Export to PDF issue with text

[YourMum]

[Using Xtreme 2.0c]
I have a document with a black background, with some text on it. The text is quite small, and has a 0.15pt white line (this has the effect of brightening it a little).

When I export to PDF, the text has a much larger white outline which amost obliterates the colour fill of the words... I attach both the .xar and .pdf file. Do other people experience the same thing? What can I do to fix the problem...

Thx.

[gwpriester]

First of all you need to view the document at a zoom factor that is closer to the output resolution. So if you are saving your image to print at 300dpi (approximately 150 Lines Per Inch) the look at your document at 300% in Acrobat and the outline will not seem so wide.

If your type is small then .12pt might be too large. You could make the outline less, for example .05pt.

I do ads for New Mexico Magazine that feature small type over a variety of photographic backgrounds. My text is white and I add a very small white outline which makes the text easier to read. And I have learned that if I view the ad at 100% in Acrobat the outline looks too heavy, but if I view the ad at 300% I get a more realistic idea of how it will look.

You can also print out a version on your desktop printer on good paper at the best setting for which your printer is capable of printing. This will also give you a more realistic picture.

Gary

[YourMum]

Thanks Gary. Zooming in in Acrobat Reader does show a more correct image... it's a shame that the 100% version is pretty rubbish in this case. I am happy to point the finger at Adobe and not Xara!!

Are there any other PDF viewers out there that might do a better job? Although I suspect most (if not all) people will have the Acrobat Reader, which doesn't help me distribute a file for people to view. Given that this document has a black background, I do not expect people to print it!!! I decided to export as a GIF for people to view...

[gwpriester]

My guess is the problem has more to do with representing something in Windows screen resolution which is only 96dpi. So the larger you make the image, the more detail you get. Because much of what you export is vector, as it scales up you see more detail.

Gary

[amoore]

Are there any other PDF viewers out there that might do a better job?

Depends on what you're viewing. I use both Acrobat and the Jaws PDF Editor. IME, the Jaws Editor renders text display more accurately than Acro does. Text in Acro tends to be heavy unless, as Gary says, you zoom up to about 300%.

OTOH, Jaws text can be a tad light. I find that more useful, especially when I'm proofing for text weight as well as typos. In Acro, I can't always distinguish bold or demi from plain text without a lot of zooming.

Used to think that Jaws did better on text display and Acro did better on graphics. In the extensive comparison testing I did earlier this year, I was shocked to discover that, in many cases, Jaws was beating Acro on graphics as well.

Neither product is perfect, and YMMV. I depend on Jaws for its greater speed and reliability, and on Acro for the occasional bell or whistle.