How to improve poor quality PDF outputs using pdfLaTex

[Andrew Gentile]

Hello,
I am fairly new to the Latex which directly produces a pdf file. 10 years ago I used Latex which produced a dvi file. Then I used a converter to turn the dvi into a pdf. The quality was very good.

Now I'm using pdfLaTeX from a MikTeX package. The PDF quality is pretty bad. It's bad enough that I don't see why anyone would use it. I've been online trying to find a solution to this. There are dozens of sites claiming to fix this problem. I haven't found one yet that works. And it could be that I don't know enough about Latex to properly implement the solution.

The problem I am having is that the pdf fonts are not dark enough and the images are not sharp enough. My images are: 1 pdf imported from autocad and 4 jpg images. All of the images look fine outside of the document.

The pdf file looks sort of like a photocopy of a photocopy of a document. It looks washed out.

Can someone help me out with this? I am using Tex Works Version 0.4.3r.857 (MikTeX 2.9 64 bit).

thanks,
Andy

[James]

On Feb 18, 3:52 pm, Andrew Gentile <andrewkgent...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Now I'm using pdfLaTeX from a MikTeX package.

snip

> The problem I am having is that the pdf fonts are not dark enough and the images are not sharp enough.  My images are: 1 pdf imported from autocad and 4 jpg images.  All of the images look fine outside of the document.

Hi Andy,

If you haven't already, try printing one of the offending pages. My
usual viewer is Acrobat and sometimes I see bad on-screen
representations of images but the printout is perfect.

James

[Andrew Gentile]

James,
Thank you for your reply. I have printed them out and the low quality is apparent in the final product. I tried changing the dpi setting of my printer and that hasn't helped either.

Andy

[Robin Fairbairns]

Andrew Gentile <andrewk...@gmail.com> writes:

> On Monday, February 18, 2013 1:58:25 PM UTC-7, James wrote:
>> On Feb 18, 3:52�pm, Andrew Gentile <andrewkgent...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Now I'm using pdfLaTeX from a MikTeX package.
>>
>> snip
>>
>> > The problem I am having is that the pdf fonts are not dark enough
>> > and the images are not sharp enough. �My images are: 1 pdf imported
>> > from autocad and 4 jpg images. �All of the images look fine outside
>> > of the document.
>>

>> If you haven't already, try printing one of the offending pages. My
>>
>> usual viewer is Acrobat and sometimes I see bad on-screen
>>
>> representations of images but the printout is perfect.
>

> Thank you for your reply. I have printed them out and the low quality
> is apparent in the final product. I tried changing the dpi setting of
> my printer and that hasn't helped either.

what fonts are you using? (acrobat reader has a list in its drop-down
"document properties", and pdffonts can also provide a list.)

it's just possible you are still set up to use type 3 (bitmap) fonts,
which might be leading to the problem.
--
Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge
sorry about all this posting. i'll go back to sleep in a bit.

[Andrew Gentile]

Robert,
I've heard about the font types, and this may be a little over my head. I just looked in the document properties in Adobe and there are numerous font types, but they are all Type 1. In the latex file, in the preamble, I have tried several packages. The one I am using now is \usepackage{lmodern}. I have also tried
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{ae,aecompl}

I've printed out my document for each font package and none of them seem to make any difference.

[Nasser M. Abbasi]

On 2/18/2013 8:20 PM, Andrew Gentile wrote:

> Robert,
> I've heard about the font types, and this may be a little over my head.
>I just looked in the document properties in Adobe and there are numerous font
>types, but they are all Type 1. In the latex file, in the preamble, I have
>tried several packages. The one I am using now is \usepackage{lmodern}. I have also tried
> \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
> \usepackage{ae,aecompl}
>
> I've printed out my document for each font package and none of them seem to make any difference.
>

It will easier to help you if you can post the complete, small, self
contained latex file, which in your end produces the problem.

Then others can copy then and try the same on their PC to see
if they get the same bad PDF. If they do not, then you know
the problem is in your system. If everyone gets the same bad
PDF, then we know it is Miktex problem. If we get
the same bad PDF will all other tex system, then we know it
is pdflatex problem. and so on.

So, can you post a minimal latex file that shows the problem
on your end?

--Nasser

[Ulrike Fischer]

Am Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:52:34 -0800 (PST) schrieb Andrew Gentile:

> The problem I am having is that the pdf fonts are not dark enough
> and the images are not sharp enough. My images are: 1 pdf
> imported from autocad and 4 jpg images. All of the images look
> fine outside of the document.

The fonts problem is probably due to bitmap fonts. Install the
cm-super package (large package! Can take some time). Or switch to
the lmodern fonts.
(And don't use packages like ae, they are obsolete).

Regarding the problem with the graphics: There a complete example
including one of the offending graphics is needed - a lot of things
can affect the graphic quality (including the viewer software!).

--
Ulrike Fischer
http://www.troubleshooting-tex.de/

[Andrew Gentile]

I am afraid I don't know how to attach a file to this reply. Can you please explain how?

thanks,
Andy

[Andrew Gentile]

Ulrike,
I have read about the bitmap problem in fonts and graphics. I can't say I know much about it. I installed the cm-super package but the compiler doesn't see it. The package manager shows it was installed, but when I typeset the file
cm-super is not found.
Before I go down this path any further, it seems that MikTex is the problem here. I never had this problem before when I used Latex. Can you just tell me what package you are using?

Andy

[Andrew Gentile]

On Monday, February 18, 2013 9:47:03 PM UTC-7, Nasser M. Abbasi wrote:

\documentclass[10pt]{article}
\markright{$O_2$-Based Fuel Controller - DRAFT}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-.250in}
\setlength{\topmargin}{0in}
\setlength{\textheight}{9.0in}
\setlength{\textwidth}{7in}
\setlength{\parindent}{0in}
\setlength{\headsep}{0.1in}
\setlength{\parskip}{10pt}


\usepackage{textcomp}
%\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{latexsym}
\usepackage{amstext}
\usepackage{amsopn}
\usepackage{pdfpages}
\usepackage{subcaption}
\usepackage{latexsym}
\usepackage{amsopn}
\usepackage{graphics}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{rotating}
\usepackage{fancyheadings}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}



\newcommand{\ox}{O$_2$ }
\newcommand{\pox}{\%O$_2$ }
\newcommand{\chart}[1]{\includegraphics[width=5.75in]{#1}}


\begin{document}

\begin{center}
\LARGE{\textbf{Benefits of an O$_2$ Based Fuel Controller for Biomass Plants}}
\end{center}
\vspace{.25 in}
\begin{minipage}{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
Author 1 \\
Company 1 \\
Email 1 \\
Web 1 \\

\end{minipage}
\hspace{.1\textwidth}
\qquad
\begin{minipage}{0.45\textwidth}
\centering
Author 2 \\
Company 2 \\
Email 2 \\
Web 2 \\

\end{minipage}

\vspace{.25 in}
% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
% ----------------------------- Abstract --------------------------------------
% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

\thispagestyle{empty}
\noindent\textbf{Abstract}\hspace{.25in} {\it This article discusses the concept and performance of an automated fuel delivery controller which uses dry \pox as a process variable. The results shown here are for a 70,000 PPH wood boiler with a moving grate, a 5 MW generator and 3 wood drying kilns. The boiler is referred to as Boiler \#1. This paper demonstrates why an O$_2$ based controller is an effective means of maximizing steam production and minimizing emissions problems, and why an O$_2$ controller is more robust than a pressure based controller.}

% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
% ----------------------------- Introduction ----------------------------------
% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

\section*{Introduction}
Fuel delivery is a common problem in biomass plants. Wood fuel is non-uniform in shape, moisture content, ash content, and energy content. For plants operating in manual mode, an operator will make a fuel adjustment every 5 minutes. More often than not the adjustment is excessive, causing predictable system oscillations. Fuel delivery problems result in decreased efficiency, boiler upsets, lower steam production, and emissions violations. The fact that wood fuel is so problematic is the justification many plants use for resorting to manual fuel control.

For the plants that use automated fuel control, the most common is a pressure based controller. A pressure based controller depends on variations in drum pressure to make fuel adjustments, and is consequently slower and less accurate than an \ox based controller. An \ox controller is based on combustion which is a leading indicator of drum pressure. An \ox controller can predict pressure errors and adjust the fuel rate before the error occurs.

A well designed fuel \ox based controller will stabilize the combustion process, increase steam flow, reduce the average \%O$_2$ \--- which leads to greater fuel efficiency \--- and reduce the chances of emissions violations. A fuel controller can pay for itself within a year.

\section*{The Controller Concept}
Figure \ref{swings} shows a characteristic curve for a theoretical boiler. The curve represents the relationship between swings in O$_2$ and the production of CO, NO$_x$ and to load efficiency. The corner point is the ideal \pox operating point for a given boiler. Each boiler will have a different ideal operating point.

The role of the O$_2$ controller is to stabilize the combustion process around the boiler's ideal operating point. Given a fixed amount of air flow into the furnace the controller varies the fuel rate in order to maintain a \%O$_2$ set point. The amount of air flow is selected by the operator based on a desired steam flow or MW output. Because the air is constant, the only reason the \pox will increase is because of a decrease in the amount of air being consumed in the combustion process. An increase in \pox is a leading indication of a decrease in drum pressure and steam production. A decrease in \pox will occur because more of the air is being consumed in the combustion process. A decrease in \pox is a leading indication of an increase in drum pressure and steam production.

\section*{Case Study}
An \ox controller was installed in Boiler \#1 in 2010. Process data were collected in 1 minute increments on June 8, 2010. Steam flow, drum pressure \%O$_2$, feed rate, and control mode (auto or manual) were collected. The data are represented as a percentage of their respective averages. This was done in order view the data on relative terms. Actual values can be found in Table 1.

\end{document}

[Ulrike Fischer]

Am Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:39:10 -0800 (PST) schrieb Andrew Gentile:

>> The fonts problem is probably due to bitmap fonts. Install the
>> cm-super package (large package! Can take some time). Or switch to
>> the lmodern fonts.

> I have read about the bitmap problem in fonts and graphics. I
> can't say I know much about it. I installed the cm-super package
> but the compiler doesn't see it. The package manager shows it
> was installed, but when I typeset the file cm-super is not found.

There is no file cm-super. cm-super is a font package.

Typeset this example:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\begin{document}
abc
\end{document}


Then check the end of the log-file. If there is a line like this

MiKTeX2.9/fonts/type1/public/cm-super/sfrm1000.pfb

then cm-super is correctly installed and works.

[Dan Luecking]

On Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:39:52 -0800 (PST), Andrew Gentile
<andrewk...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Monday, February 18, 2013 9:47:03 PM UTC-7, Nasser M. Abbasi wrote:
>> On 2/18/2013 8:20 PM, Andrew Gentile wrote:
>>

>\documentclass[10pt]{article}
(rest of example below or omitted)

Your example has a huge number of packages that are not even used.
There are also two actual mistakes: the graphics and graphicx
packages are alternatives, not packages you use together.
And package fancyhdr subsumes fancyheadings. If you have an
up-to-date system, you should get a warning:
Package fancyheadings Warning: Please stop using fancyheadings!
(fancyheadings) Use fancyhdr instead.

For a minimal example, you should remove any packages that do
not produces an error. I removed every one of them and obtained
no error (except from "\ref{swings}" that references a
nonexistent label. Remove such things.).

It might be well to examine (or post for us to examine) the .log
that comes from running pdflatex. But be sure you have pared
down the packages so the .log file is not too large.

In the event that no problems can be found with your example
file or its log, you might make the pdf file it produces
available for download. An analysis of that might show the
problem.

Given the information you have so far provided, there should be
no problem. So I have some specific questions.

1. How do you produce the pdf file? List every command typed,
every button pressed, every menu item chosen. Also what command
shell, editor or IDE you are using.

2. How do you view and print the pdf file? Similar detail to
previous question.

To keep the example _small_ remove the following settings,
they obviously have no relation to any problem you have
described:

>\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-.250in}
>\setlength{\topmargin}{0in}
>\setlength{\textheight}{9.0in}
>\setlength{\textwidth}{7in}
>\setlength{\parindent}{0in}
>\setlength{\headsep}{0.1in}
>\setlength{\parskip}{10pt}
>

Remove any of these that are not needed to produce a
problematic pdf file (I'd guess all of them):

>\usepackage{textcomp}
>%\usepackage{lmodern}
>\usepackage{amssymb}
>\usepackage{amsmath}
>\usepackage{latexsym}
>\usepackage{amstext}
>\usepackage{amsopn}
>\usepackage{pdfpages}
>\usepackage{subcaption}
>\usepackage{latexsym}
>\usepackage{amsopn}
>\usepackage{graphics}
>\usepackage{graphicx}
>\usepackage{rotating}
>\usepackage{fancyheadings}
>\usepackage{fancyhdr}
>

Remove commands that are not used (there is no figure is in
your example):

>\newcommand{\chart}[1]{\includegraphics[width=5.75in]{#1}}
>

Remove unnecessary comments:

>% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>% ----------------------------- Abstract --------------------------------------
>% -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

Put linebreaks at reasonable points (every 72 characters or so)
any file you post:

>\noindent\textbf{Abstract}\hspace{.25in} {\it This article discusses the concept and performance of an automated fuel delivery controller which uses dry \pox as a process variable. The results shown here are for a 70,000 PPH wood boiler with a moving grate, a 5 MW generator and 3 wood drying kilns. The boiler is referred to as Boiler \#1. This paper demonstrates why an O$_2$ based controller is an effective means of maximizing steam production and minimizing emissions problems, and why an O$_2$ controller is more robust than a pressure based controller.}
>

One paragraph ought to be enough to exhibit the type of problem you
have described:

>\section*{Introduction}
>Fuel delivery is a common problem in biomass plants. Wood fuel is non-uniform in
>shape, moisture content, ash content, and energy content. For plants
>operating in manual mode, an operator will make a fuel adjustment every 5 minutes.
>More often than not the adjustment is excessive, causing predictable system
>oscillations. Fuel delivery problems result in decreased efficiency, boiler upsets,
>lower steam production, and emissions violations. The fact that wood fuel is so
>problematic is the justification many plants use for resorting to manual fuel control.

>\end{document}


Dan
To reply by email, change LookInSig to luecking

[Michael Shell]

On Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:39:52 -0800 (PST)

Andrew Gentile <andrewk...@gmail.com> wrote:

> \documentclass[10pt]{article}
> \markright{$O_2$-Based Fuel Controller - DRAFT}

The PDF output appears to be OK on my TeX Live system. I'm sending you
a copy of the PDF by email to have a look at.

If the problem only appeared in print, then my guess would be that
something is wrong with the print subsystem. There is a toner saving
feature on some printers that causes prints to looked washed out.
However, this can't be the problem if it shows up onscreen as well.


Mike Shell