Issue
An error message, "PDF export failed" is displayed when downsampling is enabled for an InDesign document.
Reason
When you place images, or graphics, and scale them down significantly, it results in increase in resolution. Example: If you place a 600 dpi image without scaling, it consumes a large amount of available memory on your system. So, the usual practice is to scale down a 600 dpi image to 50% for effective resolution and export. Such PDFs fail during export because of the downsampling of the images.
For PDF export failures other than downsampling, seehere.
Solution 1: Use Acrobat to downsample the images after you export.
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ChooseFile > Exportand selectPDFas your format, choose a location and clickSave.
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In theExport PDFdialog box, disable the image downsampling options.
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Open the resulting PDF in Acrobat.
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ChooseAdvanced > PDF Optimizer.
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Set the downsampling options of your choice in theImage Settingspane.
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Disable all options that you don't require.
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ClickOKand enter the required information to save the file.
Solution 2: Use Photoshop to downsample the images before you export.
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Right-click on the image in the layout or the links panel, and chooseEdit Original.
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In Photoshop, selectImage > Image size.
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EnsureResample ImageandConstrain Proportionsare enabled.
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Adjust the document size values based on the final output's image resolution and your layout needs.
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Save and close the image.
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Return to InDesign andupdate the link if necessary.
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