When Documents Fail Scout

Owned by Jorge Raya-Navarro
Jul 30, 2019
2 min read

Files may fail PDF Scout inspection for a handful of reasons, some as straightforward as the file not meeting certain submittal criteria (maximum file size of 400MB or maximum page dimensions of 36"x48"). These can typically be fixed by the applicant by breaking up a pdf into smaller sets (or optimizing), creating a PDF with appropriate dimensions, etc.


However, some Scout failures may be due to more technical reasons, such as problems with the PDF metadata. A PDF file should be considered a container, and the metadata is everything stored inside the container. If something unexpected is thrown into the container, issues with accessing the file may arise. Metadata issues can result from a PDF being created incorrectly, unexpected data being inserted into the PDF container when a file is moved and/or otherwise processed, or even the PDF data being corrupted altogether.


Due to the potential variety of causes for metadata issues, the typical recommendation to fix an PDF file that's been marked as having metadata issues is to opens the PDF in a PDF editor such as Adobe Pro, Nitro Pro, etc. and reprint the PDF to a new file. In most cases, this should clean up the data issues encountered. Extreme cases may require the creation of an entirely new PDF from the source.


Re-print Method

  1. Open the source PDF file in a PDF editor.
  2. Click on the ‘File’ menu, and scroll down to ‘Print.’
  3. Set the printer to print to PDF. This should be your PDF creation tool, such as 'Adobe PDF' or similar (see screenshot for another example). The available options may vary based on which programs you have access to.
  4. Click the ‘Properties’ button.



 

5. In the properties section, switch to the ‘Layout’ tab and verify that 'Orientation' is set correctly.

6. Click on 'Advanced...' to open the Advanced Options.

7. Click on the ‘Page Size’ drop-down and select the value that most-closely matches the provided PDF's intended dimensions.



 

NOTE: If the necessary size does not exist, some PDF editors (such as Nitro PDF) allow users to create ‘Custom Forms’ and save a setting for the desired page size.

8. Select the page size and click 'OK', then click 'OK' again in the previous window.

9. Ensure the ‘Page Sizing & Handling’ is not set to scale the print and that the desired ‘Orientation’ is selected.

10. Click ‘Print’ and save the file.


This process will typically result in a PDF file with corrected metadata which can be submitted back through PDF Scout.


Keep in Mind

Typically, the selected orientation and page dimensions will be enforced on all file pages. If a file contains a mix of pages with different dimensions, or with different orientations, the PDF may first need to be split apart so that separate dimensions are reprinted independently, then merged back into a file. Consider recreating a new PDF file from the source in this scenario, if possible.


Are There Any Limitations To This Process?

If the source file has embedded bookmarks these will not be included in the recreated file. If the original document includes a digital signature, the displayed signature will be copied, but will no longer be valid on the copy.