDIT: Don't have the picture box selected when you choose place and the place panel will appear. However for pdfs with many pages (300 in my case), the whole thing slows down and crashes and renders the file unusable. Indesign doesn't have the same issue, I don't know if Publisher is importing them at too high a resolution, but I can't seem to see an option to change it.

Edited March 24 by tombro
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