Working with large Artboards/Files in Illustrator

Question

Hello all!
I'm currently designing a full size film poster for a client. The dimensions of the poster are 27" x 40" (industry standard film poster).
I am a little uncertain in working with large files in Illustrator, so I have several problems that have come up in several design projects using similar large formats.
The file size is MASSIVE. This poster uses several large, high-res images that I've embedded. I didn't want them to pixelate, so I made sure they were high quality. After embedding all these images, along with the vector graphics, the entire .ai file is 500MB. How can I reduce this file size? Can I do something with the images to make the .ai file smaller?
I made my artboard 27" x 40" - the final size of the poster. Is this standard practice? Or when designing for a large print format, are you supposed to make a smaller, more manageable artboard size, and then scale up after to avoid these massive file sizes?
I need to upload my support files for the project, including .ai and .eps - so it won't work if they're 500MB. This would be good info to understand for all projects I think.
Any help with this would be appreciated. I can't seem to find any coherent information pertaining to this problem that seems to address my particular issues. Thank you very much!
Asher

Answer 1

Hi Asher,
It's probably those high-res images you've embedded. Firstly, be sure your images are only as large as you need them Secondly, a solution would be to use linked images while you're working instead of embedding them into the file.
Here is a link to a forum with a lot of great discussion about this issue, to get you started: http://www.cartotalk.com/lofiversion/index.php?t126.html
And another: http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1907.html
Here is a great list of tips that someone in the above forum gave:
-Properly scale files.  Do not take a 6x6' file then use the scaling tool to make it a 2x2'  Instead scale it in photoshop to 2x2 and reimport it.  Make a rule like over 20%, bring it back in to photoshop for rescaling.
-Check resolutions. 600dpi is not going to be necessary for such and such printer.
-Delete unused art.  Sloppy artists may leave old unused images under another image.  The old one is not being used but it still takes up space, therefore unecessarily inflating your file.
-Choose to link instead of embedd.  This is your choice.  Either way you still have to send a large file but many times linking is less total MB then embedding.  Also embedding works well with duplicated images. That way multiple uses link to one original, whereas embedding would make copies.
-When you are done, using compression software like ZIP or SIT (stuffit)
http://www.maczipit.com/
Compression can reduce file sizes alot, depending on the files.
This business deals with alot of large files.  Generally people use FTP's to send large files, or plain old CD.  Another option is using segmented compression.  Something like winRAR/macRAR or dropsegment (peice of stuffit deluxe) compresses files, then breaks it up into smaller manageble pieces.   This way you can break up a 50mb file into say 10x 5mb pieces and send them 5mb at a time. 
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
*make sure your client knows how to uncompress those files.  You may want to link them to the site to download the software."
Good luck!