How to reduce the InDesign file size?

[ArcRaj]

I need to reduce the InDesign's file size without disturbing the output/properties like the option existing in Acrobat 'Reduce file size', pl. help.

Thanks,

ArcRaj

[Eugene Tyson]

Are you trying to reduce the actual InDesign file size, or the Acrobat PDF, because they're too different things. You produce a PDF from InDesign, the resulting PDF is that size because of:

Quality of images used

Amount of images used

Compression of images

Types of images used (Raster or Vector/Complex Vectors)

Size of images

Fonts embeded/number of typefaces used (Subset or Entire glyph sets)

RGB output or CMYK output

etc.

There are many mitigating factors to the final size of a PDF, perhaps if you could clarify if you want to make the InDesign File Size smaller or end up with a Smaller PDF file size.

If it's the latter, what is the purpose of the PDF, is it for printing lithographically, digitally; or for screen viewing only?

[ArcRaj]

Hi Tyson, Thanks for the detailed feedback, actually I want to reduce the size of InDesign file to speed up the sevaral other processes including the PS generation.

[Eugene Tyson]

I assume you're printing to Postscript then?

That doesn't tell me the purpose of your file though. Are you sending to a postscript RIP, or sending the PS through Distiller to make PDFs?

Are the PDFs for print or for onscreen?

Can't really advise you on how to proceed without knowing the purpose of what you're doing.

I feel it's all a bit quite vague.

[Jongware · Accepted solution]

A simple "Save As" will clear all Undo information that might have been building up over time.

If you *really positively* want to clean your file of anything suspicious, export to INX (or, using CS4, to IDML) and open that. Save a copy of your original file somewhere else first, as this is not a 100% error free guaranteed procedure.

If your file size is still beyond a reasonable limit: do you have any pictures embedded, rather than placed as a link? (Just Don't Do It.)

Do you have pictures with an extremely small (72 dpi) "Actual ppi" and a high (300 dpi) "Effective ppi"? That can make the preview images very large -- and these *are* included in your ID file.

[Doctor_Bond]

Oh, thank you SO much! I thought I would have to open a brand new doc and copy all of my pages over one by one! I had no idea that "Save As" would solve it! Ah, such a weight off my chest!

[Wellfox]

here i am 2023 saying you save my 300 mb file! thanks!

[colem31789851]

Hi Adobe community,

I have read through your suggestions and while helpful, I think my circumstances complicate things.  

For academic purposes, the digital archive that I am required to do takes work produced at printing quality over the past 3 years cummulitive of my education, into a single document that has a 100 mb limit.  Currently, using the methods you have suggested below I could only reduce it to 216 mb.  Under normal circumstances, I think this would be no problem if it were an 8 spread document, but this one is so comprehensive that it contains at least 100 spreads.

My only guess is to export each pdf seperately, place the 123 spreads into a blank document, and reexport.  I am skeptical of whether the quality will maintain, but this is my only idea other than subscribing to the pdf compressing service that would most likely shred and kill any high resolution images.

I have noticed by exporting each file individually which ones are the heaviest - does anybody have any advice whether I am going in the right direction? 

[colem31789851]

For anyone who has encountered similar problems.  While trouble shooting, I have found that if you have heavy vector files, If you save open the .pdf in AI, and continue to save as .png, you will be able to maintain all detail where as saving it from Acrobat Reader was not effective for me.

If anybody has any other tips I would be happy to hear your solutions.  I will continue to save down any pdf's into png (if too haevy) and reduce the image size of any images in photoshop.

[Peter Kahrel]

If you can get away with it, assign the RGB and CMYK profiles to the current profile, which means removing the profiles from the document (Edit > Assign Profile > Discard (twice). This takes off half a meg from your document.

Peter

[ricardomedici_creative]

try disable "Always save preview images with documents" . It's can be help!

[Laubender]

FWIW: To all:

This thread is about reducing the file size of an InDesign document.

It is not about reducing the file size of exported output like PDFs, JPGs, PNGs etc.pp.

Summed up some strategies:

[1] Unembed embedded placed graphics and images.

[2] Kick out pasted images that do not show up in the Links panel.

Substitute them with placed and linked graphic and images.

[3] Do File > Save As

Things that will help to reduce file size, but could be questionable:

[1] Switch the document to "No Color Management".

Can be done, should not be done. Therefore will not tell how it can be done.

[2] Eliminate all preview images for placed and linked graphics and images.

Can be done. At least temporarily when all the links are missing.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )