.afpub file size

[agc]

Hi,

Recently started using Publisher on Windows 10. Seems to work ok, not using anything advanced - just placing text & images, ToC & a simple Index.

The file size seems to fluctuate - a lot. e.g. I have a file  of 73Mb, copied it to a test file (x.afpub) then opened x.afpub & typed a space, saved it, size = 52.5Mb. So increasing the content reduced the file size!

I removed the single space & saved again - now 62.7 Mb

Next step was to do some very minor edits (corrected some spellings & phrasing) - x.afpub is now back to 52.5Mb.

I do not save the history on closing. What is going on? What else is being kept in the file that I can turn off?

TIA

[Joachim_L]

Welcome to the Affinity forums @agc!

3 minutes ago, agc said:

What is going on? What else is being kept in the file that I can turn off?

If I get this right, the Affinities do a cleanup on a document at some point. But nothing we can influence here. I would be alerted when the file size massively increases, but did not noticed this so far on the versions right now. Just me, that I link files instead of embedding them, which keeps the document nice and clean.

[carl123]

8 minutes ago, agc said:

What is going on?

Redundant data is purged from your file at certain times only, NOT on every save

1. When the redundant data reaches 25%(?) of your file size, the next file save will purge the redundant data

2. Redundant data is purged when you do a File > Save as... to a NEW file name

11 minutes ago, agc said:

I removed the single space & saved again - now 62.7 Mb

Even a minute change to the document can produce a disproportionate increase in file size (not sure why that is)

 

Learn to live with the above and do File > Save as... to a NEW file name (e.g. revisions) at regular intervals as corruptions to your document can be hard to recover, so you will be thankful you have not lost all your work

[agc]

Hi,

Thanks for that. I will be doing 'save as' regularly.

[Old Bruce]

1 minute ago, agc said:

Hi,

Thanks for that. I will be doing 'save as' regularly.

Here is my advice from my own experience.

Remember to delete the versions you no longer need. I tend to forget and fill up my hard drive with a couple of dozen huge files for each document I work on. Just bad housekeeping.

[waltonmendelson]

Hello . . . I posted on this last Thursday, "Huge file size variations for both afpub and pdf files."

 

I had the same afpub file, mostly pictures with approximately 1,000 words, that ranged from 66M to 122MB when saved.  The most common size was 101MB.  

Over the weekend, I discovered that if I opened the extra big or extra small files and resaved them, they reverted to 101MB.  Carl123 said, "Redundant data is purged from your file at certain times only," and that might be fine and it makes sense as an explanation for afpub files. But . . .

I was also getting huge variations in the PDF sizes.  For the same files: 76MB to 122MB, with the most common size 115MB.  At the point the PDF is on a commercial press, I'm not so sure the "redundant data," aka bloat, is necessarily harmless.  The majority of my clients print using KDP, who is notoriously secretive and unhelpful.  

Let me put this in perspective: today I tested an image (file sizes PNG > PDF and JPG > PDF) for a KDP forum member.  It was a 2.1MB image file.  When I converted it to PDF/X-3 in AffinityPhoto, the file size was 112MB.  I made a PDF from the PNG file (18MB), okay, then I made a second PDF from the JPG: 112MB.  What redundant data?  A JPG opened in Affinity Photo . . . 112MB.  Photoshop created a PDF/X-3 at 5.6MB.  

I cannot risk a client's book on a PDF that might or might not print okay.  And I can't spend extra time experimenting with files to guess what the correct size should be.

I will also take exception to Old Bruce's comment, "Remember to delete the versions you no longer need."  It makes perfect sense, and in another world at another time I would agree.  I have used InDesign since it came out, and PageMaker before that (paper, wax, scissors, before that, and hand-set cold metal type before that).  I have had huge problems now and again with InDesign where having "generations" of backup files was the only way to save the project.  Let me briefly describe the problems, so you'll understand:

• 5-20 pages clusters of a 600+ page book disappeared one morning (maybe a dozen such clusters).  The threading simply skipped over blank pages.
• I'd go into the file to make corrections, but they would not appear . . . with some sleuthing I discovered the pages had rethreaded themselves to say 150-250  pages away.  I now leave Show Threading on all the time.
• Click and drag would take 30 seconds to half an hour to work, buy which time, having tried is a number of times, all of which are cumulative, where things moved to was anyone's guess.

I don't know if Publisher will misbehave like InDesign, but keeping back up, and more than you think you need is cheap insurance. 

I'll keep checking here to see if this gets any attention.  Pauls, from Affinity, looked at several of my files last Friday, but there has been no followup.

Walton

 

 

[waltonmendelson]

Two questions:

1) Is Affinity stable for you?

2) Are these size problems temperature related?  That is, more common when your system is hot?

Walton

[agc]

Hi,

Yes, I've certainly had the variation in PDF file size. From 20Mb to 40Mb after adding the ToC & modest Index. The 40Mb file is with the printers now so we'll see how it fares, he's doing a test run.

Affinity is stable. If system had a heat problem then I'd expect other applications to be faulty as well.

 

[waltonmendelson]

If system had a heat problem then I'd expect other applications to be faulty as well. . . . Over the years, I've noticed that some programs are far more susceptible to heat problems.  For example, Photoshop in general, but some versions are far more or less affected by heat. 

I'll assume you know your system.  I've had heat related problems just in the week.  I'm not sure if they had any bearing on AffinityPhoto.  I go with your opinion.  

Walton