Getting bad quality map when exporting as PDF?












2















When I export a map to PDF the points are blocky and not sharp, as you can see in the picture.



Ugly points



When I exported the map the first time it was sharp and stayed sharp when zooming in.



enter image description here



First I used the simpel marker symbol and now the character marker symbol from Esri. But when I use the simple marker symbol again it also becomes very blocky.



I already tried different export settings, but it only became worse.



I changed the transparency of a layer and this was the PDF result:



sharp, but not round



They are indeed sharp now, but the circles are still not circles.



Where can I find the problem?



I used the simple marker and now they are smooth and sharp, but some of them are oval..



enter image description here



What can I do about it?










share|improve this question









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  • 3





    Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

    – Mapperz
    9 hours ago
















2















When I export a map to PDF the points are blocky and not sharp, as you can see in the picture.



Ugly points



When I exported the map the first time it was sharp and stayed sharp when zooming in.



enter image description here



First I used the simpel marker symbol and now the character marker symbol from Esri. But when I use the simple marker symbol again it also becomes very blocky.



I already tried different export settings, but it only became worse.



I changed the transparency of a layer and this was the PDF result:



sharp, but not round



They are indeed sharp now, but the circles are still not circles.



Where can I find the problem?



I used the simple marker and now they are smooth and sharp, but some of them are oval..



enter image description here



What can I do about it?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 3





    Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

    – Mapperz
    9 hours ago














2












2








2








When I export a map to PDF the points are blocky and not sharp, as you can see in the picture.



Ugly points



When I exported the map the first time it was sharp and stayed sharp when zooming in.



enter image description here



First I used the simpel marker symbol and now the character marker symbol from Esri. But when I use the simple marker symbol again it also becomes very blocky.



I already tried different export settings, but it only became worse.



I changed the transparency of a layer and this was the PDF result:



sharp, but not round



They are indeed sharp now, but the circles are still not circles.



Where can I find the problem?



I used the simple marker and now they are smooth and sharp, but some of them are oval..



enter image description here



What can I do about it?










share|improve this question









New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












When I export a map to PDF the points are blocky and not sharp, as you can see in the picture.



Ugly points



When I exported the map the first time it was sharp and stayed sharp when zooming in.



enter image description here



First I used the simpel marker symbol and now the character marker symbol from Esri. But when I use the simple marker symbol again it also becomes very blocky.



I already tried different export settings, but it only became worse.



I changed the transparency of a layer and this was the PDF result:



sharp, but not round



They are indeed sharp now, but the circles are still not circles.



Where can I find the problem?



I used the simple marker and now they are smooth and sharp, but some of them are oval..



enter image description here



What can I do about it?







arcgis-desktop pdf






share|improve this question









New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 3 hours ago









PolyGeo

53.6k1781243




53.6k1781243






New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 9 hours ago









KellyKelly

112




112




New contributor




Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Kelly is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 3





    Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

    – Mapperz
    9 hours ago














  • 3





    Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

    – Mapperz
    9 hours ago








3




3





Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

– Mapperz
9 hours ago





Your Exporting is rasterising the whole file. see > support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000004216

– Mapperz
9 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















3














You can run the following code in the Python window to figure out which layer(s) is rasterizing your export:



import arcpy

def DetectRasterization():
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
df_list = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd)
foundRasterization = False
noneFoundMsg = "No rasterizing layers were detected."
for df in df_list:
lyr_list = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, data_frame=df)
for lyr in lyr_list:
if lyr.isRasterizingLayer or lyr.supports("BRIGHTNESS"):
foundRasterization = True
if lyr.isGroupLayer and lyr.transparency > 0:
print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the group layer '" +
lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
"tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
elif not lyr.isGroupLayer:
print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the layer '" +
lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
if lyr.transparency > 0:
print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
"tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
else:
print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
"tTransparency is 0 percent, but the layer may be an" +
"traster layer or contain rasterizing symbology suchn" +
"tas bitmap picture symbols.n"
del lyr
del lyr_list
del df
if not foundRasterization:
print noneFoundMsg
del df_list
del mxd

DetectRasterization()





share|improve this answer































    1














    For the "not round" problem, my understanding is that arcmap use the DPI setting to determine the accuracy of vector object (I guess that the higher the DPI the more vertices are used to draw the vector shape)



    So for all vector map I use a very high DPI (usually more than 2000) to get perfect curve (the resulting file is a little bit bigger than with the usual 300 DPI but not that much and the visual aspect is a lot better. see below exemple of export at 150 DPI (8ko PDF) and 5000 DPI (12ko PDF))



    enter image description here



    enter image description here



    When my export is partially rasterized (raster base map or use of transparency on lower layer) I find that the best results I can get are by exporting at the highest reasonable DPI (regarding the time it take to export and the resulting file size) to get good vector rendering for the top layer then use adobe acrobat pro to reduce the file size by lowering the DPI of the raster part while keeping the vector untouched.



    Another way of doing it would be to export separately the top vector part and the lower raster part and use graphical software to marge back the full map






    share|improve this answer























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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes








      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      3














      You can run the following code in the Python window to figure out which layer(s) is rasterizing your export:



      import arcpy

      def DetectRasterization():
      mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
      df_list = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd)
      foundRasterization = False
      noneFoundMsg = "No rasterizing layers were detected."
      for df in df_list:
      lyr_list = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, data_frame=df)
      for lyr in lyr_list:
      if lyr.isRasterizingLayer or lyr.supports("BRIGHTNESS"):
      foundRasterization = True
      if lyr.isGroupLayer and lyr.transparency > 0:
      print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the group layer '" +
      lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
      print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
      "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
      elif not lyr.isGroupLayer:
      print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the layer '" +
      lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
      if lyr.transparency > 0:
      print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
      "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
      else:
      print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
      "tTransparency is 0 percent, but the layer may be an" +
      "traster layer or contain rasterizing symbology suchn" +
      "tas bitmap picture symbols.n"
      del lyr
      del lyr_list
      del df
      if not foundRasterization:
      print noneFoundMsg
      del df_list
      del mxd

      DetectRasterization()





      share|improve this answer




























        3














        You can run the following code in the Python window to figure out which layer(s) is rasterizing your export:



        import arcpy

        def DetectRasterization():
        mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
        df_list = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd)
        foundRasterization = False
        noneFoundMsg = "No rasterizing layers were detected."
        for df in df_list:
        lyr_list = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, data_frame=df)
        for lyr in lyr_list:
        if lyr.isRasterizingLayer or lyr.supports("BRIGHTNESS"):
        foundRasterization = True
        if lyr.isGroupLayer and lyr.transparency > 0:
        print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the group layer '" +
        lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
        print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
        "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
        elif not lyr.isGroupLayer:
        print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the layer '" +
        lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
        if lyr.transparency > 0:
        print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
        "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
        else:
        print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
        "tTransparency is 0 percent, but the layer may be an" +
        "traster layer or contain rasterizing symbology suchn" +
        "tas bitmap picture symbols.n"
        del lyr
        del lyr_list
        del df
        if not foundRasterization:
        print noneFoundMsg
        del df_list
        del mxd

        DetectRasterization()





        share|improve this answer


























          3












          3








          3







          You can run the following code in the Python window to figure out which layer(s) is rasterizing your export:



          import arcpy

          def DetectRasterization():
          mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
          df_list = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd)
          foundRasterization = False
          noneFoundMsg = "No rasterizing layers were detected."
          for df in df_list:
          lyr_list = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, data_frame=df)
          for lyr in lyr_list:
          if lyr.isRasterizingLayer or lyr.supports("BRIGHTNESS"):
          foundRasterization = True
          if lyr.isGroupLayer and lyr.transparency > 0:
          print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the group layer '" +
          lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
          elif not lyr.isGroupLayer:
          print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the layer '" +
          lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
          if lyr.transparency > 0:
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
          else:
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is 0 percent, but the layer may be an" +
          "traster layer or contain rasterizing symbology suchn" +
          "tas bitmap picture symbols.n"
          del lyr
          del lyr_list
          del df
          if not foundRasterization:
          print noneFoundMsg
          del df_list
          del mxd

          DetectRasterization()





          share|improve this answer













          You can run the following code in the Python window to figure out which layer(s) is rasterizing your export:



          import arcpy

          def DetectRasterization():
          mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
          df_list = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd)
          foundRasterization = False
          noneFoundMsg = "No rasterizing layers were detected."
          for df in df_list:
          lyr_list = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, data_frame=df)
          for lyr in lyr_list:
          if lyr.isRasterizingLayer or lyr.supports("BRIGHTNESS"):
          foundRasterization = True
          if lyr.isGroupLayer and lyr.transparency > 0:
          print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the group layer '" +
          lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
          elif not lyr.isGroupLayer:
          print "In data frame '" + df.name + "', the layer '" +
          lyr.longName + "' is a rasterizing layer:r",
          if lyr.transparency > 0:
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is " + str(lyr.transparency) + " percent.n"
          else:
          print "tVisibility is " + str(lyr.visible) + ".n" +
          "tTransparency is 0 percent, but the layer may be an" +
          "traster layer or contain rasterizing symbology suchn" +
          "tas bitmap picture symbols.n"
          del lyr
          del lyr_list
          del df
          if not foundRasterization:
          print noneFoundMsg
          del df_list
          del mxd

          DetectRasterization()






          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 8 hours ago









          cl3cl3

          1,606922




          1,606922

























              1














              For the "not round" problem, my understanding is that arcmap use the DPI setting to determine the accuracy of vector object (I guess that the higher the DPI the more vertices are used to draw the vector shape)



              So for all vector map I use a very high DPI (usually more than 2000) to get perfect curve (the resulting file is a little bit bigger than with the usual 300 DPI but not that much and the visual aspect is a lot better. see below exemple of export at 150 DPI (8ko PDF) and 5000 DPI (12ko PDF))



              enter image description here



              enter image description here



              When my export is partially rasterized (raster base map or use of transparency on lower layer) I find that the best results I can get are by exporting at the highest reasonable DPI (regarding the time it take to export and the resulting file size) to get good vector rendering for the top layer then use adobe acrobat pro to reduce the file size by lowering the DPI of the raster part while keeping the vector untouched.



              Another way of doing it would be to export separately the top vector part and the lower raster part and use graphical software to marge back the full map






              share|improve this answer




























                1














                For the "not round" problem, my understanding is that arcmap use the DPI setting to determine the accuracy of vector object (I guess that the higher the DPI the more vertices are used to draw the vector shape)



                So for all vector map I use a very high DPI (usually more than 2000) to get perfect curve (the resulting file is a little bit bigger than with the usual 300 DPI but not that much and the visual aspect is a lot better. see below exemple of export at 150 DPI (8ko PDF) and 5000 DPI (12ko PDF))



                enter image description here



                enter image description here



                When my export is partially rasterized (raster base map or use of transparency on lower layer) I find that the best results I can get are by exporting at the highest reasonable DPI (regarding the time it take to export and the resulting file size) to get good vector rendering for the top layer then use adobe acrobat pro to reduce the file size by lowering the DPI of the raster part while keeping the vector untouched.



                Another way of doing it would be to export separately the top vector part and the lower raster part and use graphical software to marge back the full map






                share|improve this answer


























                  1












                  1








                  1







                  For the "not round" problem, my understanding is that arcmap use the DPI setting to determine the accuracy of vector object (I guess that the higher the DPI the more vertices are used to draw the vector shape)



                  So for all vector map I use a very high DPI (usually more than 2000) to get perfect curve (the resulting file is a little bit bigger than with the usual 300 DPI but not that much and the visual aspect is a lot better. see below exemple of export at 150 DPI (8ko PDF) and 5000 DPI (12ko PDF))



                  enter image description here



                  enter image description here



                  When my export is partially rasterized (raster base map or use of transparency on lower layer) I find that the best results I can get are by exporting at the highest reasonable DPI (regarding the time it take to export and the resulting file size) to get good vector rendering for the top layer then use adobe acrobat pro to reduce the file size by lowering the DPI of the raster part while keeping the vector untouched.



                  Another way of doing it would be to export separately the top vector part and the lower raster part and use graphical software to marge back the full map






                  share|improve this answer













                  For the "not round" problem, my understanding is that arcmap use the DPI setting to determine the accuracy of vector object (I guess that the higher the DPI the more vertices are used to draw the vector shape)



                  So for all vector map I use a very high DPI (usually more than 2000) to get perfect curve (the resulting file is a little bit bigger than with the usual 300 DPI but not that much and the visual aspect is a lot better. see below exemple of export at 150 DPI (8ko PDF) and 5000 DPI (12ko PDF))



                  enter image description here



                  enter image description here



                  When my export is partially rasterized (raster base map or use of transparency on lower layer) I find that the best results I can get are by exporting at the highest reasonable DPI (regarding the time it take to export and the resulting file size) to get good vector rendering for the top layer then use adobe acrobat pro to reduce the file size by lowering the DPI of the raster part while keeping the vector untouched.



                  Another way of doing it would be to export separately the top vector part and the lower raster part and use graphical software to marge back the full map







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 7 hours ago









                  J.RJ.R

                  3,387222




                  3,387222






















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