Expert: Nick Putthoff - 2/13/2009

Question
QUESTION: G'day, I'm having trouble getting my Adobe illustrator CS files to a size I can
send to printers via email.  Delivering them by hand and getting quotes is a
nightmare... I know there is a smarter way to do this but the Help option in
illustrator is confusing...   Currently my file sizes range from 50-80mb for
image heavy layouts...  If you could help me solve this puzzle it would be a
god send... :)

ANSWER: Luke,
You could try  the Save As PDF option and use the Smallest File Size setting. This will still allow the printer to view your file in Acrobat with Separation Preview (to evaluate the separations for quoting purposes) and will be a much smaller file than the native AI file.

Another option if a native AI file is your only choice is to turn OFF the option for PDF compatibility in the native Illustrator options. This will allow for much faster saves and create a smaller file.

And if neither of those options is satisfactory you could make a version of the file that is only for review purposes. For this file you could reduce the resolution of any placed images (by half), link to the lower resolution versions instead of the full resolution versions and resave the AI file with a different name.

Good Luck

Nick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Nick thats all sound advice and I will definitely use them when sending
my artwork next time...

However, how do I send it to them so they can print the files without loosing the
detail?

Answer
Luke,

Saving the AI file with the PDF compatibility option UNchecked will reduce the file size with no loss in detail. If you are already saving your files in this manner here are some suggestions that may help:

Ask your printer about FTP capabilities and instructions for their FTP implementation. FTP allows for much larger file transfers than can be accomplished with email attachments. If the printer has FTP capabilities and you have access to a reasonably fast internet connection 50-80mb files should be no problem.

Also ask your printer about the file type they prefer. It is likely your printer uses a workflow that prefers PDF. They can supply you with settings for PDF export that are optimized for their output devices. Optimized settings will reproduce your artwork accurately but also allow for compression in the PDF that can greatly reduce the file size.

If FTP or PDF are not options you could segment the files that are required to produce your artwork in full resolution.
Here are some suggestions to that end:

Link all placed images rather than embedding. Then save the Illustrator file in a manner that does NOT include placed images. Then use Zip or Stuffit or any compression utility that is available for your operating system to compress the AI file into an archive. Do the same for the external support files until you have several bundles that can be attached to separate emails.

And lastly burn the files to a CD and ship the disk to your printer by whatever means necessary to meet your deadline. I realize that yesterday is probably not soon enough.

Hope this helps

Good Luck

Nick