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Beta 874 -- PDF file size issues


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Hi,

I don't know if this has been mentioned already, but the file size issues in some PDF export options are back in the beta from 11 December -- all the exports I make are MUCH bigger than I expect them to be; The previous beta was better in this regards.

Please don't answer this with any well-meant tips on how to decrease a PDF file size -- this is just a beta report, because it seems to me that an issue that had been resolved has crept back into the newest beta.

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I can’t point to any particular setting or option, but all the standard profiles produce very large files, even when I set the image resolution to 72 and JPG quality to 70% or so — I din’t have time to check the files (Xmas, I’m off, the computer is off) but remember that last time this happened it was caused by all text converted to curves, independent of the settings — can you check if thatks the case this time too?
I’m back in my office on 18 January and will either have a closer look at the files or install the then current beta and test in more detail.

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FOUND THE ISSUE:

The problem is PDF passthrough:
When PDF files are passed through, they stay completely unchanged, which means that high-res advertisements stay high-res, even when the PDF itself is saved for web / export in a lower resolution.

However, when I ,interpret" the PDFs to reduce file size for proof cycles or online publishing, the fonts and layout of the adverts change.

Not sure, how other applications solve this issue, but when I place one of my advertisements in InDesign or Quark and export a low-res PDF file, the original layout and fonts stay, but the resolution is reduced and I end up with a small file size, so SOME interpretation is happening, maybe only on images?

This needs more work ...

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1 minute ago, haakoo said:

So you get what you put in.

Makes perfect sense, and there has been a lot of shouting to get passthrough, because interpreted PDFs in Publisher mess up the layout and fonts.

As said, it works differently with ALL other layout applications I use. If my choice is between incorrect interpretation and WAY to large files I'm afraid my choice is InDesign or Quark.

I am not complaining, just reporting -- this is a beta after all and I just hope that one of the responsible people reads this and start thinking about fixing / changing it.

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When InDesign exports PDFs which contain images it resamples the images so they are no larger than the values defined in the Compression dialogue box. Publisher does a very good job at passing through the PDF but it doesn't resample the images so they could indeed be very large. It's a first implementation of a much needed feature so it might be more flexible in the future. In the meantime I suppose ID could always be used to change the resolution of images within a PDF before placing them in AfPub.

Windows 10 Pro, I5 3.3G PC 16G RAM

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50 minutes ago, MickRose said:

I suppose ID could always be used to change the resolution of images within a PDF before placing them in AfPub.

Holding up an InDesign subscription would -- at least for me -- defeat the purpose of using Publisher instead of InDesign. There are several ways to circumvent the issue, e.g. converting the PDFs to high-res images or converting all text to curves, but that's all just workarounds that cost time and effort (and money for the additional software).

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/13/2021 at 2:00 PM, Gabe said:

This is by design. If it's changing something in your placed PDF, it's not really passing it through, is it.

Well ... no, but ... as said, it is different to ANY other application and some changes are needed -- If I cannot output files in the right colour (file, format) and resolution, the whole topic of using PDS in the first place is moot. I normally need to produce one CMYK high-res file or the printer and one RGB low-res file for web presentation / email marketing.

Maybe ,passthrough' ist not the right term for the feature people have been asking for and the developers misunderstood?
There have been many discussions about this in the past and many people chipped in with their workflows and explained what they need.

May it as is be, and I cannot speak for others (please, others, comment on this!), but for me this is currently completely unusable:
-- I cannot produce web-ready files because they get to big
-- I cannot produce print-files because the colour range / profile is not applied and I get complaints form my printer

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