PDF too big

[dodgingartfully]

I don't understand why a 700kb document exports to become a 3 mg pdf? Smaller would be better.

I have created an export style, and in the compression box selected bicubic downsample for both color and grayscale. Compression: Automatic, Quality: Minimum, DP! 150. For monochrome I have also selected bicubic downsample, played around with different compression types and not seen any effect, and left the DPI at the default of 300. Compress Text and Crop Image boxes are both checked.

Many thanks for any advice!

 

[jimoblak]

How do you have a 700KB document? Are you also measuring the file sizes of the placed graphics? A PDF does not contain only data from the INDD file. It also packs the linked image files.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[dodgingartfully]

Ah yes...you are right of course! Thanks very much for that. Does the full size of a file appear somewhere?

I have a form that is mostly text but has a thumbnail size image (all the same) on the corner of each page that looks like it is linked to a 2.5 MB Illustrator file. The image appears four times, am I working with 2.5 MB or 10 MB?

My problem remains as the image is created in illustrator using patterns, so I can't shrink or convert to greyscale in Illustrator. Do I have any options in InDesign for embedding the image, and/or reducing its size? (Sorry, i'm quite new at both programs!)

Thanks.

 

[texasjoe]

I used to keep my photos pretty big and then just "scale" them down in InDesign.

Since then, I have realized that I can dramatically reduce the size of the PDF by adding one more step.

Once I know the "actual finished size" of the photo, 4in x 4in, for example, I'll go pack to Photoshop and make the original 8in x 8in 300dpi photo into a 4in by 4in 300 dpi photo (downsizing it) and then update the link to the new, smaller file.

I find that when I do this with all the linked image files it really makes the PDFs much smaller.

Good luck!

Joe

 

[dodgingartfully]

Thanks!

I did transfer to photoshop and reduce...and it helped a lot.

 

[jimoblak]

You should be able to avoid this Photoshop step by better managing your PDF export settings.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[texasjoe]

I've got a lot to learn about using Acrobat and controlling the PDF settings.

We have one print style that works (and it took forever to get all the settings right in that print style), so we try not to venture into unexplored dangerous territory.

I was really suprised to find out what a complex piece of software Acrobat is. I thought it would be a lot easier to use.

 

[signal49]

There's also a feature in Acrobat 7 (and 6 I think) called Reduce File Size under the File menu. It does a great job of eliminating hidden and extraneous "stuff" making the file a LOT smaller and doesn't lose any quality. I use it on every pdf file I make.

 

[dodgingartfully]

Instructor (am I supposed to call you picklefish?)

When you mentioned managing PDF export settings, were you referring to doing so from Acrobat, or InDesign? (I don't have Acrobat Writer--would it give much more control than the export options?)

 

[jimoblak]

Whether you are generating PDF from InDesign or through a virtual printer (aka: printing to Distiller), you have the options to resample images and also set the type of image compression - - so there is little need to downsample images in Photoshop first.

At some point, all images are flattened or downsampled for print/export. This can happen when you print/export from InDesign or you can do this in advance in Photoshop. The decision lies in what will provide you greatest speed in your workflow. If you are going to do a lot of repeated exporting and printing of the same document, you can save the flattening/downsampling time in InDesign by flattening and downsampling in Photoshop first. When in doubt, just maintain the larger Photoshop images and leave the flattening/downsampling to InDesign.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[texasjoe]

Do you have the time to walk me through the downsizing steps using Acrobat to make the PDF?

Acrobat sure doesn't downsize images with the print settings we are currently using.

Joe

 

[jmgalvin]

texasjoe: go to Settings/Compression whether in Distiller or exporting directly from any Adobe app.

 

[texasjoe]

Thanks, I'll give that a try. I think it would be faster than downsizing in photoshop.