PDF compression...need advice

[NickBB]

I have switched my Desktop Publishing from MS Publisher on a PC to iStudio Publisher on a mac. Very happy except for one thing - I was able to compress big files (80 MB) in MS Publisher down to about 8MB. On the mac, the best I can do via Preview is about 20MB. This is tricky to send by email..too close to the limit. Are there other ways to compress big files on a mac more efficiently?
PS I am wary of the may FREE PDF COMPRESSION sites on the web - unless someone has a rock solid recommendation.
Nick

 

[MightyGem]

Try this:

Open your PDF. From the File Menu choose "Export...", NOT "Export As PDF..."
In the dialogue box, choose PDF, then click on the "Quartz Filter" bar. Scroll down and choose "Reduce File Size", then Save.

That reduced a 5.3Mb file down to 1.4 for me.

 

[honestone]

Does that method depend on what software one is using to read the PDF? Myself, Adobe Acrobat Pro automatically launches when I double click on a PDF file, but there is no Export choice.

 

[DanL]

The pdf compression utilities that are natively in the Quartz filter bar, or ones you can add in to it, are frustrating. Sometimes they reduce the file size, and sometimes they increase it dramatically. Would be nice to understand why. I find online free compression tools work pretty reliably, though.

The Export->Quartz filter bar being referred to here is in Preview.

 

[honestone]

Try this:

Open your PDF. From the File Menu choose "Export...", NOT "Export As PDF..."
In the dialogue box, choose PDF, then click on the "Quartz Filter" bar. Scroll down and choose "Reduce File Size", then Save.

That reduced a 5.3Mb file down to 1.4 for me.

Just tried that, and it works! The original file size was 7.8 MB, and the compressed one was 3.6 MB.

 

[DanL]

Yes, when it works it works. But when it doesn't, it sure doesn't. Just yesterday I compressed a 5MB pdf file, and the result was a 18MB file.

 

[MightyGem]

Does that method depend on what software one is using to read the PDF? Myself, Adobe Acrobat Pro automatically launches when I double click on a PDF file, but there is no Export choice.

Sorry, should have said that that's using Preview.

 

[honestone]

Sorry, should have said that that's using Preview.

No problem, as I saw that in DanL's post above.

I'm surprised Adobe Acrobat Pro does not have such an option.

 

[honestone]

Yes, when it works it works. But when it doesn't, it sure doesn't. Just yesterday I compressed a 5MB pdf file, and the result was a 18MB file.

Hmm, I just did with another PDF file that is 29.4 MB, and it was compressed to one that is 9.1 MB in size. Wonder if has to do with the version of Preview? I have the one that comes with the latest version of High Sierra, OS 10.13.3. That's just a conjecture on my part.

 

[NickBB]

Thanks for all the input......I agree Preview does the job of compressing to about 20% of the original file, but I deal with big files (70 -90 MB), and then need to email them. MS Publisher compressed to about 10% of the original, which was fine.
BTW, while iStudio is not as comprehensive a DP program as MS Publisher, it is a delight to work with, and much easier on the wallet! I tried Scribus for a while - a terrific program, considering the cost ($0), but I found it buggy and liable to crash when the file became large.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

If you regularly transfer files that large, I would recommend using iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. You could upload them to one of those cloud services, and then email a link so the recipient could click to download. Or, if you work with some folks often, you could even make a folder on them and share it. It would be secure and accessible only to them, and they could simply check it when you have new files for them to download, without requiring you to re-share it each time.

It would also prevent the need to compress the PDFs, which would actually keep the original file quality intact.

Just a thought,

C