Blurry Graphics?

[Steve Kayner]

Hello,

I have a letterhead graphic, created by a screenshot, which prints clearly out of Preview (a std. Mac graphics app), but which gets very blurry when printed out of FileMaker, either as an object on the layout or as a graphic within a container field.

FileMaker shows the correct pixel size on the layout.

Is there a way to get this letterhead graphic printing clearly?

Steve Kayner

[bcooney]

Letterhead graphic "created by a screenshot". That doesn't sound like the best format--is that a bitmap?

How about creating the letterhead in a graphics application and saving as a .jpg file. Then import (not paste) this graphic into a container field.

[Steve Kayner]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. The graphic is a jpg, and we did try it both as a layout object and as a containerized graphic (with various scalings).

It looks like FileMaker is trying to smooth it, so I recreated the letterhead as layout text with a very small graphic and decided just to run with that.

Thanks again!

Steve

[Fntech]

I am having the same problem. Is there a specific graphic filetype that works better then others? I have tried JPGs created with Photoshop that look great in preview but when trying to print them from filemaker they become blurry. I have changed the container field from enlarge or reduce to crop and still it will look blurry on print. I have even made sure the image pixel size is the same as the container

[comment]

Is there a specific graphic filetype that works better then others?

Yes, there is - unfortunately, it's not the same for Mac and for Windows. If you're exclusively on OS X, you can use vector PDF. Note that the PDF format can store both vector and bitmap images, so it's not (just) about the format, but how the image was produced. If you use a vector graphics application to create the image, it will remain resolution independent - you can enlarge it to any size and it will still be razor-sharp. However, when you open the file on Windows, it won't look good. I gather from another thread here that you can do the same on Windows by using the WMF/EMF format, but I doubt that would work when the file is opened on a Mac.

For a cross-platform solution, you need to go with second-best - and that is a hi-res bitmap image. Images produced in a bitmap graphic program (such as Photoshop) typically have a resolution of 72 or 96 dpi. That's good enough for screen, but you need at least 300 dpi for decent printing.

If your graphics application allows it, set the resolution to 300 dpi; if not, make the image at least 4 times larger than it should be. Of course, this needs to be done BEFORE creating the actual image - enlarging an existing image merely enlarges the existing pixels, causing blurring and jagged edges. When you're done, save the image as PNG, insert it on the layout or in a container field, set it to reduce while maintaining original proportions, and resize it to the originally intended size.

[parinya123]

Yes, there is - unfortunately, it's not the same for Mac and for Windows. If you're exclusively on OS X, you can use vector PDF. Note that the PDF format can store both vector and bitmap images, so it's not (just) about the format, but how the image was produced. If you use a vector graphics application to create the image, it will remain resolution independent - you can enlarge it to any size and it will still be razor-sharp. However, when you open the file on Windows, it won't look good. I gather from another thread here that you can do the same on Windows by using the WMF/EMF format, but I doubt that would work when the file is opened on a Mac.

For a cross-platform solution, you need to go with second-best - and that is a hi-res bitmap image. Images produced in a bitmap graphic program (such as Photoshop) typically have a resolution of 72 or 96 dpi. That's good enough for screen, but you need at least 300 dpi for decent printing.

If your graphics application allows it, set the resolution to 300 dpi; if not, make the image at least 4 times larger than it should be. Of course, this needs to be done BEFORE creating the actual image - enlarging an existing image merely enlarges the existing pixels, causing blurring and jagged edges. When you're done, save the image as PNG, insert it on the layout or in a container field, set it to reduce while maintaining original proportions, and resize it to the originally intended size.

Yes I have the same problem too!! > We have two computers, one prints it perfect. But the other one prints it off blurry!!? Yes the same graphic!! anyone can help?