PDF file size redux

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but some of them I've tried before
(sort of) with no success.

To go back a bit further. The first issue of the newsletter I create
was made using MicroSoft Word (shudder). I then used a 'printer
driver' called PDFCreator. The PDF file created was less than 80K.
Since I had used PageStream when I had an Atari ST back in the days, I
looked to see if PageStream was still around and it is. I purchased
the non-Pro version and my creation of the second issue newsletter
became so much easier! I tried using PDFCreator to create the PDF and
it was a mess. When opening the PDF thus created, a diagonal redline
appears and seems to 'draw' the text and graphics very slowly. It
takes 30 to 40 seconds for the first page to be 'drawn' so I abandoned
that avenue and went back to using the internal PDF creator, which
despite it propensity to make large files does create a PDF that read
normally in Acrobat Reader.

I did try some other PDF creation printer drivers, but they were no
better than PDFCreator.

As for the Ghostscript, to answer another query, I have Ghostscript
8.5.4 installed on my system and I use a GUI gs program called GSview
by Ghostgum.

I tried installing a postscript printer driver for a physical printer
but have it directed to print to a file. The particular printer is
specifically the HP Laserjet 4600 PS. From within PageStream. I
'printed' a postscript file then created a PDF file using Ghostscript
through GSview. The result was the same as when I used PDFCreator
from within PageStream.

So, at the moment, I guess I'll have to live with the large PDFs until
Deron can focus his attention back on the Windows version. (hint,
hint! :-> )

I won't stop using PageStream since it's so easy to use in the
creation of the newsletter. I was just hoping that there was a
'simple' solution in reducing the PDF files I create!

Thanks for all the suggestions and help,

Frank Jordan

Hi Frank,
Sorry I hadn't answered you sooner, but you can print a postscript file
to disk even if you don't have a postscript printer. Just go to Print
Setup and choose "<PostScript File>&quot;!!

Then process it using something like ghostscript,acrobat, etc depending
on what you have/have access to.

As mentioned here, the bloat is either embedded fonts or large bitmaps.
PageStream does not (yet) downsample embedded bitmaps, you will have to
do that by hand or rely on the postscript file/external ps->pdf
converter process.

For fonts, in latest PageStream release(s) you should have a Font
section with a popup labeled "Embedding" with a chopice of None, Not
Base14 and All. Make sure you use either the first or second. If you use
normal Windows fonts, and your readers are all Windows users, you should
be able to safely use None. At least you can try that option to see if
fonts or bitmaps are the issue for your output.

Your problems with using PDF print drivers is that PageStream is
rendering a bitmap through them. Not really a pleasant option for this.

Deron

fjordanrr wrote:
&gt; Thanks for all of the suggestions, but some of them I've tried before
&gt; (sort of) with no success.
>
>; To go back a bit further. The first issue of the newsletter I create
&gt; was made using MicroSoft Word (shudder). I then used a 'printer
> driver' called PDFCreator. The PDF file created was less than 80K.
> Since I had used PageStream when I had an Atari ST back in the days, I
> looked to see if PageStream was still around and it is. I purchased
> the non-Pro version and my creation of the second issue newsletter
> became so much easier! I tried using PDFCreator to create the PDF and
> it was a mess. When opening the PDF thus created, a diagonal redline
> appears and seems to 'draw' the text and graphics very slowly. It
> takes 30 to 40 seconds for the first page to be 'drawn' so I abandoned
> that avenue and went back to using the internal PDF creator, which
&gt; despite it propensity to make large files does create a PDF that read
>; normally in Acrobat Reader.
>
> I did try some other PDF creation printer drivers, but they were no
> better than PDFCreator.
>
> As for the Ghostscript, to answer another query, I have Ghostscript
> 8.5.4 installed on my system and I use a GUI gs program called GSview
&gt; by Ghostgum.
>
&gt; I tried installing a postscript printer driver for a physical printer
> but have it directed to print to a file. The particular printer is
> specifically the HP Laserjet 4600 PS. From within PageStream. I
> 'printed' a postscript file then created a PDF file using Ghostscript
> through GSview. The result was the same as when I used PDFCreator
> from within PageStream.
>
> So, at the moment, I guess I'll have to live with the large PDFs until
&gt; Deron can focus his attention back on the Windows version. (hint,
&gt; hint! :-> )
>
> I won't stop using PageStream since it's so easy to use in the
> creation of the newsletter. I was just hoping that there was a
> 'simple' solution in reducing the PDF files I create!
>
> Thanks for all the suggestions and help,
&gt;
> Frank Jordan
&gt;

--
Deron Kazmaier - support%40pagestream.org">supportpagestream.org
Grasshopper LLC Publishing - http://www.pagestream.org
PageStream DTP for Amiga, Linux, Macintosh, and Windows

PageStream Support wrote:
&gt; Hi Frank,
&gt; Sorry I hadn't answered you sooner, but you can print a postscript file
> to disk even if you don't have a postscript printer. Just go to Print
> Setup and choose "<PostScript File>&quot;!!
&gt;
> Then process it using something like ghostscript,acrobat, etc depending
> on what you have/have access to.
>
> As mentioned here, the bloat is either embedded fonts or large bitmaps.
> PageStream does not (yet) downsample embedded bitmaps, you will have to
> do that by hand or rely on the postscript file/external ps->pdf
> converter process.
>
>; For fonts, in latest PageStream release(s) you should have a Font
> section with a popup labeled "Embedding" with a chopice of None, Not
> Base14 and All. Make sure you use either the first or second. If you use
> normal Windows fonts, and your readers are all Windows users, you should
> be able to safely use None. At least you can try that option to see if
> fonts or bitmaps are the issue for your output.
>

Deron, I'm sorry to say: but in all the .rsc files for PGS there is no
mention of embed, embedding!

PGS 5.0.3.4. Win.

> Your problems with using PDF print drivers is that PageStream is
> rendering a bitmap through them. Not really a pleasant option for this.
&gt;
> Deron
&gt;

Theo

On Tuesday 21 August 2007, PageStream Support wrote:
[snip]
>; For fonts, in latest PageStream release(s) you should have a Font
>; section with a popup labeled "Embedding" with a chopice of None, Not
> Base14 and All. Make sure you use either the first or second. If you use
> normal Windows fonts, and your readers are all Windows users, you should
&gt; be able to safely use None. At least you can try that option to see if
> fonts or bitmaps are the issue for your output.

That option is not present in either 5.0.3.4 Pro for Windows or Linux. Fonts
are always embedded.

Tim Doty

Tim Doty wrote:

>> For fonts, in latest PageStream release(s) you should have a Font
>;> section with a popup labeled "Embedding" with a chopice of None, Not
>> Base14 and All. Make sure you use either the first or second. If you use
>> normal Windows fonts, and your readers are all Windows users, you should
&gt;> be able to safely use None. At least you can try that option to see if
>&gt; fonts or bitmaps are the issue for your output.
>
> That option is not present in either 5.0.3.4 Pro for Windows or Linux. Fonts
> are always embedded.

Perhaps one should upgrade from 5.0.2.10 to the beta 5.0.3.4, because
with 5.0.2.10 no fonts are embedded. In my opinion, always embedded is
better than none embedded.

On Wednesday 22 August 2007, Uffe Holst wrote:
&gt; Tim Doty wrote:
&gt; >> For fonts, in latest PageStream release(s) you should have a Font
>; >> section with a popup labeled "Embedding" with a chopice of None, Not
> >> Base14 and All. Make sure you use either the first or second. If you use
> >> normal Windows fonts, and your readers are all Windows users, you should
&gt; >> be able to safely use None. At least you can try that option to see if
> >> fonts or bitmaps are the issue for your output.
> >
>; > That option is not present in either 5.0.3.4 Pro for Windows or Linux.
&gt; > Fonts are always embedded.
>
&gt; Perhaps one should upgrade from 5.0.2.10 to the beta 5.0.3.4, because
> with 5.0.2.10 no fonts are embedded. In my opinion, always embedded is
> better than none embedded.

I am in agreement there. I use 5.0.3.4 exclusively. While indicated as beta it
works very well for me. The only obnoxious bug I can think of is with Windows
where the backspace key deletes the last two characters...

Tim Doty

> Deron, I'm sorry to say: but in all the .rsc files for PGS there is no
> mention of embed, embedding!
>
&gt; PGS 5.0.3.4. Win.
>;

Well darn it! I guess I have forgotten when I did this! Sure enough. In
the change log:

+ Added Font group with Encoding in Save As PDF. All will include all fonts
in the PDF, none will include none of the fonts, and not base14 will embed
everything but the base 14
(times(x4),courier(x4),helvetica(x4),dingbats,symbols)
and equivelants.
+ Added FONTEMBEDDING to EXPORTPDF command.
** EXPORTPDF
** [ASK | FILE filename]
** [OUTPUT <COLOR | GRAYSCALE&gt;] [COMPRESSION <FLATE | NONE>]
[PICTURECOMPRESSION <FLATE | NONE>] [ENCODING <NONE|ASCII85|ASCIIHEX>]
** PGS50:[FONTEMBEDDING <NORMAL | NONE | ALL>]
** [PAGE document:...-page | MPG document:...-masterpage:side |
PAGERANGE document:... "page,from-to,from-to,..." |
** DOCUMENT document | CHAPTER document:...]

For a minute I was afraid that I had done this but didn't get the right
resource file with the archive. At least I did make that mistake

In anticipation of the next question, very soon!

Deron

>
> Theo
>;

--
Deron Kazmaier - support%40pagestream.org">supportpagestream.org
Grasshopper LLC Publishing - http://www.pagestream.org
PageStream DTP for Amiga, Linux, Macintosh, and Windows

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On Tuesday 25 September 2007, Harry Runge wrote:
&gt; In designing a business card to include a logo I have come across an odd
> printing problem. The logo is one color, blue, 22mmWx24mmH. It is
> fairly close to the text object. It prints fine at that size. However
> if increase the size of the logo to about 24MMx26MM and print, a thin
>; black vertical line the length of the logo box appears at the right
&gt; edge. What is more, if I reduce the logo size to the original but
> select heavyweight matte paper instead of plain paper, the same vertical
> line appears on the printout.

If it isn't an issue, you can directly email me the logo and I will do what I
can.

Tim Doty