Creating PDFs
Size of PDF files
Maximum sizes for PDFs published on Queensland Government web sites
PDFs that are larger than the 200 kB must be split into smaller sections, or converted to an equivalent HTML version, before they can be published.
What makes some PDF files so large?
PDF files will always be larger than HTML files with the same content, so minimise file sizes if you decide that your content is best presented as a PDF.
Some of the factors contributing to large PDF file sizes are described below and some solutions are suggested.
- Not created from a postscript file using web-ready Acrobat Distiller settings
- PDF created from Word, using the Acrobat PDF Writer on the Word toolbar
- Contains a lot of graphics
- Contains uncompressed graphics
- Contains complex vector graphics (usually maps)
- PDF contains many tables and/or spreadsheets
- Contains other media, such as audio, video clips or animation
Not created from a postscript file using web-ready Acrobat Distiller settings
Signs:
- Document large in size, graphics very high resolution and slow to redraw on screen, font issues.
Solution:
- Re-create the PDF using the process outlined in creating PDF files
PDF created from Word, using the Acrobat PDF Writer on the Word toolbar
Signs:
-
In the document's summary data, the 'Producer' will be Acrobat PDF Writer. Fonts may not display correctly (see examples).
Example PDFs:
- File created in MS Word using PDF Maker (PDF, 9 kB).
- It should look like this file (PDF 20 kB) created from MS Word using Distiller. Note the font differences.
Solutions:
- Re-create from the original Word document using the process outlined in creating PDF files. This may increase file sizes slightly, as document font subsets will be embedded in the PDF file; however, fonts will display as intended on all computers.
- Arrange for your document to be recreated using a professional page layout package.
PDF contains a lot of graphics
Solutions:
- Remove any unnecessary graphics from the source file before creating the PDF.
- Compress the file, using the process outlined in creating PDF files, and then split the PDF into smaller, more manageable segments. (Example of a PDF that has been split into smaller parts.)
- Consider removing high-impact pages (e.g. non-essential front and back covers, or full page advertisements with large images).
PDF contains uncompressed graphics
Signs
- Graphics slow to redraw on screen and are very high quality, file size very large.
Example PDFs
- Example 1—Hi-res image (PDF, 3.2 Mb)
- Example 2—Lo-res image (PDF, 188 kB)
Solutions
- Re-create the PDF using the process outlined in creating PDF files.
Contains complex vector graphics (usually maps)
Signs
- Graphics slow to redraw on screen.
- They will redraw individual points or items within a graphic, as opposed to redrawing the image from top to bottom (or, sometimes, from left to right).
Example PDFs
- Example 1—large vector map (PDF, 2 Mb)
- Example 2—rasterised map (PDF, 204 kB)
Solutions
- Go back to the original graphics file and remove all unnecessary points to simplify paths, delete all hidden or extraneous data, and then create the PDF again from the beginning, using the process outlined in creating PDF files.
- ‘Rasterise’ the complex vector graphic (example, and original). This can be done using a graphic application, such as Adobe Photoshop.
PDF contains many tables and/or spreadsheets
Signs
- PDF file size is larger than expected.
- It may have been created from Word/Excel and contain many tables and/or spreadsheets that have custom colour/font/borders styles applied to individual cells. (Tables in PDF files tend to inflate the file size.)
Solutions
- Remove unnecessary formatting from tables and/or cells.
- Restrict colours to cell fill (coloured lines are sometimes drawn as bitmap images by Word and Excel).
PDF contains other media, such as audio, video clips or animation.
Solution
- Remove all non-essential media, such as audio, video clips and animation.