Why Acrobat Cannot Compare Illustrator-Created PDFs and How to Fix It
Question details
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC fails to compare text in PDFs exported from Illustrator, treating them as image-only scanned documents.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Using the Compare Files tool in Acrobat Pro DC to review differences between two PDF files generated directly from Adobe Illustrator.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat identifies the PDFs as scanned documents with no text, defaulting to an image-to-image comparison despite the original Illustrator files containing editable text and vector graphics.
Ensure you have access to the original Adobe Illustrator (.ai) project files, as you will need to modify the PDF export settings or route the files through different software to resolve structural issues.
Modify PDF Export Presets in Illustrator
Changing the export settings in Illustrator can alter how text and vector data are structured, helping Acrobat recognize the content as text rather than flattened images.
The way Illustrator encodes PDF data heavily depends on the chosen export preset. Complex vector graphics combined with certain compression or compatibility settings can mask underlying text layers from Acrobat's comparison engine.
Launch Adobe Illustrator and open the .ai project file that you want to export.
Navigate to 'File' > 'Save As' from the top menu, choose a save destination, and select 'Adobe PDF' as the file format.
In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, change the Adobe PDF Preset from 'Illustrator Default' to 'High Quality Print' or 'PDF/X-4:2010'.
Uncheck the 'Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities' box to simplify the file structure, then click 'Save PDF' and test the comparison again in Acrobat.
Export the File Using Adobe InDesign
Use Adobe InDesign as an intermediary to generate the PDF, as InDesign structures PDF text in a format that Acrobat consistently reads correctly during comparisons.
Compare PDFs Effortlessly with WPS Office
If Adobe Acrobat struggles to analyze your design files or requires complex workarounds, try WPS Office. It includes a powerful PDF editor that easily handles document comparison, text editing, and format conversions without the heavy resource usage of standard design software.
- 1. Open WPS PDF: Launch WPS Office and switch to the PDF tab on the main dashboard.
- 2. Access the Compare Tool: Navigate to the top toolbar and select 'Compare' to open the document comparison interface.
- 3. Select your documents: Upload your original PDF file and the revised PDF file you wish to cross-reference.
- 4. Run the comparison: Click the 'Compare' button to instantly process the files and view highlighted differences in text, layout, and formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat think my Illustrator PDF is a scanned document?
Illustrator often structures complex visual data and layers in a way that Acrobat's comparison engine misinterprets as flattened images. If text is heavily styled, grouped with complex vectors, or exported with certain presets, Acrobat fails to parse the native text data and defaults to treating it like a scan.
Does converting text to outlines in Illustrator affect PDF comparison?
Yes. When you convert text to outlines in Illustrator, it ceases to be font-based text and becomes pure vector geometry. Acrobat cannot read vector paths as text, so it will only be able to perform a visual, image-to-image comparison.
How can I force Acrobat to recognize text in my exported PDF?
You can attempt to run the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool in Acrobat Pro DC by going to 'Scan & OCR' > 'Recognize Text'. However, running OCR on a digitally created file is less accurate than fixing the native PDF export settings in Illustrator or InDesign.
Will saving the Illustrator file as an EPS first fix the comparison issue?
While saving your design as an EPS and then distilling it into a PDF changes the underlying file structure, it is often an outdated and less reliable method. Adjusting your native PDF export presets or placing the .ai file directly into InDesign yields much better results for text comparison.
