Why does stroke style export pixelated in pdf?

[SweetNSassyRobin]

Hi there,

I need some help with what I hope is a simple problem.

I've got dots in the project I'm working with In Design and when I'm in the program they look like this...

Doesnt matter how close I zoom in or out, they are nice and clean as shown. Then I export a test page to a .pdf, everything looks great, except the darn dots which look like this...

Anyone know why they go all crazy pixelly like this. Is there an anti-alias option somewhere I need to be checking? I'm using a stroke style on a line that is standard in In Design and I'm hoping one of you has an easy solution for me!

Thanks so much for any help you can offer!
R

 

[apepp]

...in acrobat check you have "smooth lineart" turned on in the preferences settings (edit > preferences), under "page display" section...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...so long as that preference is on in acrobat and they still look jagged they are in fact fine, this is the nature of indesign line styles on export to pdf...

...the only time it might be a problem is when you have vector elements below objects that have transparent effects, like drop shadows, they then become pixels on output as opposed to vector...

andrew

 

[SweetNSassyRobin]

Hi Andrew!

Thanks for your reply. That is checked in Acrobat reader and the results are the same

Any other ideas?

Robin

 

[apepp]

...as mentioned, so long as that preference is checked and they still looked jagged, they are in fact fine...

...it's just the way acrobat displays, nothing you can do about it really...

...same happens in CS4...


andrew

 

[SweetNSassyRobin]

Humm... well, ive printed and as you said it would, the dots print just fine.

Problem is, it's a digital publication which will be viewed on screen and not in print, so the jagged display in acrobat isn't ideal.

I guess I'll have to use a dotted line graphic instead of the line tool in ID for this project unless you have other ideas.

Thanks again for the reply!
Robin : )

 

[apepp]

...just be sure you don't have vector elements underneath transparent effects, like drop shadows, unless you want them to be, particularly small text...

...on output they become raster dots...

...the dotted line issue is purely a display issue, they are in fact fine on high end output, not much you can do about it really, unfortunately...

...the next best option is to use illustrator, copy and paste a set of dots into indesign, they display better in acrobat, so long as the user has "smooth lineart" turned on...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...to add to my message above...

...if your dots are all the same format throughout the artwork, you can use just one .ai linked file...

...you can copy and paste from indesign into illustrator, then save out to native .ai, then import that .ai file into indesign, that would be the better more flexible method...

andrew