Libreoffice impress presentation - metropolis - exported as PDF, doesn't display correctly on some devices

users
#1

I made a presentation with impress, used Metropolis theme.

I then exported it as PDF.

The problem is, some, when opening on such things as iphones, get the
text cut off, like the top part of the text is not showing, etc.

Others, until they turn the phone sideways, it doesn't display the text
correctly.

How do I make sure the text looks correct for all, or at least most,
users on different devices?

#2

Don't use PDF. The whole idea of PDF is to represent a physical page; it is not intended to adapt to different screens of a large range of sizes. Is there some reason for exporting to PDF?

#3

Yes, for distribution to a large amount of people, none of which use
libreoffice.

#4

Have not tried it myself but would html be better for export?
There is also .wmf  for Windows users.

Gordon.

#5

Without knowing what you are exporting, I would not make a suggestion, but did you consider HTML?

#6

It's an instructional presentation.  I want to distribute it as a
single file that anyone can open.

PDF really is the best option, but as mentioned, I'm having some issues
with the fonts on the iphone.

#7

presentation - metropolis - exported as PDF, doesn't
display correctly on some devices
Date sent: Sun, 16 May 2021 18:27:18 -0500

I made a presentation with impress, used Metropolis theme.

I then exported it as PDF.

The problem is, some, when opening on such things as iphones, get the
text cut off, like the top part of the text is not showing, etc.

Others, until they turn the phone sideways, it doesn't display the text
correctly.

How do I make sure the text looks correct for all, or at least most,
users on different devices?

Note an expert, but something you might try.
Open file, and go to File/Properties/Fonts
There are two check boxes for embedding fonts.
Don't know if either or both would make a difference.
Might be some font that you used isn't included on these
devices and they are using a different font that throws
everything off?
Not sure why this isn't listed under the PDF options as a
choice?
Had a spreadsheet I exported that had this issue with
some fonts, and believe this fixed it? But it was long ago..
Worth a try. Worst thing, it makes no difference. File will
be bigger since fonts will be included.

#8

Your problem made me curious, so I played a bit. I took one of my slide presentations and applied the Metropolis master slide theme to all the slides. I then exported the file as PDF, HTML, and XHTML  and then sent them to my Samsung A51 smartphone.

The PDF displayed just fine on my Samsung phone. I then opened the file on my iPad and immediately saw what you are talking about. The text was lost on all my slide titles and on some slides, it was cut off. It only happened on the Apple device, and not on the Android device.

I then used my original LO file, which was NOT made with the Metropolis master slide theme. I used a master slide that I had created myself and it loaded just fine on my iPad.

It appears as if the problem is within the Metropolis master slide theme.

As some suggested using HTML, I tried exporting the file as both HTML and XHTML, and both were much more challenging and I received a wide variety of results depending on the various HTML variables I applied. However, despite all my experimentation, I didn't find any HTML export solution that gave me everything. Some resulted in a separate file for each slide, some resulted in a loss of slide structure and others resulted in a loss of graphics. In short, I wasn't satisfied with any of the HTML solutions.

If I were you, I would try a different master slide theme. The Metropolis clearly creates a problem, but I don't know why. It's not just a font issue. I changed the font on my Metropolis based presentation to Sitka Text (the font used in my self-created theme) and it was still getting cut off on the Apple device.

Virgil

#9

Seem to have the same result :frowning:

I wonder if I just have to ditch metropolis?

#10

Shot in the dark.

You can probably assume those fonts that currently work on Iphone with Metropolis are available by default.

Find out the fonts that aren't working and substitute with other default fonts that are used on Iphone.

Use only those font inside Metropolis.

Hope this helps.

#11

I guess my question is, in that case, how would you easily change the
font for a 50 page presentation?

#12

I just did a quick test, if you modify the style(s) you used and change the font there it will change your presentation.

#13

So, on any particular slide, I go to format/style and change the font.
 It doesn't seem to do anything?

#14

No. On the right of the Impress window click the styles and formatting icon.
Click the style you used for the test and right click modify. On the font tab change the font to the one you want to use.

#15

I would only add that, after changing the font in the styles, you may also have to clear any direct formatting that you may have previously applied on a given slide or slides. Highlight the text on the slide and click on "Format > Clear Direct Formatting". This will then apply the style-controlled font to the selected text. *Caution:* It will also eliminate any other specific formatting that you had previously applied, such as boldface, italics, color, etc. It will get you back to the original font of the style used in the master slide for the presentation.

But, based on my earlier experimentation, I don't think just changing the font will fix your problem. I created a slide presentation using Metropolis as you describe and converted it to PDF and sent it to both my Android phone and Apple iPad. On the Android, the PDF everything displayed fine. On the iPad, I got missing text and text cutoff as you described. I then changed the font on the Metropolis theme to a font I knew worked on the iPad in other situations and I got the same results (missing text and text lines cutoff). I'm convinced your problem is with the Metropolis theme itself. If I were you, I would select a different master slide theme and right click on it and then click "apply to all slides" and see if that helps.

Virgil

#16

I see how to get to master, but I still am unable to see how to change
the current template.  I have searched on Google, etc, and don't see
how to do that.

I see how to do file/templates and manage, but that's it.

FWIW, when I do that, I don't even see metropolis template.

#17

I neglected to send the below email to the list, hitting only Reply instead of Reply List.

#18

Ok, I see now.

https://dohliam.github.io/libreoffice-impress-templates/

I installed some of these, such as fedora and kde, and most don't even
display right?  Are these outdated or something?

I really wish I could use metropolis, but I wonder if I just have to
use it and provide a don't use iphone disclaimer :confused:

#19

I changed the font to Arial, same problem on iphone.

#20

Yeah,I don't think changing the font will fix it. I would try changing the Master Slide to something other than Metropolis. You can apply different Master Slides to different slides and see which ones work with Apple devices.

Virgil