DocGuy Training

Today Sarah asked a question in the Flare forums about reducing the file size of the PDF that Flare creates. I’ve also noticed that Flare’s output PDF file is quite large, around 10 MB for a 200-page document with images.

Sarah was wondering if there was a pre-build solution for this problem, and I don’t think so. My understanding is that Flare is using a plugged-in PDF component that works with the .NET framework, and that is the file size you get from that particular function.

However, there is a post-processing step you can take if you have Adobe Acrobat Professional installed that can reduce your files by something like 90%.

First, create your PDF from Flare, then open it with Acrobat. (I’m still using Acrobat 7 Professional)

From the File menu, select Reduce File size.

Acrobat will prompt you to select compatibility options, and will then ask for a new file name (so you don’t have to overwrite your current file), but I generally just overwrite the current file by entering the current filename.

Click Save (then click Yes, if you are really replacing the existing file), and you’re done.

I was able to reduce a 200 page PDF from 10MB to about 1MB.