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DP-HPS
New Participant
July 27, 2012
Answered

Is there a PDF size limit?

  • July 27, 2012
  • 3 replies
  • 247635 views

Is there a recommended maximum size (in pages or MB) for a single PDF file?

We have very large (10,000+) page PDFs that are being created, and we keep running into problems with file corruption. I'm not sure its related to the size of the PDF, the fact that it is created using various other scanned docs, or because the original was in Acrobat 8 and we're now adding to it using Acrobat X.

Any suggestions?

thanks

    Correct answer Dave Merchant

    There's no explicit page number limit but there is a limit on indirect objects of 8,388,607 in a 32-bit PDF rendering application - Acrobat and Adobe Reader are both 32-bit code - and because each page consumes at least one indirect object, every PDF file created by or opened by Acrobat must have less pages than that. If you were to create a native x64 PDF application you could add more pages, but the resulting files wouldn't open at all in 32-bit apps.

    Architecturally there is only one limit in the PDF standard: the overall file size must be below ~10GB as the cross-reference tables which define the PDF structure use 10 bits.

    3 replies

    ten8engraving
    ten8engraving
    New Participant
    January 7, 2016

    I tried sending a 3 MB document for an eSignature and received an Adobe Document Cloud reply back "We were unable to create your agreement because your document exceeds your page limit of 100." True, my document was over 400 pages but the size wasn't all that large. Anyone ohave any ideas?

    J
    julesmacattack
    New Participant
    January 29, 2015

    the purpose of combining files is to search...if one could search a directory full of PDFs for a subset that contained my keyword, i wouldn't have to combine...but since i can't search, i have to combine...see?

    try67
    try67
    Braniac
    January 29, 2015

    You can search a folder of PDF files using the Advanced Search functionality of Acrobat/Reader.

    J
    julesmacattack
    New Participant
    January 29, 2015

    Thanks, this looks promising...

    MichaelKazlow
    MichaelKazlow
    Braniac
    July 27, 2012

    There are maximums, but it is not 10,000 pages. It is larger. But the problem with large documents formed from scans is that you may be taxing your system. Why do you feel the need to have a 10,000+ page document. Especially, one that consists of scans. With scans unless you have ocr'd the documents you cannot search the contents. You can setup a table of contents pdf and use links to get from one document to another. If you are running into corruption problems, you loose the entire document. If you have smaller files, then if corruption occurs you can restore the smallest part from backup or regenerate as needed.

      D
      Dave MerchantCorrect answer
      Braniac
      July 27, 2012

      There's no explicit page number limit but there is a limit on indirect objects of 8,388,607 in a 32-bit PDF rendering application - Acrobat and Adobe Reader are both 32-bit code - and because each page consumes at least one indirect object, every PDF file created by or opened by Acrobat must have less pages than that. If you were to create a native x64 PDF application you could add more pages, but the resulting files wouldn't open at all in 32-bit apps.

      Architecturally there is only one limit in the PDF standard: the overall file size must be below ~10GB as the cross-reference tables which define the PDF structure use 10 bits.

        A
        adopt5FD9
        New Participant
        July 14, 2021

         

        Very good info that shares on the max size of a PDF file. The response was in 2012.

        " Architecturally there is only one limit in the PDF standard: the overall file size must be below ~10GB as the cross-reference tables which define the PDF structure use 10 bits."

         

        Now it is 2021:-)

        is there any update or change in the limitation or cross-reference tables that define the PDF structure uses more than 10 bits .?

         


        2.Does the limitation only apply to PDF files that use the older Xref table format (PDF 1.4 and earlier)? PDF 1.5 and later can have compressed object streams that support much larger file sizes?

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