InDesign + Acrobat vs. Firefox

[druther4d]

I use InDesign and Dreamweaver CC to create and publish and upload documents for my website. Normally, I have InDesign export my documents in Adobe PDF (Print) format. However, in a recent InDesign document, for the first time, I made some images hyperlinks. I then found out it was necessary to Export the document in Adobe PDF (Interactive) format to make the hyperlinks work in a browser. As well, I noticed that InDesign decided it was necessary to convert all the images in the document from CMYK to RBG during the export operation.

After the new PDF document was uploaded to my website with Dreamweaver, I downloaded it with Safari 15.6.1 and it looked fine: the hyperlinks worked and all the images were sharp. However, when I then had a look at it with Firefox 107.0.1 every image, included the ones with hyperlinks were unacceptably blurry. How can I fix the problem, is it with InDesign/Acrobat or with Firefox?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Not all PDF viewers are equal, by a wide margin. The only one that can be considered reliable is Acrobat Reader itself.

The aftermarket readers vary widely in quality of PDF rendering and in details of how they handle things like interactive components and links.

The ones built into browsers are... serviceable for web docs. Not much more.

There's not much you can do about this except recommend users install Acrobat Reader and, if possible, enable it as the default browser viewer.

[rob day]

Hi @druther4d Adobe PDF Interactive Exports convert all color to profiled sRGB—if you inspect images in AcrobatPro you will see the ICCBased sRGB Color Space.

There is an option to increase the exported image resolution up to 300ppi in the Interactive PDF Compression tab—if you set the Resolution to 300 an image that measures 5" x 5" on the page will export as 1500 x 1500 pixels. Keep in mind that if the image has an Effective Resolution of less than 300 ppi (see the Link Info panel), it will be upsampled, which could blur the image.

[Joel Cherney]

Sorry, I just noticed that Rob Day has essentially the same solution, but he's addressing a different spot in the Export PDF dialog. So with his solution you stick with Interactive PDF, but then you go and actually address the resolution of your images. 

[Joel Cherney]

Normally, I have InDesign export my documents in Adobe PDF (Print) format. However, in a recent InDesign document, for the first time, I made some images hyperlinks. I then found out it was necessary to Export the document in Adobe PDF (Interactive) format to make the hyperlinks work in a browser.

You can fix the problem by not exporting your PDF with the Interactive filetype checked. There's a whole checkbox for "include hyperlinks" in the Export PDF dialog. I have not tested your case in particular, but I'm certain that you could get your images-as-hyperlinks to render as links successfully in your final PDF if you just looked at your export options and made a few choices. 

[druther4d]

James, Rob, Joel: thanks for the replies. Be advised that I am a "hobbyist"!

James: I expect my website visitors to click on a hyperlinked image so the document (PDF file) will pop up in their browser window. I believe that using Acrobat Reader would require an extra step beyond browsing, which would not be something my viewers would normally do.

Rob: I don't have a problem with InDesign's conversion from CMYK to RGB for the Web. My document pages now display just fine in Safari on all my Apple devices, so I am reluctant to get into the fine tuning of resolutions when I'm not sure that doing this would fix the Firefox display.

Joel: I'm still looking in InDesign for the "checkbox for 'include hyperlinks' in the Export PDF dialog" that you mention. When I have a file ready for export, I choose File in the top menu, then Export in the drop-down menu. That takes me to the window where I can select Adobe PDF Interactive or Adobe PDF Print plus a list of non-PDF formats as well, but not "include hyperlinks" stuff. I don't have a problem with simply choosing the Interactive route.

As I said, the hyperlinks in my PDF document work fine in my Safari browsers, but not in the Firefox browsers for OS X or IOS. I don't have Chrome to test it on, but I conclude that it is a Firefox problem.

Thanks again for taking the time.

[Joel Cherney]

As James has already pointed out, PDF viewers vary widely in their functionality. So, if I were in your shoes, I would not assume that there was some kind of problem with the default Firefox PDF viewer. Honestly, I suspect that it's not so much a problem with the Firefox PDF viewer, but that Safari is doing some image sharpening, unasked-for. It doesn't matter; the thing to do is not to go on a bug-hunt on a third party PDF viewer, but to make your PDF in such a way as to avoid rendering problems. Rob's got your answer, there; you can stick with PDF (Interactive) and just change the resolution until you get the results you're looking for.

Or, if you'd rather export a PDF (Print) and get your images to be clickable links, then you'd be looking at this window:

At the bottom center of this window, I have both "Bookmarks" and "Hyperlinks" checked in the "Include" section. That's how you can avoid the PDF (Interactive) filetype and choose PDF (Print) instead, if you so choose. 

[BobLevine]

I won't harp on this but I will merely point out that when you export, you are exporting to Adobe PDF. Beyond Acrobat or Reader on a desktop, all bets are off.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

This. Exporting to high resolutions and accurate color profiles won't solve problems with "fast" web viewers. Just sayin'. 🙂

[rob day]

Hi @druther4d , can you share the PDF that is displaying differently in Safari and Firefox, I’m not seeing a difference. Here’s what I get with the latest Firefox compared to AcrobatPro (right)

Safari with Firfox (right):

[rob day]

My document pages now display just fine in Safari on all my Apple devices, so I am reluctant to get into the fine tuning of resolutions when I'm not sure that doing this would fix the Firefox display.

Also, by default it looks Safari and Chrome use a PDF plugin to diplay PDFs, while Firefox will recreate the PDF as a canvas object if there’s no PDF plugin. I can see that if I use the browser web developer tools to inspect the page elements.

Here’s Safari indicating the plugin is being used:

And Firefox showing the canvas element recreating the PDF:

My Firefox isn’t running a PDF plugin:

[Willi Adelberger]

Only Acrobat can show all flairs of PDF files correctly. All other viewers have a problem to show all functionality correctly. 

why do you have a problem with CMYK? All images should be in InDesign in RGB. When a PDF is created, or later, the image conversion should take place. 

Also PDF for print can include hyperlinks. You need to tick the option down left in the PDF dialogue's settings. 

[druther4d]

Hi all,

Willi: the images that I drag and drop into my InDesign file are in jpg and png format. While exporting as PDF Interactive (but not PDF Print), InDesign apparently needs to convert them from CMYK to RBG. I don't know what that's all about but it doesn't bother me.

Rob: to see the problematic PDF page, you would need to view it on my website. I'm reluctant to go there, as I would need to upload an edited version of the page with sensitive (contact) information removed. Let's leave alone.

Joel, Willi: You indicated that the Bookmarks box needed to be checked on the export page (PDF Print). Using Safari almost exclusively in the past, I never had to do this. With Firefox, it is necessary—a simple solution that I did not pick up on. Now both my browsers recognize the hyperlinks. I appreciate your expertise!

Incidentally, the image quality in Firefox is now good. I don't know what happened with that. The only quirk left is that the images that I made into hyperlinks turn yellowish in Firefox when the cursor is on them. Not a serious problem.

I'm calling it quits. I appreciate all the comments I've received. The problem was mine, not Firefox's.

Thanks everyone.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

For maximum image quality and control, don't drag and drop them. (And never cut and paste them!) Use Place and maintain a link to a master image file of acceptable quality.

[BobLevine]

Drag and drop is no different than file > place. The only thing missing is the ability to show options, but it will create a link. It's not anywhere near copy/paste.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

In theory, yes. In practice, it seems to be at the root of a lot of image-based problems — especially with network and cloud resources — and (IMHO) should be avoided. But I won't argue otherwise.

[Laubender]

@druther4d said: " The only quirk left is that the images that I made into hyperlinks turn yellowish in Firefox when the cursor is on them. Not a serious problem."

That's not a bug.

With that Firefox simply indicates that you hover above a link.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )