Importing Graphics

Report · Mar 29, 2011

FrameMaker 8 on Windows XP Pro.

(The client is on 7, and until they upgrade, I'm stuck using 8).

I have a screen capture of a table (duplicating it in FrameMaker would be a total nightmare). It looks fine in the Frame doc, but when pdf'd, it looks a little fuzzy. I'm capturing it in Snagit 9 and doing a copy and paste. I've tried saving it as a graphic and importing the file, but it doesn't look any different.

Suggestions?

Note: Neither graphics nor FrameMaker are my forte. I'm adequate at graphics, have a journeyman's skill level with FM.

Thanks!

Report · Mar 29, 2011

It's probably in JPEG format. Converting it to PNG format before PDFing it might help.

Ron Tillotson

Technical Writer

Report · Mar 29, 2011

I just did a copy/paste, so it probably is. When I tried saving it, it was in jpg format, too. I'll try the png.

Thanks!

Report · Mar 29, 2011

Well, I tried saving as a png and importing, and I didn't see any difference.

Rats.

Report · Mar 29, 2011

It's probably the settings in the joboptions specified for the PDFcreation. Which one did you use? Many of the joboptions will downsample and use JPEG compression, which will affect your images in the PDF. If you have Acrobat available, create a custom joboption that avoids the automatic compression options for images (i.e. use ZIP) when using screen-captures or images of complex tables in your FM docs.

Report · Mar 30, 2011

I assume you have the table in its source format (Excel, Word or whatever).

Make sure the table fits on a single page, and print or export the table as PDF. Then import the PDF file into your FrameMaker document using File > Import > File. The final result will most likely look better than a screenshot.

Johannes

Report · Mar 30, 2011

I agree with the other responders who point out that the fuzzies are being introduced by subsampling and/or compression happening during save to PDF or during Distill.

See also the earlier thread:

Best practices for importing .png screen shots into FrameMaker 9?

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/826266?tstart=0

Report · Mar 30, 2011

If the table is in a Word doc, I have had great success in saving the doc as

a RTF and opening it in FM. Just have to change the cells to the correct para format...ect.

Have you tried that? Course, I don't know for sure what software the table was made in.

ls

Report · Mar 30, 2011

... screen capture of a table ...

The ideal way to bring external tables into Frame is via PDF or EPS, saved or exported from the originating app, and NOT via screenshot.

Although these imported objects will have coarse preview images, the rendered images retain the full vector precision of the borders, and the text remains text (including font embedding as needed).

Don't use PDF import in Frame 6 or 7. It's unstable. Either convert the PDF to EPS in Illustrator, or "print" to file, with the EPS option selected deep in Mr.Bill's menus.

If you tell us what the originating app is, we can probably provide more tips.

I routinely bring LibreOffice/OpenOffice, Excel and Wingz spreadsheets into Frame with fabulous results, and have some tips for optimizing that process.

Report · Mar 30, 2011

[editd by host]

Thanks, everyone, for the information. The original table is in Excel, and it's a boogerbear. No way it can all fit on one page, it HAS to be broken up. And, of course, the client decided, two seconds before the deadline (I'm exaggerating, but not by much) to reverse the information, the rows are now columns, and the columns are now rows. The fun just never ends.

They may end up taking what they get this time around!

I'm going to try the save as pdf and import. See what that does.

Report · Mar 30, 2011

You might want to edit that post to remove the redundant text and extra whitespace.

The original table is in Excel - and it has to be broken up, no way it can possibly fit on one page.

If it can open in LibreOffice/OpenOffice Calc, you can export Selections to PDF trivially.

... the rows are now columns, and the columns are now rows ...

Most spreadsheets can do that fairly simply.

Report · Mar 30, 2011

Oops! Didn't realize I had all that exta white space. I apologize for the annoyance. That's what happens when you get distracted!

I'm using Excel 2003 (I know, I'm being a Luddite, just haven't gotten around to upgrading, yet, but it's coming. You can only resist The Force for so long), and while I found directions for doing in in 2007 (and probably works for 2010, too) I'm not sure it can be done in 2003. If it can and I didn't know it could be done, I'm going to be very annoyed, I just spent the last hour doing it by hand!

Now I'm going to see what I can do to make it work like they want in the Frame doc! I'll try creating it in pdf in parts. Not sure how well that's going to work.

Report · Mar 31, 2011

To clarify my earlier remark that the table should fit on a single page: Each part of the table that you'd normally take a separate screenshot of should fit on a single page. I think you have figured that out yourself ...

Two notes on Excel,

- The page break preview can help you to split the table as required.

- To switch columns into rows, copy the table range, then use Paste Special with the Transpose option selected.