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PDF attached to outgoing email automatically converts to JPG

A

AmyGinger

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 5, 2008
16
0
Greetings. I'm using OS 10.4.11. When I email PDFs, they are automatically converted to JPGs unless I create an "archive" of them, in which case lots of people can't open them, including Mac and PC users. As a sometime graphic artist, this is a real concern.

Any suggestions? Any ideas why this happens? On my old iMac using OS 9, I never had this problem. Appreciate the help.
 
Need more info from you;
What email program are you using? Online or Mail client?
How are you attaching the PDF's to the email?
How are you creating the PDF's?
 
I'm using Mail, version 2.1.3. I create PDFs usualy from InDesign by exporting the InDesign document and Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional creates the PDF.
As to how I'm attaching them, I simply hit "attach" (through Mail) and find the folder or location of the PDF. It shows up as a .pdf file in my email before I send it, but when it is received by someone else it comes to them as .jpg.
Photoshop can open it, if they have photoshop, but the resolution is low and is not how it's meant to be opened. And for just average, non-graphic folks, many of them can't make use of it at all, even if they could open it as a .jpg
 
I do what you do, and it works fine without conversions.

What happens if you email a PDF to yourself? Does it stay as a PDF, opening in Acrobat or Preview, or does it get converted to a jpeg?
 
No, it converts to a jpg. The image shows up in the body of the email, of course, but the attachment is in jpg format. REAL frustrating!:confused:
 
I hate to ask again, but a jpeg with an actual .jpg extension?

If so, this is beyond weird. As far as I can tell, Mail doesn't have the ability to convert any graphical file format to anything else. The only thing I can suggest is using the "Windows friendly attachment" option, but I see no reason why this should make a difference. Also I would be curious to know whether the same thing happens with PDFs generated by applications other than InDesign.
 
Yes, it sends it with a .jpg extension. I tested (per your question) sending a Word document (to myself) saved as a .pdf and IT came to me with the .jpg extension. Also, as to clicking the "Send Windows friendly documents" I've done that multiple times. Either way makes no difference. The only way the PDF will go out and can be opened as a PDF is if I've archived/zipped it, something suggested to me a few years ago on this forum when I was first trying to get help with this problem. As I said in my first post, though, most people can't open the zipped file.... I really appreciate your continuing to think about this; I'm at my wit's end!
Amy
 
This is definitely weird. Never heard of it before. Have you installed any third party apps that might be doing this?

What happens if you send the same pdf file via:

- a PC using Windows?

- Webmail?
 
Don't have a PC and don't believe there are any extra apps here (I don't do much with that sort of thing). But here's the "wow" - you and I were on the same wave length. I'd just thought of trying to send a PDF to myself using Web Mail when I read your message. I sent it, and it worked. So, that lets me know it can be done. But does that tell me anything else I need to know regarding the origin of the problem? What do you folks think?
 
AmyGinger said:
Don't have a PC and don't believe there are any extra apps here (I don't do much with that sort of thing). But here's the "wow" - you and I were on the same wave length. I'd just thought of trying to send a PDF to myself using Web Mail when I read your message. I sent it, and it worked. So, that lets me know it can be done. But does that tell me anything else I need to know regarding the origin of the problem? What do you folks think?
Click to expand...
This seems to point towards your mail app or ISP.

If you have a Thumb Drive, and know someone who has a PC, ask them to mail your pdf file from their PC to your mail account.

If you can open up the pdf with your mail account, then the incoming part would seem to be working. This would then indicate that something is wrong on the outgoing side of your e-mail.

MIME setting could be doing this. If the ISP does not recognize the attachment type, then the ISP may be converting the pdf to jpg format automatically. Or there may be a system mismatch and the out going pdf is being replaced with jpg. Or, have you installed any application that does this function with Mail?

Hope this helps.
 
I am unable to duplicate this on a Tiger box.

Are all your PDFs going through Adobe Acrobat Pro?
Or are you also trying the Print -> Save as PDF option?
 
yellow said:
Are you able to duplicate this behavior if you've logged in as someone else?
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, this means creating a new user and logging into that account, not logging in while cross-dressing or something like it. ;)

Presumably this would also mean recreating the e-mail account in Mail. Worth trying, at any rate.

I know it's not going to make the OP feel any better, but I hereby nominate this for the MacRumors Most Bizarre Issue of the Year award.
 
I can definitely receive PDF files from anyone. Usually, it's Preview that opens them (there must be some default setting I could change there so Acrobat would do it, but that's a tangent, irrelevant). I will try the recreation of my mail account and see if that helps. No one else uses the computer (also irrelevant!).

As to the question, "Are all your PDFs going through Adobe Acrobat Pro?
Or are you also trying the Print -> Save as PDF option?". Have done both and they both do the same thing.
 
Try this.

Ask a friend to send you a pdf file. You mentioned that you can receive and open them okay.

Then try this:

- Reply to that message, with the pdf file.

- Forward the message back to the person who sent it, with the pdf file.

Let us know if the file goes through as a pdf or not.
 
I love all these great minds working together. Will do, and will let you know.
Thanks.
 
Regarding the last set of suggestions, "try this:

- Reply to that message, with the pdf file.

- Forward the message back to the person who sent it, with the pdf file.

Let us know if the file goes through as a pdf or not" --

Here's what my friend, the recipient of the test, replied:

Both the copied/sent one and the forwarded one came to me as JPEGs..... They show up with the little Adobe Acrobat icon in front of them, but with the JPG extension and they'll only open in Photoshop.
 
And if you change the extension to .pdf, will it open in Adobe Reader?

And what about creating a new user and creating a new mail account?
 
If I change the extension to .pdf, it does open in Acrobat. However, the resolution is bad.

Someone else suggested creating a new account, and I've been trying to do that; so far, I haven't been able to get past step one. :(
 
I've finally figured out how to add a .Mac account, but it keeps rejecting my password, so I'm stymied as to how to get past this point...
 
Well, that bit of info was useful. All along I thought that it was being suggested that I set up a new email account to test this issue.

I've set up a new account as you suggested and, with that account selected have sent another email to myself. It shows up as a .jpg
 
Other things to try (not sure if you've done already):

1) Try a new email client with the same email account (e.g. Thunderbird)
2) Try a new email account with the same mail client (e.g. set up Google Mail)

This is an interesting problem!
 
I'm seeing this same behavior on Mac Mail. I can send one .pdf to a PC just fine, but if I try to send multiple .pdfs, they all get sent as .jpgs (with horrible resolution). I've narrowed this down to Mac Mail, and not the email account. I've finally given up and sent my attachment via a PC. :mad:

This happens regardless of if I drag and drop the .pdfs or if I click attach. Also the "Windows Friendly" checkbox doesn't seem to change this either.

<Edit> Figured it out. See next reply.
 
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