Compacting pdf files

[redman]

Hello all,

 

Recently I've downloaded a lot of pdf files like I'm sure everyone else has. I found a website that can really shrink the size of them.

 

http://www.ilovepdf.com

 

A little degradation occurs, but the size difference is fantastic. Allan's 400/800 CPS supersalt Technical manual went from 52 megs to a little over 1 meg.

This can save a lot of disk space.

 

Redman

[+Allan]

Of course you can mod them in what ever way you want (and hopefully they will get used by a few people) but I don't like to post compressed PDFs for readability's sake and in a couple of years the Net will be so fast and storage so large that we will be kicking ourselves for compressing stuff. I really don't want to go back and re-scan everything. If you grab them from Archive.org you can get a smaller version of them anyways. They offer a number of different sizes and file types for slow speeds and fast speeds.

 

Allan

[gozar]

It depends on how the PDF is compressed. For example, they can resize the pictures according to the size displayed instead of the size stored (the PDF could have a 4000x3000 JPG that is used for a thumbnail image). In that case, you would never be able to tell the difference between the two PDFs.

 

 

 

 

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[Keatah]

The net is fast enough to deal with all sizes

 

It depends on how the PDF is compressed. For example, they can resize the pictures according to the size displayed instead of the size stored (the PDF could have a 4000x3000 JPG that is used for a thumbnail image). In that case, you would never be able to tell the difference between the two PDFs.

 

 

except when that thumbnail is a technical diagram or something with text. You will not be able to enlarge it or read it.

 

And compressed overcompressed pdfs are the #1 reason why schematics aren't readable. Doesn't matter when the compression happened, at scan time or afterwards.

 

Ugh..

[Keatah]

Compressed pdfs suck.

 

That the internet is slow or one does not have enough storage space aren't good reasons anymore. Storage is plentiful, 50 bucks getting you 2TB. And even you're stuck on dial up, it's not so bad. You just set the download going and come back in the morning.

[gozar]

After I posted I realized this thread is about scanned files made into PDFs, not PDFs created from documents.

 

How are scanned pictures stored in PDFs?

 

 

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[Keatah]

Page 334 of this document may help.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjnjtOj7PvQAhVrj1QKHRdUAWUQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2FAdobe%2Fen%2Fdevnet%2Facrobat%2Fpdfs%2Fpdf_reference_1-7.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHy7q3uO_QDuDeHLydS12RpbpRRYg&sig2=aoTOvPSEvzmNj7fVvdeKCA

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_standardization_of_Portable_Document_Format

Edited December 17, 2016 by Keatah

[Mclaneinc]

Compacting anything with detail on is usually a massive mistake, massive gains like that don't just come with a little loss of detail, its usually a massive loss. Its like when you compress a Pixar cartoon video and then you compress something like Planet earth II, the cartoon won't look too bad because of the basic colours and shapes but Planet Earth will look appalling due to the loss of detail and washed out colour.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Mclaneinc

[Keatah]

Some idiot made scans of Creative Computing, and compressed them from 250MB down to less than 50MB, and they are really unreadable unless you concentrate and keep guessing what letters are what. All in the name of storage space and that old fallacy called "bandwidth". Why even bother?

 

Unfortunately they will never ever be scanned again. Because they are already scanned! And once is enough. Piss on that!

[Mclaneinc]

Yup, we now have the bandwidth and the storage, if anything we should be making better scans of stuff that's gone before but as you say, some class it as once scanned so done.

[Keatah]

We've had it for some time now, more than 10 years.

[The Usotsuki]

...and I use CBZ instead of PDF because I've had better compression results. :/

[gozar]

That's what I was wondering. Wouldn't something like TIFF make a lot more sense than PDF?

 

 

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[fujidude]

Some idiot made scans of Creative Computing, and compressed them from 250MB down to less than 50MB, and they are really unreadable unless you concentrate and keep guessing what letters are what. All in the name of storage space and that old fallacy called "bandwidth". Why even bother?

 

Unfortunately they will never ever be scanned again. Because they are already scanned! And once is enough. Piss on that!

 

Yeah it's a shame. Especially so when the bandwidth part shouldn't have been a reason for doing it. One can always capture and store high detail. Then, create bandwidth friendly compressed versions for uploading. Later when bandwidth is improved, the same high detail sources can be used to create new documents which share that detail. People don't always think things through like they should.

Edited December 18, 2016 by fujidude

[redman]

Hello again,

 

I really didn't mean to degrade any pdfs that have schematics or fine diagrams. I just used Allan's manual as an example of how much smaller the files can be made. I use an old laptop with Windows98SE and SIO2PC (the original DOS program) to load games etc. I also store a lot of game manuals and instructions on the small hard drive. Almost all of these pdfs are mainly text with maybe a picture or two. When I can shrink a 20meg file to 480kb and still be able to read it, it makes a lot of sense to do so.

 

Redman

[Keatah]

I suppose that's fine for informative text-only where the font style is irrelevant. Maybe even a text file is preferable because it is more universally read and easier to copy-paste.

 

But don't let a small hard drive limit you. 2 TB can be had for $50 or so. And then you can store thousands upon thousands of full-length manuals and more!