Why are my Auto Links displaced?

Why are links displaced in a publication?

When using Auto, links can occasionally get displaced in your publication due to the following factors:

- Different page sizes throughout the publication: A minimum requirement of our platform is that pages must be the same dimensions through the publication

- Adding / deleting pages in the platform prior to running auto links: If you add and delete pages within the Edit Publication area we cannot currently delete pages in the base PDF file so links may reference the wrong pages

- PDF contains Crop, Trim, Bleed and Art Boxes: Auto Links measures the position of the links according to the original PDF and will therefore displace the links.

What are the solutions I can use to resolve these issues?

1) Make sure all pages are the same dimensions: If you make sure that all the pages in the base PDF file are the same dimensions then you will not experience any issues with links being misplaced

2) Change the Downloadable PDF file: If you are seeing links being applied to the wrong page then you will need to change the downloadable PDF file as the auto links process is run from the downloadable version. To change this version try the following: Go into Edit Publication > Click the Tab Pages > click "Change Downloadable PDF file" at the top of the page > Upload a new version of the PDF with all the pages in the right place.

3) Make sure that your PDF is cropped properly: Normally you will be able to see edges and cutting marks in Acrobat Professional under Document > Crop Pages. Another way of testing the PDF is to print a new PDF with Acrobat Professional. This will reveal if the PDF has been created on larger canvas than it appears in Adobe/The Zmags Platform.

What other tools can I use to help with this issue?

In InDesign PDF's can be exported without any boxes at all if you use our InDesign job options / presets to export your PDF file. To download the presets / job options, please go to the following:

Zmags PDF InDesign presets / Job Options