PDF File Settings

There are four settings for PDF files that together determine the speed at which PDF files are created and the size of PDF files.

The ideal settings are different for different environments. For example, if you create PDF files as part of batch jobs overnight, you may not care about speed. You may choose settings that create small files that can be easily distributed but take longer to generate. If you create ad hoc PDF files or complex PDF files with many charts and graphics, you may care more about speed than file size.

You can use different PDF file settings for report service and for batch report service.

PDF Character Encoding

PDF character encoding determines the character set that is used to create PDF files. You can choose to use Windows1252 encoding, the standard Microsoft Windows operating system single-byte encoding for Latin text in Western writing systems, or unicode (UTF-16) encoding. By default, PDF character encoding is determined automatically, based on the characters found in the file.

The settings names are:

PDF Character Encoding for report service
PDF Character Encoding for batch report service.

Value	Purpose
Windows1252	If you know your files contain only Windows1252 characters, use this setting for faster PDF file creation. Any unicode (UTF-16) character without a Windows1252 equivalent is converted to an indeterminate Windows1252 character.
Font	If you know your files contain non-Windows1252 characters (for example, Chinese characters), use this setting for faster PDF generation than with the Auto setting. PDF built-in fonts are all Windows1252 character encoded. Almost all other fonts use the UTF-16 character set. This setting typically creates larger PDF files than the Windows1252 setting. It is possible for UTF-16 encoded files to gain better compression (see Content Compression Type.
Auto	Use this setting to automatically determine if Windows1252 or UTF-16 should be used to encode the text in the document. If large bodies of text must be analyzed, this is the slowest of the three settings. If speed is a concern you may choose to try the other values with various reports to determine the best setting for your environment. This is the default.

Value

Purpose

Windows1252

If you know your files contain only Windows1252 characters, use this setting for faster PDF file creation.

Any unicode (UTF-16) character without a Windows1252 equivalent is converted to an indeterminate Windows1252 character.

Font

If you know your files contain non-Windows1252 characters (for example, Chinese characters), use this setting for faster PDF generation than with the Auto setting.

PDF built-in fonts are all Windows1252 character encoded. Almost all other fonts use the UTF-16 character set.

This setting typically creates larger PDF files than the Windows1252 setting. It is possible for UTF-16 encoded files to gain better compression (see Content Compression Type.

Auto

Use this setting to automatically determine if Windows1252 or UTF-16 should be used to encode the text in the document.

If large bodies of text must be analyzed, this is the slowest of the three settings. If speed is a concern you may choose to try the other values with various reports to determine the best setting for your environment.

This is the default.

Font Embedding

To ensure that the fonts that are used in a report are available to all readers, fonts can be embedded in PDF files. In IBM® Cognos® Configuration, there are two font embedding lists, one for the report service and one for the batch report service.

Fonts can be specified as always embedded or never embedded. For example, fonts that you do not have a legal right to redistribute may be specified as never embedded. Fonts that are not available at your remote sales offices but are required to read PDF reports may be specified as always embedded.

For more information about the font embedding lists, see the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Installation and Configuration Guide.

In IBM Cognos Administration, you can allow or disallow font embedding in report service and batch report service PDF files. You can also choose automatic font embedding. Keep in mind that files with embedded fonts are larger and take more time to generate. Embedding fonts can cause a strain on network resources. Fewer embedded fonts can reduce network resource consumption.

The license for some fonts prohibits embedding. Ensure that you have permission from the vendor to embed licensed fonts.

The settings names are:

Option to allow the report service to embed fonts in generated PDF documents
Option to allow the batch report service to embed fonts in generated PDF documents.

There are specialized fonts, such as bar-code fonts, that are always embedded when used. These settings do not control embedding of specialized fonts. PDF built-in fonts are never embedded.

Value	Purpose
Allow	If you know that your audience does not have all the fonts they need to view PDF reports, use this setting. Files are larger and PDF output is generated more slowly. Fonts that are in the never embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration are prevented from being embedded. This is the default.
Disallow	If you know that your audience has all the fonts they need to view PDF reports, use this setting. Files are smaller and are generated faster. Fonts are not embedded unless they're in the always embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration.
Auto	Automatically determines which fonts to embed. This setting takes the longest time to generate PDF reports. If the data contains only Windows1252 characters, both the always embed and the never embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration are used. If there is a conflict, the never embed list is used. Except for specialized fonts, unlisted fonts are usually embedded only if UTF-16 characters from that font are used in the file.

Value

Purpose

Allow

If you know that your audience does not have all the fonts they need to view PDF reports, use this setting. Files are larger and PDF output is generated more slowly.

Fonts that are in the never embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration are prevented from being embedded.

This is the default.

Disallow

If you know that your audience has all the fonts they need to view PDF reports, use this setting. Files are smaller and are generated faster.

Fonts are not embedded unless they're in the always embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration.

Auto

Automatically determines which fonts to embed. This setting takes the longest time to generate PDF reports.

If the data contains only Windows1252 characters, both the always embed and the never embed list in IBM Cognos Configuration are used. If there is a conflict, the never embed list is used.

Except for specialized fonts, unlisted fonts are usually embedded only if UTF-16 characters from that font are used in the file.

Content Compression Type

You can set the compression type to use when PDF reports are created. It takes longer to create PDF output for files with a higher compression type but the resulting files are smaller.

The content compression type specifies which data is compressed. The Specifying PDF file settings specifies how much the data is compressed. The combination of the two settings determines the final file size.

The settings names are:

The PDF compression type for PDF documents created by the report service
The PDF compression type for PDF documents created by the batch report service.

The choices for this setting, from lowest to highest compression type, are: Classic, Basic, Improved, Advanced, and Full. Classic is the default.

Compression type refers to the amount of data that is compressed within a PDF report. Typically, less compression means faster compression and a larger document. Versions of the Adobe PDF Acrobat Reader earlier than version 6.0 do not support compression types higher than Classic.

There are rare cases where compression causes small files to become slightly larger.

Compression Algorithm Level

The content compression type specifies which data is compressed. The Content Compression Type specifies how much the data is compressed. The combination of the two settings determines the final file size.

The settings names are:

Content Compression level for PDF documents created by the report service
Content Compression level for PDF documents created by the batch report service

Valid choices for compression algorithm level are 0 (no compression) to 9 (maximum compression). The default is 9.