User profile for user: Paul_Libbrecht
Paul_Libbrecht Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Pages export to PDF of diagrams: broken pdf

Hello community,

has someone else noticed that the circular diagrams' labels of the current pages' version fail to display when exported to PDF?

The PDF display fine in preview (and thus in Safari) but it did not at our local printshop (!) and it also fails in Firefox (which is the most independent PDF renderer I know of).


Example file: pages [This is a Direct Download Link] and pdf and here is the rendering in Preview and Firefox:



I am a bit annoyed by this... our printed leaflets need now something which you never do nowadays... pasting a bit of paper to fix the bad print!

Paull


[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Sep 18, 2025 9:55 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
User level: Level 10
122,256 points

Posted on Sep 19, 2025 6:01 AM

Paul,


Regrettably, Apple's Quartz Framework has not kept pace with current Adobe PDF standards and thus, PDFs exported from Pages won't exceed PDF v1.4. I just created a default donut graph in Pages v14.4 on macOS 26.0. Pages exported it as an sRGB PDF v1.4 document.


I repeated the first paragraph with Pages v14.4 on Sequoia v15.7, and with Pages v12.1 on Monterey 12.7.6 — all exporting PDF v1.4 documents. I cannot explain how you got a PDF v1.3 document from any recent Pages application, whether by export or from saving as PDF from the Print… panel.


I was thinking about your doing this in the free LibreOffice Writer application but discovered it does not offer a donut chart style, which I found strange, considering Word 16.101 does have it. Word exports that donut chart as a PDF v1.3 document when selecting best for printing, and as a PDF v1.7 document when best for electronic distribution.

View in context
6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
User level: Level 10
122,256 points

Sep 19, 2025 6:01 AM in response to Paul_Libbrecht

Paul,


Regrettably, Apple's Quartz Framework has not kept pace with current Adobe PDF standards and thus, PDFs exported from Pages won't exceed PDF v1.4. I just created a default donut graph in Pages v14.4 on macOS 26.0. Pages exported it as an sRGB PDF v1.4 document.


I repeated the first paragraph with Pages v14.4 on Sequoia v15.7, and with Pages v12.1 on Monterey 12.7.6 — all exporting PDF v1.4 documents. I cannot explain how you got a PDF v1.3 document from any recent Pages application, whether by export or from saving as PDF from the Print… panel.


I was thinking about your doing this in the free LibreOffice Writer application but discovered it does not offer a donut chart style, which I found strange, considering Word 16.101 does have it. Word exports that donut chart as a PDF v1.3 document when selecting best for printing, and as a PDF v1.7 document when best for electronic distribution.

Reply
User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
User level: Level 10
122,256 points

Sep 18, 2025 2:50 PM in response to Paul_Libbrecht

If I were creating artwork to send to a professional printer, it would all be done in Affinity Designer where I could convert text to (vector) paths, control the color model (CMYK), and export the finished PDF as PDF/X-3, or PDF/X-4 standards, which increasingly more print shops expect.


You have none of these capabilities when exporting PDFs from Pages, which is why we have never recommended it over the years for PDF submission to professional print shops. Be annoyed with yourself for choosing the wrong (free) tool for the result expectations.


At minimum, the print shop where you submitted this work should have specifically stated what type of PDF they would except, reset your expectations if submitting something else, or warned that they needed to charge extra to clean up the PDF. If they did none of this, use another service.


I do not consider any other source for viewing a PDF for accuracy than a current release of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Certainly not Firefox.


You may expect it, but I for one do not download documents from links in posts.

Reply
User profile for user: Paul_Libbrecht
Paul_Libbrecht Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 19, 2025 6:34 AM in response to VikingOSX

Funnily...

The PDF file starts, when one looks at its text, with "%PDF-1.3". I agree this is not a guarantee that it is a 1.3.

Indeed, when opened in Preview, it says 1.4!

So we are both right.


Nonetheless. Both 1.4 and 13 should be old and acceptable format.


As another "neutral" bit, I tried my very old Adobe Acrobat Professional 8 on my old macPro. The picture is attached: It renders ok in Preview but not in Acrobat.


To me, Apple has not taken responsibility properly to make sure to test all PDF outputs in devices independent of its rendering engines.

Paul


[Edited by Moderator]

Reply
User profile for user: Paul_Libbrecht
Paul_Libbrecht Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 18, 2025 11:01 PM in response to Paul_Libbrecht

Thanks @VikingOSX. In principle you are right.


However, this is not the case here: the PDF produced by pages (as you can experience yourself or see in the download) is PDF 1.3 which is 25 years old... I think that the standards are stable and declared compatible here!


Printshops that require PDF/X or PDF/A or something special are people I have never met. They all check visually normally (and here, this failed).


I think rather, that there's a (temporary) error in the produced PDF. It is the first time I meet this.


Paul

Reply

Pages export to PDF of diagrams: broken pdf

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up