Frequently Asked Questions

Desktop publishing (DTP)

Troubleshoot exporting PDF using Acrobat Distiller?

Perform the tasks in this section to determine if Acrobat Distiller causes the problem.

1. Make sure that you use a version of Acrobat Distiller that is compatible with FrameMaker.

FrameMaker installs the required version of Acrobat Distiller. If you use a version of Acrobat Distiller that's not compatible with FrameMaker, you may need to update or upgrade FrameMaker, or remove Acrobat Distiller and reinstall FrameMaker.

  • FrameMaker 7.2 is compatible with Acrobat Distiller 7.0.
  • FrameMaker 7.1p116 is compatible with either Acrobat Distiller 6.0 or 7.0.
  • FrameMaker 7.1b023 and 7.1p114 are compatible with Acrobat Distiller 6.0.
  • FrameMaker 7.0p579 is compatible with Acrobat Distiller 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0.
  • FrameMaker 7.0p578 is compatible with either Acrobat Distiller 5.0 or 6.0.
  • FrameMaker 7.0p492 and 7.0p576 are compatible with Acrobat Distiller 5.0.


To determine which version of Acrobat Distiller is installed, start Acrobat Distiller and choose Help > About Acrobat Distiller.

2. Make sure that Acrobat Distiller works.

Create a PDF file from another application, (for example, Microsoft Word) by printing a document to the Adobe PDF printer. If you can create a PDF file, FrameMaker may be the cause of the problem; proceed to the "Troubleshoot FrameMaker" section in this document. If you can't create a PDF file, create a PostScript file and then open it in Acrobat Distiller:

  • In FrameMaker, open a document and choose File > Print.
  • In the Print dialog box, click Setup, select a PostScript printer (for example, the Adobe PDF printer) and then click OK.
  • In the Print dialog box, click Setup, select a PostScript printer (for example, the Adobe PDF printer) and then click OK.
  • Start Acrobat Distiller.
  • Choose File > Open, and choose All Files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu. Select the file you created in step 3, and then click Open.
    -- If Acrobat Distiller creates a PDF file from the PostScript file, proceed to the next section, "Troubleshoot FrameMaker."
    -- If Acrobat Distiller doesn't create a PDF file from the PostScript file, proceed to the next task.


3. Check the messages.log file.

The messages.log file may include information (for example, PostScript errors) that you can use to troubleshoot the problem. If the file lists a PostScript error, troubleshoot the error according to document 328515 , "Troubleshoot PostScript errors." You can find the messages.log file in the Acrobat Distiller [version] folder.

For Acrobat Distiller 7.0:

  • Windows 2000 and XP: Documents and Settings/ [user profile] /Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 7


For Acrobat Distiller 6.0:

  • Windows Me, 98, and 95: Windows/Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 6
  • Windows NT: Winnt/Profiles/ [user profile] /Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 6
  • Windows 2000 and XP: Documents and Settings/ [user profile] /Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 6


For Acrobat Distiller 5.0:

  • Windows Me, 98, and 95: Windows/Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 5
  • Windows NT: Winnt/Profiles/[user profile]/Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 5
  • Windows 2000 and XP: Documents and Settings/ [user profile] /Application Data/Adobe/Acrobat/Distiller 5.

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