Acrobat 5: How can I reduce the file size of an exsisting PDF?

[Pus...@adobeforums.com]

I have Acrobat 5 and been given a PDF of a map with a bit of text / graphics on it in produced in ArcGIS 8.3 (using it's export to PDF function?!).

The page is A2 size and about 6 Mb in size. Is there anyway after opening it Acrobat 5 that I can do someting to it to then save as a 'smaller in Mb' (same A2 page) sized file? I have tried to 'print' the file from Acrobat 5 using the 'Acrobat PDFwriter' printer but it says it can't print. Printing using the 'Acrobat distiller' printer, it sometimes lets me print (end file comes out sideways?)only if the original PDF is landscape, otherwise an error message.

Please help!
Thanks

[Niti...@adobeforums.com]

I've tried printing from Adobe to Adobe and tinkering with the file sizes before on maps as well, but wasn't finding the results I needed. I've got a couple things you could try but keep in mind that I'm an Adobe Professional 6.0 user, not 5.0, so I hope the features are the same:

1) The easiest method I use for reducing files is the "PDF Optimizer Tool" which is found in the Advanced menu. In Optimizer, you can manually select your downsampling settings, but I ususally just use the adaptive compression and set the compression to quality bar to the left of center on toward the compression side versus the quality side. Hit OK and it will ask you to save and rename the compressed file. This typically reduces my files by 50% or more. (Be sure to check the detail quality using the Zoom "Loupe" tool before settling on the reduced document.) If you are working with color, you might set the adaptive compression toward the quality side because this feature tends to wash away most of the brilliant colors in your PDF.

2)You might also try this: In your ArcGIS 8.3 program, try saving the file or exporting to a .tif or .jpg file. Open that document using your MS Picture Manager or Document Imaging Program and print the image file to PDF. This will yield significantly higher quality PDF's at a fraction of the original image size. The key step here is to make sure you go into the PDF print options when you have the print screen open and set the dpi, quality and color settings, then hit print. Open the Print Properties button and make the PDF Coversion Setting "Smallest File Size", on the Paper/Quality tab open the "Advanced" button and select 300 dpi, and back on the print screen, open the "Advanced" button in the lower left corner and change your screnning setting to 60lpi 300dpi.

Hope this works. Let me know.

[William_...@adobeforums.com]

Rather than print the TIF, simply open the TIF in Acrobat. If you have access to the original, setting the print options for a different resolution may also resolve the issue. For instance, you might change the print resolution to 300dpi, rather than the default 1200dpi. You can also play with the downsampling of the graphics. In any case, you will have to experiment, even if saved as a TIF file (JPeg is generally nor recommended, but should also work).

[Niti...@adobeforums.com]

Good Call William. I remember now the last time I performed that operation, I did actually create a PDF in Adobe "from File" like you mentioned. Printing from TIF caused my computer to crash as the TIF was over 30MB. I saw a significant reduction in the .pdf file size at that point.