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M
Moodesigns
Participant
July 13, 2012
Question

File size increases dramatically after digital signature

  • July 13, 2012
  • 2 replies
  • 29435 views

I have a template I use from Microsoft Word for a contract I use frequently.   It does have a color image on it.   I then save the file as Adobe PDF format, add a few form fields if necesary, extend features in Adobe Reader (so my client can fill out and digitally sign it), Then I reduce the file size, which at this point is maybe 25K.

The last thing I do is add a digital signature -- necessary, because this is a contract.

I'm using CoSign for digital signatures as they need to be verifiable and this was the least expensive option for me.

The problem I have is that once it's digitally signed, the document size increases from maybe 25K to almost 2MB.

What can I do to keep the file size MUCH smaller?  I don't want to jam up my clients' mailboxes or risk having a contract not delivered because of large file size.  I'm using Acrobat 9.x.

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    2 replies

    M
    ml-in-acom
    Participant
    October 24, 2014

    This worked for me to eliminate the large file size when adding a digital signature to a document ...

    Acrobat digital signature adds 700KB to .PDF file size

    https://forums.adobe.com/thread/305546?tstart=0

    answer (enhanced a bit) ...

    2.  Re: ACROBAT DIGITAL SIGNATURE ADDS 700KB TO .PDF FILE SIZE

    Mar 31, 2009 2:58 AM

    go to Edit > Preferences > Security

    click on Advanced Preferences, then select the 'Creation' tab.

    De-select 'Include signature's revocation status when signing'

    Explanation: the extra data is the certificate revocation list (CRL) list that gets embedded with the signature if the above preference has been selected.

      I
      IsakTen-RwIoo2
      Inspiring
      October 24, 2014

      This also removes long-term validation capability. Signatures without rev info embedded in the PDF cannot be validated after the expiration of the signer's certificate.

      G
      George_Johnson
      Inspiring
      July 13, 2012

      What are you using for the signature's appearance?

      M
      MoodesignsAuthor
      Participant
      July 13, 2012

      I'm using the default, ARX Signature.  Is it more efficient to use plain text or an imported graphic?

      G
      George_Johnson
      Inspiring
      July 13, 2012

      It's hard to say without knowing ore about the ARX signature, but I've seen people use large (in terms of bytes) bitmaps for their signature appearances. Try plain text if you can and see if it makes a significant difference.

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