Inspiring

Answered

Colored Text Box, White Artifact Lines

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
March 1, 2022
4 replies
1066 views

Hi,

I'm creating colored text boxes for different note types, e.g. Note, Caution, Warning, Danger.

I've been using the Frame Above Pgf function and Frame Below Pgf function to add spacing of the colored text box above and below. The frames for Frame Aboe Pgf etc. are being sourced from the reference page.

The colors look good, but the resulting PDF has white artifact lines on the text boxes (noticable in below pic on Caution box, but happens randomly on other colored boxes also).

This seems to be a consistent Adobe problem, as Word doesn't cause these artifact lines.

I know that I can modify the preferences of the PDF, with things like uncheck Smooth Line Art and Enhance Thin Lines, and this does seem to get rid fo the white artifact lines. But then it screws up the way that the border lines on the headers and footers look.

I'm wondering if there's a way to create colored text boxes and not have these white artifact lines.

Is there a way to add "padding" to the text box so that I don't have to use the Frame Above Pgf function? That function seems to be the culprit for creating the artifact lines, as the lines usually happen right at border of text.

In the paragraph style, when I set space above paragraph, it doens't apply to the first line of text. Not sure why that would be the default behavior...

Thanks.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Dave Creamer of IDEAS

I've had better luck by coloring the actual graphic frame and not put a rectangle inside. I also give the graphic frame a stroke.

Bob_Niland

Community Expert

On the colors per se, see also: ANSI Z535.1 Safety Colors in Frame (circa 2011)

jbarkerhillAuthor

Inspiring

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the advice about colors.

I tested those colors, and got this. For the blue and orange though, since I'm using colored text boxes, dark text would be too hard to read. So I'll probably just stick with the light blue and orange I came up with even though I guess it deviates from the standard.

Bob_Niland

Community Expert

We were using white text on blue & red.

But insofar as what colors to use, start with what safety std, regulatory, industry & liability carrier requirements apply.

Chances are, also, that ANSI Z535.1 & ISO 3864-1 have evolved since I last needed to know, and take into account the challenges of the web, monitors & end-user convenience printing.

Matt-Tech Comm Tools

Community Expert

Have you considered using a 2-cell table for the content?

-Matt Sullivan, FrameMaker Course Creator, Author, Trainer, Consultant

jbarkerhillAuthor

Inspiring

I've come across the method of using tables to format notes, cautions, etc. I like that method better.

However, the other two writers I'm working with insist on using paragraph styles because they think it's easier (even though a table style is just as easy to apply once it's set up).

The suggestion to use a colored graphics frame on reference page to add padding to text boxes seems to work pretty well (helped to eliminate artifact lines when PDF is at a normal zoom level).

I've now encountered though that some of the text boxes (mostly just ones with a single line of text) still have the white artifact line. And the line even shows up when I print the page. The line is only visible when I zoom way in. Whereas before when I used a rectangle shape within a graphics frame on reference page as "padding" shape, the white lines were noticeable at normal zoom level (looks bad), but at least didn't show

up in printing. So guess I'll take my pick of glitches.

jbarkerhillAuthor

Inspiring

Update:

More thorougly following the advice of Creamer Training I think did it.

I needed to apply a stroke to the colored graphics frame > Check box for Pen Pattern.

Now in the outputted PDF I don't see the artifact line on the text box that had it before.

Maybe FrameMaker isn't glitchy after all. Just ununituitive.

Sorry for longwinded thread. I don't see option to delete comments.

K.Daube

Community Expert

Please check this:

Full fm version? In the past there were some problems in this area.
on the ref page the labels for the warning and caution block are interchanged (see colour of the frames)
It seems to me that he frames on the ref page have not the same height (the yellow seems to be less high than the orange)
Check whether colored background (¶-designer > advanced > paragraph box) provides better results (alone or in addition)

jbarkerhillAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks for the advice.

The colored "padding" rectangles are on the reference page inside a graphics frame. I made sure to crop the graphics frame to the edge of the rectangle to avoid creating unwanted white space that way.

I need to have a color set on the Pgf. Box setting in Paragraph Designer > Advanced. And having a background color set in Pagraph Designer > Font > Background doesn't seem make a difference (colored text boxes look the same whether this setting is on or off, and get artifact lines also with either on or off).

The white lines don't show up when the page is printed. So I know these are artifact lines.

However, the customer will likely view the documents electronically, and it looks bad having those lines. Maybe no one will notice it but it irks me. I may just have to accept the glitch. This style (colored text boxes) wasn't my prefernece but it's a style decided by other people I'm working with and I have to use it.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Correct answer

Community Expert

I've had better luck by coloring the actual graphic frame and not put a rectangle inside. I also give the graphic frame a stroke.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

Did you make your colored blocks by putting a colored rectangle inside of a graphic frame?

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

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