orielwen said:

If the printer is requiring InDesign files and not using PDFs, I'd say you need to look at finding a new printer (assuming it's your choice, of course). If it's client who's requiring InDesign files, then could you send the InDesign file to the client and quietly pass the print PDF directly to the printer?

If you can't replicate the problem on your own computers then you couldn't have foreseen it even if you had checked the IDML before you sent it. Sounds to me like the error is with the printer/client here. They asked for the wrong file, you sent them what they'd asked for and the correct file as well, they didn't check print proofs or compare the IDML output with the PDF. I'd go back to the client and say that it was fine when it left your offices, and it's their responsibility what happened to it after that. (Only I might be a little more polite than that, if I ever wanted to work for them again!)

Unfortunately as this is a public sector client, everything has to go to rostered suppliers and as such this printer had been selected by the client to print the job. Yes I agree it's a printer error and we've taken it up with the client and advised that either the printer upgrade or we use a different supplier in future.

Thanks for the advice.

David Blatner said:

I don't have a solution for you, sorry. But I have to ask: Why on earth would you ever send an IDML file to a printer? That would scare the pants off me. IDML is NOT a seamless downsave. Things DO change.

If you want to send a file to a printer, send them a PDF file! That way everyone can look at it and make sure it is correct before it is printed.

Hi David,

I totally agree that sending an IDML is madness but that is what we were reqd to do in really tight timescales, we also sent a pdf as a softproof but obviously this was either not checked or not picked up by printer / client.

As a matter of interest we've recreated the file ourselves in CS4 (which we had to re-install on an unused mac) from the IDML but we've been unable to recreate the problem. All very strange.

Thanks Again

Paul.