Page size - Export Issue

**slavelle** · 10 August 2010, 04:09 PM

Hey all,

I don't usually do things for print, but I am crating a new brochure for the company and sending to my printer. They are good with the pdf exports I've sent them thus far but have asked for one slightly different.

The doc that I sent is an 8.5x11 landscape double page. So, it's 8.5" x 22" when done and folds in 4 panels. The actual page sizes went as 8.5x11.

The printer wants the export to come as 8 seperate pages instead of 4, so it should be 8.5 x 4.125 or so - this is because they are manipulating it to work in a slightly different size that they CAN print in-house in their shop.

Long story short, when I change the page dimensions, it looks like it will work, but Xara XDP6 causes an error "access violation exception at 0x009648D0". After this, I have to restart the program for the Export option to even be available on the File menu.

I really need to get this out to them the way they've asked - running on a short deadline, of course!

Any help appreciated.

**angelize** · 10 August 2010, 04:29 PM

Hi Slavelle, I send PDFs for print quite often and while I've had the odd problem I haven't run into this one. I can tell you though I did once have a file that wouldn't export correctly and after much investigation I found that an image file had become corrupted. Is it possible for you to post your .xar file so someone could take a look?

**slavelle** · 10 August 2010, 04:30 PM

Ok...slight modification:

Changing the page size and exporting definitely causes the error,

however, the page sizes that I mentioned above are NOT right for the brochure. I'm attaching a jpg of the screen in Xara. Where the guide lines are is where I want xara to split the pages up.

What's the easiest way to get there? I think their issue is that the "curves" are not lining up on their end when they take the pieces apart from the pdf and adjust for other paper - or something - no sure really...

**slavelle** · 10 August 2010, 04:32 PM

I'd have to take out all the images because they are istockphoto licensed. I DID try this on two seperate machines with XDP6 installed and got the same error on both but only when trying to export the really odd page size (which wasn't right anyway).

**slavelle** · 10 August 2010, 04:55 PM

Hmm...well - regardless of the size thing, I am getting the export error. Regular US Letter works fine, but I tried a5 and it's close to what I think I need and even that just bailed on me - again on two different machines.

I got my stuff reconfigured for the individual pages (smaller), but I'm still having a problem getting the export to work.

Open to ideas.

**angelize** · 10 August 2010, 04:56 PM

You could try this, set up a new document and in on the page size tap of the options set your page size to the size of your panels, and make it a double spread. now you will need 4 pages. then in your original document slice the background curves of each page into quarters. Then you could paste each set of two pages into your new document (yes alignment will be a bit of work) and when you are ready to export clear the tick from double page spread and the pages should break down as you need them. I hope this helps.

**slavelle** · 10 August 2010, 06:36 PM

Angelize,

That's what I wound up doing. It seems that the double page spread is what was goofing up the export. When I made it single it was fine, regardless of the custom sizes - I'll have to submit that to Dear Xara...

I now have a 5.5 x 8.5 page and have sliced and pasted and manipulated until it all fits. I've sent it to the printer to see if it helps them at all. I'll report back for the purpose of completeness of the post.

**Albacore** · 11 August 2010, 09:39 AM

Hi Slavelle,
If your sending to a printer they print it on a larger sheet to get as many copies on 1 sheet as they can. Ask them what size of sheet they are using for your print job and then make that your custom size template - then in the guides layer lay out the best layout you can using the Rectangle Tool for each of the page sizes 8.5" x 22", leaving around 3/8" between page to allow for bleed. - Now draw in your fold lines still in the guide layer, or not it is your choice sometimes a different colour is better on a different layer, and do that on each page.
Send that to the printers and you will not pay for the setup. I don't like using a double page spread in Xara better to send as two files, front/back. If you require any more info please come back.

**slavelle** · 11 August 2010, 02:42 PM

Great info Albacore. I got a chance to look at a proof this morning and for the most part, they did a good job of interpreting what I did and resizing it to fit a page they are able to print in house. I did have a few issues, like a "tab" that goes off the left side of the page in the printed version - small margin issue. And this was the one that they printed from the original sizing. The final that I sent them yesterday I just got an email response that said "this is really working out well".

The only real issue that I have to take care of now is the pictures that I'm using. I don't know if I'm killing the resolution on the way out or what, but they look pretty terrible. They just don't have the contrast I was hoping for. If you look at the pic I posted above, the green pics have a pretty high contrast white for their highlighting and in print it just isn't there - it's like the whole thing has a green filter over it and it's a little blurry.

I got the pics from istockphoto at way larger than needed size and at 300dpi. I've made some changes to the settings and will re-import the pics and see if that works. I know there will be a difference between the screen and the print, but I expect somewhat better than I'm getting.

One last thing (again for someone who comes along later):

I have a pic that has had an opacity mask pasted onto it. This is what makes the blurred edge oval on the pic you can see above. When I look at the produced pdf, it looks like I expect it to, but when they print it, the areas that should be blocked (a rectangle in this case) are visible, and the ocal area that should be showing the green graphic is just a "hole" through the rectangle - it's reversed. I suppose I will need to make this a bitmap copy to get rid of the transparencies and see what they get then.

I hope this conversation is useful to someone other than me.

**angelize** · 11 August 2010, 06:05 PM

Hi slavelle, I'm glad you are having some success. For your photos check with your printer and ask what resolution they need. When I send the Good Morning, Sunshine! pages to the printer I have to send it with 300dpi images! yes that make a very large file, but for print you need at least that resolution. As for the opacity mask, I think you are on the right track with the bitmap copy, just make sure not to drop the resolution.