Why Does My PDF Get Stuck In The Processing Stage

We'll explain why a file can get stuck processing, and share some suggestions to solve it.

Some of the most common causes are:

The uploaded file contains complex pages (such as vectors), very high-resolution images, or structural issues when exporting to PDF.
The file has errors that the system can't repair.

HOW CAN WE AVOID THIS?

The easiest way to avoid these issues is to start from a compatible file from the beginning. To do this, files at the design stage shouldn't contain images that exceed the page size, that overlap unnecessarily with other images, or that have an excessively high resolution for the document's intended use.

If you're not sure your document meets these basic rules, we recommend following the steps below. We'll assume the original file is being designed in Adobe InDesign, since it's the most commonly used program, but these instructions can also apply if you're using a different one.

1. Once the document is ready in InDesign (avoiding the characteristics described above), export it in PDF/X 2001 format.

2. Open the PDF/X 2001 file that InDesign generated in Adobe Acrobat Pro and convert it to the PDF/A-1A standard. Besides converting the file, this process reports any errors in the original file, which you can use to go back to step 1 if the conversion fails because of them.

3. Use the PDF/A-1a file to upload to your store.

HOW CAN I IMPROVE PDF FILES I'VE ALREADY CREATED IF I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE OPTIONS SUGGESTED ABOVE?

It's important to mention that this process doesn't always guarantee a solution, and in some cases it can reduce the quality of the final document.

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO TOOLS

Flattening transparencies: If the file contains transparencies, it usually needs to go through a process called flattening. Flattening divides a transparent illustration into vector-based and rasterized areas. Here is Adobe's help center article, where you'll find information on using this tool on your file.
Convert the file to the PDF/A-1A standard. Here is Adobe's help center article.

ONLINE TOOLS

There are web tools that let you optimize PDF files. Some free, open examples are:

If your PDF is still stuck "Processing" after optimizing it, you should check a few things directly related to its design.

Images: if the publication contains many images and/or complex, high-quality graphics, check that they're converted to RGB Bitmap, meaning optimized.
Shadows: if you have shadows on text or images, they should be converted to RGB Bitmap, meaning optimized.
Make sure the PDF is converted to the PDF/A-1A standard. We share here the tutorial that shows you how to do it.

We hope this tutorial was easy to follow. If you have questions, write to us at [email protected].