File size Increases after adding form fields

Question

We have documents that we create with InDesign with one small image and have customized the PDF Export settings to get the smalled file size with the best image quality for print and online viewing. However, when we open the PDF in Adobe DC and add form fields for our sales team to add their headshot and contact information, the file increases by 10X. For example, the PDF file that is created from exporting is 413KB but after adding the form fields the save as Reduced file size goes to 2,845KB. WHY!

We've set to not embed fonts and optimize images and still can't get the form field file to be smaller than 2,000 KB.

Why does this happen to the file size and how can we make the file size smaller so it will be easier for emailing to customers.

George_Johnson · Accepted Answer

How large are the images that you added and how did you add them. Regarding fonts for fields, never use Arial. You can find out what things are contributing to the file size using, as explained for Acrobat DC at this link near the top (audit space usage): Optimizing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro

try67 · Answer

Most likely due to the font(s) used in the fields. Unless it's only of the "built-in" fonts that come with the application (those that appear at the top of the list when selecting a font), the selected font will be fully embedded in the file, so the user can use it when entering a value.

Also, it is very difficult to get rid of those embedded fonts, so if you've already done it I suggest creating a new copy of the file and then add the fields to it once more, this time selecting an internal font, to keep the file size to a minimum.

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