In order to post documents in our tracker systems or on file management systems owned by our clients, it is occasionally necessary to reduce the file size of the document. There are a few options for doing this.
Compress Using Adobe Acrobat
The first, is to "compress" the file using Adobe Acrobat. To do that, open the file that you would like to make smaller. You are going to click on "File" in the menu bar, and then "Save As." These actions should open a pop-up window that gives you options of how and where to save the file. One of the options on that screen will be "Reduce File Size."
Check the "Reduce File Size" box and go on saving the document as your normally would. The resulting file will be smaller than the original.
Convert to Grayscale
The other option that you have, is to convert a file that is in color into black and white. Saving a file in color is the standard save protocol for most programs, so even if you do not see color in your document, it is likely that converting the file to grayscale will decrease the file size. For a file with pictures or lots of different colorful text, this method will significantly cut back the file size. This method also does not require special software like Adobe Acrobat, so if you're in a pinch, it's sometimes your best bet.
Open the file that you want to reduce. You are going to select "File" from the menu bar, and then "Print." In the drop down menu that allows you to select a printer, you are going to choose the option to print to PDF. Depending on the program that you are using (Adobe, Microsoft Word, MuPDF), the exact language for this option will change. However, if the option you have chosen has the term PDF in it, it is highly likely you've chosen the correct option.
Next, select the option to print in black and white. Again, depending on the software you are using, the directions for step may vary. The picture below is an example of the process in Adobe:
Adjacent to your printer options, you will see a check box for printing in black and white. In Adobe, all you need to do is check that box. Many programs have a similar check box function. In other programs, it may be necessary to go into "Properties" and change the print settings from there.
Once you have completed adjusting the print settings per the above, you will click "Print" and then go through the normal process of saving a document.
Reduce the Page Size
If you have a document that is 500 pages long and you need it to be 10 MB or less, you are going to have to reduce the page size. This is not an ideal option, because it makes the document harder to read. If you have a file that you need to put into our six part file system that you cannot reduce sufficiently using the options above, just email it to IT with a short explanation and we will upload the document for you. However, if you are using a client system, and there is absolutely no way around the file size limitations, you can use the following method to reduce the file. This method involves adjusting the print settings and printing to PDF just like the above method.
Open the file that you want to reduce. You are going to select "File" from the menu bar, and then "Print." In the drop down menu that allows you to select a printer, you are going to choose the option to print to PDF. Depending on the program that you are using (Adobe, Microsoft Word, MuPDF), the exact language for this option will change. However, if the option you have chosen has the term PDF in it, it is highly likely you've chosen the correct option.
The next set of directions are specific to Adobe. If you are using a computer that does not have the Adobe software installed, then these steps will vary slightly.
Next you are going to adjust your settings in the "Page Sizing & Handling" by selecting "Multiple" and changing the "Pages per sheet."
I do not recommend selecting more than 2 pages per sheet, as the text on the pages will become indiscernible.
NOTE: THE METHODS EXPLAINED HERE ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. YOU CAN USE, ANY TWO OF THEM TOGETHER, OR ALL THREE IF YOU MUST IN ORDER TO REDUCE YOUR FILE TO A SUFFICIENTLY SMALL SIZE.