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iPad PDF Problem. Some PDFs can't be forwarded, saved, etc.

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superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
I'm having a problem on the iPad where some PDFs that get emailed to me are hard to deal with. Rather than being shown as a PDF (with the ability to be opened with Goodreader), they are just shown as images at the bottom of the email. And I can't even see the file type in Mail.app. It gives me the option of saving the image or copying it. When I copy it and try to paste it into an email it doesn't work, when I try to forward the attachment it doesn't work, and when I try to email the image it just shows as a question mark. Has anybody else been having this problem. It is not all PDFs, just some, and they just show as images.


(I think my solution may be to just use Gmail in Safari as apposed to Mail.app.)
 
T

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
I think it is the one page PDFs. I haven't had to attempt to do something with them when i couldn't just use the computer...

Hopefully someone will have a solution to share.
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
TraceyS/FL said:
I think it is the one page PDFs. I haven't had to attempt to do something with them when i couldn't just use the computer...

Hopefully someone will have a solution to share.
Click to expand...

Ah, okay. I didn't get you meant at first. You're saying you've always had a computer handy. For me, it has both been one page PDFs, and I didn't realize it was sent as a PDF at first (as it just shows up as an image, and asks me to save it if I want to). But in Gmail in Safari, it is showing up just normal as a PDF and I can view it in Safari and forward the message as expected.
 
xraydoc

xraydoc

Contributor
Oct 9, 2005
10,790
5,243
192.168.1.1
superflush said:
I'm having a problem on the iPad where some PDFs that get emailed to me are hard to deal with. Rather than being shown as a PDF (with the ability to be opened with Goodreader), they are just shown as images at the bottom of the email. And I can't even see the file type in Mail.app. It gives me the option of saving the image or copying it. When I copy it and try to paste it into an email it doesn't work, when I try to forward the attachment it doesn't work, and when I try to email the image it just shows as a question mark. Has anybody else been having this problem. It is not all PDFs, just some, and they just show as images.


(I think my solution may be to just use Gmail in Safari as apposed to Mail.app.)
Click to expand...

If you have GoodReader, use its ability to download attachments from email accounts to capture those pesky PDFs.
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
xraydoc said:
If you have GoodReader, use its ability to download attachments from email accounts to capture those pesky PDFs.
Click to expand...

I think you are missing what I am saying. Some PDFs show up as PDFs in Mail.app, and I am able to open them in GoodReader. However, some PDFs just show up as images in Mail.app, and I am literally unable to do anything with them (open them in GoodReader, Copy them to a new email message, forward the email with the PDF attached). There is some problem in how Mail.app is treating some PDFs.
 
T

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
superflush said:
I think you are missing what I am saying. Some PDFs show up as PDFs in Mail.app, and I am able to open them in GoodReader. However, some PDFs just show up as images in Mail.app, and I am literally unable to do anything with them (open them in GoodReader, Copy them to a new email message, forward the email with the PDF attached). There is some problem in how Mail.app is treating some PDFs.
Click to expand...

Actually, this works.

I just added me.com as a server in good reader and it searched and found my one page PDF that appears to be an image. Check the help in good reader on how to set it up.

I'm guessing you aren't a Mac user right? 1 page PDFs show inline in Mac mail, only multipage shows as a file. The problem is that iPad mail is missing a way to deal with them. That is what I have been using the computer for - the one page PDFs.

But it is behaving like the desktop version.

Now, if you are having it happen for multipage PDFs, that would be strange. Is there a way to turn off sowing images in settings? I haven't looked....
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
TraceyS/FL said:
I'm guessing you aren't a Mac user right? 1 page PDFs show inline in Mac mail, only multipage shows as a file. The problem is that iPad mail is missing a way to deal with them. That is what I have been using the computer for - the one page PDFs.

But it is behaving like the desktop version.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. That makes some sense then. But it is still a bug that we aren't able to call up Goodreader with 1pg PDFs or forward the email with the 1pg PDF intact.

(I'm getting my new MBP in about a week.:), but I stick to Gmail on the desktop and won't use Mail.app in OSX)
 
X

Xebedie

macrumors newbie
Jun 6, 2010
1
0
I am having the same problem with multi-page .pdf files. For instance with a 120pg .pdf file only the first page is visible in the email and there is no option to save it, view it etc.

Most frustrating as reading emailed .pdf files was the main reason for purchasing the iPad!
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
Xebedie said:
I am having the same problem with multi-page .pdf files. For instance with a 120pg .pdf file only the first page is visible in the email and there is no option to save it, view it etc.

Most frustrating as reading emailed .pdf files was the main reason for purchasing the iPad!
Click to expand...

Hm, okay. Then maybe its not just one-page PDFs.
Either way. I agree, this is frustrating, and I hope they fix it soon.
 
ajohnson253

ajohnson253

macrumors 68000
Jun 16, 2008
1,751
0
That happened to me also when using the email app. So instead I did safari and went to my email from there. Then my cover letter and resume that was in PDF finally showed up. So yea just try to open your PDF by checking your email with the safari browser on your iPad..
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
ajohnson253 said:
That happened to me also when using the email app. So instead I did safari and went to my email from there. Then my cover letter and resume that was in PDF finally showed up. So yea just try to open your PDF by checking your email with the safari browser on your iPad..
Click to expand...

Yes. Since I realized what the problem was, my workaround has just been using Gmail in Safari. However, it is still pretty important to work properly in Mail.app, considering how you can open a PDF with GoodReader.
 
ajohnson253

ajohnson253

macrumors 68000
Jun 16, 2008
1,751
0
superflush said:
Yes. Since I realized what the problem was, my workaround has just been using Gmail in Safari. However, it is still pretty important to work properly in Mail.app, considering how you can open a PDF with GoodReader.
Click to expand...


I definitely agree with you. I don't know how to save them from my email yet directly to the iPad somehow so maybe I can send out PDF's with important info. Let me kmow If you find a way please.
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
ajohnson253 said:
I definitely agree with you. I don't know how to save them from my email yet directly to the iPad somehow so maybe I can send out PDF's with important info. Let me kmow If you find a way please.
Click to expand...

Yea, I don't know if you can download them (I think not), however you should be able to forward the email and view the PDF in Safari.
 
ajohnson253

ajohnson253

macrumors 68000
Jun 16, 2008
1,751
0
superflush said:
Yea, I don't know if you can download them (I think not), however you should be able to forward the email and view the PDF in Safari.
Click to expand...

I wanted to save them to my iPad so I wouldn't have to use my mbp. Maybe even if there was a way to forward the PDF from the iPad to the other clients email somehow.
 
N

Naisortep

macrumors newbie
Jun 8, 2010
1
0
Me too

I am having the same problem. Email worked perfectly until a week or so ago. Maybe it was something in the last update that is causing the problem?
 
W

willisweb

macrumors newbie
Jun 10, 2010
1
0
Have you got Stanza installed?

I had the same problem, it turned out to be an app called Stanza. A book reader that I had downloaded ages ago on my iPhone. It got installed automatically on my iPad and I hadn't deleted it. Just the other day it got updated.

Once I deleted it from my iPad my multi-page email attached PDF all worked fine

There is a separate issue with single page PDF and forwarding them but this appears to be something we have to wait for Apple to fix.
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
Hm, I thought you were going to say Stanza was the cause of the whole problem. I was going to be very surprised.
I don't have it installed, so it isn't causing my problems.
 
S

superflush

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 6, 2009
508
3
I just got an email with a 2-page PDF, and when I view it in Mail on the iPad, I can only see the first page as an image and I can't do anything with it. ... However, I just removed Stanza (I had taken it off and then put it back on when they came out with an iPad Universal version. I don't really use it at all, so it is fine for me to delete it). Now with Stanza removed, I see the .pdf at the bottom with the Goodreader icon. So it looks like multi-page PDFs are fine as long as you don't have an app that is causing an error (such as Stanza). But, I just tested a 1-page PDF and it only shows up only as an image (unable to do anything with Goodreader).

So consensus right now.

1-page PDFs - Still a problem
Multi-page PDFs - Only a problem if you have an app interfering (such as Stanza)
 
J

jb007

macrumors newbie
Feb 10, 2009
13
0
I have the same problem.
Able to view many multi-paged pdf's, even with Stanza installed.
However, often am only able to see an image and can't open in another app.
Frustrating because I get many pdf's sent to me to view.

One solution is to save the files on your computer to apps like air sharing and then sync your iPad. More work and defeats the purpose of the device.

I too hope for a solution soon.
 
B

blazeconsulting

macrumors newbie
Jun 17, 2010
2
0
pdf files in mail

My problem is that I do not even get page 1, or any pages, for some pdf's sent to mail. I only get a '?' sign where the attachment should be. 2 hours worth of apple care on the phone and in the apple store have not solved the issue. Now it has been "escalated" to engineering, but who knows how long that will take. I depend on viewing these pdf's for work (they are all blueprint drawings, by the way), so the ipad I thought would be a good tool for the field and travel will be useless. It is tedious to always have to access them through safari, though that does work. And the very same pdf's come through perfectly fine on my iphone, right in Mail.

And I have never had stanza installed, so that is not the problem.
 
M

Martayjay

macrumors newbie
May 8, 2010
11
0
Same here

I have the same problem.
Was trying to mail myself the Final Cut Express User Guide so I could import it into Goodreader. Read here that Stanza was the problem.
Deleted Stanza and all of a sudden was able to receieve the file as an attachment. Big file, too.

However, now a week later and I'm trying to email some detailed maps (500+ KB) to myself to then import into Goodreader and am back to the same old problem.
As described above, only get first page embedded into body of email and not as an attachment that I can move into Goodreader.

WTF?
 
T

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
Martayjay said:
I have the same problem.
Was trying to mail myself the Final Cut Express User Guide so I could import it into Goodreader. Read here that Stanza was the problem.
Deleted Stanza and all of a sudden was able to receieve the file as an attachment. Big file, too.

However, now a week later and I'm trying to email some detailed maps (500+ KB) to myself to then import into Goodreader and am back to the same old problem.
As described above, only get first page embedded into body of email and not as an attachment that I can move into Goodreader.

WTF?
Click to expand...

Try going into good renderer, then the "connect to server" area, add your mail server and see if that works. It scans your inbox and lists only the attachments.
 
T

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
blazeconsulting said:
My problem is that I do not even get page 1, or any pages, for some pdf's sent to mail. I only get a '?' sign where the attachment should be. 2 hours worth of apple care on the phone and in the apple store have not solved the issue. Now it has been "escalated" to engineering, but who knows how long that will take. I depend on viewing these pdf's for work (they are all blueprint drawings, by the way), so the ipad I thought would be a good tool for the field and travel will be useless. It is tedious to always have to access them through safari, though that does work. And the very same pdf's come through perfectly fine on my iphone, right in Mail.

And I have never had stanza installed, so that is not the problem.
Click to expand...

That is bizarre. Anytime I have gotten the question mark I just tap on it and it downloads the rest of the message. Did they have you do a restore and see if it came back to life?
 
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