Hey guys -
I’m exporting some blueprints and while the PDF preview screen looks good, when I use ‘Preview’ on my Mac or open the PDF in Acrobat, there are some squares near all of the dimensions. Any ‘text’ I’ve added is rendering fine, but you can see around the fractional dimensions, there are the s.
Thanks in advance!
-Mike
Hi Mike -
How are you creating those PDF files - i.e., which command are you using?
-wim
Hi Wim -
Thanks for getting back to me.
I have all 8 pages of the blueprint on in one file on the ‘Front View’ and then I’m selecting the single blueprint > Export Selected and then my parameters are as follows (2 screenshots):
My hope is that it’s not because of it being a ‘non system font’. I found a similar post on the forums that pointed to that. However, any of the ‘text’ I’ve added to the blueprints renders fine. It’s only in the dimensions that those boxes show up.
Cheers!
Mike
Hi Mike -
I’m not sure if that means that if you use the exact same text string as a text object, that it renders fine but that it doesn’t when that is part of a dimension?
Can you post a 3dm file with a few of those dimensions and text objects?
-wim
Hi Wim -
Certainly. I’ve attached the 3dm file and the outputted PDF.
Dimension-Test-Whitney.pdf (7.1 KB)
Dimension-Test-Whitney.3dm (3.0 MB)
Thank you!
Far from a real solution (and maybe only a 20% change of working) but the font will sometimes appear correctly with “raster” output if it isn’t with vector output.
Hey Keith -
That definitely worked. Thank you.
Could you clarify what you mean by ‘and maybe only a 20% change of working’?
Also, I’m assuming with ‘raster’ the quality could degrade if scaling up? I’m going to make the blueprint a sales item and I don’t want the line-work to be editable for CAD / CAM. There will be a separate version available for those wishing to purchase an editable copy.
IF* I can get the vector option to render properly (no little squares), is there a way to export it so that the linework etc. can’t be manipulated in a CAD program? That is, one version for print (can’t be imported and edited in a CAD program for machining) and one version that CAN be editable?
Thanks!
Mike
Could you clarify what you mean by ‘and maybe only a 20% change of working’?
Just didn’t want you to get your hopes up 
.
and I don’t want the line-work to be editable for CAD / CAM.
In this case, it would be beneficial I guess 
Regarding Vector output, one thing to experiment with would be to test out different PDF drivers. There’s the Rhino PDF. On my system I have BlueBeam’s PDF. I have something called “PDF X-Change Editor” by “Tracker Software” (everyone’s heard of them). I’ve had situations where that program’s print drivers have helped me by printing much smaller document sizes (at the expense of quality). ***Edit: this can eat up a lot of time… printing… checking… so I usually just find a compromise and live with it. I was really into picking the best font I could find and eventually gave up due to similar issues.
Anything CAD/CAM specific is waaaaaaaaaaay out of my scope. There’s obviously the option to export to DXF.
Locking PDF’s is a thing but you need one of the more expensive PDF editors. I think BlueBeam can do it but I can’t remember. I’m usually trying to unlock them (and for the record it’s just for marking up nothing nefarious). Oddly, the older PDF editors (like really old) tend to have a niche for unlocking PDF’s.
