Exporting Plot with Filling creates unwanted Outline around Filling

Question

Bug introduced in 12 or earlier and persisting through 13.1.0 [CASE:4899765]

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The following code generates a plot that has a faint outline around the top, left, and right boundaries of the filling. In Mathematica (13.0.0.0, Mac) itself, the outline is not present. It only appears when exporting.

How can I remove this outline?

Export[
    "test.pdf",
    Plot[
        Sin[x],
        {x, 0, 2 Pi},
        Filling -> Top
    ]
]

The outline also appears when exporting Graphics of Polygons and similar shapes.

Answer 1

How about getting rid of the Opacity in the filling?:

Plot[Sin[x], {x, 0, 2 Pi}, Filling -> Top, 
 FillingStyle -> Blend[{White, ColorData[97][1]}, 0.2]]
Export[FileNameJoin[{$TemporaryDirectory, "test.pdf"}], %];
First@Import[%]

Answer 2

I reproduce the problem with versions 13.0.0 and 12.3.1 on Windows 10 x64, but not with version 8.0.4 on the same machine.

The issue happens when we Export to PDF a Graphics object containing a Rectangle or Polygon primitive with Opacity directive. A minimal example:

gr = Graphics[{Opacity[0.5], Rectangle[]}];
Export["test.pdf", gr] // SystemOpen

In the exported file opened by Adobe Acrobat Reader the rectangle has an unwanted outline:

To explore the problem deeper, I define an auxiliary function that exports supplied expression to PDF, and then immediately imports the results as vector graphics:

vectorExportImportPDF[expr_] :=
  First@ImportString[ExportString[expr, "PDF", "AllowRasterization" -> False],
    If[$VersionNumber >= 12.2, {"PDF", "PageGraphics"}, {"PDF", "Pages"}],
    "TextOutlines" -> False];

Apply it to the above Graphics:

vectorExportImportPDF[gr] // ResourceFunction["ShortInputForm"]

We see that imported graphics contains an explicit outline defined via JoinedCurve. We can see the outline alone if we remove the FilledCurve object:

vectorExportImportPDF[gr] /. _FilledCurve -> {}

Apparently, it is a bug. Reported to the support as [CASE:4899765].

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A solution that respects the Opacity would be nice to have

A workaround is to Export a FilledCurve, but not Rectangle or Polygon primitive:

gr2 = vectorExportImportPDF[gr] /. _JoinedCurve -> {};

vectorExportImportPDF[gr2] // ShortInputForm