Supported File Types and Size Limitations for Diagrams

Article Topics

• Image Types
  • Recommended Image File Types
  • Supported Image File Types
  • SVG Limitations and Requirements
• Size Limitations
• Best Practices

Image Types

Documoto supports multiple file types for images. The image file types supported are raster images (.jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, .tiff, .tif) and SVG. SVG is a Scalable Vector Graphic meaning that it is built using line drawings and not pixels. However, due to Flash constraints, we convert it to a .png when imported into DocuStudio. The next best option is to use high quality JPG, JPEG or PNG image file types. While these file types are raster or pixelated images, the high quality allows for a higher level of zoom before quality is degraded. Finally, we do support TIF/TIFF as well, but tend to see a lot more problems with this file type. Java cannot process TIF images as well and the quality of the image upon processing tends to degrade more than JPG or PNG images.

Recommended Image File Types:

• .svg, .jpg, .jpeg, and .png 

Supported Image File Types:

• .svg, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tiff and .tif  

SVG Limitations and Requirements: 

• Opening images from shared drives can cause error loading image issues
• SVGs must have G-Elements
• Most ‘Polylines’ in SVG diagrams are not supported
• Raster images embedded in SVGs can cause issues with importing diagrams and hotpointing
• SVGs converted from raster images are not true SVG images and will be treated as raster 

Size Limitations

DocuStudio uses Java JRE 8 to process images/diagrams as you import them in DocuStudio, as well as when auto-hotpointing the callouts on the diagram.

DocuStudio is packaged using the Adobe Air runtime environment, which adheres to Adobe Flash Player limitations. Adobe Flash Player has a bitmap maximum pixel count of 16,777,215. There is also, a single side limit of 8,191 pixels, which means that either the width or the height can be 8,191 pixels as long as the total pixel count isn't exceeded. All of these limitations apply to Documoto as well. The largest square bitmap allowed is 4,095 x 4,095 pixels. Non-rectangular size limits vary, for example, the following sizes all fit within DocuStudio’s limits:

• 2169 x 7735
• 3133 x 5355
• 3315 x 5061
• 3615 x 4641
• 4095 x 4097
• 4097 x 4095
• 4641 x 3615
• 5061 x 3315
• 5355 x 3133
• 7735 x 2169

Larger images/diagrams than the sizes listed require more java processing power and will often cause an error. Most of our customers use images that are around 2000 X 2000 to avoid any issue. DocuStudio converts SVG images to a PNG with a rough size of 2048 x 2880 depending on the original SVG size. 

Best Practices

If image quality is your primary concern, PNG image file types render at the highest quality. Since DocuStudio converts every image type to a PNG upon import, it is best to start with a PNG in order to not lose any detail in the conversion process.

The best image type for hotpointing is an SVG. The main benefit of an SVG is the SVG auto-hotpointing algorithm which is by far the most accurate and requires the least amount of clean-up, if any. SVGs have coordinated points mapped out for each callout in the XML of the vector graphic. Rather than relying on optical character recognition to auto-hotpoint, DocuStudio can hotpoint direct X and Y coordinate in a drawing. While DocuStudio does have other algorithms for raster image types, they are not as accurate because they do not have the coordinated points for the callouts.