Reducing bytes

[Totsie]

I am editor of an emailed newsletter. How do I reduce the size of the
finished product so that it doesn't take so long to load?

 

[Mary Sauer]

Convert it to a PDF. There are free converters around. www.primopdf.com is
mentioned here often.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=free+pdf+converter&aq=0&oq=free+pdf&aqi=g10

 

[Totsie]

I have converted it to PDF with a Microsoft Add On. The newsletter is still
about 3 x as many bytes as ones previously sent with approximately the same
number of pages.

 

[bjm]

I have converted it to PDF with a Microsoft Add On. The newsletter is
still about 3 x as many bytes as ones previously sent with approximately
the same number of pages.

I don't know about this setup in particular but I did find that the
scan-to-PDF s/w that came with my scanner produced much larger files than
Acrobat "acquire from scanner" did.

I've haven't used any 3rd-party PDF converters or add-ons for years -- they
gave me trouble w/ sending to commercial printer so I got Acrobat & have had
no trouble since.

Maybe some other converter, or even (though pricey) using Acrobat would
help?
bj

 

[Totsie]

It's not a third party program. It's a Microsoft ad in. You simple "save
as" a PDF file. Then I send the PDF file as an attachment.

 

[bjm]

That's 3rd party compared to Adobe.
I have no idea how MS produced/wrote/licensed/extracted/engineered their
PDF-maker.

It was just a suggestion you could maybe try out somehow, if you know
somebody with Pub & Acrobat.
bj

 

[Totsie]

OK. Thanks.
--
Totsie

That's 3rd party compared to Adobe.
I have no idea how MS produced/wrote/licensed/extracted/engineered their
PDF-maker.

It was just a suggestion you could maybe try out somehow, if you know
somebody with Pub & Acrobat.
bj

 

[bjm]

FYI--
I d/l the add-in & compared the two methods using a 16pg newsletter I
produce. I just tried it with one issue, out of curiosity.

"Publish as PDF" -- 989KB -- using the MS add-in.

"Print to Adobe PDF" -- 518KB -- using Acrobat 8 standard, using it as a
printer it prints the doc to a PDF file.
This is in the same size ballpark as when I used Pub 2003/Acrobat 7Pro.

This difference is also in line with what I saw when using my scan-to-PDF
scanner s/w vs. using Acrobat's create-from-scanner.

BTW if you don't need the latest bells in Acrobat you may be able to pick up
a "prior version" for less -- check amazon.com. If you don't get a real new
package -- i.e. it's been opened -- be sure to check on licensing &
activation issues. (it is possible to legitimately de-activate & transfer
the license from one person or computer to another; Adobe can tell you how)
bj

 

[bjm]

BTW if you don't need the latest bells in Acrobat you may be able to pick
up a "prior version" for less --

oops -- forgot -- I don't know (& haven't checked) if earlier-than-8 version
would work with Pub2007. Also, I'm using WinXP, not sure if that (vs. say
Vista) makes a diff.

I used to use Acrobat 7 Pro with Pub2003 under WinXP-home.
Now I'm using Acrobat 8 Standard with Pub2007 under WinXP-Pro.
bj

 

[Ed Bennett]

That's 3rd party compared to Adobe.

From the same company as the developer of Publisher = first-party
From a different one = third-party
(From yourself = second-party?)

It's third-party from Adobe's point of view, but who cares what they think?

I have no idea how MS produced/wrote/licensed/extracted/engineered their
PDF-maker.

PDF is an international standard.

 

[Totsie]

Is it possible that the difference in the size of the file is the difference
between Publisher 2003 and Publisher 2007? I'm using 2007.

 

[bjm]

I'm so sorry for the error in the technical terms.
Geez!

I gave up my low-class geek cert years ago. Nowadays I'm just a common user
trying to get work done, but I've noticed a few things along the way as I
blunder along working around obstacles (& those damned "improvements")
& getting stuff out. Even if I'm not some MVP.

PDF may be an international standard, but didn't it all start with Adobe?
Wasn't there at some point some argy-bargy about making the specs public?
(I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong in any particular.)

Perhaps MS's add-on writer just doesn't produce as efficient (small) an
output file as Acrobat does (compared to the two different non-Adobe PDF
file producers I've used recently for two different purposes), even if it is
readable by a PDF reader (at least my PDF reader i.e. AA8).
bj

 

[bjm]

Is it possible that the difference in the size of the file is the
difference between Publisher 2003 and Publisher 2007? I'm using 2007.
--

I took a Pub2007 file & saved as PDF using the MS add-on printed to the
Adobe PDF "printer" as a PDF file.
(if you want me to try it with one of your pub files, let me know -- my
addy's good)
bj

 

[DavidF]

Compress all your graphics in your Pub file to 96 dpi. :

Reference: Compress Pictures dialog box (2007):
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100363901033.aspx?pid=CL100605171033

Then when you use the Office PDF add in...File > Export as PDF...in that
dialog make sure that under Optimize for: click the change button and choose
the 'minimum size' option. Now your PDF will be as small as you can get
through Office. There is no need to use the higher resolution pdf versions
if you are emailing the file.

Then try downloading the free www.primopdf.com pdf tool. It has 'screen'
option which outputs a really small pdf file size. Try it and see if it is
smaller than the office pdf addin.

And if you really want a small file, try printing the office pdf that you
generated through the primopdf tool...the quality may suffer, but your file
size will be as small as you can get.

DavidF

 

[Ed Bennett]

I'm so sorry for the error in the technical terms.
Geez!

To pick some more nits, I think that "third-party" is a generic term,
not specific to computer geekery.

PDF may be an international standard, but didn't it all start with Adobe?
Wasn't there at some point some argy-bargy about making the specs public?
(I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong in any particular.)

I don't remember what happened; I do remember that Adobe made a fuss
when Microsoft incorporated it into Office, which resulted in the
feature being relegated to an add-in until SP2.

Perhaps MS's add-on writer just doesn't produce as efficient (small) an
output file as Acrobat does (compared to the two different non-Adobe PDF
file producers I've used recently for two different purposes), even if it is
readable by a PDF reader (at least my PDF reader i.e. AA8).

I haven't run any rigorous tests on it, so can't really comment. I think
the important matter is the settings in both programs - a Press-quality
PDF from Publisher will almost certainly be larger than a Web-quality
PDF from Acrobat.

I am generally hostile to Adobe Acrobat, since its Office add-ins (and
in particular its Publisher add-ins) are of barely marketable quality.