topic Re: Export to PDF drops graphics in ArcGIS Enterprise Portal Questions

Export to PDF drops graphics

TereseRowekamp — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:04:32 GMT

On my layout I have a couple of graphic files (jpgs) I've added to the layout. When I export to pdf, the graphics are dropped from the pdf file that is created (that part of the layout is just blank). This is an mxd I have successfully exported to pdf in the past, but doesn't work now in either 9.3 or 10.

Ideas?

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

DanaNolan — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:04:56 GMT

This is very common and is probably related to the printing engine, transparency, and just too much information/layers for the buggy interface ArcView uses to print. (Labels also disappear sometimes on multiframe maps.)

You can try fiddling with the resolution by making the output-page size bigger or by reducing the resolution of the export. You could also try exporting to a lossless format like TIFF and creating a PDF from that if you have a PDF creator like full Acrobat, but this doesn't work very often. The last resort is exporting parts of the map separately and reassembling them in Illustrator or similar tool, if you have access to one.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

JimW1 — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:53:02 GMT

On my layout I have a couple of graphic files (jpgs) I've added to the layout. When I export to pdf, the graphics are dropped from the pdf file that is created (that part of the layout is just blank). This is an mxd I have successfully exported to pdf in the past, but doesn't work now in either 9.3 or 10.

Ideas?

Are these graphics? If so, then right click on the image and in its properties there is a check for 'Save as part of document'. This fixes most of my exporting issues.

Also try saving the original jpegs as tiffs and then re-adding them to your layout.

I run into this problem usually when it's a logo from somebody else.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

TereseRowekamp — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:00:24 GMT

Unfortunately, none of these suggestions fixed my problem. My original graphics were screenshots I took and saved as jpgs. I added these to a layout, exported to pdf and the graphics were missing from the pdf. (I should mention that I've done this many times before and the export to pdf worked fine).

I tried converting the jpgs to different image formats, saving the graphics in the document, changing export settings, reconstructing the mxd and nothing solved the issue.

I also discovered that when I opened other similar mxds (containing a layout with added graphic files) that I had successfully exported to pdf in the past, they also dropped graphics when I tried to export to pdf now.

I never found a way to get the pdf exported from ArcMap successfully. I was sending something to a printer and ended up delivering the pdf file with the missing graphcs. I also gave the printer the 2 jpg files and they added them back in to the pdf before printing.

Very frustrating - especially when I discovered that layouts that had exported successfully in the past no longer export to pdf successfully now.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

DavidWatkins — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:22:43 GMT

Images dropping out on export is usually related to your default printer page size. See the following knowledge base article for some suggestions:

http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=30753

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

JakubSisak — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:53:26 GMT

The pdf exporter is GARBAGE. It does not mater what articles you read and what suggestions you follow for some issues there are no solutions. There have been issues with it since version 8 and the more complex it becomes the worst the problems. (If you will ever be able to create a PDF you are happy with (from a map that contains graphics or a raster), the file will be so large in size it will shock you)
As Dana has already mentioned, the only way to get a nice (as well as the smallest possible in file size) PDF out of ArcMap is to export it out to a TIFF (only lossless TIFF works for me) then use Adobe Acrobat to conver that to a PDF. Only Acrobat does a good job with this because it has a fantastic rendering engine. Alternatively you can download the free Nitro PDF Express (7) which also has a good rendering engine. The Nitro PDF 6 professional DOES NOT HAVE the same engine it still uses the legacy one. The free version actually includes the new one and does a much MUCH better job with this.

Export map to TIFF @ 600DPI (or so) then convert to PDF with Adobe or Nitro PDF Express. Sounds crude and simple but this is the only way to get a decent result. Initially the TIFF will be extremely large but the resulting PDF very reasonable in size while very good in image quality. Delete the TIFF when conversion is dine (conversion only takes a few seconds even for the largest files)

As a final thought in my rant; even the method descried here is not 100%. I have actually experienced a problem when i use a graphic inside a label symbol that even the TIFF exported struggled with resulting in either missing or half created graphics. The solution was to not use graphic in a label or t convert your graphic to vector such as font.

There are some 3rd party plugins for specifically exporting PDFs out of ArcMap. Some say they are great but the cost is in the 1000s of $.

And all this is nothing compared to the issues with exporting anything out of ArcScene. I contacted ESRI's "Ask the Cartographer" who suggested stitching screenshots in phtoshop for a workaround. Go figure

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

TereseRowekamp — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:59:13 GMT

Images dropping out on export is usually related to your default printer page size. See the following knowledge base article for some suggestions:

http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=30753

I was creating an 86" x 33.5" layout to be printed as a banner by a print shop. I can't set a default page size that large. I resolved my problem by sending the pdf output from ArcMap (which included everything other than the 2 graphics) and the 2 graphic files and having the print shop put everything back together.

I did a little experimenting with with larger default page sizes and different dpis, and 1 graphic would sometimes export fine, but never both. It was annoying because a similar layout for another banner that I created a year ago exported to pdf fine then, but won't export to pdf successfully now either.

If the print shop couldn't resolve this for me, I would have used the convert to Tiff approach, but the frustrating thing is that I shouldn't have to.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

JakubSisak — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:05:48 GMT

http://resources.arcgis.com/content/...leShow&d=30753

The workaround in this link does not work. Certainly didn't work in 9.2. 9.3, and 9.3.1.

TIFF approach is the only way to produce a complex PDF containing raster data and graphics.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

RyanSitch — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:49:05 GMT

This would happen to me constantly with even smaller maps, where you loop through a series and export map after map, using ArcObjects in VB .Net and VB6. After about 4-5, pending on complexity, items would start to disappear from my exports, eventually to the point where the exporter would just save blank PDFs.

I deduced this is a memory leak of sorts. If I created a separate EXE and passed parameters and did the looping in the parent program I was able to produce maps over and over because it was a new EXE call that would generate each map. ESRI still insists this is not broken, even after I sent them my code. They simply ran it a single iteration and said it works fine.

I am now trying to export an ANSI E map and no matter what I set the resolution too it is coming out at 400mbs. Is there an additional level of resolution I shoudl be setting for PDF that you would not have to set for JPG?

Thanks.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

Martinvon_Wyss — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 06:27:10 GMT

Six years later and it's still not working. I've tried everything to export a TIF. Sigh.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

CrystalMcDermott1 — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 16:28:41 GMT

ArcGIS 10.5 and this problem is still unsolved!? Why?

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

MattWilkie3 — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 16:36:55 GMT

What we've done in this situation is compose and export the map at 50% of final print size, output at 600dpi, and then double the scale in Adobe reader/acrobat when printing. It took some careful calculating to get the font, graphic sizes, etc. correct but worked.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

MattWilkie3 — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 16:51:27 GMT

This sounds relevant: bug NIM003653, dating back to v9.2 (2006), citing upstream limitation of Microsoft GDI sub-system.

The recommended response is to a) increase default printer page size or b) print from ArcGIS Pro instead which doesn't rely on the same export mechanism. Be aware that font substitution fall back does not happen (boxes may show for unsupported characters).

More details in knowledge base article Bug: Picture symbol legend patches, inserted images, and objects fail to draw when exported to PDF, EPS, AI, and SVG

When images or objects (such as JPEGs, BMP files, or Excel spreadsheets) are inserted in an ArcMap layout with a page size that is larger than the default printer's default page size, they fail to draw or draw incorrectly when exported. Picture marker symbols, or areas with a picture fill, may also fail to render properly on export. Legend patches of web map service layers may become pixelated or fail to draw on export, as well.
Note: At ArcGIS version 9.2 and later, picture marker symbols that are converted to vector with the 'Vectorize layers with bitmap markers/fills' option may also fail to render properly outside of the default printer's default page size. Additionally, certain cartographic representations that draw as an inserted EMF can also be affected by this issue.
Cause
If the inserted object, image, or legend patch falls outside the default page size of the Windows default printer, Windows GDI drawing calls used by ArcMap may not properly draw the object or image on output.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

ElezaKollannur — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:21:32 GMT

One workaround is to 'import Map' to ArcPro and 'Share' > Layout to pdf. This worked well for me. I noticed slight change in some of the inserted picture dimensions. otherwise it worked out well.

Re: Export to PDF drops graphics

FelipeHerrerias — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 05:00:56 GMT

For anyonbe still looking, I've had some success running the following script from ArcCatalog with ArcMap closed, to convert the .mxd to PDF...

"""

Batch Export and Print

This script takes MXD files

and exports all the maps as selected

@author Steven Porter

@contact: porters1@ohio.edu

@organization: The Voinovich School for Leadership and Public Affairs, Ohio University

@version 1/20/11

"""

import arcpy, sys, os

#Input variables. Remember arcgis passes lists as semicolon delimited strings (files)

files= sys.argv[1]

yesPDF = sys.argv[2]

yesJPG = sys.argv[3]

yesPNG = sys.argv[4]

yesEMF = sys.argv[5]

yesAI = sys.argv[6]

yesPRINT = sys.argv[7]

printer = sys.argv[8] #relies on code to generate a list in the tool itself

outputFolder = sys.argv[9]

mergePDF = sys.argv[10]

res = sys.argv[11]

#if outputFolder is empty use mxd location

if outputFolder=="#":

outputFolder = os.path.dirname(files.split(";")[0])

if yesPDF=="true" and mergePDF =="true":

combinedpdf = arcpy.mapping.PDFDocumentCreate(outputFolder + os.sep + "CombinedMaps.pdf")

#loop through each passed mxd file split the string back into the list

for file in files.split(";"):

file=file.strip("'")

#parse out the file name of the file

filename = os.path.basename(file)

#get the name of file without any file extension

mxd_name = filename.split(".")[0]

#create a map object from the file

map = arcpy.mapping

map_document = map.MapDocument(file)

#Check for broken data sources

brokenList = arcpy.mapping.ListBrokenDataSources(map_document)

if brokenList:

errorString = filename+" has broken data sources on layer(s): "

for item in brokenList:

errorString = errorString + "'"+item.name+"'"

arcpy.AddError(errorString)

# Set all the parameters as variables here:

data_frame = 'PAGE_LAYOUT'

resolution = res

image_quality = "NORMAL"

colorspace = "RGB"

compress_vectors = "True"

image_compression = "DEFLATE"

picture_symbol = 'RASTERIZE_BITMAP'

convert_markers = "TRUE"

embed_fonts = "True"

layers_attributes = "NONE"

georef_info = "False"

#perform selected operations

if yesPDF=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting: "+ filename+" as PDF")

out_pdf = outputFolder + os.sep + mxd_name+ ".pdf"

map.ExportToPDF(map_document, out_pdf, data_frame, 640, 480, resolution, image_quality, colorspace, compress_vectors, image_compression, picture_symbol, convert_markers, embed_fonts, layers_attributes, georef_info)

if mergePDF =="true":

combinedpdf.appendPages(out_pdf)

if yesJPG=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting: "+ filename+" as JPEG")

out_jpg = outputFolder + os.sep + mxd_name+ ".jpg"

map.ExportToJPEG(map_document, out_jpg)

if yesPNG=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting: "+ filename+" as PNG")

out_png = outputFolder + os.sep + mxd_name+ ".png"

map.ExportToPNG(map_document, out_png, data_frame, 640, 480, resolution)

if yesEMF=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting: "+ filename+" as EMF")

out_emf= outputFolder + os.sep + mxd_name+ ".emf"

map.ExportToEMF(map_document, out_emf, data_frame, 640, 480, resolution, image_quality, "#", picture_symbol, convert_markers)

if yesAI=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting: "+ filename+" as AI")

out_AI= outputFolder + os.sep + mxd_name+ ".ai"

map.ExportToAI(map_document, out_AI)

if yesPRINT=="true":

arcpy.AddMessage("Printing: "+filename)

map.PrintMap(map_document, printer)

del map #delete the map opject

if yesPDF=="true" and mergePDF =="true":

combinedpdf.saveAndClose()

del combinedpdf

# This gives feedback in the script tool dialog

arcpy.GetMessages()