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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
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    9,573

    Printing PDF on a MAC

    The final X6 for the MAC was just released. I tried to print a PDF of my plans. The PDF file size was 96.9 MB. Impossible to email.

    For you guys on a MAC, what is your solution for printing your plans to PDF?
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    3
    I can confirm this tonight if you want me to look into the PDF option on a MAC, I have x6 installed at home.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
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    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by CDesign View Post
    I can confirm this tonight if you want me to look into the PDF option on a MAC, I have x6 installed at home.
    Yes, please look into it. I am baffled as to how someone without a PC and limited to only a MAC can print plans to PDF with the capability of emailing said PDF.
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    83
    Are you saying that the MAC PDF is larger than the same PDF printed from a Windows machine? If so, how much bigger and what PDF printer did you use? Adobe or some other?
    Mike D.
    v10, X1, X5, X6

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    2,112
    Can't you just print using a 3rd party program like PDFWriter for Mac? Probably freeware out there, too.
    Richard
    ---------------
    Richard Morrison
    Architect-Interior Designer
    X6 Premier, Win8 64
    http://www.richardmorrison.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    3
    Ok, I will report back my findings.
    Chris McKillip, Assoc. AIA Work: Home: IMAC
    Daman-Lechtenberger,PC I7-920 12G Ram 120SSD - 6TB-NAS Samsung Series 7 700Z7CH 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
    Architectural Production Manager Titan 6G- Dual Display 650M 2G
    X5-X6 Mac Beta SSA

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
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    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by RMorrison View Post
    Can't you just print using a 3rd party program like PDFWriter for Mac? Probably freeware out there, too.
    I would if I could find one. A program that did not print a huge file. I have tried different 3rd party programs but have not found one that will print to PDF under 20 MB, (the max size to email with my email system).

    Did CA mention a 3rd party program yet that would meet our needs?
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
    Posts
    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by miked56 View Post
    Are you saying that the MAC PDF is larger than the same PDF printed from a Windows machine? If so, how much bigger and what PDF printer did you use? Adobe or some other?
    Yes, that is what I am saying. A PDF on a PC will be under 10 MB, same file on MAC will be 90 MB.

    I used the PDF printer that comes with CA and I have used PDF995.

    I would use adobe, but there is no evidence that using adobe will yield a smaller file.
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    83
    You're probably right about the printer but it might be worth a try to print it with the Adobe printer. Also, if you have the full adobe you can try saving as either "reduced size" or "optimized". Under Optimized you have setting for backward compatibility the - "Make Compatible with" drop down. The higher the version the smaller the size of the file. You also have many options for how to handle the images etc. See the attached screen shot.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	AdobeOptimixed.PNG 
Views:	190 
Size:	37.1 KB 
ID:	62273
    Mike D.
    v10, X1, X5, X6

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Posts
    3,113
    The large PDF on MAC is a known issue with the toolkit we are using. We have been working with the supplier to provide a better solution for the MAC but as yet have not solved the issue. We will continue to pursue this issue and provide a solution as soon as one becomes available.

    In the meantime it would be interesting to know what the results are on some of the available third party PDF printers on the MAC.
    Dan Park,
    Special Projects Director,
    Chief Architect

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
    Posts
    9,573
    Here is something interesting. Printing on PC,
    used PDF995, file size 16MB
    used built in pdf printer, file size 4MB
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Wasilla, Alaska
    Posts
    799
    One of the things that can make a huge difference is the quality setting of the PDF printer (if your PDF printer has a quality setting). Lowering the quality often has little to no noticeable effect on the file but can decrease the file size dramatically. Also, printing in grayscale (or black and white) instead of color can also make a major difference.
    Michael

    Chief Architect X3-X6
    Windows 7
    I5 Quad core 8 GB
    NVIDEA Ge Force GT430

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Posts
    3,113
    Quote Originally Posted by dshall View Post
    Here is something interesting. Printing on PC,
    used PDF995, file size 16MB
    used built in pdf printer, file size 4MB

    File size is dependent on a lot of variables, mostly due to the content of what you are printing.

    We know on the MAC that the large size problem is related to font embedding. Files that don't have much text would be much smaller. Files that use primarily pixel data would likely be similar in size on both platforms.

    PDF printer drivers have lot's of configuration options, many of which we don't provide in our Save As PDF... option.

    If you intend to provide a useful guide to which driver to use it would be good to establish a benchmark using a set of files that have a variety of data.

    Establish a set of test parameters that are adhered to on each test. For example:
    Test 1: -> Paper Size: 8.5 x11, DPI: 600 -> Ouptut file size: xxxMb.

    Make sure you are comparing the size of the files using the same settings. In my internal tests a single file could produce a PDF that varies from 4mb to 80mb using our internal PDF simply by changing print settings.
    Dan Park,
    Special Projects Director,
    Chief Architect

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    28
    ACAD has allowed importing PDF for years. Anytime I import a data sheet in PDF format into a drawing, the system goes dead slow on the layout that it is attached to. File sizes are big as well. I contacted support to see if there is something I might be doing that would cause the problem and it isn't anything that I'm doing. I did look for some information about PDF's and there are two formats. Raster and vector. Raster images are the bigger problem.
    Jim Johnston
    X1, X2, X3, X4, X5 HP Workstation Z400

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Vista, CA
    Posts
    3,264
    PDF's cause me more problems than any other thing in Chief. Slow Slow Slow as soon as I load them. Zooming is slow, panning is slow, and forget about the print preview. I have to abandon ship because it simply takes too long to preview. - 2 -3 minutes for some pages.

    ...and I can't print them either. I will get a huge file size and I will get only half a page of output to my HP 110. Not every one gives me trouble, only the important ones.

    I end up printing to PDF using Bull Zip then I can print that to my HP 110 but can't print directly from the HP 110 through the Chief dbx.

    Called tech support and it's just the way it is. My PDF's have too many embedded fonts etc. and they just take forever to render and print. No solution in sight.
    The purpose of Government is to control the common resources, not the common man.



    Larry Hawes
    Hawes Home Design
    Vista, CA
    Hawes Home Design

    X5 and X6 Public Beta 3
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