PDF Export not WYSIWYG

[stmlandplan]

I have been struggling with my exports to PDF and have never been able to get the line weights, etc. to look the same as was displayed on my screen. Usually the lineweights come out very light and some of my fonts (Arial, Mr. Hand) they too are very lght. Nothing I can do seems to work.

I end up trying to export an image file (jpg, tiff etc.) but it is frustrating and I want to know what I might be doing wrong.

Has anyone else had this problem?

I am using Adobe Acrobat 9

Vector Works 2008 SP3 (Build 88670)ck in touch - Landmark, Renderworks

Windows XP Pro - SP3

NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M

Intel ® Core 2 Duo CPU

2.53 GHz, 2.99 GB RAM

Intuos 2 Tablet

Edited November 15, 2009 by stmlandplan

[stmlandplan]

I meant to also note that it works if I turn off GDI + imaging but then I loose the transparancy attributes.

Edited November 15, 2009 by stmlandplan

[Ray Libby]

What size line weights are too light?

Could you post a PDF here that shows this?

[stmlandplan]

Ray,

I'm not sure how to post the pdf and jpg that illustrate the problem. The instructions suggest I have to post it on my website or an FTP site first (which I don't have access to). Is there another way to do it?

[Ray Libby]

Click on the Switch to Full Reply Screen button below. You can use the File Manager to upload files.

[stmlandplan]

Thanks for the basic user education Ray. I don'

t know why I didn't see that before.

The atttached jpg shows a fairly true representation of the image I see on my dislay (i.e. font weight, lineweights for the building envelope outline, building hatch line weight, etc.) The pdf however shows a lighter line weight for both Arial and Mr. Hnad fonts and the building outline and hatch seem to be off a bit. I often also get very heavy line weights for leaders for callouts enven though I have the class and callout set to .05mm line weights.

Teh image expports (jpg, tiffs, png's etc seem to do better)

Any thoughts on why this is happening would be greatly appreciated.

Vector Works 2008 SP3 (Build 88670)ck in touch - Landmark, Renderworks

Windows XP Pro - SP3

NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M

Intel ® Core 2 Duo CPU

2.53 GHz, 2.99 GB RAM

Intuos 2 Tablet

[Ray Libby]

I downloaded the PDF and it appears to be blank.

[brudgers]

Are you using opacity to lighten elements?

If so, how are you applying it?

I personally doubt that you will get a perfect correlation between what you see in Vectorworks and the PDF it generates...never mind the way it will print.

NNA has no control over which application you use to view PDF's and no control over that application's display algorithms.

If precise graphic output is critical I suggest you consider using a color based approach with named colors such as Pantone-uncoated, etc.

Set the colors using over-rides in a sheet layer viewport.

I also suggest that you work backwards from printed output and make sure that's acceptable before you work on the Vectorworks to PDF step.

Edited November 16, 2009 by brudgers

[bcd]

I get this message when I try to open it.

"An error exists on this page. Acrobat may not display the page correctly. Please contact the person who created the PDF document to correct the problem."

Have you tried PDF batch export?

[stmlandplan]

Sorry about the blank pdf. I'll try again.

It was populated when I open it with Acrobat but downloading it form here i got the same blank image.....hmmmmmmmm.

Are you using opacity to lighten elements? YES, ESPECIALLY FOR B&W FINAL PLOTS.

If so, how are you applying it? I SET THE CLASS OPACITY TO SCREEN THE OBJECT OR OVERIDE IN THE ATTRIBUTES. SOMETIMES I JUST GRAY THE CLASS IN THE VIEWPORT AND THEN EXPORT TO PDF SETTING THE 'GRAYED LEVELS FOR GRAYED LAYERS AND CLASSES' CONTROL.

If precise graphic output is critical I suggest you consider using a color based approach with named colors such as Pantone-uncoated, etc. I'M NOT USRE I UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO THIS IF I AM PRINTING IN B&W

Set the colors using over-rides in a sheet layer viewport

[stmlandplan]

Now this is getting strange. I still get a blank pdf when downloading form this site but trust me it is populated.

I can take the screwed up pdf and convert it to a jpg and it looks as good as the exported jpg. I can then save the jpg to a pdf and the line weights are ok but it picks up the background.

Maybe I should just ask what the best proceedure is for using achiving grayed classes/layers that will be exported as final pdf's.

[brudgers]

PDF - I get topo lines only.

Question: Are you using "export PDF" from within Vectorworks or printing to PDF using a feature of Acrobat or other software?

Question: Are you exporting in Top/Plan or Top view?

Question: Are you converting Vectorworks classes to PDF layers when you export?

With at least three different methods (object, class, grey) it's going to be hard to debug your process.

I think the first step is to turn off B/W only and see how opacity is working.

Edited November 16, 2009 by brudgers

[stmlandplan]

Question: Are you using "export PDF" from within Vectorworks or printing to PDF using a feature of Acrobat or other software?

PDF EXPORT FUNCTION WITHIN VECTOR WORKS

Question: Are you exporting in Top/Plan or Top view?

TOP/PLAN

Question: Are you converting Vectorworks classes to PDF layers when you export?

I'VE NEVER SPECIFIED (LEFT BOXES UNCHECKED)

THE ATTACHED PDF IS COLOR AND THE TOPO IS A GREYED X-REF LAYER, I AM SPECIFYING 50% FOR GREYED LAYERS. THE HATCH IN THE BUILDING ENVELOPES IS A 50% TRANSPARENCY (SPECIFIED IN THE ATTRIBUTES PALLET).

THIS PDF SEEMS OT HAVE A LITTLE MORE PREDICITABLE REUSLTS WITH LINEWEIGHTS BUT THE FONTS STILL SEEM LESS BOLD THAN ON MY DISPLAY OR WHEN I EXPORT IMAGE FILES.

[stmlandplan]

Once again my pdf upload is missing the full data that is in the actual pdf and showing only the topo lines. I exported it using batch export with exporting all classes as pdf layers. The attached is the actual pdf saved asa jpg. I don't know why it is refusing to upload in full to this site. My apologies for the problem but I don't know what is happening.

[brudgers]

Your PDF contains layers.

There's no point in continuing to post jpg's until the issues with your PDF get sorted out.

Also, it appears that you are exporting your PDF's at different sizes, the new one is approx 11x17 the previous 8.5x11.

[stmlandplan]

It is exported from an 11 x 17 page size sheet layer (300 dpi). If I export to a different resolution than the current sheet layer is that changing the final pdf size?

How do I control the pdf layers so that they all upload to this site?

[brudgers]

Try turning off PDF layers when you export.

I think that's part of the issue.

[stmlandplan]

Do I just uncheck all of the 'PDF Conversion' boxes to do this?

[Ray Libby]

Yes, uncheck everything above Resolution.

[stmlandplan]

Thanks for all the helpful responses. I plan to take some time over the next week to do some more testing. A few questions still confuse me....

1 - Should I or should I not use the transparancy feature to lighten lineweights when the final output is b&w?

2 - If not what do you use it for?

3 - Are the screened VW colors in the color pallet not the same as screening a color with the attributes feature?

[brudgers]

Transparency is not going to lighten line weights.

It will make black grey over a white background or allow other objects to bleed through, but a 1mm line will still be 1mm wide.

I grey objects by layer usually, and over-ride classes occasionally.

I don't use a lot of transparency, but when I do it's for washing objects out to show what's beneath.

[stmlandplan]

Thanks to everyone for all the input. Is there a way to vary the level of gray when specifying a grey layer? I have been able to specify this when exporting to a PDF