Blake_S

No. Typically you would have an "Image" component right next to the "Link", so that you could put an url of the image there, and it would be displayed. Or a "Link" component would display an image if it was linked, which doesn't work here. Attaching files is for your local files.

There is no "image" component when making a post, only link. So I didn't even know you could do this here. Also other forums can preview the images that are linked directly, but here it doesn't work for some reason.

Here are screenshots from that test: Placing t1 file: https://i.imgur.com/kG8ne4v.png Green square is 50mm, image frame is 60mm and is not used, its just for comparison Now replacing it with t2 file: https://i.imgur.com/l0Try5L.png Green square is now less than 50mm

You probably didn't test any files with bleed, I did, since most of the files we get require it. Already uploaded the test here: When you place one of the PDF files, and then use Resource Manager to replace it with another, the new one is re-scaled to the wrong size

1st thread is an entirely separate issue. That 2nd thread was a feature request. Here I am asking if anyone might have solved this problem in some way that I just don't know about.

I have a lot of different templates for printing stickers of various shapes and sizes, here is how one of them looks: https://i.imgur.com/9XKj277.png There are two layers - one with the black vector contours which will be saved separately and fed into the cutting plotter, and the other layer where all the PDFs are placed into, which will be used for printing. Then I can instantly replace all linked PDFs there when printing a new job with different files, but the same sticker size, and get a new print file. And this doesn't work in any Affinity programs. I can recreate the same layout of course, but replacing the PDFs fails - they are always placed with incorrect scaling settings and end up the wrong size as a result. By default the same thing will happen in Illustrator too, but it has a setting to prevent this: in Links panel, link Placement Options, select Preserve:File Dimensions After this, no matter which files you replace with, all of them are placed without any scaling, so you can make sure that a 50mm circle for example will remain 50mm. Meanwhile, in Affinity a 50mm circle may end up as 30mm, or 77mm, or whatever else size. Affinity only seems to place PDFs with correct scale when you place them for the first time. As soon as you use Resource Manager to replace PDF, or replace them externally by renaming the files, all bets are off. The problem seems to be that Affinity will try to shove the replacement PDF into the dimensions of the old PDF, and re-scale it to achieve this, thus a new placed PDF ending up with the wrong size. I have not found any way to prevent this.

Sent the test files. I cut down the number of records there to 200, and with export after data merge at 300 DPI this results in a 86.5 MB file being produced. Some additional info: I decided to check a "Reduce File Size" function from Acrobat Pro on the 180MB exported PDF, and it generated a 5.5MB file, which is pretty much exactly what its size should have been in the first place. However, it also destroyed PNG image quality, introducing artifacts, so the file itself becomes useless. Everything except PNGs however looks just fine, since it was all vector content.

I have a 3.5MB PDF file which I use a background, placed with passthrough mode, and then data merge 2 text fields and 1 image frame onto it. There are total of about 400 records. Image frame has a PNG qr-code merged into it, average size of one such image is 3 KB, the size of all PNG images together - 1.16 MB - this is pretty much the only variable data which actually takes space. A total size of a merged file should not take more than around 5-10 MB. So, I go to export the file as a PDF - and get a 180MB file as a result. Why? Any way to get an actually reasonable filesize? Dropping the DPI doesn't really do much - with 192 DPI instead of 300 I still get a 140MB file, and further reduction would destroy image quality.

Apparently clicking "Original size" doesn't actually return placed PDF to its original size. Example - I have a 300 DPI file and place a 67 mm width PDF inside my document. Its placed correctly, its width is indeed 67 mm. I resized it, but then wanted to return it to its original size. So I clicked "Original size" in the toolbar - and the PDF became way bigger than I first placed it. Its now 89.3 mm in width, so completely wrong. Why does it work like that? Apparently this function is DPI-dependent, when it shouldn't be, so if you place files with a different DPI inside your document, "Original size" would resize them to a wrong size. It there a way to switch it so that PDF size would be calculated in whatever units you set for the document (like mm), and clicking "Original size" would actually return it to its correct size vs whatever it does now? Right now I basically have to do this loop instead - find out what the DPI of a placed document is, then divide the document DPI by the PDF DPI, and then enter the resulting value into the "Scale" field. And this process needs to be repeated for each document separately, since again, its DPI-dependant.

that's not possible, this mode will replace any fonts which are not locally installed and generally resulted in other weird interactions, distorting the PDF look. The problem with using a regular mask is that I can't use it as a master page element, since it needs to be applied to each placed PDF, while with a negative mask frame I can.

In total I have 3 objects in the file: a placed PDF, in passthrough mode, the lowest object on the layers panel above it, a vector square which completely covers the PDF above that, a smaller square set to Blend:mode erase Both squares are combined into a group. This creates a negative mask, punchin out the shape of a smaller square from the bigger one, leaving a frame through which you can see the PDF underneath. Here is a problem - on Export as PDF, the Erase blend mode doesn't work, and the frame now only show the white square, you cannot see the initially placed PDF file at all. This problem seems to be specific to a placed PDF - if I create any vector objects myself, they are exported correctly and can be seen inside the frame.

yes this was indeed the case, although the error message is not entirely clear on what you should change, since it doesn't mention "Compatibility", which is how the setting is called in a preflight profile

This explains the generic process of fixing issues, but still don't explain the specific check I created this post about. When you create a document, PDF export version is not known. In order to determine that a PDF has a conflict with a chosen export version, you need to know what that version is, and the program shouldn't know that. So generating this error should not be possible before you initiate Export procedure and select the version there.

I don't see any explanation here. How is it possible to perform a check when export setting is not known? What is it checking against? Export settings are not selected on document creation, you don't specify PDF export version anywhere.

Can someone explain what does this mean? The PDF export version is not known before you actually initiate the Export and select it, yet this error seems to be thrown all the time in Live Preflight, before I actually select anything in Export function

no, they don't have any crop marks or any other kinds of marks

I can confirm that I can no longer fix the issue with the test project that I sent by just clicking Update button. However, I've run into this bug again on a new data merge job, with different files. First data merge went nearly instantly for 500 records. However, replacing a PDF on a master page with a new one via Resource Manager triggered the bug, resulting is slow merge and huge memory consumption. When I deleted said PDF from the master page, and just placed the new PDF file there manually, not involving Resource Manager, this fixed the issue.

Not having this feature is very limiting... Like today I had to fix a book cover we got from a client, and guess what - it can't be done in Designer, since it will replace all the fonts, which we predictably don't have installed locally. Almost all files contain fonts that we do not have installed. So instead we have to rely on Acrobat Pro with a PitStop plugin, which doesn't have even 5% of the features of programs like Designer / Illustrator. It doesn't even have object alignment options... Rasterizing fonts is also an option which does exist in Designer, but a bad one - there is a noticeable print quality degradation.

This would be very helpful, currently some workarounds need to be used instead

yeah this is useful, thanks for pointing out. Do you know about the snapping issue? Currently the edge of the rectangle from the asset doesn't snap to the object you're trying to set the cropmarks for, so you kinda just have to align by eye at high zoom. The object does snap to the asset's rectangle, but not the other way around.

In Illustrator you can select an object, go into the menu Object -> Create Trim Marks, and this will do exactly what it says. Anything like this in Affinity Designer or Publisher?

Sent the test files. 2 problems can be observed in that test: it doesn't seem to be possible to place a PDF via data merge while retaining correct dimensions, its always placed scaled to something other than 100%. Picture frame doesn't seem to have any setting for this, choosing "None" in frame properties does nothing. everything past trim box area is cut off, doesn't seem to be any way to retain that content

From what I understand from that thread is that there are different sets of permissions that can be set on a font, and there is an "editable" permission. This means that embedded fonts can be used for editing if they have that permission set. We can probably assume though that most of the fonts don't have it. The question is - does converting to curves require "editable" permission or not.

If the devs can do it, sure. But I haven't encountered any other programs that can do this. Illustrator can't. Might be some kind of a licensing issue, like not allowing other people to use embedded font for editing purposes. However I did list several programs that have an ability to convert embedded fonts to curves. Does it only show the correct font, or can you also export a PDF with the correct font?

As far as Affinity products are concerned its missing. Affinity Designer replaces the font if its not installed locally, even if the font is embedded. Re-read the post, I mentioned: The whole issue is when you have the data for the fonts in the file, and Designer is not using it.