InDesign file size is enormous

[defaultrjaomfiv0pg5]

I've got a really basic indesign file that I'm using to present visual concepts.

It contains links to, not embedded, PSD and other INDD files.

For some daft reason, this has resulted the file size becoming 2.67gb.

When I use Save As to try and mitigate this, it roughly halves the file size. but that's still ridiculously large for a file that's just displaying links to other files.

This feels like a very old bug that has never been resolved judging by other posts from users over the years.

Has a solution ever been found?

[Mike Witherell]

And what are the sizes of the linked PSD and INDD files?

[defaultrjaomfiv0pg5]

PSD files, about 5 of them are 20MBs each, 1 is about 100MBs.

INDD file is 11MBs

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

To answer your question, no--I do not believe it has been fixed. It doesn't happen to everyone or even all the time to the same person, so problems like that can be hard to track down.

Try saving as IDML. Also, make sure your images are not grossly oversized and scalled down in InDesign (check out the effective resolution for the PSD files.)

Here is a link to one of the many posts for the metadate problem:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/huge-pdf-file-after-exporting-from-project-with-...

[defaultrjaomfiv0pg5]

Saving as an IDML has reduce the file size to 459KBs. Though trying to open it from there has crashed InDesign.

The PSDs are quite small, low rest photos with graphics for mocking up onto surfaces.

INDD linked files are larger in terms of scale as the final outputs will be exported for large scale print. But these are of course scaled down on the INDD presentation deck I've created that's got this enormously bloated file size.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Opening the IDML file and crashing is not a good sign. I assume you tried it more than once--yes?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@defaultrjaomfiv0pg5

There is another option - create a new, blank document - with the same page size - then move pages from the old file to the new - save with a new name.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@defaultrjaomfiv0pg5

What is the size of PSD files? In terms of pixel and byte size. 

[Joel Cherney]

But these are of course scaled down on the INDD presentation deck I've created that's got this enormously bloated file size.

First thing to do is to follow that link that Dave Creamer posted. It offers an easy way to check to see if your PSDs are causing this issue. 

Secondly: If the PSDs aren't causing your issues, then consider the possibility of opening up your large-format INDDs and exporting PDF, and placing those in your presentation instead. 

But, in terms of the presentation files you have right now, I want to really underline a few posts that others have made here. Exporting to IDML and reopening is a really normal corruption removing technique. As Dave Creamer pointed out, if you can't open the resultant IDML without InDesign crashing, then something is very wrong with your file.  If you've already tried exporting your presentation file to IDML more than once, then another corruption-clearing technique worth trying is moving all of the pages of your document into a new document, as Robert suggested. 

[rob day]

Here’s the metadata scipt from @Dave Creamer of IDEAS  link—I moved it to Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/8qx0xhghw9vmpdooiojxt/AFf99mh2-teh8xn-JdkTtaU?rlkey=gkle0nou69ccakxzd...