large size and pdf-x output memory problems

**behzad** · 02 March 2015, 11:48 PM

Hi guys, For as long I have noticed when I have a poster or banner or anything large, a few feet etc. Exporting a pdf-x of any kind
will give me out of memory. Adobe products have no problem outputting this kind of file size in pdf.

The only thing I have tried is to output as RGB pdf and then take it into acrobat pro and export it as pdf-x.

Anyone else who knows of any other method please let me know. Also has this not been resolved? This and larger than normal size
page sizes?

Just getting tired of waiting for pdf-x output when I have ton of memory and seeing out of memory dialogues showup.

**mwenz** · 03 March 2015, 01:03 AM

I was able to export decent size banners using versions 6, 7 and 8. With X9, those same files fail with an internal error.

I simply went back to using CorelDraw, which is what I used for large format work since the early days. I can kill Illustrator with some of the same work. Unfortunately, in some ways Corel went backwards in the latest X7 version. Large format still works fine (well, most all the program for me), but a lot of people seem to have issues. Most all of their issues I replicate, but I don't use the features breaking on them very much myself so I am less affected.

There's always hope that Xara will surprise us all with the next version. I skipped X10, so I really hope they make great strides on the next version.

Good luck.

Mike

**Albacore** · 03 March 2015, 11:04 AM

I have done quite large posters, in many versions of Xara, I mean bigger than A0 and had only a few failed. OK it might take about 3 to 4 mins, to export but most did so why no fail for me? I have found that ver. 5 & 6 in Xara's Pro type of software is far more reliable and I have still ver. 6 in my hardrive and still use it regularly for PDF's export so you could delve into your older versions. Next thing instead of using custom size pages could you try exporting your PDF in standard page size and then scale up your output at the printers. Don't have Acro Reader on my H/drive so cant say/remember if it can be done there. If you have bitmaps in your drawing make sure that they can survive the scaling up, min. 100 dpi, better to keep to 150 dpi. Also try converting text to shapes before exporting and you can keep your real text in a hidden layer but use Acro Reader 1.4 don't go any higher as it will be exported as well making file larger. I am a bit confused with one statement you made in 2nd para. "The only thing I have tried is to output as RGB pdf and then take it into acrobat pro and export it as pdf-x." you can do this directly from which I would strongly recommend as you can have a lot more control if you you the Advanced Options button in the export dialogue. Please select either native or CMYK not RGB in the General tab and then you can go into the objects tab and sort out bitmap quality. If you select Commercial Printing radio button this will do everything automatically with bitmaps and flattening set to 300 dpi but if you are going to scale you will need to think about these rastered bitmap dpi.

A lot of the fails come down to Xara's RGB effects: feathering, shadows, transparencies, Live Effects, Blends and Colour Fills. If you can keep most of these out of your drawing or down to a minimum or use the cheats way by using layers again make a bitmap copy of an area where these take place and then hide your area using only the bitmap copy. I shouldn't have placed Blends in RGB effects as these are just plain vectors but when exported these become individual items taking a lot of calculation. Using layers is the way to a successful PDF where stacking order is import, so be mindful of groups as these are not recognised by PDF and are converted to Clipping masks which again along with Xara ClipView. If text is use then this must be a the top of the stack of objects/top layer and try and use vector objects as shadows or create bit map copy.

Please if you require any more help please come back and I will try and help as you should be able to have a useable PDF!.

**behzad** · 03 March 2015, 12:37 PM

Thank you to both of you. A lot of good info. @Albacore My design uses the shadows, transparencies. I have spend hours trying to figure out how to export without running out of memory. Some of your solutions are great and will try those, but the root of the problem, xara has to deal with in their upcoming edition. I think there is a lot of room for improvement in the export and import department.

**mwenz** · 03 March 2015, 01:28 PM

Yeah, well I am currently doing two 8' by 24', output will be 150 dpi. Average viewing distance will be 3'. Xara products cannot touch this 3 vendors are scale.

Xara needs to work both on its file format and memory management.

**behzad** · 03 March 2015, 02:50 PM

The size that I have to work with is 204x36 inches. Xara will not even allow for that size so I have to do two sizes of 102x18"

**mwenz** · 03 March 2015, 04:45 PM

What will be the average viewing distance?

And BTW, my above statement should have been if Xara want to compete in the large document arena, then it needs to address those issues. They can, of course, choose not to.