An Error Exists on This Page (Opening a PDF Created from AutoCAD or F/X CAD)

Issue

You received the following error message when attempting to open a PDF that was created using AutoCAD or F/X CAD:

 

An error exists on this page. Acrobat may not display the page correctly. Please contact the person who created the PDF document to correct the problem.

The error also likely resulted in some objects or lines not appearing in the PDF.

Cause

The AutoCAD PDF plotter can be problematic at times, often leading to errors like this one.

Solution

Step 1: Try selecting a different style of the same page size.

For example, we've encountered this issue when using the ARCH page sizes that are identified as "EXPAND" versions. Use the plain page size instead.

If you've tried plotting to PDF using the ARCH EXPAND D (24 x 36 Inches) paper size, choose ARCH D (24 x 36 Inches) instead.

Step 2: Try a different PDF plotter.

We've had good results with several third-party PDF plotters and found them to produce better-quality PDFs than the built-in AutoCAD PDF plotter. See our list of recommended third-party PDF printers for more information.

If you've already used one of these third-party printers to create the file that's causing the problem, try using a different one.