Text letters show jpg artefacts in PDF file

[Worker]

My environment: Win 10 Version 2004 Build 19041.746, Affinity Publisher 1.9.0.932, Affinity Photo 1.9.0.932, 16GByte memory

Working on a Publisher document I

• create a text frame
• insert 2 photos
• insert some text
• select one of the photos
• using the apropriate icon I switch to the Photo Persona
• do some adjustments to this photo
• using the Publisher icon I switch back to the Publisher Persona

After these actions sometimes all text in the text frame will be converted into a graphic. I can see a shadow around letters if I zoom in to about 5000%. If I then create a PDF file letters will have jpg artefacts giving the page a slightly blurred impression. This happens intermittendly.

I have posted this behavior bevor in my post from May 10th 2020 for Pubisher 1.8.3.641. That post, however, was started because photos had been solarized after switching to Photo Persona and back. Because the change made to the page is not obvious I only noticed later that text letters had been turned into graphics. There has been a follow up mail exchange with Gareth at affinity@serif.com on this problem where I had supplied more details and sample files but there was never a solution. I had hoped this problem would disappear in Publisher version 1.9 – it has not.

I've tried but I'm afraid I'm not able to reproduce this problem. It happens again every now and then, the last time yesterday. Luckily, the last time I got a notice from the printer advising me that the complete page was made a graphic so I could repair the page bevor it had actually been printed. This problem frightens me because the effect is easily overlooked and a print of bad quality would be the result.

While I'm aware of the fact that the problem in many cases sits in front of the keyboard I have no idea of what I could do wrong. Therefore I would be grateful for any hints.

With kind Regards,
Worker

[PaulEC]

The most likely reason that the text is being rasterised is if some fx have been added to it. You can see in the layers panel if the text is actually text, or if it has been rasterised.

[Worker]

Thanks for the hint.

Yes, if I look at the layers panel, there is the »fx« shown for the text layer and in the popup »layers effects« there is »shadow outside« selected. If I remove this option the text is no longer rasterised. So the only question remaining is why would this hardly visible shadow be applied to the text? My only intention was to brighten the the photo, this was the reason to switch to the Pphoto Persona. I can't believe that I have several times unintentionally applied this effect to the text layer. But who knows...

Anyhow, you pointed me to a way to take the rasterisation off from the text and I have something to watch out for when switching to the Photo Persona next time.

Thanks and Regards,
Worker

[Andreas CH]

Hi Worker

Ich habe das gleiche bei verschiedenen Redaktorinnen erlebt. Diese wollten ein Foto bearbeiten. Irrtümlicherweise war aber jedes Mal ein Textrahmen aktiviert und damit den Text gerastert.

Wenn Text gerastert wird, wäre eine Warnmeldung hilfreich.

 

[Worker]

Danke für den Hinweis, Andreas! Daran habe ich auch gedacht und eineige Tests durchgeführt. Für die Damen und Herren von Serif versuche ich das lieber in English zu erklären:

In an attempt to clearify the reasons of rasterisation I did some tests. To me the bottom line is that I was not able to achive the result which was the base of this forum entry, please see the first attachment »Rasterised_letters_in PDF.gif«. I did not manage to unintentional get rasterised text letters into the PDF file. It seems to me that for no obvious reason Affinty sometimes  fails to return text letters from rasterised to normal when switching back from Affinity Photo to Publisher.

My text document: one master page with heading and footing, one textframe,  two photos within this frame

• Test 1 shows that text appears rasterised in Affinity Photo if switched from Publisher to Photo but it is returned to normal if switched back to Publisher.
• Test 2 shows that even if unintentionally the text frame is selected when switching to Affinity Photo and, for example, Light/Shadow adjustments are made (wich of course make no sense and have no effect) after returning to Affinity Publisher all text letters are shown normal and they are normal in a PDF file created.
• Test 3 shows that if one of the photos is selected when switching to Affinity Photo and, for example, an outer shadow is added to the photo after returning to Affinity Publisher all text letters are shown normal and they are normal in a PDF file created. This is what you would expect.
• In test 4 the text frame is selected when switching to Affinity Photo and, for example, an outer shadow is added to the text frame. This will give an outer shadow to all letters, see attachment »Pic-01_Affinity_Photo_Shadow_applied_to_text_frame.gif«. After returning to Affinity Publisher all text letters and shadows are shown normal, see attachment »Pic-02_Affinity_Publisher_Shadow_applied_to_text_frame.gif«. An »fx« appears in the text layer.  When exported to a PDF file the text shows correct letters and, however,  rasterised shadows, see attachment »Pic-03_Affinity_Publisher_Shadow_applied_to_text_frame_in_pdf.gif«.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Worker
Clearify text

[Gabe]

Hi both,

Sorry for the delayed reply. 

FX cannot be exported as vectors, so will always be rasterised. However, this should not affect the text itself, which will be all vector. 

[Worker]

Hi Gabe,

thank you for your explanation. I will carefully observe Publisher's behaviour. If I'll find a reproducable problem I will let you know.
With kind Regards,
Worker

[alexplus_de]

It's not a limitation of Publisher, it's a limitation of PDF, i guess. Same happens if you export from Adobe products.