Text overflow error

When you generate a preview, export to PDF, or create an InDesign Package, the editor may return the Text overflow occurred error. This means the selected layout cannot fit all the content in the document or publication.

The layout engine reports overflow in two situations:

• Text overflow occurred in main text frame

• Text overflow occurred in table cell

This article helps you diagnose and resolve both.

Text overflow occurred in main text frame

This error appears when the layout assigned to the document cannot hold the amount of text the system is trying to place.

Cause 1: Incorrect layout selected

The most common cause is selecting the wrong layout for the page.
For example, if you edit a main content page but have Cover Page set as the PDF Layout, the system attempts to place all text into the limited-capacity cover layout, which produces overflow.

Resolution: change the layout

To change the layout:

1. Open the document.

2. Unlock it by selecting Edit.

3. Go to Attributes, then open Styling.

4. Verify the correct layout is selected. If not, select the correct layout.

Cause 2: Too much content for the selected layout

Some layouts—such as cover or back pages—are designed for a fixed and limited amount of content. Adding additional blocks may push content beyond what the layout supports.

Resolution: Inspect the content through content ID

Inspect the error to see which content overflows first and where it is located in the document. This will help you identify where in the layout the problem needs to be fixed. 

To inspect content through content ID: 

1. Click on the hyperlinked content ID in the error message that will directly highlight the content block in the editor.  

Tip: Avoid adding new content to cover or back pages. These layouts expect the exact amount of content they were originally created with.

Text overflow occurred in table cell

Cause

This error means there is more text in a table cell than the column width can display. 

Resolution

To resolve it, locate the cell that overflows and either:

• Increase the width of the column, or

• Reduce the amount of text in that cell.

To change the column width:

1. Open the document.

2. Unlock it by selecting Edit.

3. Select the table where the overflow occurs.

4. Identify the column containing the overflowing Content ID, then increase its width using the Column Size list.

If the issue persists, contact the Pergamon Support team and include the Document ID or Publication ID that produces the error.