* Preparing a book for printing

[JTempest]

I have now completed the compilation of my book. I saved it as a PDF file, but horror of horrors many of the photos are missing. Their subtitles are there, but not the photos. Have I done something wrong, or not done something? Help please.

[Jane]

It may be a memory problem. If you print a small section of pages at a time do the pictures appear?

[JTempest]

Hi Jane, I'm not actually printing, I am merely trying at this stage to save this project as a PDF file so that I can transfer it to a memory stick to take to a printer. But until I can get the PDF right, I'm hamstrung. I have reduced the size of some of the photos to which the files are linked (could you put me right here please - if I use only a head shot from a 4MB photo is that head shot still a 4MB photo?). I have tried to save it again this morning. It is perfect up to page 50, then the rot sets in. There are 103 pages in all. John.

[BillH]

John,

I don't know if this is the same problem that you are experiencing, but there is a bug in FH which causes some images to be left out of a PDF file under certain circumstances. It happens for me when I generate a Descendants by Generation report and save it as a PDF. Calico Pie is aware of the problem and has told me that it will be fixed in the next release. For me the work around is to save only 40 pages to the PDF file at a time, appending the new 40 pages to the existing PDF file each time. I've never created a book using FH so I'm not sure if a similar work around will work for you.

It sounds like the problem you are experiencing might be related to the one I had. Are the images you are hav ing a problem with in the sources section of the report? Mine were.

You should probably report this to Calico Pie at support@family-historian.co.uk so they can determine if it is related or not.

In case it helps, the ticket number that Calico Pie gave me for the problem I was experiencing is #309577.

Bill

[Jane]

John as Bill suggests when you select print to PDF try selecting the first 50 pages to one file then then next 50 to a different file and see if the files are built correctly.

[JTempest]

Hi Bill and Jane, I will try as you suggest. I assume that I go into Print Set up and change printer to Family Historian PDF. I can't however see anywhere where I stipulate which pages are to be "printed". When I find out, I guess that I will have to put each run (1-50 and 51-103) under different headings. Assuming all that works, I would then "copy" the two PDF files to a memory stick.
Alternatively, would I be better with the second "print" run to "append" it to the first, or to keep it separate?
John

[BillH]

John,

As I mentioned, I haven't done a book before, but I don't think you have to change the print setup. My print setup is set to my HP printer.

I think you should be able to just go into your book and then select Print. Then select Family Historian PDF from the drop down list and specify which pages to print and click on OK. This should start the Family Historian PDF dialog. From there you can tell it to either append or not. When I am trying to get around the problem, I do append. I start with pages 1-40 the first time, 41-80 the next time, etc. If your problem is the result of the same problem I am having, you may have to only do 40 pages at a time which is what Calico Pie told me to do.

Please do report this to Calico Pie at support@family-historian.co.uk so they can determine if it is related to my problem or not. It may require additional fixes to the software and the more people that report the problem, the quicker we might see a solution.

Bill

[JTempest]

Hi Bill, thanks for your interest. I certainly will report this to Calico Pie, but that's not going to help me in the short-term. In the meantime, I'm having trouble with the "printing" to PDF. Not being technically minded, I'm confused with the panels "Print", "Printer setup" and "Save Book as".
If I press "Save Book as" and click "PDF File" I don't see anywhere to choose the page numbers and it puts the whole lot in PDF, but with the errors.
In "Printer Setup" I can choose the printer as Family Historian PDF, but again nowhere to input page numbers.
I did try "Print", and input pages 1-34, which worked OK. I then appended pages 35-70 which had one or two errors.
So I then went back into the book and "Rebuilt" the offending pages, but now I can't find where the file with errors is.
This must seem like childsplay to some, but when computers don't work as they are meant to, I'm lost (and disappointed).

[BillH]

Hi John,

I think the right option to use is Print rather than Print Setup or Save Book As.

If you mean where the PDF file is saved, by default it is saved in the PUBLIC subfolder of your project folder.

I think I'm going to have to let someone else try to help with your last questions as I have never done a book before. I really don't know anything about rebuilding offending pages, etc.

Maybe Jane or Mike Tate can shed some light on things for you.

Good Luck,

Bill

[JTempest]

Thanks very much Bill; I appreciate your input. John.

[JTempest]

Hi Jane,
I have read Bill's reply, but can't find any Family Historian PDF file in the project folder. I suspect that nothing was created. I have tried "Start" on the computer with the query "PDF" with the same result. Sorry, but I'm going to need more step by step help through this problem please. John.

[Jane]

2014-01-12_091516.png (14.51 KiB) Viewed 11220 times

With the book displayed

• Select Print
• Make sure the FH PDF printer is selected
• Select the Page Range option and select pages 1-20 for example
• Click Print
• Select a file location
• Check the pages so far are OK, if not stop and come back to us
• Repeat the procces selecting pages 21-40 BUT select the Append to existing file
• Continue for each subsequent page range till you have the whole book

2014-01-12_091746.png (12.14 KiB) Viewed 11220 times

[JTempest]

Jane, I did what you instructed 1-30 then 31-60 appending the second to the first. The first lot was fine, but the second still has 5 subtitles without photos.

[JTempest]

Jane, it is now 10.45pm EDT, which will be 11.45am GMT. I'll have to leave it with you until tomorrow afternoon. Cheers, John.

[JTempest]

Jane, I have been working on this problem, but it seems every step I take forwards, I am sent two steps back.
I thought it was something to do with the size of the photos which I have linked to, so I reduced a lot of their sizes from 1-6MB down to 300-600KB or in those sorts of figures. In doing so I have had to make some compromises on clarity.
Each time I try to "print', I do it in 33 page lots. I can get the first two OK, but the last is proving difficult. I've even had it down to two photos missing. I reduced one photo; the other was only 386KB anyway. When I reprinted, the one I last reduced was there, but the 386KB one wasn't, plus four others had dropped off.
I must admit I'm starting to lose heart. Any other suggestions please?

[JTempest]

Further to above, I have tried printing again in smaller chunks, but I have had a couple of occasions where photos are completely removed, captions as well, and the remaining photos re-arranged. When I've gone back into the "book" itself, the photos are missing. The only way I've found to re-instate them is to "Re-Build Book".
This is over two years work I'm playing with here. I would hate to not be able to print it. John.

[tatewise]

Do you have the same problems if each 33 page chunk is 'printed' to PDF separately rather than appended?

And have you contacted Calico Pie at support@family-historian.co.uk ?

[JTempest]

Good morning Mike, How coincidental; in the middle of the night I thought I would try it in three separate lots of 33 pages each. It worked! I wonder now if it might have worked had I not reduced a lot of the photos: I'll never know.
I hope the printer is OK with the three lots, now on one memory stick. I will now contact Calico Pie with some feedback instead of pleas for help. Thankyou again for your interest and help. Cheers, John.