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Topic: Problem with fonts in a PDF created from a PS file
Conf: (P-PDF) Engineering, Msg: 161139
From: urquidio
Date: 7/9/2007 05:24 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on a paper in latex, which I need to submit as a pdf file. I first run latex to create a .dvi file, then dvips to create a ps file. When I print out the ps file everything looks fine (margins, fonts, etc). The fonts are nice and crisp.

I then convert the postscript file to a pdf using two techniques, dvi2ps and Adobe Distiller. The pdf created from either technique looks good on the screen, but when I print it out on my HP Laserjet 2420d the fonts no longer look correct.

For one, they appear pixelated in the final print out. You can see little dots for several letters, for example in the middle bar of the "e". In the ps print out, on the other hand, the fonts are nice and crisp. What is strange is that the pdf looks fine on the screen, it only looks pixelated when I print it out. Another problem is that the fonts are printing out a little smaller in the pdf than in the ps file. This is very subtle and only amounts to two whole lines in an entire page. However, it makes the text slightly harder to read. This could be related to the fact that the font is not being treated by the printer as a native font, but rather as a pixelated image.

So I'm trying to figure out if the problem is with my printer or with the way I'm creating the pdf. I've never had problems with the printer before, so I'm suspecting the pdf creation process. As I said, I've tried a couple of things. One way is to create it using Acrobat Distiller at "High Quality Print" settings. I'm also choosing to embed the fonts. Why does it not print properly? How can I debug this problem?

In summary, the postscript file prints perfectly, the pdf created from it by either ps2pdf or Adobe Distiller seems to have font issues.

Thanks for your help.