Unable to Select Element

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ScottHaugaard
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Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:12 am

Unable to Select Element

Post by ScottHaugaard »

The object in question appears to be the bounding box of the PDF we placed in InDesign.
It has four nodes, and no properties other than size and position.
A wireframe screenshot is at the end of this post

We will take client submitted PDFs, preflight them with Pitstop, run them through Esko Automation integrated with Pitstop actions, to output to digital, or litho, and in this case, a flexo plating system. In simple terms, with flexo we crop to visible, add a half-inch around the graphics, and apply a distortion relative to the machine the job will run on. It appears to be treating this box as visible, as you can see the distorted half-inch border.

The following list are the actions I remember trying. We use the second one in our current workflow. We used to use the first, but it chokes on complex graphics (tens of thousands of nodes).

"Select concealed objects"
"Select objects that are completely clipped away"
"Select objects the use neither stroke nor fill"
"Select transparent objects"
"Remove crop box"

The following are links to the Production PDFs:

Output for proofing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11zt8H4 ... sp=sharing

Processed file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11pTE2X ... sp=sharing

Any bit of advice is truly welcome.
Attachments
Screen Shot of Wireframe View.png
Screen Shot of Wireframe View.png (29 KiB) Viewed 7438 times
freddyp
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Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:53 pm

Re: Unable to Select Element

Post by freddyp »

The Inspector shows at the top what type of objects are currently selected. When you select that cross you will see it says "1 Form Selected". You can also do that by using the PitStop Object Browser (it is in the PitStop Pro menu). The extra you get there is that you see what is inside the form, in this case the paths that make up the words "This is Art" and "Please recycle".

This is not the cause of your problem!

Using the Object Browser you will see that there is a white background (it is the first object at the top, meaning it is the bottommost object). That is the cause of your problem. OK, it is white but it is an object with a fill.

If you want to place the crop box around "This is Art" and "Please recycle" you have two options. You can remove the white background (Select color, Remove selection) and then do "Select visible objects, Change crop box) or you select the objects using "Select color range, Change crop box).

Side remark: "Select concealed objects" is indeed a very "expensive" operation. It is a good idea to use "Select page by total number of nodes" to avoid using that action for complex pages.
ScottHaugaard
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Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:12 am

Re: Unable to Select Element

Post by ScottHaugaard »

freddyp wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 12:07 pm Using the Object Browser you will see that there is a white background
That was it. To see the hidden problem, I used Select Object while in Wireframe mode, and it didn't give me any values. Object Browser is new to me, and I can see how that tool will become very useful in the future. Thank you.
freddyp wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 12:07 pm It is a good idea to use "Select page by total number of nodes"
Interesting. I'll see how I can incorporate that into my automation, since "Select concealed objects" is a more reliable way to catch hidden objects than "Select objects that are completely clipped away".
ScottHaugaard
Newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:12 am

Re: Unable to Select Element

Post by ScottHaugaard »

This is still vexing me!

I built a very simple file, using text boxes only. I read somewhere (I think it was you @freddyp) that you could eliminate the Forms by using Acrobat Transparency Flattener. It took me a while to figure out how to automate this, until I used Esko AE's Export to PDF as an X-3.

What is most confusing is that it works correctly on Page 1, but not on Page 2. I noticed Page 2 has 2 Paths which are the size of the original crop box. The two sets of text were imposed with AE's Step & Repeat Tabular, while Page 1 was simply cropped (Resize PDF for Output).

To recap, I need to Select Content that is Visible, then Resize Crop Box to Selection, and add a half inch around. I works for everything, except files that have gone through Step & Repeat. I thought the Form was this issue, but it appears Path is the culprit.

Here's the PDFs: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... share_link

Have a great weekend !!
freddyp
Advanced member
Posts: 1008
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:53 pm

Re: Unable to Select Element

Post by freddyp »

Flattening is not difficult to automate: it can be done with PitStop Server.

The two paths in "Test 03 - Prepared Pg2.pdf" do not have a fill or a stroke, so getting rid of them is easy:
Select objects that use neither fill nor stroke
Remove selection
ScottHaugaard
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Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:12 am

Re: Unable to Select Element

Post by ScottHaugaard »

I was removing no fill or stroke, but earlier in the process. I designed the workflow years ago, so I am simply adding functionality. I try to compartmentalize these sub-routines, so to not gum-up the works. Adding it right before applying the flexo distortion will now touch every job, but I don't see how it could hurt.

We don't run PitStop Server, but X3-ing the PDF works though Esko, to flatten the file.

Thanks for the help !
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