On Mac OS X: Run the application from the Applications folder. On Windows: Run the application from the Desktop shortcut or the Start menu. The following takes place: The Content Station Desktop app is added to the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac OS X) Google Chrome is opened.
Preference files for applications can become corrupt without warning: They hire their relatives for high-paying jobs they’re not the least qualified for, they bribe judges, plant evidence, hide ill-gotten gains in unnumbered offshore accounts, steal candy from babies and make your mama cry. Or they just make your program act strangely. The fix is to replace the bad, bad preferences file with a fresh new one. It’s the first line of defense when trying to solve an intermittent and often random problem that appears to affect all the documents a program works with. If an application can’t find an existing preference file, it builds a new one with factory defaults when it starts up, so simply deleting an existing preference file and restarting the program is usually enough to do the job. The fastest way to do this for InDesign, InCopy, or any other program in the Creative Suite is to quit the program, then hold down the Command-Option-Shift-Ctrl keys (on Windows, hold down Control-Alt-Shift) while you start the program up again.
You may need to choose “Open” from the program’s contextual menu to get the program to boot up because you’re holding down modifier keys, but you’ll figure it out. While the program starts up, keep the keys held down until the splash screen appears along with an alert offering to “Delete InDesign Preferences File?”. Release the keys and click Yes. InDesign will complete the boot-up process with fresh, clean Preferences to replace the sick one it just deleted. Test the program chances are, the problem you were suffering is now history.
That’s all, nice and simple! When you rebuild preferences, you lose any custom application defaults you might have made in the Preferences dialog box, and any Presets you created (custom PDF presets, Document presets, etc.). Also, in early versions of InDesign you lose custom Glyph sets – poof, they’re gone. So, when your InDesign preferences are healthy again, back up the actual “InDesign Defaults” file (see below) for safekeeping. That way, the next time you need to rebuild sickly InDesign preferences (and there will be a next time), you could replace the generic InDesign Defaults file with your healthy backup containing your custom settings. The good news is that some application-wide settings you might have added (as opposed to modified) do survive the rebuilding process. These include custom Workspaces, saved Find/Change queries, keyboard shortcut sets, words you’ve added to AutoCorrect, and custom dictionaries.
Also, scripts and plug-ins you might have installed aren’t part of the program’s preferences, so those will always remain intact. Where are the InDesign Preferences files stored? In Macintosh OS X and Windows, each user of the computer has their own user account; so Preferences are stored in that user’s own set of application preferences. Technically, by the way, the file is called “InDesign Defaults” (not InDesign Preferences).
On a Mac, start at your Home folder, and go to: Home Library Preferences Adobe InDesign version language InDesign Defaults Windows XP: C: Documents and Settings Application Data Adobe InDesign version language InDesign Defaults Windows Vista or Windows 7: C: Users AppData Roaming Adobe InDesign version language InDesign Defaults “Version,” of course, means whatever version of InDesign you’re using. You’ll find a version folder for every version of InDesign you’ve ever installed on that computer. Version 3.0 = CS1, version 4.0 = CS2, version 5.0 = CS3, version 6.0 = CS4, and version 7.0 = CS5. “Language” is your computer’s default language, such as “enUS” for US English.
The language subfolder was added to the InDesign preferences path starting with version 6 (CS4) Along with the InDesign Defaults file you’ll find a whole mess of files. The ones that get rebuilt if you hold down the magic keys at start-up are, as far as I can tell: Color Settings FindChangeData starting with CS4 this file was moved elsewhere, see below FindChangeDataTmp ditto InDesign ClipboardScrap ditto InDesign Defaults InDesign DragDropScrap ditto InDesign OSXServicesScrap (Mac only) ditto InDesign Recovery ditto InDesign Saved Data ditto Please don’t ask me what each of these do, I have only a vague idea.
But I can tell you that when I delete my own Preferences (instead of having InDesign do it for me), I just trash the InDesign Defaults file, restart InDesign, and that usually brings InDesign back to health again. More Preferences Tips If InDesign freezes up or quits while you have documents open, the next time you start up the program you’ll see those documents re-open, like Lazarus back from the dead, very often with unsaved-changes intact.
Save those suckers immediately (after giving them a once-over), they’re in a fragile state. You might want to save them with a different name in case you have to go back to the “good” saved file on your hard drive. These zombie documents were created because InDesign had versions of them in its InDesign Recovery folder, also located in your user account’s settings files on your hard drive.
If you’re using InDesign CS1, CS2, or CS3, you’ll find the recovery files in the same location as InDesign Defaults, as explained above.
If the document prints or exports successfully, one or more of the graphic elements on the page could be damaged. Remove 50% of the graphics by deleting pages, or graphic frames on a single page. Then, print or export the document after each change to determine whether a damaged graphic in the group removed is causing the error. If the document prints or exports after a change, revert the change and remove the other 50% of remaining pages or graphics. Confirm that the error recurs, then delete 50% again, and so on. Once you identify graphics that consistently produce the error, delete and replace them. You may need to reexport a graphic from the application in which you created it.
![Mac Os X: Users/carol Lusignan/library/cache/adobe Indesign/version[#.0]/indesign Recovery Mac Os X: Users/carol Lusignan/library/cache/adobe Indesign/version[#.0]/indesign Recovery](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125523631/871867099.jpg)
A successful print job without the graphics can also indicate inadequate printer memory. Symptoms include fonts being substituted, missing graphics, or incomplete printouts.
Try printing in ranges of pages, or simplify the publication to see if it prints with fewer graphics. Or try printing at a lower resolution.
You can't exclude fonts when exporting, but you can minimize the number of fonts used. Choose Type Find Font.
In the Fonts in Document list, click the first font, then hold the Shift key and click the last font to select all the fonts in the list. In the Replace With: Font Family list, choose a font that you know works in other documents, such as Arial or Verdana. Click Change All. Click Done. Choose File Export and select Adobe PDF (Print) as the format.
Choose a location and click Save. Click Export. If the document successfully prints or exports, the problem could be related to one of the fonts used in the document. If the document uses a large number of fonts, excluding the fonts makes the document less complex. Save the document as a new name, and then test the fonts one at a time to determine if they are damaged. If a font consistently demonstrates a problem, check for multiple active instances of the font, or download the font from the manufacturer again to ensure the font isn't corrupted.
Choose Help Configure Plug-Ins (Windows) or InDesign Configure Plug-Ins (Mac OS). Select All Plug-Ins for the Set and then clear all the options in the Display section except Third Party. Create a list of these plug-ins. Quit InDesign and move these plug-ins out of the Plug-in folder:. Windows: /Program Files/Adobe/Adobe InDesign Version/Plug-Ins. Mac OS: /Applications/Adobe InDesign Version/Plug-Ins.
Restart InDesign and try to re-create the problem. If the problem doesn't recur, repeat steps 3 and 4, adding some third-party plug-ins back to the Plug-Ins folder.
If the problem recurs, contact the developer of the plug-in you last moved to inquire about an update. There are two ways to re-create preferences:. Automatically: This method quickly deletes your current preference files and then regenerates a new set of default preference files. However, any custom settings you may have had are lost.or-. Manually: If you don't want to lose your custom settings, rename your current preference files before regenerating a new set of default preference files. That way, if new preferences don't solve your print or export problem, you have a backup of your original preference files (including any custom settings), which you can use to replace the new preference files.
Rename the two preference files (e.g., change 'InDesign SavedData' to 'InDesign SavedData backup,' and 'InDesign Defaults' to 'InDesign Defaults backup'). The preference files are located here:. Mac OS X InDesign Defaults: Users/user/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version version/language/InDesign Defaults InDesign SavedData: Users/user/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version version/language/InDesign SavedData.
Windows XP InDesign Defaults: /Documents and Settings/user/Application Data/Adobe/InDesign/Version version/InDesign Defaults Hidden by default. InDesign SavedData: /Documents and Settings/user/Local Settings/Application Data/Adobe/InDesign/Versionversion/Caches/InDesign SavedData.
Windows 7 and 8 InDesign Defaults: C: Users DC-work AppData Roaming Adobe InDesign Version 11.0 language InDesign Defaults Hidden by default. InDesign SavedData: /Users/user/AppData/Local/Adobe/InDesign/Versionversion/language/Caches/InDesign SavedData Restart InDesign.
InDesign creates a new set of default preference files. If your print or export problem persists, then you can restore your original preferences by renaming your old preference files back to their original names: InDesign SavedData and InDesign Defaults. If you use a network printer, then install a printer driver that is compatible with your operating system. Print servers don't always provide drivers for operating systems running on client computers. So, you could be using a printer driver that is appropriate for the print server's operating system but not for your computer's operating system. For Windows 7:. Choose Start Devices and Printers.
Click Add a Printer. Select Add a Local Printer. Choose Create a New Port Local Port Next. Enter the port name (e.g., printservername printername) and click OK. Follow the onscreen instructions to install a driver that matches the brand and model of your network printer.
If you can't get anything to print or export as PDF from any application, contact Apple Technical Support, Microsoft Technical Support, or the printer manufacturer. Always check the physical connection between the printer and the computer before calling, as the solution could be as simple as reconnecting a loose cable. Also, consider what has changed on the system recently that could be affecting the printing or exporting process. For example, have you performed any of the following tasks lately?. Updated your hardware, or added or removed hardware components. Added, updated, or deleted software. Installed or deleted fonts.
Connected to a network. Cleaned up or erased files from the hard drive. Encountered random system errors, or errors in other applications Often, a change to the system directly corresponds to the appearance of a printing problem. Keep a record of changes made to the system as a resource for troubleshooting printing and other problems.