* Maximum PDF Size

[GordonH]

According to my PDF settings the maximum size PDF I can have is 3250mm x 1081.7mm. I have created a family tree diagram, which when saved as a PDF, slightly exceeds that and extends onto two pages.

The only way I have found to overcome the PDF limitation and only create one page is to reduce the scale of the tree diagram to 95% in the Family Historian PDF properties box.

This is acceptable. However, as time passes the family tree will grow and perhaps there may come a time when reducing the scale to get it all on one page will make it too small to be read comfortably.

I can also overcome the problem by creating the tree as a jpeg but I like the PDF features for ease of scrolling by the user.

I did try the possible solution at -

http://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/wiki/doku.p ... _a_diagram

- but didn't find that I could solve the problem by following these steps.

Has anyone any alternative solutions, or is the PDF size limit just a fact of life that has to be worked round.

ID:6994

[PeterR]

You may be able to load your large jpeg into IrfanView and then Save As PDF from there.

[GordonH]

Thanks Peter, I don't have IrfanView but I'll download it and see what it can do.

[GordonH]

Peter, I've downloaded IrfanView and all its plugins. It's a very useful program.

It converts jpegs to PDFs but the max size PDF that Irfanview supports is 1189mm x 841mm (A0). This is much smaller than I get by saving PDF's via Family Historian. A Family Historian PDF comes out at 3250mm x 1081.7mm

However, I can see me making use of this program in future if not for this particular purpose. Thanks again for the tip.

[GordonH]

Just researched the question of PDF limits a bit more and found this information in PDF Reference Sixth Edition, Version 1.7.

Beginning with PDF 1.6 and Acrobat 7.0 the maximum PDF page size can be up to 15,000,000 inches! Here is an extract from note 177 in Appendix H of the above document that makes that clear;

In PDF versions earlier than PDF 1.6, the size of the default user space unit is fixed at 1/72 inch. In Acrobat viewers earlier than version 4.0, the minimum allowed page size is 72 by 72 units in default user space (1 by 1 inch); the maximum is 3240 by 3240 units (45 by 45 inches). In Acrobat versions 5.0 and later, the minimum allowed page size is 3 by 3 units (approximately 0.04 by 0.04 inch); the maximum is 14,400 by 14,400 units (200 by 200 inches).

Beginning with PDF 1.6, the size of the default user space unit may be set with the UserUnit entry of the page dictionary. Acrobat 7.0 supports a maximum UserUnit value of 75,000, which gives a maximum page dimension of 15,000,000 inches (14,400 * 75,000 * 1/72). The minimum UserUnit value is 1.0 (the default).

The above can be read at this link (NB This links to a huge PDF file);

http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.co ... ce_1-7.pdf

I'm assuming therefore that Calico Pie have decided on an arbritary limit for PDF page sizes that I believe could and should be changed to accommodate larger PDF Diagrams.

[PeterR]

Gordon, when using IrfanView's Save PDF dialog, did you try the Page Format option '(like Image)'?

It then uses a paper size which matches that of the jpeg.

[Jane]

PDFs in FH are created by the Nova PDF driver, when you try to set a custom page for the driver it sets the page size down.

[GordonH]

Thanks for the thought Peter.

I've just tried that and it doesn't help. I've now looked at the jpeg FH created with Photoshop and discovered that when FH creates a jpeg for a diagram it uses a resolution of 96ppi. However FH uses 300ppi when saving a diagram as a PDF.

This means that for any output derived from a jpeg at 96ppi the resolution is much too low to make an actual print, its only good for screen viewing. Of course the jpeg can be re-sized with Photoshop but the quality of the end result is not good compared with the PDF.

I did re-size the jpeg and saved it as a .tiff file (the re-size is too big at 38976 pixels x 12364 pixels to be saved as a jpeg according to Photoshop).

I opened the tiff in IrfanView and then asked IrfanView to save it as a pdf, however IrfanView said there was not enough memory to do that! I have 4gb of memory but also had some other applications open when I did this so I'll try later when I've closed them all down.

[GordonH]

Jane said:
PDFs in FH are created by the Nova PDF driver, when you try to set a custom page for the driver it sets the page size down.

Thanks Jane, I didn't know that. I'll download the latest version of the driver and see if they have changed the limits.