Distiller returns repeated "Postscript error": will not convert to PDF or close
I have a problem that has come up all of sudden, and I can't figure out why this has happened or how to solve it. I've certainly never seen this happen when distilling before, and since this is a time-sensitive project, I'm stuck.
When I try to convert a file to PDF, Distiller stops after the message "Building Font Table" begins and returns a "Postscript error".
This happens when trying to distill via all of the following methods:
1. Exporting directly from Pagemaker
2. Printing to a PS file from Pagemaker, and then opening up Distiller to distill the file
3. Using PDF 995 to convert a Word file
The strange is thing is that once I get the error, it starts an endless loop where it keeps trying to distill the file and then returns the error, over and over. If I close the Distiller window or even shut down the application via Task Manager, it won't shut down -- it just continues to run this loop. The only way to get it to Close is to shut down the computer.
I have files I need to convert to PDF asap and I'm stuck. Can anyone help?
When I try to convert a file to PDF, Distiller stops after the message "Building Font Table" begins and returns a "Postscript error".
This happens when trying to distill via all of the following methods:
1. Exporting directly from Pagemaker
2. Printing to a PS file from Pagemaker, and then opening up Distiller to distill the file
3. Using PDF 995 to convert a Word file
The strange is thing is that once I get the error, it starts an endless loop where it keeps trying to distill the file and then returns the error, over and over. If I close the Distiller window or even shut down the application via Task Manager, it won't shut down -- it just continues to run this loop. The only way to get it to Close is to shut down the computer.
I have files I need to convert to PDF asap and I'm stuck. Can anyone help?
check if you have acrotray.exe running
ASKER
Can you give a bit more info - I'm not sure what acrotray.exe is or how to check if it's running.
Thanks
Thanks
There are two indications that this is not related to acrotray.exe: It happens also when a file is distilled directly, and it also happens with PDF 995. The last one really puzzles me: If it's a Distiller problem, then PDF 995 should work. Because it also happens when distilling a PostScript file, it's also not a printer problem.
Distiller creates a log file when it runs (which usually gets deleted when the file is successfully converted). Do you see this file in the directory where the PostScript file is?
I suspect a font problem (e.g. a corrupt font).
Distiller creates a log file when it runs (which usually gets deleted when the file is successfully converted). Do you see this file in the directory where the PostScript file is?
I suspect a font problem (e.g. a corrupt font).
ASKER
I don't see a log file in the directory where the PostScript files are -- I just see the PostScript files.
I wondered if it was related to a corrupted font in a sepcific document, so I've tried to convert several different files -- several different PM ones, and several different Word ones.
Is there anything I can do to try to isolate the problem?
M.
I wondered if it was related to a corrupted font in a sepcific document, so I've tried to convert several different files -- several different PM ones, and several different Word ones.
Is there anything I can do to try to isolate the problem?
M.
ASKER
Some new information -- I was trying to open Distiller from different places on my computer -- in case I somehow had an extraneous version I didn't know about, or something. I get the error:
Adobe PostScript Software Version 3011.104
%%[Postscript error]%%
even if I don't try to distill something -- if I just open Distiller. And again, it just keeps going in the loop unless I manually Restart the computer.
Does that offer any new info?
M.
Adobe PostScript Software Version 3011.104
%%[Postscript error]%%
even if I don't try to distill something -- if I just open Distiller. And again, it just keeps going in the loop unless I manually Restart the computer.
Does that offer any new info?
M.
ASKER
One more piece of info...
When I shut everything down and then use PDF995 to convert a Word doc, I don't get an error from Distiller (it doesn't look like Distiller ever opens), BUT it produces a PDF file with size 0. When I try to open the resulting PDF, it says "There was an error opening the document. A read file error has occured."
M.
When I shut everything down and then use PDF995 to convert a Word doc, I don't get an error from Distiller (it doesn't look like Distiller ever opens), BUT it produces a PDF file with size 0. When I try to open the resulting PDF, it says "There was an error opening the document. A read file error has occured."
M.
PDF995 does not use Distiller, so you shouldn't see Distiller.
Distiller reads it's setup file when it comes up. This is also a PostScript file, so if you have an error in this file, you would see a PostSript error. This file is usually c:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Distillr\Data\distinit
Bug again, this is just for Distiller, and does not effect PDF995.
Which version of Acrobat are you using? Did you try to reinstall Acrobat?
Distiller reads it's setup file when it comes up. This is also a PostScript file, so if you have an error in this file, you would see a PostSript error. This file is usually c:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Distillr\Data\distinit
Bug again, this is just for Distiller, and does not effect PDF995.
Which version of Acrobat are you using? Did you try to reinstall Acrobat?
ASKER
Thanks for your help.
It's Acrobat 5.0. I haven't tried to reinstall because I don't have my original software - but I'm going to see if I can borrow someone's to reinstall.
Would you recommend anything else I would need to do, besides uninstall and install in the normal way?
Marney
It's Acrobat 5.0. I haven't tried to reinstall because I don't have my original software - but I'm going to see if I can borrow someone's to reinstall.
Would you recommend anything else I would need to do, besides uninstall and install in the normal way?
Marney
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ASKER
Just wanted to check in and say that I'm still working on this. I'm going to try to reinstall Acrobat today and see if that helps.
Before this happened, these are the only three things I can think of:
I had problems with Outlook -- A .PST file was corrupted and so I had to back up all email files, delete the email account, and then import all the files.
I did recently install a new printer about a week ago, but I had used Acrobat successfully prior to that, without incident.
The evening before this problem began, I ran PDF995 on a Word file and it was successful. I have only used PDF995 one other time before that -- a long time ago, but I had not had any problems. The next morning is when I tried to convert a Pagemaker file (through the regular Convert command) and that is when I started getting the errors.
I'll let you know what happens when I reinstall Acrobat. If you have any other insights, please post.
Before this happened, these are the only three things I can think of:
I had problems with Outlook -- A .PST file was corrupted and so I had to back up all email files, delete the email account, and then import all the files.
I did recently install a new printer about a week ago, but I had used Acrobat successfully prior to that, without incident.
The evening before this problem began, I ran PDF995 on a Word file and it was successful. I have only used PDF995 one other time before that -- a long time ago, but I had not had any problems. The next morning is when I tried to convert a Pagemaker file (through the regular Convert command) and that is when I started getting the errors.
I'll let you know what happens when I reinstall Acrobat. If you have any other insights, please post.
ASKER
HI -
Just wanted to report that when I uninstalled and reinstalled Acrobat, everything is now just fine. So who knows why i had that problem, but everything seems to be in order, now. Thanks for all your help and for explaining things so well.
Just wanted to report that when I uninstalled and reinstalled Acrobat, everything is now just fine. So who knows why i had that problem, but everything seems to be in order, now. Thanks for all your help and for explaining things so well.