Comments on: Why Is My File Size So Huge?

By: Mike Font

Mike Font — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:11:34 +0000

Is there a way to find out what dpi all the images in a document are?

Thanks

By: A-jax

A-jax — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:17:44 +0000

It looks like you guys already figured it out but we were just working with an indesign cs3 file that was around 65MB and we simply exported it out as an interchange file (INX) and it reduced the document to 15MB. It’s still pretty rediculous considering there are no linked files but it’s a good quick fix if all you need is a band aid.

Good comments.

By: Lori LeBeau-Walsh

Lori LeBeau-Walsh — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:08:20 +0000

Not the info I was looking for but a fabulous tip and insight into how InDesign works!

Re: C. Gomez–I have only worked with one commercial printer that exceeded the standard 150-175 lpi past 200, and they were only doing it for publicity. I have also been told by printers, as B. Glasglow says, that 175 really is optimum for today’s workflows.

To David: the reason so many designers routinely save images higher than 300 (or even at 300 when they don’t need to) is because something always happens and one needs to resize larger in InDesign; there might not be time to go in and carefully fix/resize images like we used to.

By: Erik

Erik — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:21:31 +0000

I’m working with InDesign CS3 about a month now. Last week I’ve completed a magazine lay-out of 36 pages. All full colour with many images in it, a few of them the whole page covering. I noticed at the end the filesize did grow to 250 MB, normally in CS2 this sort of magazine would be 20 till 30 MB. So, searching the web for a explanation I found the tip to use Save as… at the end. That decreased the filesize to 160 MB. More than 90 MB less, but still much more than the usual CS2 filesizes.
The images I use are all converted in Photoshop to CMYK, 300 dpi. CMYK profile included. There are no 72 dpi images used.
A suggestion of David Blattner made me to export to INX. The INX-file seems very small, about 2 MB. Opening the INX in CS3 and saving it will bring the filesize back to 170 MB.

Secondly I imported the INX in InDesign CS2. By saving it the filesize reduces to 17,4 MB!!! After that I opened the CS2-file in CS3 en saved it. The filesize is now 17,5 MB. That’s more like the filesize was, but not a nice workaround…

Does anyone has the same problem? And maybe a solution?

By: Bill Glasgow

Bill Glasgow — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:06:48 +0000

Re: 8. Christopher Gomez said: “I wonder why anyone is printing CMYK sheet-fed offset work with a printer who runs less than 250 lpi?”

I assume you meant ppi. There are decreasing benefits to increasing the line frequency beyond 175 as you start to run into problems related to the physics of ink chemistry. In visual terms, the dynamic range tends to decrease resulting in greater detail at the expense of lower contrast (and frustrated, angry pressmen/women).

By: James Sutherland

James Sutherland — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:05:10 +0000

The ‘Save As’ trick also works in MS Word; it’s a fairly safe bet *that* isn’t based on PDF…

I’m glad I found this tip, anyway: I was a bit disappointed when un-embedding the images in my 110 Mb .indd file turned it into a 135 Mb file! Now I have a nice 49 Mb file instead…

By: Alexey Kletsel

Alexey Kletsel — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:03:00 +0000

Save As works to making files smaller in all programms, bacause rebuilds the files. Turning to PDF in Illustrator (from PostSctipt) in 9 version has allowed to support effects and transparency. In InDesign has used same graphics language based on PDF. Now Adobe moves to PDF as main graphics language from PostScript.

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:38:38 +0000

Alexey, InDesign and Illustrator are definitely not based on the PDF format. The “Save As” fix (making files smaller) works in many programs, including QuarkXPress and PageMaker.

By: Alexey Kletsel

Alexey Kletsel — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:24:16 +0000

This problem is known since the 1st vertion of InDesign. It has been happening because the InDesign format is based on PDF format. The growing is PDF native problem. The problem also meets in Illustrator, but in AI each save really is save as.

By: Christopher Gomez

Christopher Gomez — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:42:34 +0000

I wonder why anyone is printing CMYK sheet-fed offset work with a printer who runs less than 250 lpi?