Re: Large PDF file

[Dov Isaacs <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Rebecca,

The fact that one of you is using "save as PDF" and the other is explicitly
creating PostScript and distilling (conceivably, through any one of a number
of possible methods) is the least important variable here.

In summary, these are the variables that can effect both the size of the
generated PostScript and the resultant PDF:

(1) Whether or not you use the "generate Acrobat data" option when you
print to PostScript and distill AND for that method as well as the "save as
PDF" method, exactly which options you select. Tagged PDF, bookmarks, and
named destinations all add up to add significantly to the size of the
PDF file.

(2) PostScript driver options, although bone-headed decisions here are
most often “fixed” in the distillation process. (After all, that is what
the Distiller does, it “distills” the content essence of the PostScript
into a compact PDF file!)

(3) Distiller job options, as pointed out by others responding to your SOS,
can make a tremendous difference as well, especially if you have images
in your document. Obviously, text and vector compression should always
be enabled because it is lossless and cuts file size with no real
performance penalty. Fonts should always be embedded (adds to PDF file
size), but subset (dramatically minimizes any PDF file size “penalty” of 
embedding fonts and has no negative side effect, despite urban legends
to the contrary). That leaves image compression. In the general case,
"automatic" compression at "maximum" quality is what you want. For most
situations other than high quality offset printing, you can get away with
bicubic downsampling to 150 dpi for both color and grayscale and 600 dpi
for bitmap. At 300 dpi and 1200 dpi respectively, you meet the requirements
for the vast majority of high quality printing. 

But remember, SMALLER is not necessarily better. If you have needs that 
require tagged PDF and higher resolution images without compression
“artifacts” (nice word for “defects”), then in fact BIGGER is better.

In any case, you need to check all the variables and determine which
are important in terms of the final “product” you are producing.

        - Dov


At 4/30/2003 07:20 AM, Rebecca Frasure wrote:
>Win 98se, FM7, and Acrobat 5.0.5. 
>
>When my coworker creates a PDF from a Framemaker book, her file is 20 mb.
>When I take the same files and create a PDF, it is 10 mb. I believe she
>saves as PDF, while I print to postscript and distill. What is causing
>this? Thanks for your help.


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