| Product: | MicroStation | ||
| Version: | V8i, CONNECT | ||
| Environment: | N\A | ||
| Area: | Printing | ||
| Subarea: | N\A |
Problem Description
I need to print my drawings to PDF, but the PDF output needs to be a smaller file size.
What can I do to reduce the size of these printouts?
Solution
There are a couple of known solutions for this problem, all of which can reduce the output file size.
Three known solutions MicroStation CONNECT are listed below. These can be combined for the smallest possible output file size and can also be applied to MicroStation v8i.
1. Decrease Driver Resolution within the Printer Driver Configuration file (.pltcfg)
Open MicroStation CONNECT > File > Print > Print > The Print Dialog will open.
In the Print Dialog, load the desired printer driver configuration file (.pltcfg), then navigate to File > Edit Printer Driver Configuration
In the new window that appears, go to the Base Properties tab > Advanced section > Driver Resolution (Dots/Unit) setting
This setting is normally defaulted to values of 600,600, but you can change these values by selecting the drop down arrow and inputting new values in the x and y fields. In our case, we will reduce the values. The lower the values, the lower the resolution of the output file (which will in turn lower the file size).
After you have changed the Driver Resolution to the desired value, go to File > Save then File > Exit.
To make sure these changes are read when printing, make sure to reload the Printer Driver Configuration before printing (In the Print Dialog, File>Reload Printer Driver Configuration).
2. Disable Optional Content within the Printer Driver Configuration file (.pltcfg)
This will be similar to the first solution. When editing the Printer Driver Configuration file, navigate to the Base Properties tab > Driver Properties section > Enable Optional Content setting.
Turn this off as shown, save the changes, then reload the printer driver configuration.
3. Ensure the "Rasterized" option is turned off within the Print Dialog
There may be other solutions available that are not listed, but generally the settings within the Printer Driver Configuration file are a good place to start.
See also
Setting up Default Printer to PDF format