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#1 Brad Graber

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 10:11 AM

I have recently purchased a second key and didn't get the review module with it.  I had been using review to create my marketing sheets in a pdf file because I felt that review created a better quality pdf file.  Eventually I was cutting the floor plans out of the pdf file with photoshop into .jpeg files.  I mainly use cutepdf for my everyday plan pdf file creation.  Again c omparing the two ways to create the pdf file I felt review was creating more quality.  I'm not that photo savvy or even know much about that process, but wandering am I just crazy in my thinking here.  

If not, is there another way to create those pdf files (and eventually .jpeg) to maintain the quality.  



#2 Keith Almond

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 11:49 AM

First, If the keys are registered to the same company, the review module should be included. It's supposed to be a one time payment that includes all keys as far as I'm aware.

 

When you say review is a better quality PDF, what are you comparing it too? The export PDF setting in review and Plansets includes the same OPTIMIZE FOR SIZE command.

 

Cute PDF can be set to anything from 72 to 4000 dpi, so is adjustable to virtually whatever quality you want. Go to CONTROL PANEL > DEVICES AND PRINTERS, Right Click the CUTE PDF WRITER, Go to PRINTING PREFERENCES, click ADVANCED and Under the GRAPHIC heading there is a drop down setting box for PRINT QUALITY.

 

If your cutting JPG files out of PDF's then you are compromising quality again. PDF's are Vector graphics and JPG's are Raster graphics. (i.e. Bitmaps). You would be better cropping the original PDF's to whatever size you require.

 

Taking a couple of letters as an example the letter on the left is vector, and the one on the right is a raster (bitmap) copy of it. They aren't much different from a distance ...

 

Attached File  2017.07.21_14h00m59s_001.png   24.54KB   0 downloads

 

But, zoom in close, and they are markedly different.

 

Attached File  2017.07.21_14h01m23s_002.png   45.77KB   0 downloads


Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#3 Brad Graber

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:03 PM

i will have to check into the module's being included with my main key.  The lady asked me if I wanted to include them or just the basics.... My main key has everything.

 

Maybe I should re-think my process of making my marketing plans.  I need a black and white floor plan in a .jpeg file.  I make a marketing sheet that is basically a handout I can give a customer with the front elevation (or rendering), a bit of information, and the floor plans with rough room sizes.  In the past when I cut the floor plans out of the pdf file marketing sheet my quality was not so great.  It seemed improved when I used the review from softplan to create the pdf file.  I double checked my cutepdf settings and their at 600dpi, which I believe should be plenty good.  Is there a better way to make a .jpg of the floor plan, doesn't have to be to scale.  If I do a save as the result is a terrible quality image when zoomed in and a color image.  



#4 Keith Almond

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:10 PM

Actually backing up, I'm believe that I'm in error ... yes, I know again!

 

As far as I'm aware PURE PDF doesn't have a DPI setting. I suspect that the PDF creation is actually creating a JPG and wrapping it in a PDF wrapper so that it can be read easier.

 

There's too much I don't know about how these PDF's are created.


Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#5 Brad Graber

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:20 PM

So is maybe my guess of the softplan review creating a "pure" pdf vs. cutepdf creating something with a specific dpi maybe make sense then how I was going about it?



#6 Keith Almond

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:39 PM

Not really, because both review and plansets allow you to choose a dpi, thus leading me to believe that they are creating raster graphics. Albeit reasonably high resolution ones. Having said that, my CutePDF is also set as 600 dpi, and because of size I normally export my plansets as 300 dpi. but 300 dpi is still high (ish) quality. It's the conversion to JPG I was more worried about as they may only be producing 96 (or even 72) dpi JPG's.


Keith

There are 10 types of people in this world ....... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Softplan user since version 5.5.2.5

www.homehardwarekingston.ca

#7 Brad Graber

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:41 PM

I use Adobe Elements to load the pdf file and then clip into pieces



#8 Brad Graber

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Posted 21 July 2017 - 12:47 PM

Ok, maybe now i'm onto something.  This is a sample cut of two floor plans.  When the pdf file was imported into adobe elements there is a setting on how many dpi to import.  So the one on the left is 300, the one on the right is 600.  

Attached File  pdf files.JPG   85.36KB   0 downloads

 

So... I'm guessing I could create my marketing sheets with cutepdf if I wanted too.  Just make sure its set to 600 dpi, and make sure I import that dpi setting into adobe.  Makes sense in my mind, but i'm not always correct with these things.

 






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