undefined | Better HN

0 pointspier256y ago0 comments

PDF rendering is baked directly into Quartz which it's why it's so great on macOS and iOS.

IIRC the quartz team was involved with Adobe when they were developing the PDF format.

0 comments

5 comments · 1 top-level

Alas16y ago· 4 in thread

It is no longer great (it used to be so around Mavericks). Current pdfkit is broken, and renders PDFs blurry, with the effect enhanced on low PPI screens. This holds for iOS as well since the same pdfkit is used, but since the devices running those are extremely high PPI this bug goes unnoticed by all but those looking for it or those with sensitivity to such imperfections. I think the state of PDF rendering on macOS right now is unnacceptable.

bschwindHN6y ago

Do you have screenshots that can demonstrate this? I'm surprised to hear it, I'm fairly picky about visual quality but I've never noticed an issue with PDFs on MacOS or iOS. Never used a low PPI screen with them though.

Alas16y ago

Some of the many reports:

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/295427/what-causes...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8531638

https://twitter.com/deivi_dragon/status/938663751158501376

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/72lxjx/macos_high_si...

It is less visible on a high PPI screen although still there and noticable if you know it exists. Unfortunately I know it exists, can see it and am bothered, so I stopped using my Macbook and left it to collect dust.

2 more replies

ThoAppelsin6y ago

Don't you ever present anything on a projector?

Many professors in our department have a MBP, and their LaTeX presentations look bad, just because macOS is bad. I notice it every single time, and sometimes (without me even saying, I just tolerate it, don't make a sound) they themselves do, too, asking themselves whether they've grown that so old or something.

I only have the leftovers of my girlfriend, 2015 MBA, as a macOS device. The PDFs look like crap on Preview and many other ".app"s I have tried. SumatraPDF running on Wine works properly though. Yeah, I'd say Preview simply does not work properly at this point. Shame, but also fun to watch from the Windows's side.

vetinari6y ago

Many windows users consider macOS font rendering at low dpi blurry, and windows font rendering crispy.

It's just what they are used to.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments