Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 19696
export to PDF version 1.3 / reduce ("flatten") transparency for PDF-export (to support older PDF-viewers)
Last modified: 2007-03-09 15:53:42 UTC
I've got the following issue on pdf export: I build a testcase_exppdf.zip : including a "essai.sxw" document with: I.----------- 1 Gif image, 2 PNG images with transparency, 3 overlapped box with different transparency, some 3D forms. II.---------- same as above but placed inside a OLE openoffice draw object When exporting in PDF, i've got a "essai.pdf" -GIF file is not displayed -where all transparency is removed (masking overlapp) -3D forms are not displayed This is true for part I. and part II. When printing on a postcript file (using traditional printer) I've got a warning from openoffice saying that transparency information can take a long time to be printed. Here there is two choice: 1. Answer YES: "ignoring the transparency" It will create a big ps file (about 15Mo). Then using the ps2pdf function, it creates the file "essai_from_ps_without_transp_info.pdf". This file provide good result (GIF, transparency, 3D Forms) except regarding transparency inside the OLE openoffice draw object where transparency is not manage. 2. Answer NO: "do not ignore the transparency" It will create a big ps file (about 17Mo). Then using the ps2pdf function, it creates the file "essai_from_ps_with_transp_info.pdf". This file provide expected result: everything OK !! All used file and documents can be found in the testcase (except big postcript files). This issue can be eventually attached to bug 11213. Thanks.
Created attachment 9412 [details] Test case of the bug (sxw+pdf+gif/png)
cp->pl: looks like a bunch of issues. please have a look at it / dispatch.
Using Acrobat Reader 5.0.5, the display is correct for all pdf. It seems that openoffice creates PDF document that only Acrobat Reader 5.0 and sup. can read without any problem. The PDF portability is crutial for a such multi-platform/OS application that is openoffice. However ps2pdf is able to create pdf that can be correctly displayed with Acrobat reader 4.
OOo produces PDF-1.4. Acrobat 4 reads PDF-1.3. It does not make use of the 1.4 features (alpha transparency), although it displays as much as it can. This is a feature request fo OOo to produce PDF-1.3 optionally.
pl->bh: please handle this feature request.
Hello, A few comments about the transparency issue... It's true that PDF exported files with transparent images don't show well with xpdf 3.00, while there is no issue with Acrobat Reader 5.05 (I'm using OOo 1.1.1). Actually, this is not at all an issue with OpenOffice.org, but with xpdf that does support PDF 1.5 but doesn't support transparency yet. Here's a word I got from the xpdf developer: "Xpdf doesn't support transparency yet. I'm planning to work on that fairly soon." (Jul 19, 2004). Cheers, Michael.
changing summary to actually reflect the RFE. original summary: "direct PDF export doesn't handle GIF, transparency and 3D forms"
*** Issue 49669 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Good news: xpdf 3.01 now seems to display exported PDF documents well. No more color boxes enclosing tranparent images! xpdf 3.00 didn't.
*** Issue 68540 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Is this issue still relevant?
I think since all relevant PDF viewers support at least PDF 1.4 including transparency nowadays, we don't really have a need for this anymore.
closing