InDesign Export to PDF Pixellated

Report · Sep 18, 2012

My InDesign Exports to PDF are Pixellated. When I then open those PDF's into Photoshop and resave as PDFs they are not and the file sizes are drastically different. I've compared export specs and while all the major ones appear to be the same, they are not all available in Photoshop vs InDesign.

I've created an InDesign PDF export file and a Photoshop Save PDF file to demonstrate the difference in view. Would someone take a look at these and help me out? I'm pulling my hair out over this difference and would like to remove the step of having to open in Photoshop every PDF file I export from InDesign so I can get it to look right.

I am unable to upload the PDF's in the image section of this forum.

Report · Sep 18, 2012

Pixellation usually follows from a resolution that is too low. But that can't be the case here, since Photoshop can't put back missing resolution. Please share the files somewhere, and please let us know the exact versions of Acrobat you are using.

(We'll probably need to see the files, but the forum would let you post screen shots of the two PDFs).

Report · Sep 24, 2012

Thanks for the reply. Below are links to each of the PDFs, and the export/save data from each of the sources. Any feed back would be helpful.

http://www.chambermail.us/files/FreshCleanHomePCInDesign.pdf

http://www.chambermail.us/files/FreshCleanHomePCPhotoshop.pdf

http://www.chambermail.us/files/InDesignExporttoPDFSummary.txt

http://www.chambermail.us/files/PSsavetoPDFsettings.joboptions

Report · Sep 24, 2012

Well, I looked at the first file and saw no pixel aspects at all. It was very clean. Check that you have display smoothing turned on in your preferences.

Report · Sep 25, 2012

I think that solved the problem. To protect myself, I'll have the printer do a proof before the run.

Question: If I'm sending this to a customer via email for approval -- and they don't have 'smoothing' turned on in their reader (assuming that have that option) -- will it go back to pixellated?

Thanks for your help!

Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:58:10 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: jenmax@live.com

Subject: InDesign Export to PDF Pixellated

Re: InDesign Export to PDF Pixellated

created by Bill@VT in Creating, Editing & Exporting PDFs - View the full discussion

Well, I looked at the first file and saw no pixel aspects at all. It was very clean. Check that you have display smoothing turned on in your preferences.

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Report · Sep 25, 2012

The client should be fine; if and only if they comment should you pursue suggesting particular options. They are probably happy with the options they have, for looking at other stuff.

You're probably attuned to every fine detail, as happens when you spend hours scrutinising every detail during the design process.

This also shows the danger of trying to tune the screen display rather than work with the correct settings in PDF creation. Your Photoshop PDF may look better on screen, but it will print substantially worse on high-end kit. You have turned true scalable text into a 300 dpi JPEG, and not even a JPEG of the highest quality.

It may be useful to you to set up a preflight profile matching your needs to make sure low quality images (and other problems) haven't accidentally crept in from the PDF creation options.

Report · Sep 18, 2012

You must understand that opening your PDF in Photoshop will rasterize all the text.

How exactly are you creating the PDF in InDesign? Can you make several screenshots of the Export PDF dialog settings?

This may be easier to figure out than dealing with the PDF after the fact since the PDF won't have much info about how it was created.

How are you viewing the PDF after it was created? In Acrobat?

Are you placing it in InDesign again to view it? If the PDF text appears "pixelated" when viewing it in InDesign, you need to select the PDF in InDesign, go to View menu, Display Performance. High Quality Display.

If you used Typical Display it will appear pixelated,

This is just a view setting and the PDF will print out your text as vector, nice and crisp and clear.

This is why you should never open a PDF in Photoshop. It rasterizes the text. The ONLY exception is a file with live text layers that is created in PS and saved as a Photoshop PDF. A Photoshop PDF can be opened again in PS and still have live editable text. PDFs from anything else are rasterized.

That is the only way I can think of that can explain your problems

Report · Sep 19, 2012

Another possibility is that you are viewing vector drawings in the PDF without setting smoothing for an LCD display. To see if it is the PDF or the display settings, try zooming the display. If it is pixelated, then you should see big boxes rather than smooth items.