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Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Resolve printing or output generation issues due to Adobe Print Engine output failures in Adobe InDesign.
When Adobe InDesign encounters an Adobe Print Engine failure, printing or output generation may stop with a generic error message. These failures are most often caused by document-level issues (corrupt content, color conflicts), damaged application preferences, or incompatible print settings.
When printing from Adobe InDesign, you may see the error message:
The Adobe Print Engine has failed to output your data due to an unknown problem.
This error indicates that the Print Engine was unable to process the document for output due to a conflict in document structure, color data, or print configuration.
Corrupt preferences
Relaunch InDesign and immediately press Ctrl + Alt + Shift (Windows) or Cmd + Option + Shift + Control (macOS).
Select Yes when prompted to delete preference files.
InDesign will regenerate fresh preference files automatically.
Select File > Print.
If the problem persists after this reset, you can restore your original preferences by deleting the newly created files and removing the .old extension from the renamed files.
Gradients with mixed spot colors
Gradients that contain spot colors defined in different color spaces (for example, mixing CMYK and LAB spot colors) can cause Print Engine failures. This issue affects both direct printing and PostScript-based output paths.
Open the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches).
Identify the spot colors used in gradients (spot swatches display a dot icon).
Double-Select each spot swatch and verify the color mode.
If necessary, re-create spot colors in a consistent color space.
Ensure all spot colors used within a single gradient share the same color space.
Reapply the corrected gradient and retry printing.
Select File > Print, adjust the settings per your requirement and then select Print.
Conflicting page range settings
Conflicting page range settings occur when attempting to print only odd or even pages from a section that contains just a single page of that type.
Select File > Print.
Review the page range and page parity settings.
If printing a section with only one odd-numbered page, ensure Even Pages Only is deselected.
If printing a section with only one even-numbered page, ensure Odd Pages Only is deselected.
Select Print.
Out of range color values
Imported tagged text may define color values outside the valid range supported by the Print Engine, causing output failures that the Print Engine cannot process.
Open the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches).
Identify swatches with appended values such as +5 or +10, which indicate out-of-range colors.
Create a new in-range color swatch that approximates the intended color.
Select Edit > Find/Change (Ctrl + F (Windows) or Cmd + F (macOS)).
Use the Color tab in the Find/Change panel to replace out-of-range colors.
Alternatively, edit the original tagged text file to correct color values before reimporting.
Select File > Print, adjust the settings per your requirement and then select Print.
Try alternate output methods
Testing alternate output methods helps isolate whether the failure is document-specific or related to the print path.
Export the document using File > Export > Adobe PDF (Print).
Print the exported PDF.
Note
This workaround is particularly effective when the original document contains elements that challenge the direct print path but render correctly after conversion to PDF.
When printing to PostScript-based devices, ensure the printer driver fully supports PostScript features required by the document. Verify your printer's PostScript capability in the printer documentation or the manufacturer's website.
Settings for non-PostScript printers
Select File > Print.
In the Print dialog box, avoid selecting PostScript options or printer features that require PostScript.
Select Print.
For consistently better results with InDesign documents, consider upgrading to a PostScript-compatible printer.
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