PDF Export in Publisher

[BES]

I have used Adode Indesign before, switched to Affinity publishers.

I have created a new brochure in the Affinity publishers (fresh new document) , same images and contents earlier used for Adode Indesign. While I export PDF from Affinity publishers with high resolution settings the PDF export file is too large (100 mb),. without pixelating images but I need PDF of lower size; 

I have exported 75 Dpi PDF file size < 4mb, but all images are badly pixelating,. same PDF exported thro Adode Indesign, the PDF is 5 mb same DPI without Pixelating and quality is quite good.

I am wondering Affinity publishers is really good in PDF export and optimised like Indesign. Could some one help.

Thanks,

GR

 

 

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[DarkClown]

Maybe we have to split the problems into different parts:

1) if the document in Publisher has a width of 420mm and is set up with 300dpi it requires 72,57dpi (explanation earlier in this thread) for a 1200 pixel output at original size. 100% (or original size) means 1 pixel in the document equals 1 pixel screen resolution (it doesn't go better - all the screen can display). The reality looks different. The pdf is significantly larger and far away from optimal quality:

In the background there's the pdf reader displaying the 72dpi exported pdf - in the foreground you see the same picture as jpg with a width of 1200px displayed at 100% as well

Maybe I'm making some kind of mistake here ... but currently I can't explain it.

2) I think I need to understand better how publisher works. My document is set up with Adobe RGB and 16 bit. This is the same color scheme my photography is saved (16Bit Adobe RGB as TIFF). This should enable publisher to work with high quality color resolution. The pictures are linked to the document. It seems in this case publisher ALWAYS exports the pdf with16bit color depth as well (no way to limit the pdf export to 8Bit in the setting). This again results in very high file size. The only way to prevent this is to change the color depth of the document to 8Bit. Now the exported pdf seems to have 8Bit as well. The smallest file size I can get (I've been fiddling around with many setting) still ist at least twice as big as the exported jpg. Pretty much overhead for a pdf! Another question in this context: When changing the document to sRGB and 8Bit will all the pictures "converted" instantly to this color format? And what happens to the pictures when I change the document setup back to Adobe RGB and 16 Bit? Will the original quality be maintained or is the 8Bit RGB data simply converted to 16Bit Adobe RGB - meaning I actually lost the quality of the original 16Bit? The problem increases when I follow Affinities "workaround" for CMYK output to already convert the document to CMYK to get a proper PDF output. Changing this back to RGB would mean CMYK colors will be re-converted and I'll never be able to get a proper RGB output again.

My preferred solution is always to work with maximum 16Bit Adobe RGB (preferred even ProPhoto RGB) resolution and only convert the document into a CMYK or a 8Bit sRGB file as desired. As long as Publisher internally still works on max. res. with original data - I don't care for the color model on top as part of the document setup. But if a conversion is done and used afterwards based on the document setup it's a nightmare. On the other hand one has to understand this to know what happens for the pdf export. Certainly since the document setup has quite some influence on the output parameters since not everything seems to be covered in the pdf parameters you can choose in the pdf export dialog. Some setting seem to force a conversion (e.g. CMYK conversion) - other need to be done in the document setup (color bit depth). But all has an effect on the generated pdf document. Quite irritating.

3) And of course there's still the topic with the graphic that get's mirrored in a pdf printer when placed 90° rotated in the document. But I guess Affinity will blame that on a buggy pdf printer (despite the fact that it happens with more than one printer)

Cheers, Timo

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[thomaso]

1 hour ago, DarkClown said:

1) if the document in Publisher has a width of 420mm and is set up with 300dpi it requires 72,57dpi (explanation earlier in this thread) for a 1200 pixel output at original size. 100% (or original size) means 1 pixel in the document equals 1 pixel screen resolution (it doesn't go better - all the screen can display). The reality looks different. The pdf is significantly larger and far away from optimal quality:

I still suspect a different setting in your PDF export. – Can you upload these screenshot's content as their original PDF and JPG files? Or do you have an app which opens the PDF and allows to save its content as image file to check its pixel dimensions?

EDIT: as Lagarto mentions a PDF is page dimension related (mm, inch) and therefore a viewer app must set or detect or decide a particular DPI or PPI – different to a pure image file as JPG which gets shown just by its number of pixels.

For instance in Acrobat I do have a preference which allows me to adjust that view scale factor. Or compare Affinity: on my two monitors the "100%" view occurs in quite different dimensions: on the main screen (where the app starts) it is almost perfect 100% – whereas on the other I need to use 85% to achieve the same real dimensions on screen. – That also means for your PDF presented on web: you (as sender) never can set its exact size according to the viewing (receiver) hard-/software.

1 hour ago, DarkClown said:

It seems in this case publisher ALWAYS exports the pdf with16bit color depth as well (no way to limit the pdf export to 8Bit in the setting). This again results in very high file size.

Oh, it is not fixed yet? – It was reported as a bug for the beta version almost 1 year ago.

 

1 hour ago, DarkClown said:

The problem increases when I follow Affinities "workaround" for CMYK output to already convert the document to CMYK to get a proper PDF output. Changing this back to RGB would mean CMYK colors will be re-converted and I'll never be able to get a proper RGB output again. 

I am not sure to understand you correctly. In my experience I can toggle in AfPub between RGB and CMYK in both directions and see an image in its according look, for instance if it contains much blue out of the CMYK space. E.g. shown and discussed in this thread:

 

1 hour ago, DarkClown said:

Certainly since the document setup has quite some influence on the output parameters since not everything seems to be covered in the pdf parameters you can choose in the pdf export dialog. Some setting seem to force a conversion (e.g. CMYK conversion) - other need to be done in the document setup (color bit depth). But all has an effect on the generated pdf document. Quite irritating.

Yes, irritating. To me the buttons "Convert" and "Assign" in "Document Setup..." have none or a non-transparent function. So I would not use AfPub as a 16-bit document at all but rather do all color relevant changes in an image editor app and set in AfPub a color space which I want to export, too. Yes, that way the  initial 16 bit will become 8 bit already during layout and also will appear in their export look.

 

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[Fixx]

Why is the output size defined as pixels? With PDF it does not matter as it scales as needed. Just set the resample and compression as desired in export. If you are not satisfied with the result you can export full size/quality and use another application (like Apple Preview) to reduce file size.

[DarkClown]

@Fixx: Regardless of the dpi, in 100% mode the pdf document should be displayed in max quality (only limited by jpg compression rate) - but it isn't.

Attached my JPG and PDF Settings

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[BES]

I have changed the settings to 8-bit RGB, file size has reduced greatly, PDF 140 DPI size has greatly reduced, however 75DPI has very badly pixelated. 

[thomaso]

21 hours ago, DarkClown said:

Attached my JPG and PDF Settings

Ok. Couldn't you upload a sample .afpub (with 1 image + logo) + your resulting PDF + JPG?

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[thomaso]

>> 75DPI has very badly pixelated
> That is pretty low these days, (...) view it full screen

... whereas it also depends on the image dimension = total number of pixels. For instance in case of the OP DarkClown who wants to reduce an A3 (42 cm) format down to 1200 px such a low DPI setting is useful achieve the approach. – From BES we don't know the goal and page dimensions yet, do we?

 

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