GhostScript (9.20, AIX) error converting PDF to PCL

Question

GhostScript 9.20 is giving the following error in attempting to convert a 1-page PDF to PCL:

**** Error reading a content stream. The page may be incomplete.
               Output may be incorrect.
Error: /typecheck in --run--
Operand stack:
   --dict:4/4(L)--   9   11150   9   0   --nostringval--   AP   --nostringval--   BS   --nostringval--   DA   (/Helv 10 Tf 0 g)   F   4   FT   Tx   Ff   12587008   MK   --nostringval--   P   --nostringval--   Rect   --nostringval--   Subtype   Widget   T   (MissingInformation)   Type   V   --nostringval--   Annot
Execution stack:
   %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   1983   1   3   %oparray_pop   1982   1   3   %oparray_pop   1966   1   3   %oparray_pop   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   %array_continue   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
   --dict:1205/1684(ro)(G)--   --dict:1/20(G)--   --dict:83/200(L)--   --dict:83/200(L)--   --dict:135/256(ro)(G)--   --dict:291/300(ro)(G)--   --dict:30/32(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
GPL Ghostscript 9.20: Unrecoverable error, exit code 1

It is being executed in Unix-AIX with the following:

gs -dSAFER -sDEVICE=pxlmono -sPAPERSIZE=letter -dFIXEDMEDIA -dPDFFitPage

Sample file that fails

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Ron

Answer 1

Your PDF file has an error. It contains an annotation which has (object 9):

/V /APPTRIAGE#20CASEONED#3A#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20DrugExperimentation#20-#20Drugs#2FMedication#20Not#20Prescribed#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20AlcoholDrugTreatment#20-#20Alcohol#20Abuse#20Treatment#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20HivAids#20-#20HIV#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20HivAids#20-#20AIDS#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20LiverDisease#20-#20Esophagus#20Disorder#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Stress#3A#20Have#20you#20ever#20received#20disability#20or#20missed#20work#20due#20to#20psychiatric#20reasons#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Stress#3A#20Do#20you#20see#20a#20psychiatrist#20or#20counselor#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0 D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Stress#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Stress#3A#20support#20group#20member#20info#20missing#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Stress#3A#20date#20diagnosed#20missing#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Depression#3A#20Have#20you#20ever#20received#20disability#20or#20missed#20work#20due#20to#20psychiatric#20reasons#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Depression#3A#20Do#20you#20see#20a#20psychiatrist#20or#20counselor#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Depression#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Depression#3A#20support#20group#20member#20info#20missing#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorde r#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Depression#3A#20date#20diagnosed#20missing#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Anxiety#3A#20Have#20you#20ever#20received#20disability#20or#20missed#20work#20due#20to#20psychiatric#20reasons#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Anxiety#3A#20Do#20you#20see#20a#20psychiatrist#20or#20counselor#3F#20Provide#20details#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Anxiety#3A#20Was#20doctor#20seen#3F#20Provide#20detail#20if#20yes.#0D#0D...Part#20II#3A#20MentalDisorder#20-#20Counseling#20-#20Anxiety#3A#20support#20group#20member#20info#20missing#0D#0D#28Continued#20on#20next#20page#29

The /V field of an annotation may be a text string or a stream. This annotation has a name object. So its immediately incorrect. Further to that, name objects are subject to an implementation limit which is given in Appendix C of the PDF Reference as 127 bytes, which is considerably less than this monster. Ghostscript permits larger names, but not this large.

Even if I 'fix' that, Ghostscript still doesn't like the file, and if you open the file in Acrobat, and then close it, it offers to 'save changes' which is a pretty good indication that Acrobat has silently ignored an error.

In fact the file has been edited and the edit has broken the file still further.

In short, your file is broken, that's why it doesn't work.