Troubleshooting

In this chapter…

…we present a collection of common problems and solutions. If you are having problems running StampPDF Batch, consult this chapter first. If nothing here solves the problem, refer to Support – StampPDF Batch.

Common Problems

Before proceeding, if you are having problems with your PDF files, check that they are well-formed, and not corrupt. See Cleaning up PDF Documents below.

  • If you have encrypted files, you must pass the Owner Password to StampPDF Batch to stamp them. You provide the Owner Password with the -d <owner password> command line option.
  • The name of the stamp file must precede the name of the PDF document to be stamped on the command line. The stamp file will generally have a .txt extension and the PDF document will have a .pdf extension. StampPDF Batch will not work properly if the PDF document name precedes the stamp file on the command line.
  • When using the log file option, -l <logfile>, there must be a log file name. If there is no file name, StampPDF Batch will recognize the text string immediately following the -l as the name of the log file, which may cause an unintended result.
  • When using the output file option, -o <outfile>, be sure to have an output file name. If the -o is used without an accompanying filename, StampPDF Batch will use whatever text string that follows as the name for the output file, again causing an unexpected result.
  • Make sure all file and path names are correct. If you are working in one directory and StampPDF Batch resides in another, you must account for that in your stamp file and command line. We recommend that you always use full paths to all files used in your stamp files as well as to the input, output, and log files.
  • If you get an error from StampPDF Batch that the file was unable to write, check to make sure that the file isn’t open in Adobe Acrobat or any other application. Also be sure the file is not set as read-only or encrypted.
  • StampPDF Batch only stamps PDF documents. Any attempt to stamp a file that is not PDF will fail. Be aware of this if you are using wildcards to specify filenames.
  • Be aware of “special characters” that may cause problems with filenames and names for the UndoLabel. Avoid use of the following characters when naming log files, output files or UndoLabels for undoing stamps: \ / : * ? ” < > | ^ &.

 

Cleaning Up PDF Documents

Not all PDF files are created equal. The way in which a PDF document is generated makes a difference, and PDFs generated by third party tools in particular can vary in quality. PDF documents can also become corrupted.

To check how the file was created:

  • In Acrobat X, XI and DC select File > Properties… and click Description. Under Advanced, look at PDF Producer.

If the PDF Producer field is blank, consider the file suspect.

Making a Clean PDF

If you are having problems with a specific PDF, try to create “clean” version of your document. There are two ways of doing this using Adobe Acrobat. If you use other PDF manipulation software, check the documentation for functions that may be equivalent to those found in Adobe Acrobat.

Method 1: “Optimize” your PDF

  • In Acrobat X, XI and DC > File Menu > Save As > Optimized PDF

If saving as optimized does not work, distill the document by following the steps below.

Method 2: Distilling PDF Documents

Distilling a document will remove all comments and form-fields from the PDF. If the PDF contains these items and you wish to preserve them, you must save them before Distilling.

To save existing comments

  • In Acrobat X, XI and DC select Comments > Comments List > click the Options icon > Export All to Data File… In the Export Comments dialog box, select a name and location for the Forms Data File (.fdf), and click Save.

See the additional step below for saving form fields (if any):

Delete all comments:

  • In Acrobat X, XI and DC select all the comments in the Comments List pane and press the Delete key.

To save form fields (if any):

  • Save a copy of the original file. You will copy and paste the form fields from the original file into the new file after the distilling procedure.

Distilling the document

To distill a PDF document do the following:

  • In Acrobat X and XI select File > Save As > More Options > PostScript. Choose a name and location for the file and click Save.
  • In Acrobat DC select File > Export to > PostScript. Choose a name and location for the file and click Save
  • Open Acrobat Distiller > select File > Open… In the Open PostScript File dialog, locate the PostScript file created in the previous step and click Open.

The distiller will create a new PDF file with the same name and location as the PostScript file.

Restoring comments

To restore the comments:

  • In Acrobat X and XI, select Comments > Comments List > click the Options icon > Import Data File… In the Import Comments dialog box, locate the Forms Data File (.fdf) previously saved and click Select. In the next pop-up box, click Yes. The comments are restored.
  • In Acrobat DC, select Tools > Comments > Comments List > click the Options icon > Import Data File…In the Import Comments dialog box, locate the Forms Data File (.fdf) previously saved and click Select. In the next pop-up box, click yes. The comments are restored

Restoring form fields

To restore form fields:

  • Open the original PDF file that includes form fields.
  • In Acrobat X and XI select Tools > Forms > Edit Form)
  • In Acrobat DC > select Tools > Prepare Form > Form fields will automatically appear
  • The form fields will appear, do a Control-A to select all the form fields.
  • Open the new distilled PDF file which has no form fields.
  • Do a Control-V to paste all the form fields onto the page.

You may need to reposition the fields by selecting them again with the Select Object Tool and moving them to the correct position. For multi-page forms you must do this for each page separately.