Pixelation artifacts when saving as PDF from MS Word

[Friis1587]

When I generate a PDF from MS Word using the "Save As" PDF method, I get a PDF with pixelation artifacts on a few characters such as bullet points, heading numerals and footnote numerals. At 100% zoom in Acrobat, these elements look slightly distorted or kind of "blur". At 200% to 400% zoom, one can see the pixelation artifacts. Please refer to the attached screenshots of a PDF below for examples.

What can be done to resolve this issue?

MS Word & Adobe Acrobat Pro: On subscription service, hence the latest versions

PDF/A compliance option (in the Save As PDF options): NOT selected

"Save As" options:

Pixelation artifacts observed in bullet points and footnote numerals.

Thanks,

Friiscor

[Friis1587]

To clarify:

MS Word: subscription desktop version MS 365 (version 2108, Build 14326.20404)

Adobe Acrobat Pro: subscription desktop version (latest version) 2021.007.20099

OS: Windows 10, Version 20H2, Build 

Method to generate PDF from MS Word: Click on File -> Save As, then select PDF file type.

[gary_sc]

Hi Friis,

One quick shot at this as I'm a Mac user but your phrase "Save as PDF…" got me concerned in that there is a mountain of difference between "Save as PDF…" and "Save as Adobe PDF…" The former is generated by Microsoft (or Apple on Macs), while the latter is generated by Adobe Acrobat. Yes there is a difference.

On your Windows machine using MS Office, do you not have an Acrobat option in the Ribbon? If you do, have you tried that? If you do not have that option, check your instillation as something might have happened to the Acrobat Ribbon. 

[Friis1587]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your feedback. I used "Save as", then selected PDF file type, not "Save As Adobe PDF".

Anyway, when you mentioned an Acrobat option in the Ribbon, were you referring to the Acrobat option as shown in the screenshot below? I have tried to click on Acrobat (circled in red), then clicked on Create PDF (also circled in red), but the process takes an extremely long time as it still hasn't finished after 20 mins (150 page MS Word DOCX file, few images). Don't think it's an issue with the PC, as CPU use is below 30% and Memory use is approx 80%.

I have tried this method of generating a PDF from MS Word before but gave up after it ran over 15 mins (yet, still incomplete). 

[Friis1587]

The "Create PDF" process (initiated through the Acrobat ribbon tab) finally completed after more than 30 mins, yet the pixelation artifacts remain. For example, the bullet points and the table footnote numerals still have the same problem.

[gary_sc]

Hi Friis,

OK, sorry about that confusion. When I see that, I have to assume that either people do not know the difference and just assume they are the same, or that the user is an Acrobat Reader user thinking that this is an extra benefit from Reader. 

In this case, it was an assumption of words used. No problem.

A couple of things, right adjacent to Create PDF, is Preferences. On the Mac, it's amazingly poorly worded, but it gives you the option to either generate the PDF in the Clouds or on your computer. I guess the cloud version is to free up your computer so you can do other things, but I've never had a document long enough to warren that issue. YMMV. Do try the computer version, at least to check the time it takes.

But the fact that you still got the pixelation is really bizarre. I wonder if you tried changing fonts, what would happen. Maybe that font is a Type 1 fonts, and you do not have the proper .ps files associated with it to render proper text. However, since MS dropped Type 1 a gazillion years ago (and were instrumental in the development of True Type Fonts (ttf) I doubt that but hey, it's worth a try?

Let me know,

[Red Ink Writes]

I am having the same problem. Windows 10, Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Acrobat Standard DC v 2021.001.20155

I can edit the PDF and manually remove the artifacts - they are selectable and deletable, but what a pain. I am wondering if it's related to the on-line Word version. I do not get them on my home computer, where I don't ever store a document in the cloud or use the online version of Word, and I am using the same vesion of Windows, Office 365 and Acrobat.