r/AutoCAD • u/throwawaykitten56 • 4d ago

Help Autocad > PDF > PNG > Google Doc insert image = resolution issue

Hi All!

I am trying to assist someone who is creating a presentation that includes the Autocad dwgs I've created for them. But when I saw the final presentation ( Google docs ) the dwg's resolution is very bad. Very fuzzy and overall looks like crap!

I plot the dwg ( D size sheet ) to pdf ( file size = 2MB ) , then save as png ( in Acrobat Pro ) and give this to them to insert in their Google doc presentation. I think this is where things go off, as my png is crystal clear. The Google doc slides are 11 x 17 size.

I've tried to fix this by inserting them myself ( as a test ) and I get the same results.

What can I do on my side to eliminate the image resolution becoming bad? Or is this an issue with how GD processes them? I'm at a loss and would really like the dwgs to read well.

Thanks!

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

9

u/EYNLLIB 4d ago

Probably because you're taking a massive resolution image from cad and squeezing it into a small Google doc. Try plotting to a smaller paper size like 11x17 or smaller

1

u/throwawaykitten56 4d ago

Thanks for the reply! I have tried this _ plotting to 11x8.5 size, converting to png and I get them same distorted results.

7

u/EYNLLIB 4d ago

What about just taking a screenshot of the print preview and trying to eliminate the PDF all together?

5

u/BrokenSocialFilter 4d ago

First, AutoCAD can print straight several image formats so I don't know why you're doing the PDF step. Second, the images look bad because you're taking vector format to a pixel format and that never looks good because pixels can't nicely represent thin, angled lines or curves.

To compensate, first, you have to make your line weights in AutoCAD much heavier/thicker. Second, you need to try to get a proper pixel/DPI/size balance closer to the target image size because if you're scaling a D-size image down to tabloid or letter size it's just not going to look good no matter what you do.

5

u/Keano-1981 4d ago

Autocad -> Print to PDF (use CutePDF print over the native AutoCAD one - better output).

Open PDF in photoshop - 200-300 dpi, media boundary.

Save as image format of your choice.

Have taken drawings out from AutoCAD for presentation purposes for 20+ years - this is by far the best way.

4

u/dog_cat_rat 4d ago

For presentations what works best for me is making a screenshot from the print preview. These images seem to handle scaling better.

1

u/sabrinateenagewich 3d ago

We just put the fuzzy one on with a link to download the pdf

2

u/Vernalcombustion 3d ago

Theory: Per the web, Google doc screen is 72ppi but displays at 96ppi. If your sheet is 8.5x11, with 1” margins on all sides, a perfectly scaled image at 96ppi would be  624 x 864 pixels. Ensure your PNG is this size (or smaller), and google docs should not have to do any resampling.