TUAW Tip: Create smaller PDF files

Tested here:
AI > Distiller -> 2 mb
AI > CUPS PDF -> 139 mb
CUPS > OSX Compress -> 9 mb

Hello Does this machine come with an automatic filing system to save word documents as PDF files? Thanks for the help.

Machine model: iMAC
Machine Model: PowerMac6,1
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (3.3)
Mac OS X 10.4.10

when you click "compress pdf," where does the file go?

Unfortunately, it doesn't always result in savings. Sometimes, the compressed file is larger, in my experience. This has often happened when saving to PDF within MSWord.

Compression is a complex thing. That's why the compressed option isn't the default (as #6 pointed out). By it's nature it also means throwing out data, which 99% of the time means a lower resolution end result. Here's a good rule of thumb:

1) Use print to PDF 95% of the time.
2) If that file is to big, think about the content, and how the content can be smaller. For example, do you have a big TIFF that could be replaced with a vector shape? Compress images before importing to be a good balance of filesize and quality.
3) If you REALLY have to shrink it, you can try "compress PDF", but most of the time you're best bet is to go with a 3rd party app that gives you control of *how* it will be compressing things. Be sure to carve out some QA time to test your results.

PDF is a container format for vector objects (fonts, lines, shapes, etc.) that have no resolution and are not described using pixels, and for bitmapped objects like digital pictures that have resolution and generally are described using pixels.

Try zooming way in on that PDF you created from this webpage. See which elements have resolution and which do not? The letters are always clean at any zoom level, while the pictures get fuzzy when zoomed in too much.

Compress PDF just down-samples the non-vector objects (pictures), that's all it does. Don't have any pictures in your PDF file? Then don't expect Compress PDF to do anything.

I tried the above tips to print this webpage and here are my results:

Uncompressed - Just Print-Pdf-Save As pdf - 432 kb
Compressed - Print-PDF-Compress PDF - 512kb !!
Colorsync - 360 kb

Odd to get a larger file using compress pdf but that's the way it worked.

Thanks for the Colorsync tip!

@4:
Stop making sense. You'll blow the curve for the rest of us.

So it creates an near-identical PDF file, but is smaller? Why not make THAT the regular PDF file instead?

This is like Spinal Tap. After I ask Steve Jobs this, his reply will be, "But this makes smaller PDF files."

I use the very brilliant donationware PDFLab (http://www.iconus.ch/fabien/pdflab/) to import pictures and text files into a PDF. The file size is always VERY significantly smaller than with the Save to PDF action.