PDF file bloat

[Klaasje]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

When generating a PDF from Word, the filesize increases tenfold (from 3MB to 30MB).

The same Word document on my PC (after using the 'compress images' function available in Office 2007) generates a 100 KB PDF file.

How can I set the compression level on my MAC to get the same filesize as on my PC?

 

[Rob Schneider]

AFAIK, you can't. The technology to produce PDF from Word is simplistic
and as agreed to be implemented by Adobe (for PDF) and Microsoft (for
Word). You can use Adobe's Acrobat program to compress the PDF further,
or you can use Microsoft's Office 2007 (as you have discovered) to do
things. You can also watch how and in what format you bring in images.
This has been discussed at length in previous postings here. Have a
look there.

--rms

www.rmschneider.com

 

[John McGhie]

Crop, re-sample, and compress the pictures BEFORE you insert them into Word.

The "compress images" function on the PC is not actually compressing the
images. It can't: if they are normal JPEG or GIF or PNG they are already as
compressed as they can be.

What it is doing is removing pixels to lower the resolution from whatever
the camera gave you (chances are that's about 2,400 dpi) down to 96 dpi.
You can do that yourself before you put the pictures in.

Before you down-sample their resolution, first use graphics software (iPhoto
will do at a pinch, but it's not easy to drive for this kind of thing...) to
crop the pictures so they show only what you want the reader to see. Then
set the SIZE of the picture to be the size you want it to print at, and the
resolution to 96 dpi.

Instead of relying on Word to remove "some" of the bloat for you, clean up
your own pictures and then you will be fully in control. Your PDF from the
Mac will end up smaller than Word 2007 gets it

You need to know how your recipients will use your document.

If they are going to read it on screen, set the resolution to 96 dpi. A
computer screen won't show them any more so there's no point in sending any
more. Express the pictures in JPEG because the screen will show all the
colours there are, but crank the JPEG "quality" down to 50 per cent (not
lower than 40 per cent). On screen they can't see the difference, but the
file will shrink dramatically.

If your recipients will want to print the document on an Office printer, set
the resolution to 150 dpi, but express the pictures as GIF or PNG. Use GIF
for the smallest file size but the colours will be off. Use PNG for the
best looking result.

For printing on high-end commercial printers, set the resolution to at least
300 dpi. For a good-looking job, take it up to 1200 dpi. Send the pictures
in JPEG, but lift the quality above 80 per cent or you will get artifacts.

For commercial offset printing, leave the DPI and quality as high as you can
get them, and don't try to email the result, it's too big

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Processor: Intel

When generating a PDF from Word, the filesize increases tenfold (from 3MB to
30MB).

The same Word document on my PC (after using the 'compress images' function
available in Office 2007) generates a 100 KB PDF file.

How can I set the compression level on my MAC to get the same filesize as on
my PC?

--

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Phillip Jones, C.E.T.]

To deflate the size of a PDF.

If you have Acrobat:

1. Open PDF in Acrobat
2. Go to advanced menu
3. Open Optimizer
4. Choose Discard User Data
5. check the second item down
6. save as a new file.

Compare sizes, usually the size of the PDF will reduce as much as 50% if
not 70-80%. Further reductions can be had by:

7. Go back to Optimizer
8. Click on Fonts
9. If there are any unembed any duplicate font types. you only need one
version of each font type used to make a very good looking PDF.


often doing both of these can decrease a file that was 4 mb down to 50K
in size.

10. If not Fonts go to Graphics
11. Set graphics so if they are to used only online to no more than
150dpi. Even if they are to be printed on an inkjet or Laser
printer they should be no more the 300dpi or 600 dpi

Once you gotten size the way you want it, save, then insert into your
Word Document.