Enfocus FAQ

How do I activate my PitStop Pro license?

If you purchase an Enfocus license, you receive a serial key that is linked to your license. The activation process checks if your software version and key are legitimate and you are entitled to use the software.

If you are ever going to remember 2 things about activation, remember these:

• Your key(s) received at the time of purchase. Keep it somewhere safe where you can easily get it if needed.
• When moving software to another computer, always de-activate the software before activating it on another machine.

The Local License Manager
Enfocus created a free tool that helps you managing your activated products locally.

Note: Customers using the Enfocus Workgroup Manager should not install the Local License Manager as they already have the License Server on their system.

Watch the video on the activation process of PitStop Pro: http://youtu.be/FsDjzTgrawU

http://youtu.be/FsDjzTgrawU

I have upgraded to Acrobat DC and my PitStop Pro has disappeared.

Cause
Adobe Acrobat DC works as an update rather than an upgrade, so your previous Acrobat installation has been overwritten and all plugins deleted.
You will need to re-install your PitStop Pro version, however if you are running on a Macintosh you should also be aware of several other factors.

Adobe only supports Acrobat DC on OS X10.9 and 10.10

In addition Adobe Acrobat DC now runs as a 64-bit application on Macintosh. This means that any version of PitStop below version 12 update 3 will not work as these are 32-bit applications. To work with Adobe Acrobat DC on Macintosh you therefore need to be using PitStop 12 update 3 or higher.

Currently the Windows version of Adobe Acrobat DC is still 32-bit

Solution
You can download a trial of the current version. If you decide to upgrade, you can upgrade on this site.

What do I do if an error occurred during a download of an Enfocus product?

Please check if there is any software that could interfere with the download, like a firewall for example and disable it or allow the software to be downloaded.

If there is no software that could interfere then please make a screenshot of the error message that you are receiving and send it to support@xchangeuk.com.

Will my Enfocus key work in latest update?

As long as you stay within the same major version, your key will work.

So for example if you have an 08, update 2 key and you update your version to 08, update 5 then your registration will still be ok. Another example, if you have version 7.01 and you have updated to version 7.52, your registration will still be ok. If you have a version 7.x key and you want to use that in version 08, update x then this will not work

Why do I get the message that my Product Key doesn’t get accepted or that it is invalid?

After having entered all details to register the Enfocus product and clicking OK to get it done, a window comes up displaying the message:
1) You entered an incorrect Product Key for this software. The Product Key looks as follows..
2) You entered an invalid Product Key for this software. The Product Key looks as follows..

Cause
1) You did made a mistake in typing the Product Key
2) The Product Key is for another version or for another Enfocus product

Solution
1) The Product Key is case sensitive and must contain 5 groups of 5 characters and do not mistake a zero for the capital o. It is always a good idea to do a copy/paste of the Product Key to avoid mistakes.

2) Please double check if you have the correct Product Key for the correct version and Enfocus Product.

For example:
You can not use a Product Key of PitStop Professional 09 into a PitStop Professional 10
You can not use a Product Key of Pitstop Pro into PitStop Server

How do I import Preflight Profiles?

To import Preflight Profiles:

1) Open the Preflight Profiles dialog box.
2) Click

3) Choose Import/Export , and click one of the following:

• Import
• Import Group

How do I run a Preflight Profile?

To run a Preflight Profile:

1) Open the Preflight Profiles dialog box.
2) Select a preflight proflile.
3) If necessary, change the following options:

• Run on
• Certified PDF Preflight
• Allow fixes

4) Then Click

Why is the Inspector saying that an indexed color space is used?

Indexation of images is a way of compressing the image without any data loss. Indexing an image will keep the resolution and colorspace intact, but the structure of the image will change.

When an image is indexed an index table will be created. This is a list of the different colors that are used. The image itself will contain reference numbers to this index table. Especially when the image uses a lot the same colors, this can save a lot of space. Indexing an image won’t change the way an image looks or will be printed. Each pixel will keep its original color and colorspace.

For example, a CMYK image is indexed. The index table will contain each color once with its CMYK percentages. Each pixel in the image will contain a single reference to the index table. If this same image wouldn't be indexed, each pixel would have it's CMYK coordinates. If that image would contain 2 pixels with the same CMYK values, this information will be stored twice.
If an image uses a lot of different colors, indexing this image will not make decrease the file size. In this case the image will not be indexed.

What is the PitStop Workgroup Manager?

The PitStop Workgroup Manager enables PitStop Pro 12 users to centrally manage and standardize presets (preflight settings, Action Lists, Workspaces, etc.) in multi-user environments. The PitStop Workgroup Manager manages Floating Licenses in a centralized way and allows copies of PitStop Pro to be installed on any number of terminals within a local area network, but only a certain number can be used simultaneously. Contact sales@xchangeuk.com if you wish to inquire about Floating Licenses.

I have two Action Lists. When I run those two Action Lists in PitStop Server (attached to a hot folder) the result is different than when I run them in PitStop Professional. Why is that?

The reason for that is that every time you run an Action List in PitStop Professional you start with the whole document selected. Every time you run an Action List it behaves as though there is a "Select All" action as the first action in the Action List.

In PitStop Server however, the second Action List inherits the selection made by the first Action List.

Solution
To resolve this issue start each Action List with a "Select All" action. Then both PitStop Server and PitStop Professional will behave in the same way when running multiple Action Lists.

In Pitstop Server, some of my files disappear so they are not in my output folders. After checking the history, I could see that they were quarantined. Why?

The reason why this happens is because Enfocus want to make sure that the other files still continue to process.

The special event icon will flash when a file gets quarantined.

Cause
1) A file can get quarantined if something went wrong during preflight/process so something stopped the process before it was ended successfully. This is not the same as a preflight error or warning.
2) A file can also get quarantined if another application is "touching" the file on the same moment that PitStop Server is "touching" it.

For example:
A) an anti-virus application or indexing software
B) if the input folder is an output folder from another application and that other application still has the PDF "in use", Adobe Acrobat Distiller is an example for this set up. Same thing for the output folder, if an application grabs files from that output folder.

Solution
1) Send the quarantined folder, hot folder (.enf for version 08 and above) or screenshots of the hot folder settings (for version older than 08) and the original file so that Enfocus can investigate why the file got quarantined. Send the file to support@enfocus.com. The quarantined folder can be found in the path mention in the history or you can also check the general preferences of PitStop Server.
2) Depending on what other application you suspect is conflicting, follow the instructions at A) or B)

A) Exclude following folders in your anti-virus or indexing software:
Windows:

• HD/Documents & Settings/All users/Application data/Enfocus Prefs Folder
• HD/Documents & Settings//Application data/Enfocus Prefs Folder
• HD/Program Files/Enfocus

Mac:

• HD:Library:Preferences:Enfocus Prefs Folder
• HD:Users::Library:Preferences:Enfocus Prefs Folder
• HD:Applications:Enfocus

Also all of your folders set up in your hot folder configuration.

B) Just make sure the file gets completely copied in the output folder and/or the file is released by that other application.

You can also try to increase the value of the time interval preferences so that PitStop Server waits a little bit longer to start processing new files. This option can be found in the general preferences of PitStop Server.

Will Switch products use the full potential of dual processors?

Absolutely. Switch performs various tasks (such as downloading files, moving files, checking email) in separate threads which can run on multiple processors at the same time. Furthermore, the third-party applications controlled by Switch (such as distilling or preflighting) each run in their own thread, so they can be working in parallel as well.

Why is my Switch third-party configurator grayed out?

If the third-party application is not successfully detected, a configurator's icon is grayed-out in the elements pane and in the canvas. A grayed-out configurator can be used in a flow design, but the flow cannot be activated.

When the Switch server starts, it attempts to detect the third-party application using fast mechanisms (such as querying the operating system registry or checking the default application path). If during startup Switch does not detect a third-party application that has been successfully installed, you can trigger a search for the application through the context menu offered by the "Flow Elements" pane.You can also use this function if you did not quit and restart Switch after installing a third-party application.

To search for the third-party application corresponding to a configurator:

• Bring up the context menu for the configurator's icon in the "Flow Elements" pane.
• Choose the "Search for application" menu item in the context menu.
  This function first attempts to detect the third-party application using fast mechanisms and if that fails, it performs a full file search in the system's program files folder. Please note that some configurators do not offer this function or may not offer the full file search capability.

If the search function described above fails to detect a third-party application that has been successfully installed, you can manually locate the application through the context menu offered by the "Flow Elements" pane. Be careful with this procedure; selecting an unsupported application will have unpredictable results.

To manually locate a third-party application corresponding to a configurator:

• Bring up the context menu for the configurator's icon in the "Flow Elements" pane.
• Choose the "Set path to application" menu item in the context menu.
• In the "Choose application" dialog, browse to the application's executable (or application bundle).
  Click "Open"
  Please note that some configurators do not offer this function.

I bought a Plug-in for Acrobat and it will not load in the free Reader. Why not?

Most commercial Plug-ins for Acrobat are designed to work with Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro and are not compatible with the free Adobe Reader. The main reason for this is that Adobe Reader does not contain all of the capabilities and hooks that software developers need to implement their Plug-ins. To use the Plug-in, you will need to purchase either Acrobat Standard or Professional.

How can I find my Acrobat Plug-ins folder on Mac OS X?

Unlike other Adobe applications, the Acrobat Plug-in folder is actually inside the Acrobat application Package. To locate it, navigate to your Adobe Acrobat application folder and click on the Acrobat icon once to select it. Then, either right-click (if you have a two or three-button mouse) or press the Control key and click the icon and hold the keys down. A contextual menu will appear which contains Show Package Content as one of the options. Select this and a new window will open displaying the Plug-ins folder.

I have my Preflight Profile set to Convert RGB to CMYK, but I still get the error “RGB in Transparency Group” in the report. What can I do?

The PDF specification states that transparency group color spaces are used "as the color space into which colors are converted" and therefore do not get converted to CMYK by the Preflight Profile. To resolve this, prior to converting to CMYK using the Preflight Profile, you must change the blending color space of the document to CMYK.

Create an Action List or download the Action List below "Change blending color space to CMYK". You can then apply this Action List to your Preflight Profile under the section Action Lists>Changes. This will change the blending space of the transparency group to CMYK and it will convert to CMYK correctly.

I get the error “PitStop Pro.pkg can’t be opened because the identity of the developer cannot be confirmed” when I try to run the installer. How can I fix this?

Please be aware that Mac OS X 10.9 Maverick/Yosemite has a new security feature called "Gatekeeper" that must be changed in order to install applications that did not originate from the Mac App Store or identified suppliers.

Solution
Your system preferences must be adjusted to temporarily allow an unidentified installation such as an Enfocus application installer. Adjust this setting by going to your System Preferences > Security and Privacy > Change the setting to "Anywhere" under "Allow Applications downloaded from"

In Yosemite, you will not be allowed to change this setting if your user has a blank password. To change the setting, give your user a password, make the change, then the password can be removed again.

Switch Service is using nearly 100% of the CPU Resources. How can I fix this?

In some cases, users that have upgraded to Switch 12 have found that the Switch Service is occupying nearly 100% CPU usage when compared to a previous version of Switch while using the same identical flows. In flows that contain two or more input channels or intermediate folders (a user selected input folder, a Submit Hierarchy element or a user selected folder with incoming connections, for example) which are scanning an identical directory at the same time, this will cause Switch to use an entire core of CPU processing power per flow.

Example scenario: On a Dual-Core system, a Switch configuration with 1 flow containing 2 Submit Hierarchies elements pointing to the same remote directory would cause the Switch Service to use 50% of the CPU resources (1 flow with 2 redundant input channels would be occupying 1 of the 2 cores or 50%). If this same system then added another flow with the same configuration, the system would now be using 100% of the CPU resources.

The above behavior would also be found if a flow contains 2 intermediate folders (folders with incoming connections) which are polling the same remote directory.

Solution
The simple solution is to remove a redundant input channel or intermediate folder. In some cases however, the redundant input channels are established to allow jobs to be released and processed at different intervals, for example. This can still be achieved with one input channel followed by a "Hold Job Element" with multiple outgoing connections, each with their respective properties.

This issue is not limited to Switch version 12 as redundant input channels and intermediate folders in the same flow can potentially cause difficulties in any version.

I wish to downgrade an Enfocus application on my Mac and the installer doesn’t allow me to continue. How can I fix this?

Please note that downgrading software to a previous version can cause issues. Please make sure to test your installation after downgrading to make sure everything works as expected. Possible issues are:

An action list or preflight profile created with the higher version of PitStop Pro/Server may have functionality which is not available in the older version of PitStop Pro/Server. Since the functionality is not available, that part of the preflight profile or action list won’t be executed.
If the internal format of the preflight profiles or action lists changed between versions, then it is possible that the preflight profile or action list is considered corrupted by the older version of the software since it doesn’t understand the new format yet.
A more recent Switch version may have changed flow properties. When you re-import your flows in the older versions there might be issues which need to be fixed.
If any internal format, setting or preset file has changed, then the older version of the software may have issues reading it. The software is built to handle these changes automatically in an upgrade scenario, however not in a downgrade scenario.
…
You can avoid the error message in the installer using these steps:

Close down the installer if it is still running.
Make sure that the software (including background processes) is completely closed down.
Open menu Go in Finder and choose the option “Go to Folder…”
Type in the following path:
/var/db/receipts/
and press the Go button.
Search for files named like this and remove them:
com.enfocus..bom
com.enfocus..plist
Open the following folder in Finder:
/Library/Application Support/Enfocus/Applications/Installed/
Search for a file named like this and remove it:
.man
Empty the trash bin (this is important!).
If you are using Switch, please also remove the files mentioned in this article.
You are now able to run the installer of the older version of the software.
Please test the software before using it in production to avoid any issues which might have been caused by the downgrade.

My Switch Client has suddenly stopped working and I cannot submit jobs. How can I fix this?

This can be caused by an large amount of files on the Switch Server in the local user temp folder.

Solution
Delete all or most of the temp files located in the temp folder.

Be sure to stop all Switch Processes first. You can double check that all processes are stopped in Task Manager/Activity Monitor.

Delete temp files from this folder:

Windows

C:\Users\AppData\Local\temp

Mac

Hit Command-Shift G and then type in /tmp. This will take you to the temp folder on Mac.

Restart Switch Services and see if the issue is resolved.

Initialization Error – Switch Server cannot start because the log database cannot be initialized. How can I fix this?

Cause
The error indicates that there is a corruption in your message database.

Solution
Shut down all Switch Services

Check in Task Manager/Activity Monitor to make sure they are all shut down before going forward:

Find the file ServerLogs.db3 This file can be found in the following default locations:

Mac

/Users//Library/Application Support/Enfocus/Switch Server/logs/ServerLogs.db3

Windows

C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Enfocus\Switch Server\logs\ServerLogs.db3

These paths are the default locations. If the Switch application data root has been changed from the default you can look in the Switch Preferences to see the location of the folder.

Rename the file to ServerLogs_old.db3

Start Switch back up and the issue should be resolved.

I am getting the error “Flow Validation Error: User managed backing folder does not exist”

Cause
This can be caused by a permissions issue.

Switch has several processes which run with different permissions:

Switch Designer.
This process is the UI, it runs with normal permissions.

Switch Server.
This is the name to describe all background processes. These run with elevated permissions.

The problem with network locations mapped to a drive letter is that they are not shared between these two permission levels. This means that when you mounted the network shares to drive letter on the normal permission level (which is default) that:

Local Switch Designer will be able to see the shares. Therefore you will be able to use a folder from such a share in a browse dialog.

Switch Server will not be able to see the share. This means that if you would activate a flow containing such a folder it will error. This is because Switch Server verifies flows, Switch Designer does not.

When you are using a Remote Designer, then it gets all it's information from the Switch Server processes. Those are running elevated, which means they can't see the network shares mapped to drive letters on a normal permission level.

Solution

1 Use UNC paths instead of network locations mapped to drive letters.
This is what I recommend since it avoids the security issues.

2 Map the network shares to drive letters both on the normal permission level and the elevated permission level
If you already have it on the normal permission level, then you can add it on the elevated permission level like this:

• Right click Cmd in the start menu and choose "Run as administrator"
• Use the "Net use" command to mount the share. You can find more information here:
  https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490717.aspx

3 Disable the security feature with the two permission levels.
Please be aware that this is lowering security, you can find more information here:
http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/94528/does-enabling-enablelinkedconnections-pose-a-security-risk

You can find out how to do this on the following page:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ee844140%28v=WS.10%29.aspx

I am using a proxy server and the Switch Webmessages webpage gives an error. How can I fix this?

Background
On systems using a proxy server, some browsers can experience issues displaying local webpages, those hosted on the same system.

Solution
This can be fixed by disabling the proxy for local webpages, those hosted on the same system as where the browser is running. You can do so using these steps:

Windows

• Open the Control Panel
• Open the Category “Network and Internet”
• Click “Internet options”
• Open the Connections tab
• Click the “LAN settings” button
• Enable the “Bypass proxy server for local addresses” checkmark
• Click OK
• Click OK

Mac

• Open System preferences
• Open the Category “Network”
• Select the Connection you are connected to the internet with (Ethernet or Wi-Fi)
• Click the “Advanced…” button
• Open the “Proxies” tab
• Add localhost and 127.0.0.1 to the comma separated list of hosts to ignore