Problems uploading large PDF files into Zmags

We occasionally have some of our clients who experience problems when uploading large publications. This is normally due to the pure size of the publication or alternatively due to a low upstream bandwidth connection on the upload. The thing to make sure is that there is an 'Upload Complete' message that occurs once the file progress has got to 100%, this is very important as this message signifies to you that the file has been transferred to the production queue.



The following are some common limitations that can cause files to not upload:

File Upload Limit

The current limit on the PDF file upload is around 500mb in size. Please make sure that the file size is below this for this to work. If your PDF is over 500mb in size then we would suggest using Acrobat Professional to reduce and optimize the file size to a more compatible size. For more information on reducing file size please view our article on Flattening Your PDF.

Upload Timeout

We currently operate a timeout of up to 20 minutes on the file upload which means that if your file has not uploaded within this window then the file will fail to be transferred to the converter queue. If your upload connection speed is quite small and your PDF filesize is quite big then you may experience upload issues. To check your connection speed please go to http://www.speedtest.net.

Resolution 1: It is possible to upload your PDF in multiple segments, breaking the file into multiple PDFs of a smaller size. To create a smaller PDF using just some of the pages, do the following:
  1) Open up your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Professional (not InDesign).
  2) Click 'Document' > "Extract Pages".
  3) Enter the numbers of the first and last page you would like to include. Click 'OK'.
  4) The new PDF will pop up. Click 'File' > 'Save' and save as usual.

You may then upload the first of these partial PDFs to the Publicator. Once it finishes converting, additional segments may be added using the page insertion functionality.

Resolution 2: Another way to resolve the issue is to utilize the FTP upload option, which offers a much more stable uploading environment.

What you can do to resolve PDF Related issues

Optimize your PDF in Adobe Professional or another suitable program and upload the PDF again. If optimizing fails, you should try post-producing the PDF using the New Print feature in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

What are some Connection Related Issues?

On the upload process, if you are not getting a message saying "Upload Complete" on the upload progress bar then it means that the file cannot be transferred to our platform. Usually the reason for this is that there is a firewall or proxy on your network which is disallowing the file transfer between your PC and our platform.

To resolve the issue you will need to speak to your internal IT staff to allow our domain (admin.zmags.com) on your firewall. If you still get a bad result, please send the PDF along with the error message you see in Zmags Publicator to support@zmags.com