Reducing File Size for PDF

I'm not exactly certain how to do this without having the full version of Adobe Acrobat. You might want to try reducing the image sizes by selecting "Reduce File Size" under the File menu of Pages. Then try making the PDF.

Print to PDF first, then open the PDF in Preview. Select "Save-As" and you'll see the Quartz filter under which there is an option to reduce file size.

You'll have to experiment to get it to your satisfaction -- and this method does not provide fine grained control.

[You can use preview a second time (etc.) and reduce file size again - it does appear to hit a limit though, but pictures will be blurrier.]

Here's How You Reduce The Size Of A Pdf

If you want to reduce the size of your PDF without losing the quality (such as what often happens when you use the Quartz Filter), try this.
1. Go to your Finder
2. Click on Applications
3. Click on your Utilities Folder
4. Click on ColorSync Utility.app
5. Once its open, switch to the "Filters" panel (which will list all of the filters you currently have available)
6. In the lower left, click on the “+” button which will create a new filter
7. Name the filter whatever you want and press return.
8. To the right of the filter’s name, choose the down arrow and a menu will pop up.
9. From that pop-up menu, choose “Add Image Effects Component”, and from that menu choose “Image Compression”.
10. Adjust the image compression Mode to JPEG.
11. Adjust the image compression quality however you'd prefer.

The next time you use Preview to “Save As...”, you'll have a new option under Quartz filters. GOOD LUCK!

Reduced PDF size without losing quality

I would just like to say that this method worked wanders for me!!! Thanks so much for the tip (included below). I reduced my scanned images that were already into one pdf from 42MB to 8MB!!! This is amazing! I am a new user to the whole Apple system and your instructions were so easy to follow and EVEN I did it!! THANKYOU!!! You have just saved me a huge amount of money, carbon footprint and trees (for the paper) if I were going to have to post this to 13 different countries...resulting in days of delay!
Thanks!!!

C3magazine said:

If you want to reduce the size of your PDF without losing the quality (such as what often happens when you use the Quartz Filter), try this.
1. Go to your Finder
2. Click on Applications
3. Click on your Utilities Folder
4. Click on ColorSync Utility.app
5. Once its open, switch to the "Filters" panel (which will list all of the filters you currently have available)
6. In the lower left, click on the “+” button which will create a new filter
7. Name the filter whatever you want and press return.
8. To the right of the filter’s name, choose the down arrow and a menu will pop up.
9. From that pop-up menu, choose “Add Image Effects Component”, and from that menu choose “Image Compression”.
10. Adjust the image compression Mode to JPEG.
11. Adjust the image compression quality however you'd prefer.

The next time you use Preview to “Save As...”, you'll have a new option under Quartz filters. GOOD LUCK!

Click to expand...

C3magazine said:

If you want to reduce the size of your PDF without losing the quality (such as what often happens when you use the Quartz Filter), try this.
1. Go to your Finder
2. Click on Applications
3. Click on your Utilities Folder
4. Click on ColorSync Utility.app
5. Once its open, switch to the "Filters" panel (which will list all of the filters you currently have available)
6. In the lower left, click on the “+” button which will create a new filter
7. Name the filter whatever you want and press return.
8. To the right of the filter’s name, choose the down arrow and a menu will pop up.
9. From that pop-up menu, choose “Add Image Effects Component”, and from that menu choose “Image Compression”.
10. Adjust the image compression Mode to JPEG.
11. Adjust the image compression quality however you'd prefer.

The next time you use Preview to “Save As...”, you'll have a new option under Quartz filters. GOOD LUCK!

Click to expand...

thank you, just learned a lot

C3magazine said:

If you want to reduce the size of your PDF without losing the quality (such as what often happens when you use the Quartz Filter), try this.
1. Go to your Finder
2. Click on Applications
3. Click on your Utilities Folder
4. Click on ColorSync Utility.app
5. Once its open, switch to the "Filters" panel (which will list all of the filters you currently have available)
6. In the lower left, click on the “+” button which will create a new filter
7. Name the filter whatever you want and press return.
8. To the right of the filter’s name, choose the down arrow and a menu will pop up.
9. From that pop-up menu, choose “Add Image Effects Component”, and from that menu choose “Image Compression”.
10. Adjust the image compression Mode to JPEG.
11. Adjust the image compression quality however you'd prefer.

The next time you use Preview to “Save As...”, you'll have a new option under Quartz filters. GOOD LUCK!

Click to expand...

i'm trying this...all goes to plan when adding the new option but then when i export and hit the quartz drop down the new option isn't there for some reason? i'm also noticing when i create it it isn't letting me title it it keeps defaulting to untitled? what am i doing wrong please? osx 10.9 btw

open it in preview.
save it as a jpeg.
open it in preview/adobe.
save it as PDF.
done.

C3magazine said:

If you want to reduce the size of your PDF without losing the quality (such as what often happens when you use the Quartz Filter), try this.
1. Go to your Finder
2. Click on Applications
3. Click on your Utilities Folder
4. Click on ColorSync Utility.app
5. Once its open, switch to the "Filters" panel (which will list all of the filters you currently have available)
6. In the lower left, click on the “+” button which will create a new filter
7. Name the filter whatever you want and press return.
8. To the right of the filter’s name, choose the down arrow and a menu will pop up.
9. From that pop-up menu, choose “Add Image Effects Component”, and from that menu choose “Image Compression”.
10. Adjust the image compression Mode to JPEG.
11. Adjust the image compression quality however you'd prefer.

The next time you use Preview to “Save As...”, you'll have a new option under Quartz filters. GOOD LUCK!

Click to expand...

This did not work for me! pdf reduced from 7mb to 433kb but images looked terrible.

nickh, I was around on the forum and saw your post. I have an app on the store compressing pdf (ExSqueeze it). It is basically under the hood using the quartz filter action (yes I know). Interface is simple, you have 4 types of qualities. and can check the result before saving.

If your images in your PDF are already highly degraded, to compress it will may be not reduce the file size as you expect.

Here are promo codes for it (get it for free).

NY4MPHPHMLJ3
H6RP4XJLN96K
PAYYW49H6XYH
AT3KANXFAAE9
LMPJHFYAE4WW
AM7YW3HTPWLA
Y4EAK7PN377N
79M7MY4K49M4
9TYXMX4KJEM4
ERW3HLYKWJLE

And then there's http://compress.smallpdf.com/

I know this is an older thread. But one of the quickest ways if you do not have Acrobat Pro.

Open PDF in Preview>File>Export>FormatDF>Quartz Filter:Reduce File Size>Save