The Stretch Option

The stretch option governs how much spacing is used during the conversion process. When Monarch analyzes the PDF/XPS file, it tries to match the spacing as closely as possible to the original document. However, there are many factors that can make it necessary to introduce more spacing into the conversion than appears to exist in the original PDF/XPS file. Such factors can include hidden data in the PDF/XPS, i.e., data which is not visible on screen but still exists within the PDF/XPS file itself. This can be the result of columns that truncate the data, for example. At first glance, it is not apparent that any data is missing, but Monarch will convert all the data in the PDF/XPS file, not just what might be visible in a PDF/XPS viewing application. In this case, in order to try and maintain proper column justification, Monarch will have to recalculate and pad the spacing, as the original column spacing may not be enough to hold the data safely.

In general, Monarch’s behavior is to use a larger amount of spacing (i.e., a higher stretch value) than in the original document. This can make the document look like it is stretched wider than the original PDF/XPS, but Monarch errs on the side of caution, so that columns do not run into each other in the current document. This is also done so that if a later iteration of the same report (or a similar one) contains wider data values, the model will still “work” with it.

If you know your reports well, then you can decrease the stretch value to make the reports look more presentable by avoiding horizontal scrolling or very small font sizes in the Report view.

Stretch values may be increased or decreased via the PDF/XPS Import Options window, which is launched when you select PDF/XPS Options  in the Report ribbon.