PDF Consultant > Optimize space (was RE: FrameMaker and AcrobatDistiller experts, please help!)

[Shlomo Perets <mtype@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

[cross-posted to FrameMaker and Acrobat lists and newsgroups]

Jim,

You wrote:

>Thanks for the added info. In Acrobat 5.0.5, I've been using the Tools > PDF
>Consultant > Optimize space command to remove excess links. What's your
>opinion/experience on the efficacy of this tool?

In my opinion, the Optimize Space function is potentially a dangerous one.

The "Remove Unused Only" is turned on by default when selecting
Tools > PDF Consultant > Optimize Space, yet this operation is not fully
aware of Acrobat capabilities which may utilize named destinations,
and can make a wrong judgment as to which destinations are used and
which are unused. To further complicate matters, no warning is issued
when activating this function as to possible effects on interactive features.

The Optimize Space function is unfortunately perceived as a "good thing"
to do when optimizing a PDF. And at least two Acrobat-related books
recommend the use of the function without any precautions (incidentally
one of these was published by Adobe Press).

I know of cases where this function was used as part of Batch Processing
operations, with impact known only when it was too late; link checking
utilities do not check

Briefly: using the Tools > PDF Consultant > Optimize Space function to
remove unused named destination is theoretically "safe" when:

1. You have a stand-alone PDF, and no references are made from
other PDFs or web pages to named destinations in your PDF
(Remove Unused Destinations only inspects the current PDF)

2. Named destinations are not used in JavaScript actions in that PDF,
which can be assigned to links, form fields or bookmarks
(JavaScript is not scanned for the use of named destinations)

3. The default document view does not specify a named destination
(useful when you want your PDF to open on a page other than 1, and
want to avoid relying on page numbers which may change over time)

I have a sample PDF demonstrating the use of named destinations
in links, bookmarks, form fields, JS popup menus and initial DocView --
inspect this PDF before and after running Optimize Space to see the
the potential impact of this function:
http://www.microtype.com/resources/bugs/OptimizeSpace.pdf (11KB)

[ UnBloat, on the other hand, is FrameMaker-specific, and only handles
automatically-generated IDs -- of the Gnnnn... and optionally Innnn...
type -- so it won't have any effect on the above items. ]


Shlomo Perets

MicroType * http://www.microtype.com
FrameMaker, Acrobat training & consulting * FM-to-Acrobat 
TimeSavers/Assistants




** To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@omsys.com **
** with "unsubscribe framers" (no quotes) in the body.   **