PDF export problem

[AntonM]

Is there a problem with PDF export from Xara, or is it me? I'm having trouble with a background, non-prinrting layer being visible in the exported PDF file.

I'm doing a kind of catalogue and want to send the photopages, which I've done in XDP X 8.1.3.23942, to the various authors involved, none of whom have ever heard of Zara. PDF seemed the best way of doing it, and it's the format I used for a previous similar catalogue without any problems.

However, when exporting this catalogue as PDFs (I've only tried Draft and Email export), an error box pops up saying that the export worked but there was a problem displaying the file. (Suspect this might have something to do with the new Adobe Reader?)

Undaunted, I opened the PDF manually into Adobe Reader X (version 10.1.6) on my Win7 PC, and it opens well enough and the background layer, which I've set to be non-printing, is invisible (as expected) on the first page, but visible (i.e., not as expected)) on the second and subsequent pages of each photopage file. (Don't think this has anything to do with the new Adobe Reader.)

I've checked that layer on each page in Xara and they are indeed all set as background, non-printing -- which I would expect, because they are all clones of page 1.

Printing to paper from the Xara file produces the correct result -- i.e., background objects are not printed on any page.

Have I missed something somewhere?

Edit -- PS: Setting the troublesome layer to 'not visible' works around the problem, so at least I can proceed with my work. But that should not be necessary -- a non-printing layer should not print at all, not on any page!

[Gamerprinter]

Sometimes when I'm exporting something with an exotic transparency applied it doesn't show up in the PDF. When this happens, although it ups the file size a bit, I usually Convert to Bitmap Copy, or export the graphic only as a JPG, import back to the Xara document at the same location, bottom layer. Since Acrobat is trying to view the non-text as JPG graphics anyway. As I said, using a PNG or JPG ups the file size a bit, but it usually fixes the problem.

Note, you'll need to cut the text and non-problem graphics to the clipboard, or otherwise hide the non-problem layers so you only export/convert the problem graphic, and not everything else too. Just Paste in Place once you're done with the export and everything is back as it was.

It really isn't a Xara problem, so much as the limitations of Acrobat.

[Albacore]

Think this a layers problem. When you generate a PDF in Xara and you want to use layers with that PDF you can only use version 1.5 and if you don't all layers will be flattened if my memory is correct. Don't ask me why it didn't flatten the 1st page! I take it you used the layers properties to set the non printing layer? and you then clone each page. In my opinion it is easier to turn the viz. on/off when using PDF and for a few reasons:- turning fonts into shapes (always like to keep a copy of text so that I can edit it). After using layers for a drawing I hate when using a clipping mask how it flattens the drawing taking it out of the layers ( again make a copy of all objects put those into clipping layer and hide the rest. Sorry can't answer the first page problem would need to try it with a drawing would check your PDF export settings and hit the "Advance Options" button and check in the General that PDF 1.5 to 1.7 is selected and then go the the Layers tab and select "generate reader Layers".

[AntonM]

Thanks for your replies.

Does anyone have any objections if I raise this as a bug in Xara?

[Gamerprinter]

You do as you need. But as I stated the bug is in Acrobat, not Xara.

[AntonM]

GamerPrinter -- it's not clear to me why displaying a non-printing Xara layer would be an Acrobat problem. This seems to me to be a creator-application problem rather than a displayer-application one.

I can accept that there may be a compatibility problem between the latest Xara and the latest Acrobat when it comes to Xara instructing Acrobat to open the page which Xara has just created. I've imported the Xara-created PDF back into Xara to see what elements are there. Page 1 of the PDF contains only the images and label text. Page 2 contains the image, the labels text, and rectangles & lines which were on the background (non-printing) layer. As far as I can see, the only way that the contents of the background layer could, or could not, be on PDF pages is if the creator of the page (Xara in this case) sent them, or not, to the PDF.

If I have the wrong end of the stick, please tell me -- and I'd be grateful for an explanation of why it is definitely an Acrobat problem and definitely not a Xara problem.