Reducing AI file sizes for PDF distribution

Greetings all,
Using CS2 Illustrator, I have a file that is approximately 14.5M large. It's completely black and white, with a b/w photo. I was thinking that when I saved it as a pdf file, the size of the pdf document would be considerably smaller so people could send it by email. It came down to 1.9, but I'd like to get it smaller than that. I'm guessing I have to reduce the size of the embedded photo?
I also have a version of the file with a color photo. It's AI size is 34.1M, it's converted pdf file size is 32.5. I'm desparate for a method that will get these two documents down below 1M size so that members of my Barbershop Chorus can send the pdf files out announcing our upcoming show.
Any help GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks,
Bond

When you save the PDF, Illustrator will downsample images according to the settings you chose. Downsampling the source images won't help for file size. Usually the biggest source of bloat is leaving "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" on. This adds the entire Illustrator file to the PDF.
I suggest you start with Smallest File Size and adjust the downsample options under Compression. Reduce image resolution if sizes are still too big or increase resolution or image quality if sizes can be increased and quality is unacceptable.

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Maximum recommended file size for public distribution?

I'm producing a project with multiple PDFs that will be circulated to a goup of seniors aged 70 and older. I anticipate that some may be using older computers.
Most of my PDFs are small, but one at 7.4 MB is at the smallest size I can output the document as it stands. I'm wondering if that size may be too large. If necessary, I can break it into two documents, or maybe even three.
Does anyone with experience producing PDFs for public distribution have a sense of a maximum recommended file size?
I note that at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ the Internal Revenue Service hosts 2,012 PDFs, of which only 50 are 4 MB or larger.
Thanks!

First Open the PDF Use Optimizer to examine the PDF.
a Lot of times when I create PDF's I end up with a half-dozen copies of the same font and fontfaces. If you remove all the duplicates that will reduce the file size tremendously.
Another thing is to reduce the dpi of any Graphicseven for printing they don't need to be any larger than 200DPI.
and if they are going to be viewed on acomputer screen only no more than 150 DPI tops and if you can get by with 75DPI that will be even better.
Once you set up the optimized File save under a different name and see what size it turns out. Those to thing s can sometimes reduce file size by as much as 2/3's.

How can I reduce the file size when PDF Optimizer does not do much?

I have a PDF form that exists of 48 pages. 44 pages are forms / have form fields, the other 4 are just informative. Each form-page has approx. 80 fields (checkboxes, text fields).
When I started setting up the PDF form the file size was 12 MB and I had placed fields on 21 pages. Then with 34 pages the file size was 19 MB. And with 40 pages it was 35 MB big! Finally with 44 pages the file size is 34 MB.
So I searched with Google and found some tips. Using the "PDF Optimizer" option inside Acrobat for example. So I did, and the file was reduced only with 3 MB... 31 MB was the file. Also used the option "Save as.... Optimized".... no difference. I also found a suggestion about removing embedded fonts. Using the "Audit Space Usage" option I noticed the fonts taking many MegaBytes:
* Content Streams: 5.287.000     15,09 %
* Fonts:                24.556.810     70,08 % !!
* Acrobat forms:      3.349.164    12,05 %
In the older PDF version (I saved and kept this one too) with just 21 pages with form-fields, the "Audit Space Usage" shows:
* Content Streams: 5.292.000     40,14 %
* Fonts:                 1.290.224     9,79 %
* Acrobat forms:      1.588.758    12,05 %
So I could save many many MegaBytes by -UnEmbedding- fonts. But if I do this (unembed ALL fonts), the file size stays almost the same!?!?!? Why? What can I do to reduce the file size? I would like it to be 8 MB if possible (32 MB - 24 MB = 8 MB)?
Thank you for your help!

If you have authored the form, reduce the number of different fonts for the content and form fields.
Any font used in a form field will cause that font to be embedded into the PDF.
If you are going to Optimize the PDF be very careful with forms. Optimization does a lot of removal of items and rearranging of items which can really mess up forms.

Reducing MP4 File Size for online upload

I have a short HD video almost 1 GB in size (impossible to upload online). Is there an easy way to reduce the file size using IMovie or another program that I don't have to go out and buy?

I don't think you'll have too much success with this. Mpegs are already compressed files, so there's no real benefit to trying for further reduction. In some cases using compression software will make the resulting file larger than the original.
There are utilities that can be used to slice up a file into smaller parts that can then be reassembled. For example, Movie Cutter, SplitFuse, Split&Concat, MacAppStuff Pieces are a few. Look for them at VersionTracker or MacUpdate. Stuffit Deluxe is a commercial product that includes the ability to split and join multiple pieces of a file archive and has the benefit of being available on both Macs and PCs.
You can then split a large file into several smaller files to send via email or to upload to file server sites. Of course the recipient will need a compatible utility to join the pieces.

Maximum Number of Pages and File Size for PDFs

Assuming that your computer has ample CPU, memory,and storage, how many pages and what file size does Adobe recommend that you limit a single PDF to using Acrobat Pro XI in order to avoid any issues.

I don't know whether there's a limit on number of pictures you can add to a book
as long as they are contained in 100 pages, which is the maximum photo pages on a book.

Reducing image file size for web use without pixelation

Can anyone help me figure out how to best reduce images for fast web loading (in slideshows in Muse). I have done the save for web in PS and they are super pixelated now. The only versions that do not lose quality are the original size and they are huge files. Any help is appreciated.
Also can anyone tell me how big each image should be, what is considered a too big size (kb) for web images? Thanks Hillary

The settings I used were in the save for web panel and I saved the image as "medium" and the quality was 30, optimized was checked and it was scaled down to 16kb instead of 700kb. Is there a guideline as to how large in kb an image should be for good loading, it seems like with faster internet speeds we can go a bit larger for asset size. Is it OK to have an image as 65 kb if it is quite large (8 inched wide)?
I think I solved the problem. I just went in and saved the images as larger quality. I hope it does not slow things down too much. Any advice would help.

Reduce file size for web use

Hello,
I created a website some months ago and I realize now the images are far too large and it takes a second for them to load. So I opened them in photoshop and changed the PPI to around 50, but the file size didn't shrink. I tried 10, and still nothing. I tried Save For Web and the file size got larger. Any ideas on how to keep the image quality (for web) but reduce the file size for easy page loading? Thank you.

Don't worry over the ppi value. That's arbitrary.
You can reduce the pixel count, by resampling. That will make an image smaller in a hurry. To do this, Image - Image Size, check the [ ] Resample Image checkbox, and change the pixel counts. I always set my Photoshop prefs so that I see the Image Size in pixels by default. If yours isn't reading in pixels by default, change the units so that it is.
However, you may need to have your images be a certain size, in pixels, and so resampling isn't an option. In that case, when you do File - Save As - JPEG (or use Save for Web & Devices), adjust the Quality value to get the image to the size you need.
Hope this helps!
-Noel

Reducing song file size AFTER importing

I now realize that I should have used the iTunes preferences to set the import file type and the quality setting BEFORE importing songs. However, I now have over 170 songs in my iTunes library, and I would like to be able to reduce the file sizes for those songs. I will change the iTunes settings before importing any more songs, but I would like to be able to reduce the sizes of those files that I have already imported. Some of them are as large as 6 MB, while most of them are around 3 MB. Both are too big. Is there any way to take care of this problem? I am particularly concerned about those songs that I imported from the iTunes store after paying for them. Songs that I imported from my CDs can be done over, but I don't want lose the money that I have invested on those songs that I bought from iTunes.
iMac DV (Special Edition) Mac OS X (10.3.9)
iMac DV (Special Edition) Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Your answer reverses the usual order: it starts out with the bad news but then finishes with the good news...I think. I guess you're saying that nothing can be done with the songs I have purchased from iTunes. With them, I'm stuck with 3 MB for the usual 3-minute song. Well, so much for iTunes, then. I'll certainly never buy any more songs from them. That IS bad news. On the other hand, I think you're saying that I CAN convert songs I obtain from my CDs to smaller bundles. I used to do that quite routinely when I was in OS 9, but I'm not sure of how to do it now that I'm using OS 10.3.9. I hope it's not much more difficult, but I'll just have to see. Anyway, thanks for the information. Now I have to study OS 10 and the latest version of iTunes.
iMac DV (Special Edition) Mac OS X (10.3.9)

How do I reduce the file size of a pdf to email?

I have a 260 MB pdf file generated from Photoshop 6. I can't seem to reduce the size in Photoshop. Is there anyway to reduce the pdf outside of Photoshop? Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Scott,
That's a pretty big PDF! You'll have to reduce it pretty dramatically to attach it to an email. But, you can use Acrobat to reduce the file size. Please see this video for pointers: https://acrobatusers.com/tutorials/how-to-compress-a-pdf-file
If you don't have Acrobat, you can try it for free for 30 days. For more information, see www.adobe.com/products/acrobat.html.
Best,
Sara

Save as Reduced Size PDF and Save as Optimized PDF do not reduce the file size. What gives?

Save as Reduced Size PDF and Save as Optimized PDF do not reduce the file size. What gives? I used Acrobat 9 to do this for a long time. I recently received new laptop loaded with with Acrobat 10 and it does not work the same. I typically scan 8-10 pages of receipts, combine the files in Acrobat, and then optimize to reduce the size so I can upload with my expense report. Typically, my files were reduced to 200-400 KB. I have a 2 MB file that will not reduce at all.

Bernd, thank you for your attempt to help but the option dialog windows do not contain the same options. There are numerous other posts on this forum about this issue and there is no answer. Clearly, there is an issue. I have submitted this issue to our internal help desk.

How can I reduce the file size when saving a psd as a pdf

I have a psd with graphics and text, it is 8.5 x 11, 300 ppi
I flatten the image and go to save as .pdf I un-check all of the options in general.
In compression, I have tried a dozen different combinations and the way I've found to get a document that is not pixelated or blurry is to use jpeg 2000 > lossless or jpeg > maximum.
So I have a high quality document but the file sizes are around 900 kb.
I have downloaded other people's documents of the exact same type and size (8.5 x 11, 300 ppi) that I am making and viewed them in Photoshop, they are not pixelated or blurry and their file sizes are 300 kb or even less than 200 kb
How are they doing this?!

Delete all unused, invisible layers.
Sometimes zip compression is better than jpg compression (in the pdf output settings). Zip is lossless, and works better with non gradient colour or no images.
Flattening the image before you save it to pdf can reduce the file size if you are using jpg compression.
Post a preview of your pdf and we can comment further on how to reduce the file size.

I have been given a 28 page Pdf and have been asked to optimize the item to reduce the file size. Can this be done in Photoshop Elements? if so how?

I am using a Mac and just bought Photoshop Elements 13. I have been given a 28 page Pdf and have been asked to optimize the item to reduce the file size. Can this be done in Photoshop Elements? if so how?

No the pages will open as separate documents in Expert Mode. You really need Acrobat or possibly you could copy and paste the contents into MS word. Then re-save as PDF.

Do i need acrobat pro to open a pdf i created in quark and reduce the file size?

do i need acrobat pro to open a pdf i created in quark and reduce the file size?

i'll try that! thank you.
Daniel Flavin <mailto:[email protected]>
June 24, 2014 at 3:23 PM
>
do i need acrobat pro to open a pdf i created in quark and
reduce the file size?
created by Daniel Flavin
<https://forums.adobe.com/people/Daniel+Flavin> in /Creating, Editing
& Exporting PDFs/ - View the full discussion
<https://forums.adobe.com/message/6493113#6493113>

How do i reduce the file size on a pdf document?

How do i reduce the file size on a pdf document?

The only way to reduce the size is by editing the original document to reduce its size and then converting again to PDF.

Reduce file size for posting

I am trying to upload some photos to eBay. The original file size ris under 5Mb in Aperture but eBay claims it's too large at over 9Mb (the max apparently is 7Mb).
Rather than bang my head again the wall arguing I'd like to reduce the file size even more to say 2Mb in Aperture but have no idea how to do this. Would changing the pixel vertical and horizontal count be an easier way?
I also have no idea how to do that despite searching Help yet again to no avail. I tried reduce photos, reduce file size, reduce pixels... nothing relevant came up.
Sorry for being such a clutz but I never seem to get anthing from help but you guys always come up with the goods.

You can look at the exported files in the Finder to see the size the size and you can tell if it really is to big or if something else is going on.
So how did you export the images you tried to upload already? What settings did you use? There are a few different ways to control file size and which to use depends on how you plan on using the images.
Assuming you're exporting as JPG you can drop the quality slider down that will definitely bring the file size down but again without knowing how you exported how much over the file really is and how you plan on using them it's difficult to get more specific.
regards

Reducing AI file sizes for PDF distribution

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