PDF reader with zoom

Question

I'm working with largish PDFs (e.g. 17523x2383 dots @ 72dpi), where i need to zoom out (to see the overall picture and to navigate) and to zoom in (to read labels on the nodes).

The PDFs are simple graphs (generated from gv) containing mostly text, text-boxes and lines, andthe occasional thumbnail image. The only thing special about them is there size.

I don't think, that the graphics are complicated to render, e.g. using the xdot.py program to visualize the gv graphs (before they are rendered into a PDF) is blindingly fast, so I can scroll and zoom arbitrarily in realtime.

Unfortunately, it seems that all all PDF readers (that I have tried) have problems with such formats.

Afaict, I require the the following features: - fast renderer (so it can be used interactively) - zoom in to >100% (ideally unlimited) - zoom out to <2% (ideally unlimited) - when zooming, keep focus - minimal dependences (i'm running xfce4; i'd rather not pull in half of kde or gnome just to display a PDF) - free software (FLOSS)

These are the readers that i've tried:

• evince: renders the complete page nicely (at a zoom-level 4.93%), but refuses to zoom in to more than 41.47%)

• vprerex: only has 6 fixed zoom-levels between 100% and 400%, thus not allowing me navigate.

• mupdf: limits zoom-out to 25%; more importantly, I haven't found a way to keep a given point focused, when using the scroll-wheel to zoom-in, thus making it impossible to navigate the page.

• firefox built-in PDF reader: while it limits zoom-out with the mouse-wheel to 25%, it also allows for a zoom to page-width which allows for an overall view of the image, and then to zoom in (until 1000%) ata select spot. unfortunately, rendering at any size where the font is big enough to be readable (e.g. 70% and above) makes the image very blury

• atril limits zoom-in to 50%

• qpdfviewer loses focus when zooming; takes ages to render a new zoom level

So my question is: is there a free (as in Free/Libre/OpenSource Software) PDF reader (this rules out Adobe PDF reader) that allows for arbitrary and interactive zoom in/zoom out?

Answer 1

Since you have not mentioned it: Adobe PDF Reader seems your way to go. Not sure how you could have missed that. You can Zoom up to 6400%. I think that would be all you need.