MZ Adobe: Framemaker Ha! Ha! Help Desk

Back to http://ammug.nhive.com

This little question came in from a new funny IrishMan client I met in January. He lives all the way up there in a Ft. Worth area code. It was so funny, I wanted to share...

Q. Help! My images keep disappearing from within my anchored frames. What's happening? Or How do you GET RID OF FRAMEMAKER GREMLINS?

A. Make sure they are imported by reference, and if they came from a MAC operator, you might want to resave them in PC format. Just to be safe. Otherwise, I'd just burn the FM User's Guide as well. [well, this didn't help him. Several hours later Keith sent me his quick-fix].

{Keith: I needed to place some graphics in a user manual I'm creating. I first created anchored frames and then imported the graphics. As soon as I imported them, half of the borders surrounding the image and anchored frames disappeared. When I tried to print the page (on which Frame showed the graphics), the graphics didn't print. I also tried to create a PDF of the page with the same result. The original graphics were bitmaps. I then tried JPEGs, TIFs and PDF objects all with the same results. I tried to import them "by reference" and also by "copy into document", but to no avail.

I then tried creating an object box in which to place the graphics. No luck there either.

I tried to copy/paste them into the doc trying both "paste" and "paste special". Again no luck.

A couple of cigarettes and many curse words later, I decided to start with a new blank template based upon my user guides.

[MZ Adobe: This is where MZ Adobe totally lost her professional bearing. Of course, when all else fails. Start over with a clean slate! Uh, duh...dude. It never fails!]

I copied and pasted all of my text and then created anchored frames. Eureka half success!

I say half because now I had borders surrounding my image and anchored Frame, but when I went to print, only half of the graphic would print.

And now in addition, there were printed lines that corresponded with the image borders. [hmmm...BTDT. I bet that nicotine is really helping your problem-solving skill level by now.]

More cigs and cuss words later, I decided to import/copy-paste the graphics into a blank Frame doc, then copy paste them into my user manual. Eureka, 3/4 success!

My graphics would print, but I still had printed lines that corresponded with the image borders. I finally resolved that matter by making the image borders large and shrinking the anchored frame borders until they were much smaller than the image ones.

Finally, no lines and my graphics printed. However, when I view the doc in PDF form, I still see the lines but they don't print. Most of my manuals will be printed, but it's going to suck when I have to use a PDF on CDs and online.

I burned my original user guide doc, [yippee! FM bonfire material] with the associated quirks and have told everyone at my office not to touch the ones that "work" on pain of death.

Maybe someone out there can tell me where I've gone wrong. I've never had these problems before and have only had them this week.}

How about it you FM Pros, can you help out a cuzzed-up, nicotine drenched FM tech writer-bro out?