Reduce PDF files

Try this (works well for me): http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20120629091437274

So, just copy these 3 files to: /Library/Filters/

Save as Reduce File Size Best Quality.qfilter to /Library/Filters/

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

<key>Domains</key>

<dict>

<key>Applications</key>

<true/>

<key>Printing</key>

<true/>

</dict>

<key>FilterData</key>

<dict>

<key>ColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>DocumentColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>CustomLHSCorrection</key>

<array>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

</array>

</dict>

<key>ImageSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>Compression Quality</key>

<real>0.75</real>

<key>ImageCompression</key>

<string>ImageJPEGCompress</string>

<key>ImageScaleSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>ImageScaleFactor</key>

<real>0.5</real>

<key>ImageScaleInterpolate</key>

<true/>

<key>ImageSizeMax</key>

<integer>3508</integer>

<key>ImageSizeMin</key>

<integer>128</integer>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

<key>FilterType</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>Name</key>

<string>Reduce File Size Best Quality</string>

</dict>

</plist>

Save as Reduce File Size Better Quality.qfilter to /Library/Filters/

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

<key>Domains</key>

<dict>

<key>Applications</key>

<true/>

<key>Printing</key>

<true/>

</dict>

<key>FilterData</key>

<dict>

<key>ColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>DocumentColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>CustomLHSCorrection</key>

<array>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

</array>

</dict>

<key>ImageSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>Compression Quality</key>

<real>0.5</real>

<key>ImageCompression</key>

<string>ImageJPEGCompress</string>

<key>ImageScaleSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>ImageScaleFactor</key>

<real>0.5</real>

<key>ImageScaleInterpolate</key>

<true/>

<key>ImageSizeMax</key>

<integer>1684</integer>

<key>ImageSizeMin</key>

<integer>128</integer>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

<key>FilterType</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>Name</key>

<string>Reduce File Size Better Quality</string>

</dict>

</plist>

Save as Reduce File Size Good Quality.qfilter to /Library/Filters/

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

<key>Domains</key>

<dict>

<key>Applications</key>

<true/>

<key>Printing</key>

<true/>

</dict>

<key>FilterData</key>

<dict>

<key>ColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>DocumentColorSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>CustomLHSCorrection</key>

<array>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

<integer>8</integer>

</array>

</dict>

<key>ImageSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>Compression Quality</key>

<real>0.25</real>

<key>ImageCompression</key>

<string>ImageJPEGCompress</string>

<key>ImageScaleSettings</key>

<dict>

<key>ImageScaleFactor</key>

<real>0.5</real>

<key>ImageScaleInterpolate</key>

<true/>

<key>ImageSizeMax</key>

<integer>842</integer>

<key>ImageSizeMin</key>

<integer>128</integer>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

</dict>

<key>FilterType</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>Name</key>

<string>Reduce File Size Good Quality</string>

</dict>

</plist>

If these filters work for you, you can then use Automator to process the files

(this will copy the Original PDF to the Desktop (or any Folder you select), so you can recover the PDF if the reduce size is not acceptable (it is possible that the new PDF will increase in size)

Search: PDF Tool in the App Store

Watch out for the really cheap ones. A couple of the most promising cheap ones turned out to have annoying defaults and no way to change them.

Also, I advise against compressing directly "into the same original location" unless you have a good backup of the files or can easily recreate them.

I found PDF Squeezer to be a good balance of simplicity and adjustability for my use and for the run of PDF files I need to reduce. It even has a setting on whether to allow you to save a file that "reduced" to larger than the original (defaulting to "no"). (None of the supplied default filters enlarged my example files, but I could create a custom filter that did, by cranking up all the settings.)

I don't think you'll need to mess much with the defauly settings, but the options are there if you need them, and it does remember them between batches and between launches.

......(drumroll).......App Store: PDF Squeezer

🙂

ronenhaim wrote:

Interesting FAQ from the App's support site that I've learn :

"

PDF Squeezer was unable to reduce the file’s size:

Like all other PDF compression tools, PDF Squeezer does not reduce the size of PDF files that have already been compressed.

"

That's typical. You've seen it yourself with Preview when it sometimes increases the size of the PDF. But, as markwmsn said, PDF Squeezer "has a setting on whether to allow you to save a file that "reduced" to larger than the original (defaulting to "no")." -- that's a nice option, think I'll add it to my Automator Workflow.