Poor PDF export quality

[Guest]

Hi,

Everytime I import something like a 300dpi cmyk or rgb logo and try to export the page they are on as PDF's, the logo's always look blurry on screen no matter what setting I use, even press quality. I have had this problem for years but now clients are complaining about this but I don't know how to fix this issue.

Anybody help?

[BobLevine]

The resolution is meaningless if someone faked it by simply adding a bunch of pixels to a screen capture. You'll need to post samples for us to look at along with versions InDesign, the PDF settings you're using and what you're viewing the PDFs in.

Bob

[Guest]

Hi Bob,

The logo's (etc) have been created by myself and I have been a professional graphic designer for over 20 years. Interpolation has not occurred. I am using InDesign CS5 and viewing the outputted PDF's in Adobe Acrobat Pro. I have tried every default setting that comes with InDesign CS5 when outputting the PDF's from InDesign.

Not sure what you mean about posting samples, do you mean the logo?

Thanks

The resolution is meaningless if someone faked it by simply adding a  bunch of pixels to a screen capture. You'll need to post samples for us  to look at along with versions InDesign, the PDF settings you're using  and what you're viewing the PDFs in.

[~graffiti]

What applications are your clients using to view your PDF's?

If Reader or Acrobat, have they made sure that "smooth images" is checked of in the page display preferences?

[Guest]

They are also using Acrobat Pro and Smooth Images is definately checked in Preferences.

[BobLevine]

What is your export setting for PDF?

Bob

[Guest]

I've tried smallest file size, press quality and high quality print

[BobLevine]

Have you scaled these images in InDesign?

Bob

[Guest]

Scaled down slightly to suit but definately not scaled up.

[Peter Spier]

Are you exporting to PDF, or printing?

And I fell I need to ask WHY these logos aren't vector files? There's absolutley nothing about that sample that says it would be a good idea to create it as a raster in Photoshop. If you had to, I suppose creating it in Bitmap mode at 1200 ppi (and large nough that you don't need to scale up on the page), then coloring in ID would be preferable to a 300 ppi colored image. There's no way that would give you crisp edges.

[Guest]

Exporting to PDF. It prints fine, just looks blurry on screen.

--

Are you exporting to PDF, or printing?

[rob day]

For example here's your posted logo saved as a PSD (no visible anti aliasing in the box edges) placed in ID and exported to default low file size preset:

and then exported with sampling and compression off:

[Guest]

Hmmm

I've done exactly the same steps as you have just shown, but when I turn downsampling off and set to none mine still blurs but yours does not.

I'll investigate more.

[rob day]

I'll investigate more.

Is there any transparency on your page?

[MerCury_ZA]

Did you ever get the low quality images in the PDF export resolved? One of my clients are experiencing the same issue when exporting certain files containing images to PDF from InDesign.

[Frans_van_der_Geest]

I smell a simple Missing Link here!

[rob day]

Not sure what you mean about posting samples, do you mean the logo?

Screen capture an area of the problem PDF and add the capture to a reply message—click the camera icon

[Guest]

Thanks Rob,

Here is a part of the PDF. As you can see, the logo is blurred although it is a

300dpi file and is perfect in Photoshop. It looks like out of register print! It looks like this if I export as smallest file size, press quality or high quality print.

[BobLevine]

Can you post the JPG?

Bob

[rob day]

Do you see the anti-aliasing when you zoom in Acrobat—1600%+? What happens if you turn off down sampling and compression in the PDF preset?

[Guest]

It is still blurry

--

Do you see the anti-aliasing when you zoom in Acrobat—1600%+? What  happens if you turn off down sampling and compression in the PDF preset?

[rob day]

It is still blurry

If you are getting anti aliasing at the max zoom in Acrobat and it's not in PS, then it's happening either via compression or resampling in your PDF preset. Try setting them to None and Do Not Downsample.

[Guest]

Hi Rob,

Yes I've tried that but it makes no difference.

[rob day]

Here are my test files:

http://www.zenodesign.com/forum/pdfsample.zip

[BobLevine]

One more question. Why did you design this in Photoshop to begin with?

That's a simple logo that would have been a breeze in Illustrator even for an Illustrator hack like me.

Bob