Blurry Graphics when Printing a PDF from FM 10 --- Not Every Time...?

[smathers]

Hi! Thank you for this forum!!! I've been using FrameMaker 10 (FM10) with this one client since June of this year---never had any issues until now (nothing's changed, no graphics have changed, still using my same template, etc.). I started having trouble printing to PDF from FM10 a few weeks ago (was it due to an Adobe update...? ugh). Sometimes the PDF is fine, but all of a sudden---always at the end of the day when I have to get an extremely urgent doc out---FM10 prints all my graphics, company logo, etc. blurry (no matter what the graphic type). I re-tried to print the PDF a few extra times the same exact way---not changing anything---and then poof, it works. One day last week it didn't work, no matter what I did, and I rebooted and everything. I then changed the way I did the PDFs and it worked OK for a few days, and now I am back to having issues again. Help! I am terrified that my client is going to ask me to deliver an urgent doc tomorrow and that it won't work. Here are all the ways I have tried creating PDFs (I also always clear the Rely on System Fonts Only; Do Not Use Document Fonts option in the Adobe PDF printer Properties):

• Old way = For years I used the Print to File option and printed to a .ps, then opened it with Distiller, and a perfectly-linked, clear PDF prints --- not anymore.
• New Way = I now clear the Print to File option and print directly to a .pdf --- worked fine until today, again, after 5pm when I need the file the most. After re-trying 3 or 4 times, it finally worked, but this is what happened the last time and all of a sudden nothing worked and I wasn't able to create a PDF.

What happened---I am suspicious this has something to do with an Adobe update within the past month...? HELP!!!

[Arnis_Gubins]

What joboptions file are you specifying for Distiller to use? Are all of your graphics image/raster files or are any of these vector graphics? If so, are the vector graphics "blurry" as well?

What do you get when you go the SaveAsPDF route (which is the recommended route for FM10.0.2)?

[Bob_Niland]

> but all of a sudden- FM10 prints all my graphics, company logo, etc. blurry

"print" (to printer) or render to PDF?

If you are printing to a non-PostScript printer, imported EPS and PDF images are going to be 72 dpi preview quality. Previews are not sent to PDF.

>  (no matter what the graphic type)

When this problem arises, if you are rendering to PDF, by whatever path (print-to, save-as, ps&Distill), vector imports will remain at max quality. Raster imports will be subject to your PDF Job Options, and they could vary for each path, or if something/someone else on the system is changing your options.

A more obscure possibility is if you are viewing/printing the final PDF with old software. We had a case where our print shop's RIP couldn't handle JEPG 2000 compression in imported images, and crushed it to 10 dpi. If you're seeing the problem on-screen in Adobe Reader X, image versions aren't the issue.

[bowen192]

This is going to sound odd, but have you tried closing down all pdf's?

If I produce a pdf, and there is already a pdf open, the quality is visually reduced.

The quality isn't actually reduced though, and if I close everything down and open just the pdf just created, it is fine.

[smathers]

Hi, I have been using this since my last post, and all of a sudden it got fixed---I did absolutely nothing! I've been waiting to respond to see if it happened again, but now it alls works...weird? Also, I don't think it has anything to do with vector graphics or anything like that, as everything worked just fine before this happened & I've been using the same graphics as before.