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Participant
May 5, 2025
Question

InDesign file (with graphs from Excel) - loss of quality when exported to PDF

  • May 5, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 217 views

Hi everyone, 

This has been bothering me for a while so trying to find a solution. I produce various reports in InDesign, these include text, tables, photos and often also graphs. I prepare the graphs in Excel, then save it to PDF (via File->Export->Create PDF/XPS) and then place (link) this PDF graph into my InDesign document. However, often the quality of the Axis texts is poor once I export the InDesign file into the final PDF (attaching a screenshot of zoomed Axis values). I have tried to play with the export settings but it does not have much difference. Also, I discovered, that the separate graph that I export from Excel to PDF already shows this rasterized texts, so it seems the issue happens prior to InDesign (as if Excel does not the graph in vectors). If anyone has any useful tips or ideas how to fix this, it would be very appreciated.

3 replies

rob day
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 5, 2025

Hi @lenny46876944 , I don’t use Excel, but it looks like there is a PDF Options button when you Create PDF/XPS? What are the output options?

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
May 5, 2025

@lenny46876944

 

How complicated are your graphs? 

 

Can you post a sample screenshot? 

 

Maybe it wouldn't so hard to make them in the InDesign? 

 

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 5, 2025

I've found the best way to handle this is to keep the graphs and charts very simple; no gradients or pattern fills, etc. If they're okay, copy/paste from Excel to InDesign but for the best result, paste them into Illustrator and clean them up there. Then place in InDesign.