Expert: Glen Demers - 10/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi

I've been using Photoshop to make brochures for both web use and print. I usually create them in the size for print (ie. 8.5x11, 300dpi) and save them as pdfs for online use.

However, when I do this, the file sizes are too huge for the pdfs to be used online, and when I try to save under the smallest pdf size option, my text and graphics lose all quality.

I would like to know how to create pdf brochures for online viewing - maintaining high quality images & text as well as having them in a reasonable, small file size (below 1mb).

Thanks a lot!

ANSWER: Hi Charlene,

Make sure you begin with a layered file with type and any vector graphics on their own layers. This way when you choose smallest file size Photoshop will downsample the bitmap images but the type and vector graphics will stay sharp. The images should be 72 dpi RGB for the web.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Photoshop tips please visit our help pages here

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

QUESTION: I've tried making it 72dpi before but the quality is extremely low for fonts and non-vector images. Is there a way to counter this?

Answer
Hi Charlene,

The key is to compress the bitmap independently of the vectors, in Photoshop CS3 this is automatic in the pdf settings - you set bitmap to resample down to 72 dpi in the joboptions. In earlier versions, you'll have to embed the fonts in the pdf and open it in Acrobat full version to reduce file size.
If you reduce the resolution of your photoshop document before making a pdf, everything is reduced to the lower resolution.
While you can create brochure in Photoshop a much better choice is to use Photoshop to create images that are then placed in a page layout program such as InDesign or QuarkXpress, even Illustrator does a better job of creating pdf's.
Photoshop's type handling and output options are very primitive compared to these programs as PS is designed primarily to manipulate images.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Photoshop tips please visit our help pages here