Primp Your PDFs
Monday, July 14, 2008
Remember days gone by, when you couldn't share a simple word processing file without it looking odd on the recipient's printer? Then along came Adobe Acrobat, a program that turns any kind of file into a PDF (named for its file extension, .PDF). Now we can send documents anywhere, and know they will look exactly the same as they did on our own screens. But PDFs are sometimes too large to handle. How can we reduce the size of PDF files?
Many people prefer free or inexpensive PDF programs to the bona fide but somewhat expensive Adobe product. These cheaper alternatives don't do much to compress the size of the files they create. Similarly, older versions of Acrobat (notably version 6) have a tendency to create bloated PDFs. If you use PDFs often and are concerned about storage space, be sure to use the latest version of Acrobat (version 9 at this time of writing).
The biggest increase in PDF file sizes comes from images and fonts, so try to keep both at a minimum. You can also use Acrobat's built-in tools to shrink PDF files. In Acrobat (Windows or Mac), go to Document, Reduce File Size. Choose your preferred compatibility (Acrobat 7 or later is fine) and click OK.
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Posted byTriona Guidry at 10:23 AM
Labels: acrobat, adobe, mac, pdf, windows