Mac People: Help me resize my PDF files

CapnSev · #1 01-01-2010, 05:47 PM

So I have to attach my official college transcripts to an application that I'm filling out for a scholarship, the catch is though that they need to be in PDF format and no larger than 1 meg.

The other problem is that they need to be "official" and they want the hard copy scanned. The PDF ends up being almost 3 megs when I scan it, and I don't know how to get it down to size, any ideas?

bassist11 · #2 01-01-2010, 06:05 PM

I think Preview has a resize option built in.

Otherwise I would just search the internet. Gotta be somethin out there.

L-A · #3 01-01-2010, 07:07 PM

Resize = loss of quality. To do this to an official (signed, I presume) document is not very appropriate.

Why do you have a 1 meg cap?

Otherwise, hit me with a PM and I'll see what I can do. A single 8.5x11 B&W sheet should not take that much space anyway.

natobasso · #4 01-01-2010, 08:30 PM

Make sure you scan those images at 150dpi and that they are b/w, not color. This will reduce the size considerably. Also, if you can save your pdfs as x/1-a that's ideal, but the above should fix your problem.

Can you compress your pdfs (zip them) and reduce file size? Could also help.

Sterling_Bass · #5 01-01-2010, 10:47 PM

If the methods posted have not worked for you, try importing the file into iPhoto. Then click on File --> Export. From there, choose the settings you want. Let me know if that works for you.

WookieeForLife · #6 01-01-2010, 10:55 PM

Get Windows.

Finally a windows guy can bust a mac guy.

L-A · #7 01-02-2010, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WookieeForLife

Get Windows.

Finally a windows guy can bust a mac guy.

So, smart Windows guy, can you tell me what program will resample PDF images with the least quality loss?

NJL · #8 01-02-2010, 09:54 AM

CapnSev · #9 01-03-2010, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

Resize = loss of quality. To do this to an official (signed, I presume) document is not very appropriate.

Why do you have a 1 meg cap?

Otherwise, hit me with a PM and I'll see what I can do. A single 8.5x11 B&W sheet should not take that much space anyway.

I have no idea what people are thinking when they set up these scholarship applications, every one of them I've ever filled out is totally ridiculous.

As for the 1 meg cap, it's the maximum file size I can attach to the application, and I have no idea why the scanned documents are so huge. The application also requires the files to be .pdf files specifically. B&W or color seems to make zero difference in file size.

Quote:

I think Preview has a resize option built in.

Otherwise I would just search the internet. Gotta be somethin out there.

I can't get the Preview resize option to highlight for me, and the Internet has yielded me nothing (that I understand anyway).

WookieeForLife · #10 01-03-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

So, smart Windows guy, can you tell me what program will resample PDF images with the least quality loss?

MS Paint

Deathblade Eric · #11 01-03-2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

So, smart Windows guy, can you tell me what program will resample PDF images with the least quality loss?

Acrobat?

If it were me, I'd "Save As" the pdf from Acrobat as a Tiff specifying the Colorspace as Monochrome & the resolution as 300dpi, then combine the tiff pages in Acrobat & save as a pdf.

Just tried it & got from 2.2mB down to 155kB. Simples.

fdeck · #12 01-03-2010, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

So, smart Windows guy, can you tell me what program will resample PDF images with the least quality loss?

This should work on any mainstream platform: Scan the original at relatively low resolution and into a format that is less than a Meg to begin with. Something like JPG might do the trick. AFAIK the PDF format won't compress it any further. Open Office will save to a PDF.

I suspect the recipient only needs sufficient quality to convince themselves that the document is genuine.

reedo35 · #13 01-03-2010, 12:25 PM

Primo PDF. It's a free program that you can use as a printer option, but instead of printing, it saves it as a PDF file with no quality lost.

TrooperFarva · #14 01-03-2010, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

So I have to attach my official college transcripts to an application that I'm filling out for a scholarship, the catch is though that they need to be in PDF format and no larger than 1 meg.

The other problem is that they need to be "official" and they want the hard copy scanned. The PDF ends up being almost 3 megs when I scan it, and I don't know how to get it down to size, any ideas?

Can you request a PDF copy of your transcript, direct from your school?

L-A · #15 01-03-2010, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdeck

This should work on any mainstream platform: Scan the original at relatively low resolution and into a format that is less than a Meg to begin with. Something like JPG might do the trick. AFAIK the PDF format won't compress it any further.

A proper PDF program will convert scanned text to real text, and offer different ways to compress pictures. PDF is not an image format in itself. Most of my music scores for a musical to come are under 40kb per page.

Does Windows now have the "print to PDF" option too?

CapnSev · #16 01-03-2010, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Can you request a PDF copy of your transcript, direct from your school?

Negative. It's not "official".

fokof · #17 01-03-2010, 09:22 PM

Do a "screen capture" ;
-Open your PDF ,
-reduce the viewing ,
-"Command-shift-4"
-Select the portion you want.

It will give you a 50k file or so.

-Then save as PDF.

MN_Bass · #18 01-04-2010, 05:48 AM

Are you just using reader or pro, in pro you can go to Document - Reduce File Size or when you save your file in its native program, save as smallest file size (Which is meant for on screen viewing, but since its text it should print fine).

JMarkD · #19 01-04-2010, 06:37 AM

There are several ways to reduce a PDF file. The easiest way is with Acrobat. If you don't have access to that you can try this.

Open the PDF on your mac, do a "Save As" and save the doc as a jpg, you will get a "quality" slider that you can adjust. If the doc is text, 150 dpi, or even less should work just fine. Then open your jpg file in Preview and "Save As" a PDF, again you get the quality slider to adjust the file size. Or you can create the new PDF from the jpg using the print menu in Preview. This should give you a decent PDF file.

I think in your scanner settings somewhere you can set to a lower resolution as it sounds like your scan is causing the large file. If your doc was created on the mac, you should be able to create a PDF file without using a scanner. If you are using Pages, it is in the print menu. Or you can "Export" and it provides options for quality and file type. This would be the best way to do it, I think.

fdeck · #20 01-04-2010, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

A proper PDF program will convert scanned text to real text, and offer different ways to compress pictures. PDF is not an image format in itself. Most of my music scores for a musical to come are under 40kb per page.

True. I'm assuming that the document is prepared somewhere other than a full blown PDF program, so it the images have to be compressed before converting to PDF.

Quote:

Does Windows now have the "print to PDF" option too?

Nope. Just checked. I use a $15 add-on. Windows probably has to be extremely circumspect about stomping on third-party developers. They have taken a lot of heat, especially in Europe.

When I used to be a Mac user, I speculated that Apple has a bit more latitude thanks to not dominating the market. They don't have to waste their time supporting a myriad of legacy apps spanning 25 years, nor face an anti-trust court every time they release a new set of features.