Designer export to PDF problem - unwanted border around pixel images

[ghardinus]

Hello!

I've encountered a problem that I don't know yet if it's a bug or a feature - though I didn't manage to resolve it by myself/google/forum search, therefore I need to ask you for help

I'm working in Affinity Designer on some product leaflets, that contain of some raster images and some text (that I need to stay vector). While I'm in the Designer window, everything looks just fine. But when exported to PDF, there appear some weird border around two of three raster images (the third image has transparent background, and it doesn't get a border). The PDF is prepared mostly for on-screen viewing.

How it looks in Affinity Designer:
 

...and how it looks in the exported PDF:

 

For viewing PDF I use Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows, on default settings (as it's the most common reader people around use).

I've already tried setting blending mode to multiply, setting object anti-aliasing to Force On or Force Off, various export options (including layers or not, allowing advanced features or not, converting colour spaces or not...) - all that to no success at all.

I attach the sample file (.afdesign) and exported pdf. Please help, I've got no more ideas how to get the proper result...

Best regards,
ghardinus

affinity_border_bug.afdesign affinity_border_bug.pdf

Edited August 1, 2021 by ghardinus

[Old Bruce]

I downloaded the pdf and there is no border on the pic of the model with the bag and the little pixel lines look fine too. This is on Mac with the Apple Preview application.

[Komatös]

I only see it with Adobe Reader.

With an alternative PDF reader I don't see any frame lines.

[lacerto]

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[ghardinus]

1 hour ago, Lagarto said:

UPDATE: Fixed also the problem with the bag image.

It seems that PDF file you've attached is fine - no borders visible on my Adobe Reader on Windows. Can you tell me, how did you fix that bag image problem? I need to reproduce the solution in multiple files

 

And yes, I'm aware that the problem is somehow connected to rendering in the Adobe Reader on Windows (and few other readers as well), not showing on Mac and on some other readers. Although I don't have any control on the reader app that final users will use, and Adobe Reader on default settings is by far the most popular, so it has to look proper in that environment. The problem is somehow specific to Affinity, though, as I've checked with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator and PDFs exported by them didn't have the border problem...

Thank you for all the help  

[lacerto]

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[ghardinus]

Thank you for all the details

I inherited the project files from another designer, and all the photos were already placed (not embedded), so I can't check the details of original photo files. I've tried your solution on Affinity apps solely (copying the photo to Affinity Photo, resaving as separate tiff rgb file, then reembedding in the project) - and it works. At least as long, as the file is embedded image - if I rasterize it, it gets the border back. Fortunately I can leave it embedded

It seems that 1px transparent pixel on the edge of the photo is a product of Affinity Designer - there is no such edge pixel in the embedded tiff, yet the border gets back when rasterized. Perhaps the rasterizing process does some feathering/smoothening of the edges to make it fit nicer (though why would it do it on rectangular photos?...), or it's a problem of PDF export itself. Anyway, it seems like a bug - I'm gonna post it in the bug section and refer to this thread.

Again, thank you so much for helping!

[lacerto]

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