topic Re: print widget very slow in ArcGIS Viewer for Flex Questions

print widget very slow

EricGardecki — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 12:45:03 GMT

I'm finding that the OOTB print widget takes too long to generate the print. A letter-sized takes around 10 seconds and a tabloid-sized takes 20-25 seconds. When I create my own template, which has more map area on the print, it takes about 35 seconds for a tabloid-size. 10 seconds seems acceptable but anything more and it seems like there's something wrong from the end-user standpoint.

I've been unable to find what might cause it to be so slow. Is everyone seeing their prints take this long? If not, what factors might be causing such a thing on my end?

thanks

Re: print widget very slow

OlegLukyanov — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 03:46:09 GMT

Hi,

I'm novice in 10.1 and web- printing.
I upgrade my AGS WG to 10.1 sp1 last month at Win 2008R2 HP ML350G4p 8 RAM server. I build Web application with Flex builder with 9 services (2 tiled, 4 feature and other dynamic). And my Print widget generate pdf A4 Landscape 600 dpi 1.5 Mb during 4-5 minutes.

I think it is long too. I used ArcIMS 9.2 before AGS with this hardware and I could create such pdf during 1-2 minutes.
I need tips, advices, links about web printing\export optimisation also.

Re: print widget very slow

EricGardecki — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:36:50 GMT

At least I know I'm not the only one but yours is much worse if it takes minutes!

Maybe there's a way to devote more server resources to a particular service?

Re: print widget very slow

OlegLukyanov — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 14:07:29 GMT

I exclude tiled services and dynamic servis with annotation from application and now I can export to pdf A4 600 dpi during several seunds. I think I need to optimize my services.

Re: print widget very slow

EricGardecki — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 15:22:09 GMT

I have no tiled services. I do have dynamic services(2) with labeling but if I turn off the layers that are labeled, it makes no difference.

I'll experiment with removing services/layers and see what happens.

and for what it's worth, when using the pchPrintSOE widget, it prints in a few seconds for the same map extent/contents. (i would continue to use it but am having issues with it at 3.6 so I'm trying to go with the OOTB print)

Re: print widget very slow

OlegLukyanov — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:28:16 GMT

I inform my local support in Russia about this problem.
Annotation layer slow print/export to pdf isn't Flex widget problem and was found from JS Viewer also. It is ArcGIS Server problem. Our local support said he informed ESRI support about possible bug. He also found export to PDF is more quick after first export to JPG.

I checked his expirience and I found

1.Export to PDF map with 1 anno layer 1:2000 A4 600 dpi before export to JPG lasted about 1 minute
2.Export to PDF map with 1 anno layer 1:2000 A4 600 dpi after export to JPG lasted about 11 seconds.

Export became quicklier from another PC our LAN.

Sorry for my poor English.

Oleg

Re: print widget very slow

EricGardecki — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:10:59 GMT

I experimented a little and am not finding the same results. A print export takes just as long when choosing PDF as JPG for me.

I have one basemap layer and one map service as an operational layer. I've tried removing one or the other then doing a print and am seeing no change in the amount of time for the print. Turning particular layers on or off doesn't change anything either.

What I found in the end though was that it appears to be the DPI. I had mine set at 250. When I set it to the default of 96, a print that had taken 30+ seconds, took only 5-7 seconds. I'd really rather use the higher DPI but it would seem that that is too much of a hindrance. Hopefully ESRI will take a look at the DPI related issues with the print widget.

Let me know if you see the same results with a lowered dpi.

Re: print widget very slow

Anonymous User — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:46:19 GMT

Same issue here with Flex Viewer 3.6, using the 'Print with ArcGIS Server'. My DPI is at 96 but one user waited 4 minutes for it to print with nothing. I do have a lot of dynamic layers...

Re: print widget very slow

RobertScheitlin__GISP — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 18:46:34 GMT

All,

I don't actually use the print widget myself but I just wanted to mention one possibility that you all may want to check.

Check that you are using YOUR own print service and esris that is getting bombarded with thousands of people that are not using their own.

You will see much better response from your own server (most of the time).

example: http://gislap183:6080/arcgis/rest/services/Utilities/PrintingTools/GPServer/Export%20Web%20Map%20Task

Re: print widget very slow

Anonymous User — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 19:35:47 GMT

Thanks for that Robert - I am using a Print Service on our own server, the one that shipped with the ArcGIS Server 10.2.1 install.

Re: print widget very slow

BrianOevermann — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 20:25:10 GMT

Something is definitely amiss. I am currently using v3.4 on Server 10.1 with my own Export Web Map Task and have it set to 300 dpi. Letter sized pdfs process in a few seconds. An Arch E size plot set to print at 1200 scale takes about a minute to a minute and a half, but that is a lot of data to process for such a large paper size.

I'm currently rolling my viewers up to v3.6 and my Letter sized pdfs are taking around a minute. The Arch E size plots are well beyond 5 minutes. I'm not sure how long exactly because that's the limit of my patience for testing and certainly not acceptable for my users.

So something changed between API 3.4 and 3.6 because I haven't done anything to the Export Web Map Task or any of my cached or dynamic basemap services.

Re: print widget very slow

SebastienPelletier — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 14:55:37 GMT

Hello I know the discussion is old but I have the same problems with Web app Builder and ArcGIS Server 10.2.1. Did you find a solution?

Re: print widget very slow

Anonymous User — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 17:19:33 GMT

I never did - gave up on printing. Now using the ArcGIS JavaScript API and for printing I am starting to work on a 'print' CSS media query that sets-up the page nicely to go to print

Re: print widget very slow

JackFairfield — Mon, 01 May 2017 17:18:49 GMT

One thing you can try to improve printing time is to optimize your Json that is passed to the service. You can access this Json right before it is used in the print task like this:

esriRequest.setRequestPreCallback(myCallbackFunction);
function myCallbackFunction(arguments) {
     //Check for an execute request
    if (arguments.url.indexOf("execute") > -1) {
//Get the text that would be sent to the service
  var txtJson = arguments.content.Web_Map_as_JSON;
          //Parse the JSON to make it easier to change
      var tempObj = JSON.parse(txtJson);
// Make your changes / Optimizations here
// For example "tempObj.operationalLayers[1].featureCollection.layers[0].layerDefinition.name = "Test";"
// Convert back to Json
          arguments.content.Web_Map_as_JSON = JSON.stringify(tempObj);
return arguments;
}
else {
  return arguments;
}
}

I would also recommend optimizing your out fields in all feature layers. If you aren't using the field in the renderer, you probably don't need to send it to the print service.

Re: print widget very slow

GarrettSeay2 — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 12:09:58 GMT

I've found these setting have greatly increased my print speed with the widget.

Basically making it a format of PNG8, with a px width/height of standard letter paper and a DPI of 72 at the maps extent.