Help - PDFs displaying incorrectly on (minimum) iOS devices

Aristotelian

Golden Member
Jan 30, 2010
1,246
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76
I just came across this 'bug' and was wondering if any of you have experience with it.

http://www.volkmarklein.de/images/stories/artikel/infosausberlin/info aus berlin 9.pdf

That .pdf displays correctly on my android device (Galaxy Nexus), windows devices (laptop and pc), but with an incorrect colour scheme on my iPhone and iPad. I have not been able to test this on a non iOS device as I do not have a macbook.

Have any of you had problems with PDFs having incorrect colours display on iOS devices? This is the first time I have come across this, so I think perhaps there's an issue in the .pdf itself - do any of you know what that might be? I would appreciate the help, and Google has not been of much use.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
I'm not seeing any problems on my iPhone 4 running iOS 5.01.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/ViRGE/ATPDF.PNG

Are your iOS devices on the latest version? I'm a bit befuddled by this in general (I've never heard of a PDF rendering with the wrong colors), but I'm especially befuddled since it isn't occurring here.
 

Qbah

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 2005
3,754
10
81
Mine has the same colors as Virge's on an iPad 2 with latest iOS. Same on an iPhone 3GS with latest iOS.
 

Aristotelian

Golden Member
Jan 30, 2010
1,246
11
76
Thanks for the testing, Virge and Qbah.

My iphone 3G is incapable of further updates, and the pictures of people in the .pdf that opens on my phone all have blue skin, and other discolorations. I thought perhaps the .pdf was not set up correctly but perhaps this has to do with iOS versions? I will update the iPad and check, but for now here is a picture from my iphone 3G (with the last update possible through iTunes):

img02711.png



So they end up looking like smurfs. I find this odd, too, as I have not come across this after years of using iOS devices.
 
Last edited:

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
Thanks for the testing, Virge and Qbah.

My iphone 3G is incapable of further updates, and the pictures of people in the .pdf that opens on my phone all have blue skin, and other discolorations. I thought perhaps the .pdf was not set up correctly but perhaps this has to do with iOS versions? I will update the iPad and check, but for now here is a picture from my iphone 3G (with the last update possible through iTunes):

img02711.png



So they end up looking like smurfs. I find this odd, too, as I have not come across this after years of using iOS devices.
Haha! Wow, that's pretty absurd. It's just just the wrong colors, but it looks like whole colors are being rearranged - your oranges are blue and your blues are orange.

In all likelihood it's a very specific interaction problem between your device and that PDF. Something that Apple clearly fixed in a later version of iOS, but something that's rare enough that it doesn't occur often. Unfortunately it's not at all clear what the real issue is; there doesn't seem to be anything special about that PDF.