Expert: Glen Demers - 3/11/2010

Question
QUESTION: When I select and copy text from a pdf and paste into InDesign doc. ID crashes, what's up?

ANSWER: Hi Tom,

The pdf could have an embedded font or subset of a font that is incompatible with the rest of your system.
Try pasting the text in notebook, simpletext or other word processor and changing the font. Then copy and paste that into InDesign.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more InDesign tips please visit our help pages here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/indesign.htm

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, that didn't work. Paste still crashes ID.

Answer
Hi Tom,

I would try just typing some text in notebook or simpletext using Arial or Helvetica and try pasting it into ID. If this works, then you know you are copying something bad from the original pdf. It could be a hidden graphic, corrupt font or an unknown character. Try copying smaller blocks from the pdf or blocks of copy without any accent marks, symbols etc. Try copying the text from the pdf to a word processing file. Save the file and bring the text into InDesign using the Place command.

If it always happens to the same ID document, try exporting the doc as a .inx file and opening that up in InDesign.

If paste still crashes InDesign then I would try deleting the InDesign preferences file and relaunching InDesign. If that fails then try re-installing InDesign.

Hope this works,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more InDesign tips please visit our help pages here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/indesign.htm