Resolved sharpening print result?

Discussion in 'Tech Discussion' started by Shiki, Feb 17, 2021.

  1. Shiki

    Shiki Well-Known Member

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    so, I printed some PDF from my workplace in a 4x4 layout (that is, the width and length of the page is 25% of its original width and length; slightly higher than that due to cropping the margin). while my eyes can read it properly, between the thick font one and thin one, the thin one is harder to read. Since it is pdf, there's no way for me to modify it, right? is there a way to increase the resolution of the text printed? the quality setting on the printer is already high (epson L310, cheap printer I know). Windows/linux solution only as I don't have macs.

    on an unrelated note, how do people print those fine print in a contract anyway?
     
  2. TamaSaga

    TamaSaga Well-Known Member

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    Unless you can increase the dpi that the printer is printing, you're basically limited by physics. That being said, there is a way to intersperse the dots in a way to improve antialiasing. That's generally taken care of by software. But I don't know what company has taken the time to do that research now that everyone's going paperless and the usual print settings are good enough for most people.
     
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  3. judeiiro

    judeiiro radish

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    https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/create-high-resolution-print-ready-pdf.html
    this might help? idk there's probably a solution on the wide web somewhere
    i don't usually print pdf but Tamasaga is right. if you can increase the pdf file's dpi (or sometimes listed as ppi), you'll get a sharper print result ^o^
    this is because more dots/points of ink = more detail is printed. dpi/ppi means dots/points (of ink) per inch
     
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  4. Anikiman

    Anikiman Sloth From The Land Of Silver

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    No chance you can get better results with an ink printer. Also the file can be an issue, but in this case it sounds more like a problem with ink soaking the paper to adhere, even if only slightly.
    Change printers or switch to printing 2 per page instead of 4.
    Most contracts are printed in toner based printers, which can attain a higher dpi.
    Source: this my work (for now)
     
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  5. phobos

    phobos Well-Known Member

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    you could try to go from pixel based files/programs to vector based ones so scaling or resolution wouldnt be an issue

    thought you would still need a decent enough printer
     
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  6. Ral

    Ral Not a Well-Known Member ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    The main problem with multi-page printing is (in my experience) the wasted space - your page will get a margin (which you might be able to reduce), PLUS the margins of the four pages you multiprint, which serves nothing other than making your pages even smaller...

    It is possible to edit pdfs - the professional (full-featured) tools are unfortunately quite expensive. There are some online tools (or converters) that you might use, but these aren't always good. AND considering it is a work file, you might be breaking some of your company's policies by uploading it to an outside server.
    Now, the only fully free tool I found that is capable of "editing" pdfs is LibreOffice's Draw. BUT it can mess up the layout, etc, if the pdf's using fonts you don't have, etc. And I think you can only edit page by page in it, so it shouldn't be used as an editing tool for bigger files.

    Edit: @Shiki I forgot to add one thing - does the pdf actually contain text? Or is it a pdf with an image of a text (e.g. scanned)? If it's the former, the fine print, and other small fonts should be readable depending on your printer's quality as well as its print settings (dpi, etc) - higher settings mean better quality and slower printing, even for laser printers (though mainly ink ones). So you might want to look into that.
    If it's the latter... well, you're F'ed. Laser printers will have most trouble printing fine print that's been rasterized.

    P.S. Is the toner not running low, per chance?
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  7. Shiki

    Shiki Well-Known Member

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    https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/pdfpages/pdfpages.pdf margin is trimmed using this package in latex, don't worry. Since it is a wrapper for graphicx package, I'm able to use the trim option to cut those margins. There are some space remaining, true but that's because the ratio between cut page and actual grid box width and height is not the same. If the sum of those leftover margins are equal to the height of one row, I add another row to it, as long as the legibility is maintained.

    Actually, this is solved by changing printer. Yesterday I go to a... what is it do you call a shop that specialize in eBook printing at the nearby uni(?) and their legibility is far more than mine.
     
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