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Scribus => PDF Generation => Topic started by: David Elwell on August 10, 2011, 04:48:10 PM

Title: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 10, 2011, 04:48:10 PM
My Scribus 1.4.0.rc5 document is formatted for 2-sided printing. When I print the complete document 2-sided, I get an unexpected blank page between pages 3 and 4, which throws off left and right pages through the remainder of the document. When I print 1-sided, the blank page does not insert itself. This occurs printing from Scribus and printing from the Scribus-generated PDF file.

If I select pages 3-4 and print 2-sided, the blank page is not inserted.

Any ideas what I should be looking for as a cause for this problem?
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: utnik on August 10, 2011, 08:19:34 PM
hello david

does the blank page show up in the pdf on screen as well?
if you can show the pdf file, i will take a look at it – have never seen something like that.

utnik
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: a.l.e on August 10, 2011, 10:37:12 PM
if you have problems with printing, try with producing a pdf and, then, printing it from acrobat or any other pdf readers (while the other ones are not as bulletproof as the adobe's one...)

good luck
a.l.e
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 11, 2011, 09:01:41 PM
Quote from: utnik on August 10, 2011, 08:19:34 PM
hello david

does the blank page show up in the pdf on screen as well?
if you can show the pdf file, i will take a look at it – have never seen something like that.

utnik

utnik--

I haven't been able to shave the final PDF down to a small enough piece to upload. Until I figure out how to fix it, the problem file is posted here, to be replaced as soon as I create a PDF that behaves: http://www.nmqf.org/IB3SpecialtyTiersFinal.pdf

The blank page doesn't show when I view the PDF onscreen or when I print it out one sided. It only pops up when I print two sided.

The problem page turns up between PDF pages 3 and 4 (title page and copyright notice).

David
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 11, 2011, 09:05:19 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on August 10, 2011, 10:37:12 PM
if you have problems with printing, try with producing a pdf and, then, printing it from acrobat or any other pdf readers (while the other ones are not as bulletproof as the adobe's one...)

good luck
a.l.e

a.l.e--

I get the problem printing from the PDF file as well as from Scribus.

David
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: a.l.e on August 12, 2011, 02:32:20 PM
can you please upload the .sla and the link to the pdf to the bug tracker?

http://bugs.scribus.net
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: utnik on August 13, 2011, 10:08:24 AM
i cann't find the error – sorry...
the blank page appears as well while printing a half size booklet. in my test between pages 2 and 3 – before the title. as page 2 is empty, there appears is an empty double side...

utnik
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: a.l.e on August 13, 2011, 11:21:45 AM
have you tried remove all the pdf protections when producing the pdf?

personally, i tried to print your pdf to ps and got a file which was not really usable...

ciao
a.l.e
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: Nermander on August 14, 2011, 08:29:17 PM
If I'm not wrong pages in Scribus can be tagged as "Right page" and "Left page". If you have two "Right page" in a row Scribus will then of course have to insert a blank page between them.
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 15, 2011, 05:04:03 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on August 12, 2011, 02:32:20 PM
can you please upload the .sla and the link to the pdf to the bug tracker?

http://bugs.scribus.net

Thanks for the tip. Posted.
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 15, 2011, 05:07:54 PM
Quote from: Nermander on August 14, 2011, 08:29:17 PM
If I'm not wrong pages in Scribus can be tagged as "Right page" and "Left page". If you have two "Right page" in a row Scribus will then of course have to insert a blank page between them.

Nermander--

I originally created the document as 1 sided, assuming that it would be distributed as a PDF and that most users would print 1 sided. I don't think Scribus would have offered me the option of left or right when I configured the master pages.

When the extra-page problem cropped up, I reformatted the document for two sided printing, creating master pages designated left and right. The extra page kept turning up.

David
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 15, 2011, 05:10:46 PM
Quote from: utnik on August 13, 2011, 10:08:24 AM
i cann't find the error – sorry...
the blank page appears as well while printing a half size booklet. in my test between pages 2 and 3 – before the title. as page 2 is empty, there appears is an empty double side...

utnik

utnik--

My apologies for wasting your paper.

I have submitted my problem to the bug tracker.

David
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 19, 2011, 05:57:44 PM
Quote from: David Elwell on August 15, 2011, 05:04:03 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on August 12, 2011, 02:32:20 PM
can you please upload the .sla and the link to the pdf to the bug tracker?

http://bugs.scribus.net

Thanks for the tip. Posted.


Scribus bug tracker has examined the issue closed it, declaring that my problem is with my printer driver and suggesting that it may stem from a page total that is not a multiple of 4.

I'm skeptical, mainly because of where in the document the printer inserts the extra page. If the printer is confused by a request to print 14 pages double sided and responds by inserting a blank page between pages 3 and 4, why is it only these Scribus and Scribus-derived files that cause this strange but consistent printer behavior? The printer is normally capable of printing an odd or even number of pages double sided, only adding a blank page at the end of documents with odd numbers of pages.

I'm still stumped.

Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: a.l.e on August 21, 2011, 11:52:17 AM
hi david,

there are several issues with your file... and -- sorry to have to tell you that -- you're doing a bad job in describing your issues.

you're mostly trying to find errors in scribus, while there are good changes that the errors come from the way you setup your workflow.

as i already wrote, the first step will to fix your left and right master pages in the .sla, first. (if you want a double side layout you should put left master pages on the left side and right master pages to the right!)

alnse, since scribus semmes to correctly produce the pdf (you have not brought any evidence that it would not be that way), the error is produced by the way your pdf reader (hopefully acrobat) talks to the printer driver.

summary: scribus is doing what you tell him to do... and when you print from your pdf reader there is something happening, that you don't think should happen: so, fix your scribus document and check that all the settings in the pdf reader are correct!

ciao
a.l.e
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 23, 2011, 07:39:18 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on August 21, 2011, 11:52:17 AM
hi david,

there are several issues with your file... and -- sorry to have to tell you that -- you're doing a bad job in describing your issues.

you're mostly trying to find errors in scribus, while there are good changes that the errors come from the way you setup your workflow.

as i already wrote, the first step will to fix your left and right master pages in the .sla, first. (if you want a double side layout you should put left master pages on the left side and right master pages to the right!)

alnse, since scribus semmes to correctly produce the pdf (you have not brought any evidence that it would not be that way), the error is produced by the way your pdf reader (hopefully acrobat) talks to the printer driver.

summary: scribus is doing what you tell him to do... and when you print from your pdf reader there is something happening, that you don't think should happen: so, fix your scribus document and check that all the settings in the pdf reader are correct!

ciao
a.l.e

a.l.e--

I have rebuilt the file as double sided, formatted with left & right master pages, and the resultant sla and pdf files still produce the extra blank page.

Your suggestion that the problem might be addressed between the pdf reader and the printer turned out to be correct. I contacted technical support for my office's Xerox printer, and they pointed me to the help i needed. The document prints out correctly on my office's printer when I check "Print As Image" from the advanced settings. (Xerox's instructions are here: http://www.support.xerox.com/support/phaser-8560mfp/support/enus.html?objGUID=5429).

Thank you for your help. If I figure out how to fix the file so that it doesn't require changes in the printer settings, I'll post.

David
Title: Re: Extra blank page inserted during two-sided printing
Post by: David Elwell on August 24, 2011, 01:39:07 PM
Quote from: David Elwell on August 23, 2011, 07:39:18 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on August 21, 2011, 11:52:17 AM
hi david,

there are several issues with your file... and -- sorry to have to tell you that -- you're doing a bad job in describing your issues.

you're mostly trying to find errors in scribus, while there are good changes that the errors come from the way you setup your workflow.

as i already wrote, the first step will to fix your left and right master pages in the .sla, first. (if you want a double side layout you should put left master pages on the left side and right master pages to the right!)

alnse, since scribus semmes to correctly produce the pdf (you have not brought any evidence that it would not be that way), the error is produced by the way your pdf reader (hopefully acrobat) talks to the printer driver.

summary: scribus is doing what you tell him to do... and when you print from your pdf reader there is something happening, that you don't think should happen: so, fix your scribus document and check that all the settings in the pdf reader are correct!

ciao
a.l.e

a.l.e--

I have rebuilt the file as double sided, formatted with left & right master pages, and the resultant sla and pdf files still produce the extra blank page.

Your suggestion that the problem might be addressed between the pdf reader and the printer turned out to be correct. I contacted technical support for my office's Xerox printer, and they pointed me to the help i needed. The document prints out correctly on my office's printer when I check "Print As Image" from the advanced settings. (Xerox's instructions are here: http://www.support.xerox.com/support/phaser-8560mfp/support/enus.html?objGUID=5429).

Thank you for your help. If I figure out how to fix the file so that it doesn't require changes in the printer settings, I'll post.

David

I asked Xerox technical support if they had any idea what the source of the problem might be--the code that was causing the page insertion--and they replied that selecting "Print As Image" is just a workaround. They were not sure what code is causing it.