Printing Error with FM

[Dov Isaacs]

What is not clear from your description is exactly WHAT you are referencing
in your FrameMaker documents. If you are referencing a .AI file, you are in
effect referencing a PDF 1.3 file; FrameMaker really knows nothing about
the Illustrator document format but rather is able to convert the PDF inside
a .AI file saved with the PDF compatibility option to EPS when importing;
that's what really happens.

Thus, what probably happened was the equivalent of placing an EPS file with
PostScript 3 constructs into your FramMaker document. When you printed directly
from FrameMaker, the PostScript 3 is what choked your printer. Of course,
if you created PDF and printed from that (by the way, a much better solution
in general than EVER printing directly from FrameMaker!!!!), as you found,
Acrobat (or Reader) has the smarts to downgrade to PostScript language level 2
constructs as necessary for your PostScript Level 2 device.

Here are your alternatives:

(1)     Continue what you are doing and always print from Acrobat or Reader
instead of FrameMaker (not a bad choice in the general case -- this is
something I personally do with most all applications these days! I get to
see on-screen what I will print and do some cursory pre-flight to avoid
wasted printing).

(2)     Save your Illustrator documents as EPS language level 2 and import
those into FrameMaker instead. This will pessimize things such as gradients,
but otherwise you should be OK.

(3)     There is a maker.ini setting for controlling the conversion of PDF
to EPS (I don't have a reference with me for the exact setting). Change that
to indicate PostScript language level 2 instead of 3 (ironically, I thought
that the default for that was 2, not 3!)

(4)     Go out and buy a new printer. If you are happy with the printer you
currently have, this is the most ridiculous solution!

Personally, I'd go with solution (1).

        - Dov


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim Lewis
> Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 5:38 PM
>
> I had been printing my FM 7.1 and 8.0 files with referenced Illustrator CS2
> art on my aging PS printer (Postscript 2). I installed Adobe CS3 over the
> weekend and created new illustrations in Illustrator CS3. These new
> illustrations are referenced into my FM document, as in the past. However,
> they will not print on my printer. The error says, "ERROR: undefined,
> OFFENDING COMMAND: get." A list of STACK is included with the error.
>
> I can print the illustration directly from Illustrator and I can make a PDF
> from the FM file and then print the PDF with no problem. I tried saving the
> art as CS2 and CS. I also set the Postscript to 2. Nothing works so far.
>
> I called Adobe support and was told that the new Illustrator CS3 uses PS 3
> and something in FM does not interpret something. Before I head out to buy a
> newer printer, does anyone have a suggestion to make the CS3 art print from
> the FM document (without making a PDF first)?
>
> Tim Lewis
>
> Lewis Technical Communications, Inc.
>
>  <mailto:Tech.writer at insightbb.com> ltc.writer at comcast.net