Setting GeoPDF File Export and View Preferences

GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS is an extension to ArcMap that allows you to export map document files (.mxd) to georegistered GeoPDF files. It also allows you to view the map frames of any geospatially-aware PDF as layers with cartographic representations. You can define default settings for many of the elements to be present in your exported GeoPDF files. You can also define default settings for how GeoPDF file or geospatially-aware PDF file map frames should display when you view them in ArcMap.

The file export and view preferences allow you to set general export options such as the creation of a hyperlinked document archive, image (raster) options such as resolution and color mode, and vector options such as picture symbol and destination colorspace. Elements for which you can set viewing defaults include clip to method and automatic map frame selection.

Should any map document file require a unique export configuration, you can modify the default export settings as well as include additional elements in your exported GeoPDF file in the GeoPDF Export Configuration window. You can also modify the default display settings for an open GeoPDF file or geospatially-aware PDF file's map frames on the GeoPDF tab in the Layer Properties window.

In this article:

Setting GeoPDF File Export Preferences

The Export tab in the TerraGo Preferences window allows you to:

• define default settings for exporting map document files
• specify general export options such as whether the exported GeoPDF file should be Reader Enabled, a hyperlinked document should be archived and whether GeoPDF files should be layered
• specify image (raster) options such as resolution and color mode, and vector options such as picture symbol and destination colorspace

Should any map document file require a unique export configuration, you can modify the default export settings as well as include additional elements in your exported GeoPDF file in the GeoPDF Export Configuration window.

Accessing GeoPDF File Export Preferences

From the Publisher for ArcGIS toolbar, click Preference Editor.

Collect Hyperlinked Documents

The Collect Hyperlinked Documents option allows you to specify how the export process should collect hyperlinked documents:

• None (default): the export process ignores hyperlinked documents.
• Create .zip file archive: hyperlinks to documents are copied from the original location in the map document file to a separate folder in the .zip archive. A map document file with multiple hyperlinks to multiple documents creates a .zip archive with multiple individual folders.
• Embed in PDF: if you have defined Data Driven Pages, the export process embeds the hyperlinked documents in the exported GeoPDF file(s).

Notes:

• You must unzip the archive file to launch hyperlinked documents. The .zip file is located where you specify the exported GeoPDF file to be located. When you unzip the archive file, ensure that you preserve the relative location of the contents.
• You can specify the individual hyperlinked layers to include in the .zip archive on the Hyperlinks tab in the GeoPDF Export Configuration window. If multiple hyperlinks are assigned to one document, the export process associates the first hyperlink in the ArcMap list with the feature on the GeoPDF file.
• For instructions on creating hyperlinks or defining Data Driven Pages in your map document file, refer to the ArcMap online Help.
• If you choose Create .zip file archive or Embed in PDF, the Open GeoPDF File after Creation option will be disabled. If you first enable the Open GeoPDF File after Creation and then choose Create .zip file archive or Embed in PDF from the Collect Hyperlinked Documents list box, the export process will ignore the state of the Open GeoPDF File after Creation option.

Other GeoPDF file export options

Open GeoPDF File after Creation: the export process automatically opens the exported GeoPDF file when the process is complete.

Note: The Open GeoPDF File after Creation option applies when exporting a single GeoPDF file. If you define the properties for Data Driven Pages, this option applies when you are exporting a specific enabled Data Driven Page or a specific area on an enabled Data Driven Page. This option does not apply when exporting to multiple GeoPDF files.

Create a Layered GeoPDF File (checked by default): the export process automatically creates layers in the exported GeoPDF file.

Optimize GeoPDF File Size (checked by default): the export process uses advanced functionality to reduce the output GeoPDF file size when significant amounts of object data and zoom-scale dependencies are present in the map document file.

Make Compatible With

Choose the version of the GeoPDF toolbar the GeoPDF file should be compatible with.

• GeoPDF Toolbar 3+ (OGC)
  • GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS will use TerraGo's GeoRegistration encoding that was published as an OGC best practice in 2008. The OGC best practice is the most widely distributed GeoRegistration encoding in terms of existing PDF libraries and workflows because GeoPDF was the only geospatial PDF available preceding the release of Acrobat 9.
• GeoPDF Toolbar 5+ (OGC Preferred)
  • GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS will attempt to encode GeoRegistration using the OGC best practice. If the selected coordinate system is not supported in OGC, GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS will encode the GeoRegistration using ISO 32000.
• GeoPDF Toolbar 5+ (ISO Only)
  • GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS will encode GeoRegistration using only ISO 32000.
• Note: Adobe implemented a different PDF GeoRegistration encoding when it released Acrobat 9 and submitted that method to ISO as a proposed extension to ISO 32000. Both OGC and ISO GeoRegistration methods encode the same information; however, more coordinate systems are supported using Adobe's GeoRegistration encoding. TerraGo software is capable of reading and writing both encoding methods.

Image Options

Resolution: choose the default resolution the export process should use for printing or displaying raster resolution in your exported GeoPDF file. The default resolution is 300 DPI. For more on resolution in GeoPDF files, see Understanding Output Resolution.

Color Mode: choose the default color mode that represents the raster images in your map document files. The default is 24-bit True Color.

JPEG Quality: choose the percentage the export process should use when storing the raster dataset. The default is 80.

Image Pyramids: create Image Pyramids when displaying raster content.

Note: Image Pyramids can radically speed up the display of high resolution raster data. There may be an increase to the document size when using Image Pyramids.

Vector Options

• Compress Vector Graphics: the export process compresses the vector portions of your map document file to produce a smaller GeoPDF file.
• Convert Marker Symbols to Polygons: the export process converts font character-based marker symbols into polygons, ensuring that the exported symbols appear correctly if the symbol font is not installed on the machine on which the GeoPDF file is viewed.
• Embed all Document Fonts: the export process includes the fonts that are used in the map document file, ensuring that the exported GeoPDF file looks the same when opened on any platform that supports PDF viewing.

Note: Ensure that you select this option and choose the appropriate Unicode font for your label text so that your exported GeoPDF can be viewed in languages other than your own.

Resolution: choose the default resolution the export process should use for printing or displaying vector resolution (dpi) in your exported GeoPDF file. The default is 6400. Choosing a value lower than 6400 dpi reduces the size of the output GeoPDF file.

Destination Colorspace: choose the default colorspace for the vector images in your map document files. The default is RGB.

Picture Symbol: choose the default method by which the export process should convert picture markers and picture fills to vector or raster images in the exported GeoPDF file.

• Rasterize layers with bitmap markers / fills (default): the export process rasterizes layers symbolized with BMP based markers or fills in the exported GeoPDF file. Vector EMF based markers or fill are not rasterized on output.
• Rasterize layers with any picture marker / fill: the export process rasterizes layers symbolized with any picture marker or picture fill (regardless of whether it is a BMP-based symbol or a vector EMF-based symbol) in the exported GeoPDF file. This option is useful when a vector EMF-based picture marker cannot be rendered properly on output.
• Vectorize layers with any bitmap markers / fills: the export process traces layers symbolized with BMP-based markers or fills into vector graphics before exporting to a GeoPDF file.

Notes:

• The effect of rasterization is that all layers below the data layer that contain transparency, BMP picture fill symbols, BMP picture marker symbols, and / or BMP picture line symbols are converted to a flat raster image in the exported GeoPDF file. All layers above the data layer that contain these elements are not affected.
• To avoid rasterization, BMP picture symbols should be replaced with vector-only EMF picture fill symbols or with font character-based symbols. If you cannot properly replace these symbols, choose the Vectorize layers with any bitmap markers / fills option as it allows these symbols to be maintained as editable vectors in the exported GeoPDF file.
• As transparency is inherently a raster symbol, there is no viable way to avoid rasterization other than by avoiding transparent symbology.

Setting GeoPDF File View Preferences

The View preferences allow you to:

• define default settings for viewing the map frames of any geospatially-aware PDF file as layers with cartographic representations in ArcMap
• specify whether the PDF file is clipped to the map frame's neatline or opens to display the map frames in context with the entire page
• specify whether the largest map frame on the page is automatically selected, all map frames are automatically selected or no map frame is automatically selected

Should an open PDF file's map frames require unique view settings, you can modify the default view settings on the GeoPDF tab in the Layer Properties window.

Accessing the View Preferences

From the Publisher for ArcGIS toolbar, click Preference Editor, then click the View tab.

Default Clip

Choose how the GeoPDF file should appear when it opens:

• Map Frame (default): the GeoPDF file opens to display the map frames according to the option you select in the Map Frame Selection radio group
• Entire Page: the GeoPDF file opens to display the map frames in the context of the original GeoPDF file page

Map Frame Selection

Choose how the GeoPDF file should display map frames when it opens:

• Automatically Select Largest Map Frame per Page (default): the GeoPDF file opens to display the largest map frame on the page
• Automatically Select all Map Frames: the GeoPDF file opens to display all map frames on the page
• Disable Automatic Selection: you select the map frames to view in the <GeoPDF Name> Options dialog box, which you access by clicking the View GeoPDF tool on the toolbar

Notes:

• The name of the <GeoPDF Name> Options dialog box changes to reflect the name of the GeoPDF file. For example, if the GeoPDF file you are viewing is named 'MyGeoPDF,' the name of the dialog box changes to MyGeoPDF Options.
• If you do not select a map frame in the <GeoPDF Name> Options dialog box, the file automatically opens to display all of the map frames on the page.

Standardizing GeoPDF File Preferences

GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS creates the GeoPDFPreferences.xml file and places it in the user's Application Data\TerraGo Technologies\GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS folder (for Windows 7 it is the user's %AppData%\TerraGo Technologies\GeoPDF Publisher for ArcGIS\ folder) the first time the user opens the TerraGo Preferences window. When the user modifies the export or view options, the software reads from the updated file.

You can standardize the options for your new users by modifying the GeoPDFPreferences.xml file as needed and then placing it in the Publisher for ArcGIS installation directory on your users' machines. When your users export map document files and view GeoPDF files, the software reads the preference options from the .xml file you placed in the installation directory. Only when a user modifies the preferences through the user interface does the software create an updated GeoPDFPreferences.xml file and place it in the user's Application Data folder.