Layout and fonts. Again

[AHTOH]

Hello Tech and folks.

Would you please explain how possibly I can avoid this effect: I am trying to print my project containing some notes dimensions and text. Which is quite obvious task for drafting. Yet I can't achieve any reasonable quality by any  way I am doing. If I use Text tool I always get outlined text whatever I would try to do. When I use Note tool, Annotation tool and Dimensions my fonts look perfect on the screen yet blurred on printed matter and PDF. The smaller font size I opt the worse my result. Whatever printing method I choose nothing changes.

 Any suggestions on how to fix it?

My setup is:

Windows 10

FormZ 8.6 Layout and modeler

Adobe PDF Printer or Microsoft Print to PDF

Geogia font for all attempts

 

[Hugo]

Ahtoh,

 

I have tested in version 9.1.0 and although it is still very poor, text can exported as a PDF with good result. See file Untitled1 image.pdf. The other file is a direct print to PDF. That result is useless. So, exporting nor printing in a version previous to 9.1 is not gonna work. Many error files/movies already sent to the support... In version 9.1 some of the issues you mention, are solved.

 

See also: Screen shot Draft 9.1.0.PDF as the example I printed/exported to PDF.

 

 

Untitled1 image.pdf

Untitled1.pdf

Screen shot Draft 9.1.0.pdf

[Justin Montoya]

Hello!

In the past I also discovered that Printing from FormZ is not working well for me, so I simply turned up the DPI resolution in Display Settings to 300dpi (good for most actual printing or PDF document compiling).  Then I Export Image as a TIF or JPG.  This is a High Resolution export (5100 x 2850 px), so I find I simply need to then take the images and Combine them in a PDF document.  Do not let Acrobat run Optimization when you Import for PDF.   Now if you Zoom In, there is still high quality to the Text.

Text-Save-vs-Print.tif

Text-Save-vs-Print.pdf

 

Does that help?

Edited July 12, 2021 by Justin Montoya

[AHTOH]

On 7/13/2021 at 12:21 AM, Hugo said:

Ahtoh,

 

I have tested in version 9.1.0 and although it is still very poor, text can exported as a PDF with good result. See file Untitled1 image.pdf. The other file is a direct print to PDF. That result is useless. So, exporting nor printing in a version previous to 9.1 is not gonna work. Many error files/movies already sent to the support... In version 9.1 some of the issues you mention, are solved.

 

See also: Screen shot Draft 9.1.0.PDF as the example I printed/exported to PDF.

 

 

Untitled1 image.pdf

Untitled1.pdf

Screen shot Draft 9.1.0.pdf

Hello Hugo.

Thank you for answering.

I tried to Export to PDF my multipage Layout file and got a big sheet of garbage. Not to be talking bad jugged fonts but also  all sheets appeared on the same page and lots of objects even did not render. So, seems like it is useless at least with FormZ 8.7 Layout

Best,

Anton

[AHTOH]

On 7/13/2021 at 1:11 AM, Justin Montoya said:

Hello!

In the past I also discovered that Printing from FormZ is not working well for me, so I simply turned up the DPI resolution in Display Settings to 300dpi (good for most actual printing or PDF document compiling).  Then I Export Image as a TIF or JPG.  This is a High Resolution export (5100 x 2850 px), so I find I simply need to then take the images and Combine them in a PDF document.  Do not let Acrobat run Optimization when you Import for PDF.   Now if you Zoom In, there is still high quality to the Text.

Text-Save-vs-Print.tif

Text-Save-vs-Print.pdf

 

Does that help?

Hi Justin.

Looks like export to image is thу only method. The only sad thing about it is an amount of effort on multipage Layout documents which have not only to be bind to the same Acrobat doc but also exported with original names manually and cropped to size.

Yet your suggestion is the only one working. Thanks' a lot for it.

[Hugo]

Anton,

 

Forget layout version lower than version 9.1.0. 

 

The layout concept is in my opinion wrong, because all the better bells and whistles are already wonderful developed in the modeler. But, ADS decided to follow the market and ‘created’ something not workable. 

 

Is it too difficult to make rock solid print options for scale, pdf, etc direct from the modeler?????? 

[Hugo]

Justin, Anton,

for years now i always use ONLY the modeler and create 300dpi PNG images and use them in Affinity Publisher to produce high quality layouts. It’s so easy… and what you see is what you get!

[AHTOH]

35 minutes ago, Hugo said:

Anton,

 

Forget layout version lower than version 9.1.0. 

 

The layout concept is in my opinion wrong, because all the better bells and whistles are already wonderful developed in the modeler. But, ADS decided to follow the market and ‘created’ something not workable. 

 

Is it too difficult to make rock solid print options for scale, pdf, etc direct from the modeler?????? 

Hello again Hugo.

From this point and on I would say all my Layout difficulties are gone.

Let me explain my workflow:

Yes, Modeler is as good as 3D app could be. Yet in my interior design projects I usually need multipage layout. And my drafts contain mostly the same elements (e.g. walls, partitions, sanitary, floors e.t.c)

I create 2D draft with layered layout:  walls, partitions, sanitary, floors etc.. Each subject on it's own layer. 

Than I use Layout to get my content to content frame on respective pages (dimension plan, demolition plan, partitions plan. I can add items from my 2D Layout library to add sockets, lights, coaches, tables etc. And that's the way to keep everything in order. As soon as I need to change something I do it within Modeler and it is changing in Layout on the fly. So my Layout turned to my charm from my pain.

The only thing I need to remember not to misuse hatches within Modeler. At least in small scale. Otherwise it is going to slow down Layout significantly.

 

As you wrote you use external publishing app for layout purposes. And that's what I tried to do. Yet I realized that if I need to change even the smallest detail I will need to redo all the page Layout. Or it is not what happens in your workflow?

Edited July 14, 2021 by AHTOH
addition

[Hugo]

Change the smallest detail is not an issue at all, when I use the Aff.Publisher.

create a view or a scene in the modeller. The image size will be for instance 200x200 on 300dpi. Make the PNG image and store in the folder with images you want to use in the Aff.P. Create your layout in Aff.P. and you can easily make more sheets etc. 
After you change something in the modeller, save again the view/scene and override the image in the folder. Open Aff.P. And your layout will be updated manually or automatically, depending your setup AFF.P.

You will have all control over your output, always. You never have with FormZ layout. There is always missing, or dimension is moving or drawing is half…. Once you get these issues twice, you cannot trust the layout anymore. So, I won’t use…

[Hugo]

By the way, it’s a way of thinking a bit different, when using the modeller only to produce good rock solid layout. But I spoke about in other discussions in the past. When in the mood I will produce a movie about the workflow.

 

[AHTOH]

5 hours ago, Hugo said:

Change the smallest detail is not an issue at all, when I use the Aff.Publisher.

create a view or a scene in the modeller. The image size will be for instance 200x200 on 300dpi. Make the PNG image and store in the folder with images you want to use in the Aff.P. Create your layout in Aff.P. and you can easily make more sheets etc. 
After you change something in the modeller, save again the view/scene and override the image in the folder. Open Aff.P. And your layout will be updated manually or automatically, depending your setup AFF.P.

You will have all control over your output, always. You never have with FormZ layout. There is always missing, or dimension is moving or drawing is half…. Once you get these issues twice, you cannot trust the layout anymore. So, I won’t use…

OK Hugo.

It makes perfect sence.

If you would create your workflow movie it would be great. I would appreciate it very much.

Regards,

Anton

[Justin Montoya]

I agree, and I'd also love to see Aff.Publisher in action.  

I use InDesign as many of my clients require it for their presentation decks (documents).  It's easy to Re-Link images as they are updated in InDesign with a simple click, all updated images are brought in and really saves on the time spent on the boring documentation work.  

[AHTOH]

OK folks.

Finally I found a good solution for printing my multipage Layouts. Here we go:

I do all the text with Note tool.

I make a content frame to fit my actual frame in order not to have separate frame around my content.

I case I need to have multiple content frames within one page I choose an option «Match frame to content»

Then I export my page to image. Due to high monitor resolutions now days I have pretty high res image.

And finally I get my pages all together to Acrobat Pro.

Voila — I have perfect Layout print!