topic Re: Lines get thicker in PDF in Documentation

Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Fri, 19 May 2023 20:15:18 GMT

Why would lines get dramatically thicker in the process of making a pdf from a layout? Screen shot illustrates this problem. All of the thick, black lines in this screenshot originate in model using the same pen and appear on the layout in the right weight. The thickening occurs when a PDF is made from the layout.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Barry Kelly — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:50:43 GMT

Are you viewing the layouts with the True Lineweight on or off?
If it is off then they will all appear thin on screen but still print according to the pen set values.
Barry.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:28:21 GMT

A slight thickening is typical in PDFs. Dramatic thickening is not. What driver are you using to create the PDF?

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:32:26 GMT

I've isolated the source of this problem a little better. In my Construction Docs penset, Pen #1 is set to black and 0.50 points wide. Pen #11 is set to black and 0.75 points wide, or 50% wider than Pen #1. For some reason, when lines drawn with these two pens reach a PDF, #1 is just fine but #11 is dramatically thicker -- maybe 3 times. I use Pen #11 for cut lines and finish grade and the like, and that's what shows on the screenshot I sent in yesterday? Any ideas? Is there a way to reduce the #11 width, or should I just use another pen number for the thickness I need?

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:37:45 GMT

I know this might be a strange fix but I ran into a similar problem a few months ago and all I did was make a slight change to the pen thickness.
I suggest trying to change the pen thickness for pen # 11 to 0.7 from 0.75.
That slight change made the world of difference for me.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:05:34 GMT

JennB, I tried your suggestion but no improvement. I also changed to Pen #21 set at black and 0.75 pts with the same fat line results. The line weights appear just fine on the monitor. I made a straight print of the layout using my office printer with the same fat line results. Something is happening in AC in the printing process. I use Pen #1 for lines in plans and details and in dimensions, and, guess what, the lines from Pen #1 in the dimensions prints fatter than the lines from Pen #1 in plans and details.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:11:11 GMT

Matthew, I use Bluebeam to make PDF's, not Adobe. I've talked to my Bluebeam tech, and he is equally mystified....the problem seems to be starting in AC because it happens both in the PDF process and in direct printing to an inkjet printer from a layout.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:20:51 GMT

Try doing a Save As PDF and see what happens. I have the best luck with this method.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:50:24 GMT

I want to thank all of you who made suggestions. A phone call to a local colleague who is a beta-tester for AC led directly to the setting problem at the root of my problem. In the Info Box that appears in Layout, way off in the right corner, the active penset is idenfied. In my situation, that penset ID had somehow been shifted to another penset that didn't fit my work. By clicking on each drawing in the layouts, I was able to reset each to the correct penset. I was certain the problem existed upstream of printing. And I had no idea this setting existed; I'll never forget it now. Thanks to all of you for your interest.

Re: Lines get thicker in PDF

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:59:46 GMT

Next time you can go to the Drawing Manager accessible from the Navigator Palette, select all those Drawings and set their Pen Set in one step.