Images imported into Pages are blurry when sent as PDF

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Level 1

8 points

Images imported into Pages are blurry when sent as PDF

Just got Pages and am trying to produce my first newsletter. Using a template, I dragged some images over an existing image in the template. I also added some images on my own and used the masking tool to crop them. Pics varied in size from 1200x1600 to 3264x2448. They looked good in Pages, but when I used the Send via Mail as PDF function, all of the images appeared blurry in the PDF.

Can someone tell me what I did wrong and how I can get clear pics in my newsletter?

Thanks.

Pages-OTHER, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 27, 2012 6:44 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 27, 2012 7:34 PM in response to Peter Hypki

Pages '09 v4.2. and 10.8.2.

I just selected the Fashion newsletter, then dropped a 1920x1200x72dpi sRGB image onto the woman's image. It automatically resized to fit the frame. Saved the Pages document. Then, used the Send via Mail as PDF option.

In Mail, I selected the PDF, and then tapped the spacebar to bring the PDF page up in QuickLook. I then dragged this adjacent to the open Pages document and could not detect (at 72 dpi) any visual differences in color or resolution.

From QuickLook, you can view the PDF in the default PDF application. Does it still resolve differently in Preview or Acrobat Reader?

I think it was mentioned here in the Pages community earlier that Pages and Preview use different OS X imaging libraries than Mail. Anyone care to comment?

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Answer 2

Peter Hypki Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 27, 2012 8:29 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks Viking. Glad you chose the Fashion newsletter since that's the one I used as well. Honestly, I don't know how to check the dpi or if it's a sRGB image, frankly. They're just pics off my camera. Like I said, I'm new to mac.

I did what you said. Dragged a 3264x2448 image onto the woman's image. It resized it to fit. I then saved it. Then I clicked on Send via Mail as PDF. I opened the PDF both in Preview, and Adobe Reader. It wasn't as bad in Quick Look, but in both Adobe Reader and Preview, when I put it side by side with the Pages document, they were clearly inferior.

As far as I can tell, that's what you did. Is it possible I have some sort of setting wrong?

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Answer 3

Oct 27, 2012 11:54 PM in response to Peter Hypki

Probably it has been downsampled to 72dpi.

There are 3 levels of compression/quality in creating the pdfs from Pages and the lowest is probably used for Mail to keep the size down.

Try using Menu > File > Export and chose a higher quality pdf, or Print to PDF which does not downsample the images unless you have applied some form of transparency to them in which case they are down sampled to the very low 72dpi.

You should adjust the size/resolution of your images in Preview .app they sound way too big in the first palce.

Peter

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Answer 4

Peter Hypki Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 28, 2012 6:49 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

That did it, Peter. I used the File > Export and doing "Better" for PDF got the quality I wanted on the newsletter. Thanks again.

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