Publisher: Export PDF size (3.7GB) 8.8-times content size (420MB)

[afdojo]

Problem: PDF export file size is 3.7GB for 420MB of content (8.8x expansion).

My .afpub file is 20MB and linked JPG files total about 400MB. When I export the document as PDF/X-1a:2003, the file size explodes to 3.7GB. Color space is CMYK. Screen shot of Export options is below. The printer/publisher only supports uploads of files smaller than 650MB.

I've read a bunch of the other Forum posts on this topic but they mostly discuss image compression techniques. I haven't seen any suggested solutions. All of my images were created to print at 300DPI so I don't want to compress them. In any case, why would Publisher create such huge export files and how do I get the PDF file size down to near the content size?

Thanks,

Doug

[lacerto]

14 hours ago, afdojo said:

so I don't want to compress them

You need to allow JPEG compression if you want to have a reasonable export file size.

I assume that you have RGB JPGs placed in the document and based on your description they use moderate compression at this stage if the total size of the linked files is about 400MB (compared to 8 times more without compression of the resulting CMYK files). If you export to PDF/X-1a, which converts images to CMYK, and you use roughly the same compression rate at export time as your files now have, then the size will increase by one channel, so probably by about 130MB or so. But you should be able to lower the default 98 compression quality setting without causing significant quality loss so that you can produce an export file that is below the limit allowed by the printer, and still have the ideal quality. 

UPDATE: Note that you need to enable JPEG compression also when exporting without converting to CMYK: placed RGB images will be reprocessed at export time rather than just passed through even when there is "no need", e.g., when the color mode is not changed or there is no need to downsample (or it has been disabled).