MS Publisher -> PDF question

[JuliaMM]

So, here is the trouble.

I'm the in-house "designer," but they also have another guy, who doesn't have all the fancy Adobe products on his computer doing design work. He creates a four-page newsletter in MS Publisher, pdfs it, then emails it out.

The current issue pdfs to over 2 MB because of all the images he has used. I don't know where he got the images from, and by the looks of it, he just trolled Google Images and took them (I know...I know...).

He has asked me to try to get the file size down because of the emailing situation. He wants these files to be under 1 MB.

*Other fun problems*
- He has left the office for the rest of the week and won't be back until Monday.
- He needs this emailed out by tonight at 5 p.m.
- I'm not connected to the network because everyone in my PC-ruled office are scared of my Mac and haven't hooked it up (I know...I know...).
- They only have Adobe Acrobat 5.0 on the computer where I'm making the pdfs, so I can't use the famed and much heralded "Reduce File Size" button I've been reading about everywhere, nor do I have any Optimization options. I've tried to compress them using the compression options (making dpi lower, making things zip or jpeg), but so far I can't get below just under 3 MB without seriously compromising the images that he has used.
- I don't have MS Publisher, or anything else MS Office on my computer, and I don't even know where to begin with the source document on his PC. This means I can't just pdf from my computer.
- I tried to fix the size by dropping the pdfs from a CD into Photoshop on my computer, but I don't know how to turn the four different files that Photoshop has made into one pdf.

And I'm about to lose my mind since this is all I've done ALL DAY. :(

I don't know if there is a quick fix to this (i.e. making the Photoshop files into one, nice pdf), or if I'm stuck telling him that I have to do something to his images or he will be stuck in the world of big pdf forever.

Can anyone help?

Thank you!

EDIT: I run Photoshop from CS2.

[Craig B]

You're on a Mac, right? We use this at work and it works well, it's called PDF Shrink (http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/9206) I know it's not free, but it's handy.

If you have the full version of Acrobat you can open 1 of the Photoshop PDFs and then insert the other 3 pages into one document under document/insert pages. Personally though I wouldn't recommend that because it rasterizes all the text, which will make it a lot more difficult to read.

[JuliaMM]

Yeah, I'm on a Mac.

It's a newsletter, so the font and readability are important. Is it still worth the money?

Aside: Argh, this is frustrating! :mad: Darn that non-designer!

[rickself]

Hmmm... 2mb pdf isn't that bad. It's hard to imagine somebody not being able to accept a 2mb pdf file. I do a lot of Publisher pdf's, but I have the software and network to do what I need.

You could always open the pdf and save as a .ps file... go into options when you select .ps file and reduce the resolution in there. Then save as a .ps file and re-distill it.

[fingerPrint.Design]

Have you tried to zip it or stuff it?

[Craig B]

Julia. Depending on the size of your company, I think $35 is pretty reasonable. I'm not sure how easy it is to purchase something like that, but I think it's a useful tool to have. We use it every now and then. It's not magic, and it doesn't fix everything, but it does generally have good success in reducing the size.

Do you have the full version of Acrobat? Not just the reader ...

[rickself]

That may make the file smaller but it would probably defeat the purpose of keeping the file small enough to email and so that they would be able to open the file. Having clients open a zip file to view it sounds above these clients level.

[JuliaMM]

fingerprint...thanks for the suggestion, but if it were that easy I wouldn't be here bugging the brilliance of the forum...and I would have actually accomplished something today! :)

Craig...I know that $35 is not a lot of money, but this is a VERY small company where design is NOT a priority (which is a shame) and I'm low on the totem pole...if I wanted something like that it would be out of my own pocket, and I'm actually poor enough to say, it's too much money to "give" to the company. Thanks though...I was more wondering if it would super solve my problem and then I could sell it to the people with the purse strings. ;)

Rickself...I'm going to try your saving suggestion...it sounds so easy, if it works, you're my hero. :)

[JuliaMM]

Craig - I only have the reader, but the PC has the full Acrobat, but not Pro, except it is version 5.0.

[JuliaMM]

rickself...

Do I need the full acrobat for the saving and resaving? I don't see any options in the reader, and I don't know how else to "open" the file. I'm sorry I'm so new and troublesome. Thanks for everyone's help so far. :) This forum ROCKS.

[Mynock]

I see a thread like this and I fire up the Rickself beckon, but he's already here to save the day. Go Publisher!

[rickself]

I can do a save as with reader.

[JuliaMM]

I mean, I can save, but there are no resolution options. Where do I find these mysterious resolution options? Do I then open the newly saved as .ps file in Photoshop again? Thank you for your help. Word on the street is you're the guy to see about this type of thing. :)

[rickself]

No, stay out of photoshop. Just do a save as .ps (postscript). Then you'll have to take it to Acrobat Distiller and pdf the file at a smaller file size. You say that the PC has a version of Acrobat Pro? You need to get the postscript file over there.

[JuliaMM]

Sorry about misunderstanding...thanks for the clarification.

We don't have acrobat pro....only acrobat 5.0. Is there still a way I can use a post script file?

[rickself]

You can go to Adobe's website and use the free "Create pdf" on line program. I've never used it but others here have.

[fingerPrint.Design]

Julia,

not sure if this is too much for a printer or client to ask as well, but there is a free FTP site, call yousendit.com. You and the client or printer would both have to create an account to use it. I think you send something around 500 mb or so for free.

hope this helps

[fingerPrint.Design]

How about saving as Jpg or tiff from the pdf, our clients usually can not view tiffs so we usually proof as jpg or pdfs.

Would that work?

[JuliaMM]

It's not a proof, but the final product. We're not a design shop...we're actually in food. This is a newsletter that highlights our specials, so it needs to be in a pdf format via email, as this is our advertising. Thank you so much for all of your help. I'm going to keep plugging away, and hopefully something works.

[rickself]

How about saving as Jpg or tiff from the pdf, our clients usually can not view tiffs so we usually proof as jpg or pdfs.

Would that work?

Let's keep this simple...If you've been able to do the save as .ps, just take the .ps file to adobe's FREE web site and make a pdf. Did I say FREE? YES!

[JuliaMM]

LOL...okay! Going to the free website. :) Thank you!

[JuliaMM]

Update - so far it's taking forever to do a .ps file into a pdf, so I'm not going to try it again tonight.

Thank you so much for your help and your advice. :)

Have a fantastic Wednesday.

[rickself]

Update - so far it's taking forever to do a .ps file into a pdf, so I'm not going to try it again tonight.

Thank you so much for your help and your advice. :)

Have a fantastic Wednesday.Wanna send me the pdf and I'll whip it out...this time?

[JuliaMM]

I don't want to impose...I know how busy all of us are, and I didn't mean to come in here and ask for a freebie. I really need to know *how* to do it because there are six of these files (which makes it interesting for the five free pdf trial "create a pdf" on the adobe web site...a combination of two different computers AND two different email addresses...how very sneaky). Really, don't worry about it Rick...but I appreciate, more than you know, the time you have spent and the offer. :) Thank you from the bottom of my little, new designing heart.

[rickself]

:o garsh