Split Document by File Size creates random file sizes

Hi FrancineSF,

Do all the pages have similar content? Are there large images on some pages and mostly text on others? Different content results in different file sizes- fonts, graphics, interactive features, etc.

Hope this helps,

Dimitri
WindJack Solutions
www.pdfscripting.com
www.windjack.com

Each document is different and each time I do this with different documents there are different results - none usually close to the maximum I have selected.

Do you know if it first looks at content such as what you are describing - images, etc - and then does it look at things like bookmarks next or is that not part of the equation?

Thanks for your assistance.

Hi FrancineSF,

I do not know how Acrobat determines the split under the covers. It would make sense to do some sort of whole document scan before deciding where to make the splits, but I don't know if it does that or not. My earlier point was just that differences in content types greatly affect file size. For example, a scanned document may be very different from a non-scanned one, in addition to pages with and without images, form fields, links, multiple fonts, etc.

Hope this helps,

Dimitri
WindJack Solutions
www.pdfscripting.com
www.windjack.com

seems to be another of adobe's trade secrets and they are not telling. besides, it hardly matters since the tool only promises that any resulting split will 'not exceed' a specific value the best way to get the weight of the split parts close to a specific value (particulary when the file has more or less uniform content characteristics throughout) is to use the 'max pages' selection. apply 'reduce file size' tool to each of the splits. run a few tests to get the results you want.

Thanks, Dimitri. I appreciate your response. Mostly, I am attempting to convey concepts to users and I want to make sure that *I* have all of the information I need to make sure we evaluate things along the way.

RBogie - Sure it matters, that's why I asked! hahahaha It is especially important when dealing with e-filings and they have file size limitations. Yes, the other options are available, but I am trying to understand how the feature works, the criteria Adobe uses and what components might yield what response. I am not sure that it's really a "secret" as much as something that just may not be documented, so I figured I would check here so as not to recreate the wheel.

I tend to like understanding the mechanisms behind things so that when something occurs, I can tell whether output is a 'feature' or if something is going on that I might need to be aware of - and then convey that information to users.

Specifics about the feature itself (not alternatives) is what I am seeking.

I appreciate both of your replies. If anyone knows any other specifics about the Split - File Size feature (other criteria Adobe uses, I'd love to hear.

Thanks again!