DataMatrix fonts in PDF

[DragonMaster(Legacy Member)]

I am using the demo version of DataMatrix in Crystal Reports XI. When I create a report with the DataMatrix font, it looks fine in Crystal. I then export it to a PDF via Crystal and the DataMatrix barcode in the generated PDF consists of large blocks of solid black with a few small white blocks and a ciouple of thin white lines - it is mostly solid black. It does not look at all like what I see in Crystal. I can export this to a RTF and it displays correctly. I am using the MoroviaDataMatrixEncode('my data', 1) function with a byte string that is all displayable characters and is 30 characters long.

I am using Acrobat Reader 6.0 to view the exported PDF.

Any help would be appreciated.

[benz(Legacy Member)]

What you saw is quite normal. Try printing the PDF file to a printer. If you get a normal Data Matrix barcode, everything is fine.

Because the screen pixel is much bigger than the one of printer pixel, a drawing targeting high resolution printers will lose details when played on the screen. The barcode image will looks "darker" because there are more black elements in the Data Matrix barcode and screen is not capable of displaying the smallest element. It won't affect the printing results. If you'd like to have the screen have the similiar look, you need to increase the point size to make the barcode bigger.



Edited by benz on December 30 2005 at 10:08pm

[DragonMaster(Legacy Member)]

I printed the exported PDF to a printer. The output on the printer matched what was on the screen - a mostly black blob on the page. If I export the page to RTF and look at it in Word, both the screen and print barcode are fine. It seems to be a resolution issue when exporting to a PDF. It looks like the export is using the screen resolution (~96dpi) instead of print resolution (~300dpi). Is there a way to set this?