Print output appears blurry compared to exported version

When using Nutrient for printing PDFs, users may encounter issues with blurry print outputs. This article explains the reasons behind this and provides guidance on how to increase the print quality in the configuration to achieve the desired results.

Understanding print modes in Nutrient

Nutrient offers two primary print modes: PrintMode.EXPORT_PDF and PrintMode.DOM. Each mode handles the printing process differently, impacting the print quality.

1. PrintMode.EXPORT_PDF — In this mode, Nutrient generates the PDF document and sends it directly to the browser for printing. The print quality can be adjusted via the native OS settings panel, allowing users to select the desired quality settings.

2. PrintMode.DOM — In this mode, Nutrient renders the document as images, inserts it into the page (HTML), and prepares it for printing. By default, the rendering is done at 300dpi. However, in standalone mode, the quality is automatically reduced to 150dpi for iOS and Android devices. This reduction is due to the resource-intensive nature of rendering in the DOM.

Configuring print quality

To override the default print configuration behavior and improve print quality, users can set printOptions#quality to PSPDFKit.PrintQuality.MEDIUM or PSPDFKit.PrintQuality.HIGH in the configuration object passed to PSPDFKit.load().

Summary

By default, the print quality in Nutrient Web SDK is set to a lower level to enhance performance. This setting was implemented to optimize resource usage. However, users can adjust the configuration to improve print quality as needed. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your printed documents maintain the highest possible quality, providing a better user experience.

For further assistance or questions, refer to our guides or contact our Support team.