[scribus] Problem with PDF file not always opening

[Julian Robbins]

Hi Ian

> Hi All I posted a question some days back and it got 'wound up' in
> that mess with the guy trying to unsubscribe!!! I never saw any
> comments or replies to my question and think it might have gone
> un-noticed in the palaver. I really need to 'crack' this and therefore
> am re-submitting to see if anyone has any ideas. The file in question
> can be found at www.federalsaints.net under 'Publications' and
> 'Journals' and is for February 2010, No 62. This is the original
> post........... I seem to have a problem with the Journal I publish. I
> prepare it in Scribus 1.3.3.13svn on my Kubuntu 9.10 machine. When
> finished I export as a PDF. However because of the resulting size of
> the file I then transfer this to my Windows machine. Open with FoxIt
> PDF Reader and select Print to PDF Creator. By selecting 72 point (as
> recommended by Jluc) I get a nice viewable image AND a reduction of
> file size of about 75%. This is the file I publish. The majority of
> the people who get the file have no problem with it and neither do I
> testing across 3 Windows machines and two Linux machines BUT a
> significant number are reporting problems such as only the first page
> opening, program freezes, program takes several minutes to open each
> page etc etc!! Can anyone offer a solution for this? The only thing I
> wonder about is the PDF export version setting in Scribus. It is
> currently on 1.4 - should I try 1.3 at all??? Thanks Guys. 

I agree with Craig, try reducing the export resolution down to say 120
dpi on the Export PDF dialog - makes a big difference and is often
missed. Screen resolution is often only 72 to 96 dpi, so if its to be
viewed solely on screen rather than print, you don't really need much
more than this.

Also, if you have large images & you've used Scribus frames to only show
a smaller part of the image in the visible frame, be aware that the rest
of the image that isn't shown is still saved in the PDF which can really
bump up the overall size unexpectedly (especially if you do this on a
few images). Editing your images themselves to avoid this so that they
are always exactly the resolution and aspect ratio you really need will
help here. Images tend to always make up the bulk of a PDF's size, (if
using images), so always do what you can to lose image detail where it
isn't required ... Obviously if you're using Scribus for use at a print
shop, pls disregard all of this info ... PDF's for distribution by
email, on screen is quite different.

If you use PDF 1.3 version it wont make any difference to the size of
the PDF, but you will lose any information relating to transparencies in
your PDF. If you have not got any images with transparent sections, then
PDF1.3 is safe to use.

Also try the web optimised PDF's script on the wiki that shrinks the
PDF's dramatically - though I believe you've tried this already.

-- 
Kind regards

Julian