PDF Size

[Heckate]

Does anyone know if there is a way to reduce the size of PDF that FileMaker creates. Can I reduce the resolution of it or something?

For example, if I PDF an Invoice layout from FileMaker the file is 1,046 KB. However, if I PDF the same record from the same layout using a third party PDF writer like CutePDF it's only 95 KB.

I see no difference in the quality and would rather user FileMaker's own PDF writer, but why is it so big?

Any thoughts or solutions would be helpful.

Thanks

Heckate

[Genx]

Try getting rid of the image, also what font are you using?

[IdealData]

I discovered the same a while ago. Even if you produce a blank page the file size is ridiculous.

[Heckate]

I am using Arial font. I removed the graphc and it took it down to 141 KB.

However, I do actually need the graphic in the PDF and it's still bigger than the PDF generated by CutePDF. Is this something I'm going to have to live with or is there a setting somewhere in FileMaker that will let me reduce the resolution or something?

[pfrings]

This is still a problem for my company, and the biggest single thing that would improve Filemaker for us (are you listening Filemaker???)

I started a thread on this last year, a couple of people suggested using particular fonts, taking out graphics etc.... but these suggestions don't work/aren't practical.... and the point remains that using any number of other PDF creators will produce a PDF a tenth of the size that Filemaker does.

In my company I have project managers emailing out PDFs of 'Request to Quote', specs, quotes for clients etc often to multiple recipients. One project manager can easily generate 100 emails a day, and if the attachment is 1 or 2MB... and I have 15 project managers doing this... you can appreciate what a pain this is for our email system.

In last year's post on this subject, someone commented that this was a known issue for Filemaker and they were working on it. Could someone from Filemaker update us on progress??

[Fancytricks]

Hi There,

This is a very simple issue and is related to the PC PDF FileMaker writer.. Yes very anoying.

To get around this you need to place all your Graphics into a program such as Adobe Illistrator, export as a PDF (turning off illistrator embeding) so you should get a good quality PDF around 30K. Then place this PDF on the layout.

Hope that helps

[Fancytricks]

Also look at this:

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/185654/post/245404/hl/PC+graphics/

[DG2005]

Why use FMPro's 'export to pdf' function at all? Why not print to Acrobat's Adobe printer? It means you need to buy a full version of Acrobat, but in my opinion, if you working with pdfs, you must have the full version of Acrobat. Also, the pdf maker in FMPro does not create a pdf 1Xa compliant document, a doc that can be printed on virtually any printer in the world.

Another notable for mac users printing pdfs (creating a pdf, not printing a hardcopy) is that you hit 'preview', then in the program, 'Preview' you can 'save as' and then use the quartz filter dropdown to select reduce file size. You get

[Mandu]

Wondering if anyone has satisfactorily solved this problem....

Running FMP8.0, Mac OS X Print-to-PDF produces a 136K file, Win2K Save-as-PDF produces a 7.1M file. There is a 1"x3" grayscale image; the rest is black Arial text and horizontal & vertical lines.

The solution has to run on Win2k and WinXP, and has to not only create the PDF but then email it. I'm okay with everything but the file size: I don't consider 7.1MB files to be reliably deliverable via email.

I'm going to try the bullzip.com pdf generator, maybe look for a command-line PDF-to-JPEG convertor, and even consider recommending Adobe Acrobat. I have no experience scripting in Windows. I'd like a one-button solution to bring up an addressed email with PDF attached but don't know if that's feasible.

Has anyone found a reasonable way to automatically email an FMP 8 report from Windows? I guess that's the question in a nutshell...

Thanks,

Chap

[Vaughan]

The pdf size was significantly improved in FMP 8.5 and again (I believe, not had a chance to test it) in FMP 9.0.

Time to upgrade.

[Fancytricks]

SOLUTION>>

Hi there, I have found a good solution to this issue. Firstly I have been working with the guys at FileMaker and FM9 has resolved a lot of the size issues.

One thing you can try, is saving the PDF as a GIF which is oversize. Then you can shrink it down with filemaker. This means that on a PC the outputs will be around 100kb. Please send me an email on [email protected] if you need any more help with this.

thanks,

[pfrings]

Some good news regarding improvements in PDF sizes in Filemaker 9.

Printing an invoice (mainly text, one small graphic, 2 pages) came out at 500k using FM 8... but was only 76k when printed from FM 9. BUT... this is only when you use the 'Compress PDF' option in the print dialog box (I'm using Mac OS 10.4.10). If you use the normal 'Save PDF' command, the files come out at 592k whether its from FM 8 or FM 9.

So is there a way to access the 'Compress PDF; option from within a script?

[Vaughan]

The Compress PDf option is part of Mac OS X, not FMP. (It's available form within Safari and other applications as well.)

[pfrings]

But something has obviously changed within FM 9, because of the much smaller file size you get when using 'Compress PDF' to print a PDF from FM 9 compared to FM 8.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Guest

[Vaughan]

Yes, the pdf size is improved in FMP 9.0.

But the "compressed pdf" option is part of Mac OS X, not FMP. The option to save a print job to pdf through the print dialog isn't part of Windows OS.

[Oldfogey]

Yes, the pdf size is improved in FMP 9.0.

Vaughan, do you have any guess at the extent of the improvement? In Windows?

My V8.5 customer emails pdf files to a printer (a person) and a 74 page report came out at 42Mb - a bit on the hefty side. The same report is 1Mb printing to pdfFactory.