Mac Tip: Reduce File Size

This isn't exactly a new tip, but there's bound to be someone out there who hasn't heard this one, so here goes: if you have a PDF file that isn't quite as small as you'd like it to be, don't forget about the Reduce File Size Quartz filter available from many programs' Print dialog box.

If you want to try it out in a supported program (e.g., Preview), open up a file, choose File:Print, and pull down the Copies and Pages menu from the Print dialog box. Select the ColorSync option, which will bring up two additional pulldowns: Color Conversion and Quartz Filter. In the Quartz Filter menu, select Reduce File Size, and then use the Save to PDF option from the pulldown button at the bottom left of the dialog to save out a PDF file.

I generate out invoices from an Illustrator template, and opening the AI files in Preview and then using the Reduce File Size option gives me nice, compact PDF files that I can email off without clogging the recipient's Inbox (even smaller than Illustrator's smallest file size option when saving to PDF). Give it a shot—you may have similar results on a problematic document on your drive.

Posted at 06:51PM Apr 24, 2007 by Kevin Schmitt in Tips and Tweaks  |  Comments[0]