* Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

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BobWard
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Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by BobWard »

I am trying to print an ALL RELATIVES diagram to an FH pdf file.

The diagram is set up for a custom paper size of 128.5" x 128.5".

When I configure the Print Setup to a resolution of 360 dpi, the diagram will print to an FH pdf file. The only problem that I have with the resulting file is that when I zoom in see the people pictures in each person's box, the pictures get too pixelated.

The obvious fix to this issue would be to print to a higher resolution. So, I upped the resolution to 600 dpi and click Print. But the file never prints at that higher resolution. However, I never get any error messages - the printed file just never shows up in my Windows directory.

My conclusion is that the higher resolution is making the file size so large that it may be exceeding some max file size limit for the FH pdf format.

Does anyone know of any max file size limit for the FH pdf format?
Last edited by BobWard on 04 Nov 2018 20:40, edited 3 times in total.
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tatewise
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by tatewise »

See how_to:creating_a_single_page_pdf_of_a_diagram|> Single Page PDF of a Diagram that has lots of tips on this topic.

Although there is not thought to be a maximum size for PDF files in their specification, all the utilities that create PDF files do seem to have their own limits.

As explained in the above article, the Family Historian PDF printer is limited to 128" x 128", but alternative PDF creators do go up to 200" x 200" and maybe beyond.

Another option is to use one of the fhugdownloads:publishers|> Downloads and Links ~ Publishers who sometimes offer to work from your FH Project files and custom Diagram settings.

It might also be possible to create four half-size PDF and use an editor such IrfanView to join them together (but not sure about that).
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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BobWard
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by BobWard »

Well, that article you refer to does state exactly what happened in my case, i.e.,

“If no PDF file is produced, there may be no error message, but probably the maximum PDF page size has been exceeded. Check the adjustments above, and try reducing the Resolution (dpi) to 300 or lower.”

Guess I will try one of the 3rd party PDF programs to see if I can bump the resolution up to 600 dpi.
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BobWard
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by BobWard »

An update using the Pdf995 PDF printer. It will print my diagram at 300 dpi, but not at 600 dpi.

So, it appears to suffer a similar size limitation as the FH PDF printer.
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davidm_uk
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by davidm_uk »

BobWard wrote:I am trying to print an ALL RELATIVES diagram to an FH pdf file.

The diagram is set up for a custom paper size of 128.5" x 128.5".

When I configure the Print Setup to a resolution of 360 dpi, the diagram will print to an FH pdf file. The only problem that I have with the resulting file is that when I zoom in see the people pictures in each person's box, the pictures get too pixelated.
So do you want to print the picture at 128.5" x 128.5"? If so the 360 dpi may be quite adequate on paper (unless you want someone to be able to zoom in with a magnifying glass). If you actually want an electronic image to put into a document you could maybe save the diagram as an image file (.png or .tif), with a much higher resolution that will enable the resulting image to be zoomed to the level you want. If the end result that you want is a pdf file, with a zoomable image, you could perhaps use a pdf editor to add that image file into your pdf.
David Miller - researching Miller, Hare, Walker, Bright (mostly Herts, Beds, Dorset and London)
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tatewise
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by tatewise »

Have you worked through the advice in how_to:creating_a_single_page_pdf_of_a_diagram|> Single Page PDF of a Diagram?
i.e.
Used Diagram > Diagram Statistics to determine diagram Width and Height.
Followed how_to:creating_a_single_page_pdf_of_a_diagram#set_print_properties|> Set Print Properties advice?

Can I check you are using the option to Adjust PDF File Page Size so that Diagram fits into One Page?

When printout is achieved using 300 DPI does the text in the boxes appear OK, or is that pixelated too?
If the text is crisp, then I suspect the DPI is satisfactory.

Assuming that some pictures in each box are Face Frames cut out from larger images, are you sure the pixelation is not inherent in the images?
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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BobWard
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by BobWard »

The objective here is to print a diagram to a single page pdf file that can be sent to relatives. They will then open it on their computer and zoom in and navigate around the diagram to see whomever they want.

In order to get the single page format, I have to scale the diagram down to 30% to fit on a 128.5" x 128.5" single page.

Yes, that page will print at 300 dpi (and 360). But when you open the resulting pdf file and then zoom in to see any given individual, the pixelation increases with the zoom factor. To answer Mike's question, only the pictures in the text boxes get pixelated, the text stays very crisp. The pictures in the text boxes are high resolution jpeg images attached to each person's profile, they are not from Face Frames.

The problem here is trying to get 600 dpi resolution out of such a large single page, i.e., the file size just gets too big. We are talking around 1200 people boxes being crammed into that 128.5" square box. So, when I have to scale the diagram down to fit on that large single page, I need to print the file at a high resolution setting (600 dpi or more) so that when I open the file and zoom in on individuals, I have the resolution needed to prevent the pixelation during zooming.

Now, when I reset the paper size to ARCH D (36 "x 24") and set the resolution to 300 dpi, with no scaling, the pdf prints just fine and we have crisp pictures when zooming in on any individual's text box. The 300 dpi setting is working fine now because I have not scaled down the diagram to fit on a single page. The only problem is that the diagram is now scattered across 16 pages when the pdf file is opened on the computer, thus making it difficult for viewers to track a given lineage across multiple pages. Hence my desire to keep the diagram on one page.

In fairness, I will say that the pixelation on the pictures (when zoomed-in) is not grossly terrible when printing the pdf to 360 dpi on the single page format. But the images still have jagged edges and facial features are not very smooth. As long as a viewer does not want to zoom in too tight, the images remain recognizable - but I want them to be perfect, just as they display when I zoom in on the diagram when open in FH.

I am afraid that this resolution/file size issue is just a limitation of the available pdf printers.
Last edited by BobWard on 06 Nov 2018 20:11, edited 1 time in total.
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tatewise
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by tatewise »

It seems like you may have reached the limit of what is feasible with a single page.

Navigating around such a large tree in a single PDF may be challenging anyway.

Would it be possible to produce a few smaller All Relatives Diagram family trees?
e.g.
  1. With usual Diagram root but with Generations Up = 2 and Generations Down = All
  2. With root's father as Diagram root with Generations Up = All and Generations Down = 1
  3. With root's mother as Diagram root with Generations Up = All and Generations Down = 1
Alternatively, think about other ways of presenting your family tree to others.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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BobWard
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by BobWard »

I will do some more experimenting, Mike. Maybe I can find an acceptable compromise.

Whether I break the tree down to separate root/mother & root/father diagrams, I still get a really long tree that goes back 48 generations on both sides, due to some common multi-great grandparents back in the Middle Ages. So the horizontal length of the tree stays the same as the original single diagram.

I'll figure something out. Thanks for all the comments.

Bob
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tatewise
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Re: Size Limitation on FH PDF Files?

Post by tatewise »

It is possible to eliminate the common multi-great grandparent links between the two sides of the ancestral tree.

Once you know where they are, click the appropriate Expansion Button(s) to hide the branch that is not required.

There is also a Plugin that can create paternal/maternal sub-trees, taking account of common ancestors, perhaps rooted on grandparents instead of parents to give four ancestral trees.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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