Placed PDF is way too small

[gabrielamadeus]

Banging my head on the keyboard over here. I've got a multipage PDF exported from an illustrator file with multiple artboards. Each artboard's dimensions match the InDesign document's page size, yet when I place the PDF it comes in at a tiny thubnail size and super pixelated as well despite Display Performance settings.

I'm thinking it's a glitch with the multiple artboards? Any suggestions are much appreciated. 

[paulh17340324]

It was going from an 80"x36" .ai file (then made into a pdf) and then placed into an 80"x36" InDesign file.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Is that document on a large canvas, though? i.e if you zoom out so you can see the entire canvas, what size is that?

[paulh17340324]

Both the Illustrator and InDesign artboards are 80"x36"

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Artboard size and Canvas size are two different things. Your artboards (one or more) are ON the canvas.

In your Ill doc, zoom out until you can't zoom out any more.. That large square area is your canvas. Normally, it's limited to about 222" x 222". When large canvas is invoked, that becomes 10X that size.

The other way to check, is to open your .AI file in a text editor and search for "%AI24_LargeCanvasScale:". If it's 1, your file is a normal canvas;  if it's 10, you have a large canvas.

[paulh17340324]

I see what you mean, now. It is a large canvas. The value you pointed to is 10

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

I think what is happening for people is that they start off by attempting to create a new Illustrator document larger than 227" (say you were first trying to do a billboard 240" wide) and did't notice the Alert which informs them this size will switch to a large canvas. Even if you decided at that point to change your artboard to a smaller scaled size (like your 80" wide) the document has already been assigned a large canvas. Unfortunately, there currently seems to be no way to UNDO the large canvas once it's set unless you copy and paste into a new "normal" document.

I have since found there is a feature request on user voice channel to be able to do this, so perhaps add your voice to it (sorry I lost the link)

[paulh17340324]

Okay, it took me more than a year, but I finally figured out what you mean and how to fix it. So just in case someone else comes here, I want to explain what I found. The issue was in the way that the artboxes were laid out on the canvas. I'm not sure why that didn't click for me before. 

When you create a job in Illustrator to avoid this for artboxes under the max for large scale, you need to scroll to the bottom of the options and select "More Settings." From there you can see beside the number of artboxes a way to set how they lay out on the canvas. Fixing my file was as easy as choosing the option to stack them one on top of the other (as I only had 2 artboxes). This allows it to maintain the normal document. From there, I copied and pasted the art from the old job into the new one I created and it works perfectly fine!

[Eugene Tyson]

This was a suggestion I made to you at the time - I explained that I rearranged the artboards and it imports fine - a limitation of the software.

Or do you mean something else?

[paulh17340324]

I don't remmeber speaking with you, only Brad. But I did go back and see that comment and while this is what you reccomended, you didn't explain how to do it (which was the main point of my comment, in case new eyes come to this thread and are equally confused). You said that you "sorted them by different column arrangement" which is what I did here, but there was no information on HOW exactly to do that. And until I did it and saw the way it changed the file I didn't have a clear vision of what you were talking about. 

[Eugene Tyson]

Apologies - I thought you would know how to do that - and it never got a reply which was strange - you can always ask how to do something if you don't know. 

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/illustrator/using/manage-artboards.html#:~:text=one%20level%20down-,REARR...

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

"In fact, when I place the .ai file into InDesign and then size it up to the size it sohuld be and sabe that as a pdf, it will place in InDesign at full size."

It would, yes, as the large canvas restriction no longer carries to the resulting PDF

[Thunder-Lightning]

While this issue is being investigated, you could create a Parent Page in InDesign and create a frame on the Parent Page with Frame Fitting Options set to Auto-Fit with Fit Content Proportionally.

Create pages with this Parent Page and then place the multipage Illustrator file onto these pages.

Would this work for you?

[Eugene Tyson]

You seem to have exceeded the Canvas size of Illustrator - which is probably having an adverse affect on the document and how it's handled - as the Canvas in Illustrator at that size is probably not supported.

I can't get above this number without breaking the system. 

And going outside the norms will probably have adverse effects. 

I copied all the artboards to a new document and sorted them by different column arrangement

4 columns of 10 pages each or along those lines

And it imports fine to InDesign.

I guess you reached a limitation with the software.

[Jumpenjax]

When save a pdf you have a choice of sizes. Have you tried to increase the quality?

[meherul32693649s1ea]

[meherul32693649s1ea]

i take 8.625x11.25 but after mask multi-file in Illustrator 2022 and 2023, it is a very small size (0.86x1.12) how to I solve it. when I save as, export as and scriptdocpdf. i cant solve it. please help. show my screen shoot.

[meherul32693649s1ea]

This problem multiple PDF after save pdf, or export pdf, scriptdocpdf. i cant solve it. please help with video link 

[Willi Adelberger]

What happens when you place the AI file directly instead of the PDF?

[meherul32693649s1ea]

Sir, please show this screen shoot

[meherul32693649s1ea]

I cropped multiple (100 artwork) images together. and aline on artbord. after then save but the 8.5"x11" file shows 0.86"x1.12" after saving or export. 

[meherul32693649s1ea]

when I make a book in Illustrator.

[meherul32693649s1ea]

I am not sure. I think yes. I tested 1000 more times but sometimes it works properly in Illustrator 2023. But I can't do this. it's so small. I copied 100 pieces of artwork from a pdf to paste on another 100 artboard. please give me a video link. 

[Willi Adelberger]

Did you try to place the AI file into the INDD file? No copy & paste! File > Place…

Do not use copy and paste for this task!