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Thread: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

  1. #1
    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    In the thread found here: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...Rules-of-Thumb , SherryC asked me to post a pdf for her. I instead showed her how to do it, in response #30. I basically composed the response step by step as I uploaded an attachment and inserted it into my post.

    Note that the pdf that I uploaded and posted appears as a blank or black frame. The attachment is actually there, but the thumbnail is completely blacked out. This is not the only time I have had this happen with pdf's. I think it always happens when I post a pdf.

    In her response (#30), she followed the steps I posted in response #30. Her pdf thumbnail was perfect despite having followed the same steps I followed.

    That implies to me that I must have some setting wrong in my browser (Firefox). Or maybe something bad with Adobe settings? Do you have any idea what is happening and how I can correct this?


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  2. #2
    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    I'm having the same issue regarding PDFs. I've uploaded them in the past. What's the deal and the fix?

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  3. #3
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    I've observed this before and investigated with no explanation or further information than I started with. What I can tell you is that PDFs I personally create and those of some others display with a preview of the contents as expected, while others display a black box even though when opened they display and apparently print correctly--I rarely print PDFs but haven't heard of issues. This has always suggested something occurs in the creation process that does not allow it to display as anticipated, or possibly it was created in some kind of software that does not truly embed all of the functionality a document is supposed to have.

    Case in point, I made a PDF of the Cafe home page just now and downloadedand re-saved HonketyHank's example in a commercial Acrobat program to potentially fix any issues with the file and still get the same results. Typically in my experience, resaving a PDF will result in an improvement in it's size (sometimes) and fix minor issues. I have a long history with Acrobat documents going back to nearly its creation so have more than a casual amount of experience. No help, and I've never personally created a PDF that has behaved in this fashion so I'm perplexed. I just redid a number of Google searches to try to see what this might be and came up completely empty handed.

    I can further prove this theory if you can contact someone that created one of these. Have them send the original document to me for printing. PDF documents are always created in another program, so there has to be an original document. If I can create this to display on the page as expected and the other individual can't (so that it displays properly) then my next question is, what are they using to create the PDF? Can you ask that person to get that original document to me?

    Or Niles, what are you using to create a PDF and can you show one you've uploaded that displays in this fashion? Then send the original document to me.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	cafe.pdf 
Views:	74 
Size:	393.4 KB 
ID:	163136

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Double Stops Guide.pdf 
Views:	145 
Size:	320.2 KB 
ID:	163137

  4. #4
    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    I have two versions of Pickloser's file. I don't remember exactly how or why. The one that has a black thumbnail is 6.7 Mb. The following version is only 0.3 MB. I am wondering if somehow the huge version is being created as an image while the small one is being created as text. If so, that may mean it is related to settings in the pdf creator software that generated the pdf.

    other version of Pickloser's Guide:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	GuideDS2012.pdf 
Views:	124 
Size:	6.62 MB 
ID:	163150

    Note also the difference in fonts used.
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    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    I think you have the sizes reversed on the two. Check that. The one with the black image as preview above is the smaller by far of the two. Size would have to do with how they're saved. Without knowing how someone is saving these and what mistakes or just unknown errors... hard to tell. I don't think this has a thing to do though with the Cafe. HTML display of a PDF is not rocket science. In the case of the black rectangles it's simply not being saved correctly in my opinion. Since I've never had this occur I don't know what the individuals uploading these may be doing.

    I prefer the font on the one with the preview by far. Comic Sans has never been a favorite font but no telling what the author originally used.

  6. #6
    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    Yes, I did mix up the file sizes. Oops. The larger of the two is the one that gives me a valid thumbnail. And it is composed of 37 1280x1632 pixels, 24bit/pixel, images, yielding that 6775KB file size. That's almost as big as my first hard drive. Heck of a way to store black and white text.

    The smaller one is definitely a text-only pdf with a few vector lines to delineate cells in tables.

    Oh well. I'm calling it a problem in the creation of the file, not in my browser or pdf software nor of the website.

    Forgive me in advance if I run into the same problem sometime down the road and raise the same question. Stuff like that seems to happen more and more frequently.
    New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.

    Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

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  7. #7
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    Easy enough mix-up. Don't spend any time worrying about that.

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    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    I posted one in the Scale thread in Technique. I didn't see any way to attach the file in a PM to you.

  9. #9
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocrucian View Post
    I posted one in the Scale thread in Technique. I didn't see any way to attach the file in a PM to you.
    I see that but I asked for the original document, in order words, the file from the program it was created in, not the resulting PDF. This is only assuming I have the same software which is probably unlikely.

  10. #10
    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    It was created online at http://mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php. not on a program I have on my pc.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    No way for us to evaluate what online programs like that are doing. I'd bet 100% of those coming off that site will do that every time.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Blacked out frame for pdf thumbnails

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    ... I asked for the original document, in order words, the file from the program it was created in, not the resulting PDF. This is only assuming I have the same software which is probably unlikely.
    As I recall, I think all the PDF files I've ever posted here are inverted/black too, a few little white dots on a black background. I just thought that was normal here? I guess the difference is, solid black vs black with a few little white speckles. Neither one look like actual files, they look like 'missing' files or something, with all that black area. I've gotten accustomed to it though.

    I've used 2 or 3 different actual PC apps (not online apps) to create my original files before exporting as PDF: MuseScore 2.1, and Microsoft Publisher 2016 (or before that, MS Publisher 2007), and a vague recollection of using Adobe Photoshop CC for some PDF export once.

    I sometimes re-save an exported PDF using Foxit PhantomPDF - usually results in slightly smaller PDF, and cleans up the occasional glitches that MuseScore sometimes generates.

    But none of those seem to make any difference as to the thumbnail - my PDF's still show up here with speckled mostly-black thumbnails.

    I'm not complaining, but it's a mystery to me why they do that.

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