Exporting PDF Files

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The complete treeview is saved as a PDF file. A PDF file can have a maximum size of 200 x 200 inches (5.08 x 5.08 m), based on the specifications for PDFs. If the graphic is larger than these limits (the dimensions can be seen in the status bar at the bottom of the window), it will be reduced in size to fit on a PDF page while maintaining its width/height ratio. This is not of particular importance, as PDF files are vector graphics that only have a nominal size. They can be enlarged for viewing or printing.

Note 1: If an export to PDF causes the graphic to be reduced in nominal size, this will be noted in the document properties of the PDF file. You can open the Document Properties in your reader and read the section Description, Subject to see the factor by which you will need to enlarge the output to obtain the original size.

Further details for the PDF export can be specified in the additional dialog PDF Options:

Adobe Reader 6 is the latest version of Adobe Reader that can be used under Windows 98 and ME. This version limits the number of coordinates in a file, which means that PDF files with large coordinate grids may not be displayed completely. To take this into account, activate the option Compatible with old Adobe Reader 6. A PDF file created in this way will be displayed normally in Adobe Reader 6. However, this can lead to problems with the typeface, as the limited number of coordinates can make a high resolution of the PDF reference raster irrelevant.

Select CID Unicode to use font embedding that is not dependent on character set. Details on this can be found in the section Unicode Support. When this option is used, the typeface is more sensitive to the resolution of the PDF reference raster. CID Unicode should only be used if required due to the display of characters from multiple different locales.

The compression quality of embedded images can be set to 75% or 90%. 90% is recommended if you are using high-contrast images such as box frame images or graphic frame images in your graphic. Higher settings for quality lead to larger PDF files.

The PDF reference raster serves as the scale used for calculating PDF coordinates. The finer the raster, the more accurately the coordinates of lines and text can be determined. This is particularly important for very large graphics and when using the option CID Unicode. The default setting here is the reference raster used by the Windows default printer. The PDF reference raster dropdown list can be used to select a different printer driver that is installed under Windows and has been set up based on the requirements.

Note 2: Do not confuse this function with the printer selection dialog under File menu, Printer Setup..., used for printing to paper.

Do not make changes to the PDF reference raster if you are satisfied with the typeface of the exported PDF files. This is usually the case. In rare cases, you will need to set a higher resolution at the reference raster/printer driver ('Quality', 'Print quality') or select another printer that supports higher resolutions. This is only affected by the resolution; all other driver settings are unimportant.

Hint 1: If you are not sure what resolution your printer has at a given quality setting, select the printer in FamilyTreeFactory (File menu, Printer Setup...). You can then point to the Help/Info menu and select the function Printer and Monitor Info.... The resolution in pixels per inch is displayed there.

Hint 2: Rule of thumb: The resolution of the reference raster should be at least 300 pixels per inch. If a nominal reduction, however, takes place as described in the first paragraph above, the minimal resolution should be extended by the reduction factor. If the graphic is reduced for example to 1/3, the resolution of the reference raster should be at least 300 * 3 = 900 pixels per inch.

Hint 3: If you do not have a printer installed on your computer that supports a high enough resolution, install the free, universal PostScript printer driver 'AdobePS' from Adobe (1) as 'Acrobat Distiller'. This printer offers up to 4000 pixels per inch, which is high enough for even the most extreme applications.

Go to the www.adobe.com website and search for 'Printer Driver AdobePS Windows XP English'. Besides the driver, you will need to install a PPD file (PostScript Printer Description) for 'Acrobat Distiller'; search for 'PPD files: Adobe' (file name Adobe.zip, 33 kB, containing ADIST5.PPD). This PPD file must be named while installing the printer driver.

You can specify that a card index be included in the PDF file. Select the checkbox Include a card index and confirm your settings with OK. The dialog Export Card Index As PDF File... will appear, where you can specify further options for the card index.

You can activate the creation of bookmarks. If activated, the exported PDF file will contain bookmarks for the persons displayed in the graphic (sorted by name and, if desired, by record number, ancestor or descendant number and ID codes). When you click on the desired person in the bookmark list, the image will automatically be scrolled to this person. If a card index is also included, the exported PDF file will also contain bookmarks for the file cards (also sorted by name and, if desired, by record number, ancestor or descendant number and ID codes).

Finally files (documents) of arbitrary formats can be selected as file attachments to the PDF file. The attached files are embedded in the PDF file and can be opened or saved with a suitable PDF reader out of the opened PDF file. Attach the family file and a Gedcom file for example and create an archive PDF file which includes, beside the graphic, also file cards and the basic files with all personal data. Archive PDF files are described in detail in the section Creating Archive PDF Files.

With the buttons Add and Remove the files to be attached are determined. Alternatively you can drag files (also several files simultaneously) with the mouse directly from the Windows Explorer into the list. The file names are mentioned in the list without path. If the mouse points on an entry, the complete path is also indicated in a note window.

No files can be attached at the PDF export of person indexes; however, you can attach a PDF person index exported before at the PDF export of a graphic.

Note 3: The names of the attached files should contain only characters from the code page of the installed locale; otherwise saving and opening the attached files can fail later. It is even safer to use only characters of the ASCII character set: It can hardly be foreseen under which operating system, under which locale and with which PDF reader the archive PDF files are looked at later.

Under Windows 98 and ME only one single file can be attached; several files have to be included in a ZIP archive.

The Default button restores all PDF options to the original settings.

Exports can be performed without using external software or installing additional programs. FamilyTreeFactory includes integrated PDF creation. Under Program Options, Miscellaneous tab, you can specify whether an exported PDF file should automatically be opened after creation in Adobe Reader (or in whichever PDF reader is installed on your system).

The navigation options in PDF files are discussed in detail in the section Functions in PDF Files.

Note 4: When creating PDF files (vector graphics), less graphics resources are generally needed than for raster graphics. However, even image files saved in this format can strain your resources before being embedded. Some users have reported that an empty PDF document is occasionally created without a notification being displayed. The document does, however, contain bookmarks and perhaps the card index in these cases. This may be resolved by reducing the size of the image files.

(1) Adobe Systems Incorporated