Massive PDF Files

I see a lot of posts in the discussion groups where someone creates a PDF from a drawing and the PDF file size ends up being several times larger than the drawing itself.

OLE objects or images in the drawing. Both can cause the resulting PDF to be large. Remember that images are referenced into drawings and they are not included in the file size of the DWG file.

Terry over at dotsoft.com, points out that "text fonts and especially those with width factors, can cause PDF bloat. It mostly depends on the content of the PDF, which can often be a bloated mess. Not all PDF creators are equal. For example, while one driver may write out text as a lean text element, another may (especially if its width factor is changed) write out each letter as a large collection of filled triangles."

As an example, click the link below and take a look at this innocent looking letter 'S' which is actually made up of 471 fill objects!

http://www.dotsoft.com/files/pdf-letter.png

Dotsoft provides two applications for importing PDF files into AutoCAD. PDFImport, which works inside of AutoCAD, and PDF2DWG, a standalone application that outputs DWG and DXF files. These tools basically dissect the PDF piece by piece bringing each part into AutoCAD as native AutoCAD objects. Use of these tools can find problems like the 471 piece letter "S". If you are the creator of these bloated PDF files, you may want to explore other PDF driver options.