A 145 KB Microsoft Word file outputted as a 16 MB PDF file (Acrobat 5.0) !

[pixelsworld@adobeforums.com]

I have a Word file (20 pages) which is about 145 KB. The file contains text , highlighted textboxes and images (graphs and charts in JPEG format). When I tried converting it into PDF, I got a 16 MB PDF file on my hands and it is a real pain to wait for the pages to load in Acrobat 5.0 . (My PC config is: Pentium 4 - 2.4 Ghz with 1 GB RAM).

Here are my steps to the PDF print process:

(1) I selected “Acrobat PDF Writer” from the list of printers.

(2) In Acrobat PDF Properties : Page Setup / Graphic: Screen.

In Compression Options Tab: compress text and line art + downsample images (both ON). Color/ Grayscale images : Jpeg Low ON

I don’t think the images are so bytes-consuming, else the WORD file would have been quite large in size too!

What am I doing wrong with the conversion? Or is it normal for Acrobat to output such a huge file given there are many images?

Thanks for your help!

[W_T_Allen@adobeforums.com]

What am I doing wrong with the conversion?




It's right there in your post:

(1) I selected “Acrobat PDF Writer” from the list of printers.




Never, never, never, never, ever use PDFWriter. Use Distiller instead. You can play around with the different settings to balance quality and size. The usual hints are to avoid background pictures and gradients, and don't use images with transparencies.

Seriously, never.

I mean it.

For real.

[pixelsworld@adobeforums.com]

Thanks a lot! I tried the Distiller and it's a lot better now!