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Dixie5E07
Participant
September 29, 2021
Answered

Reducing the size of a PDF

  • September 29, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 414 views

My marketing agency regularly creates proposal documents that display large amounts of our related design and marketing experience. The latest indd file I'm working in is over 30 pages with 108 links including pdf, png, jpg, and eps files. Most of the png and jpg links are on the smaller size (less than 1 mb) while the pdf links are the largest (ranging up to 7 mb) although I am careful to place pdf files that have been exported using the Smallest File Size setting. I prefer to use pdf links because they always render clean and sharp.  

 

Next, I export the proposal doc using the "Smallest File Size" setting but change the Color Images Quality to High or Maximum under the Compression tab. If I don't, several images (especially the jpgs) and much of the text in other links will render fuzzy and pixelated – which doesn't make for the best first impression on a prospective client. This gives me a pdf file that is over 70 mb. I've tried using the Acrobat tools to reduce the file size, but those are largely unsuccessful unless I sacrifice image quality. Having a file that large isn't the end of the world as we can share them on Drive or Dropbox instead of email, but I'm really curious if there is a way around this large file. 

 

Any words of wisdom on how I can build the indd file or export the pdf differently to create a smaller file size?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Ashutosh_Mishra

Hi there,

 

Thanks for reaching out. In addition to the helpful suggestions shared by Eugene and Bob, I'd recommend checking out this community discussion about reducing the size of PDF. Hope it also helps.

 

Regards,

Ashutosh

3 replies

Ashutosh_Mishra
Ashutosh_MishraCorrect answer
Inspiring
October 4, 2021

Hi there,

 

Thanks for reaching out. In addition to the helpful suggestions shared by Eugene and Bob, I'd recommend checking out this community discussion about reducing the size of PDF. Hope it also helps.

 

Regards,

Ashutosh

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 29, 2021

    Nothing at all you can do about it in InDesign. You can run it through Acrobat and see if you can optimize it there, but what for? In this day and age, 70mb is not really that large.

      E
      Community Expert
      Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      September 29, 2021

      Reducing file sizes containing PDFs with vectors, or EPS files that are vector - can be tricky - complex vector graphics don't really compress. 

      If you find you have these large vector files that are complex drawings you could try rasterising them.

       

      There's a good blog post here

      https://creativepro.com/why-is-my-file-size-so-huge/

       

      And excellent suggestions in the comments.

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